52 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
December, 1917 
The Gardener’s Advisory Council 
In order to utilize to the best 
advantage the great store of gar- 
den knowledge in our Society the 
Gardener’s Advisory Council was 
formed and one hundred aides ap- 
pointed. 
The members selected were 
asked to spend four hours a week 
during the growing season in giv- 
ing aid and comfort to back lot 
gardeners. Reports Avere re- 
ceded from a feAV members of the 
Council during the season show- 
ing that they took the plan seri- 
ously and were at work. 
On Nov. 1st a call Avas sent to 
all members of the Council to re- 
port and the response was most 
gratifying. It’s a mighty fine 
thing to be aide to help someone 
and the members Avho spent a feAV 
hours this summer helping their 
less fortunate neighbors doing 
this missionary Avork among the 
heathen, must and do feel Avell re- 
paid. The Council members were 
asked in particular to state how 
many of the real beginners met 
with success, Iioav many fell by 
the wayside when the hot weather 
came and the Aveeds greAv fast, 
and Avhat proportion of the begin- 
ners are planning to have gardens 
next year. Here are extracts 
from a feAV of the reports : 
Perhaps the most strenuous case of 
an amateur back yard garden to come 
under my notice was that of a city 
tailor who came to know about his 
back yard behind his store. On in- 
vestigation it proved to be a common 
red, clay bottom covered with two to 
four inches of coal ashes and had been 
used for years as a burning and de- 
livery ground for teams. It was so 
hard that one had to use a pick to 
break it up. He got a man at it and 
hauled in some old manure and soft 
soil to mix with the clay, built a fence 
around it, and had quite a nice little 
garden about 16 x 30 ft. There was a 
row of red geraniums along one side, 
and several varieties of vegetables on 
the other part. This little spot was 
changed from the usual “back of the 
store” yard to quite a pleasant little 
garden. 
So far as I knoAv the only man who 
has expressed the idea of giving up is 
an architect in town who planted a 
patch of cabbage out in the country 
and got it very nicely started; then 
on his next visit his beds were all 
cleaned off. Much astonished and 
quite indignant, he went to his farmer 
to know what had happened to his 
cabbage patch. The answer came in 
one word — “woodchucks.” So the 
architect thinks he will stick to his 
trade hereafter. 
I think the “council” is a good stunt 
and ought to be continued. Think I 
have been able to give real help in a 
number of cases. — Irving C. Smith, 
Ashland, Wis. 
Many vacant lots had been offered 
for gardens, and most of these were 
cultivated by women and children, and 
good results obtained. 
I think the best work I did was to 
take extracts from the articles by 
Professor Moore and others, Avhich ap- 
peared in Wisconsin Horticulture, and 
have them printed in our local papers. 
I know that many of our amatuer 
gardeners profited by them; also I 
know that in many families the house- 
hold expenses have been reduced by 
this garden movement, and am quite 
sure that the garden spirit will con- 
tinue, and will probably crystallize 
into a garden club, which will work 
together with the schools, giving op- 
portunity for interchange of thought, 
and furthering a community spirit in 
the work. 
I did not see the man, whom rumor 
located in our town, Avho bought a peck 
of seed potatoes and after depositing 
them all in one hole in the ground 
hilled them up and expected to raise 
50 bushels or so. Think our club will 
educate him. Also the one who ad- 
vised our people to save seeds from the 
best vegetables and serve the vege- 
tables on the table after the seedshave 
been cut off. — H. J. P. Burlington. 
I was not able to do as much in this 
capacity as I wanted to do for the rea- 
son that 1 have transferred my busi- 
ness to Milwaukee, but still have my 
home at Lake Mills. At Lake Mills 
gardening was quite successful this 
season, all those who planted and 
properly cared for their gardens were 
able to harvest good crops. One small 
patch of ground about 1 x 1 y 2 rods pro- 
duced four bushels of potatoes and this 
party will make an effort to do better 
by cultivating every available foot of 
ground on his lot next season. 
Being in Milwaukee except Saturday 
and Sunday I attended to some ad- i 
visory work here and succeeded in 
inducing a few of my neighbors to 
plant a back yard garden also several 
plots of potatoes. The vegetable gard- 
ens did very well and will be contin- ; 
ued and extended next season but 
Aveather was bad for early potatoes in 
Milwaukee and the crops were not sat- | 
isfactory. However all but one who 
tried will try again and I will advise : 
them what to plant as seed and feel > 
they Avill meet with more success. — 
Conrad Engsberg, Lake Mills. 
In reference to your inquiry regard- 
ing the working of the Gardener’s 
Council Advisory in that portion of 
this city Avith which I come in fre- 
quent contact, can say that I consider 
my efforts in that line have brought 
some success. 
For one thing, 1 raised a quantity of i 
cabbage plants from seeds of different 
varieties and distributed them around, 
and I consider that line of action 
brought more success than anything 
else, so I propose to raise more next 
year for that same purpose. A boy 
will come along some damp evening 
and get a few plants, and when shown 
how to tend them usually gets results. 
Plants appeal to him more than so 
much seed to soav. To anyone con- 
versant with gardening it seems but 
little trouble to raise cabbage plants 
and the boys certainly appreciate 
them. 
The School Board has also taken up 
the matter and appointed a teacher to 
each school, and are starting night 
schools for beginners to instruct them 
in the rudiments of raising vegetables, 
so the movement is getting well under 
way in this locality. 
Regretting my inability to offer sug- 
gestions of any value, I am— E. Ha- 
warden, Superior. 
Replying to yours, as a member of 
the Gardener’s Council, we about Wyo- 
cena, have been doing some very good 
work along the line of back yard 
