April, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
105 
SOCIETE NATIONALE D HORTICULTURE 
Re France 
February 1919. 
Dear Sir, 
We bog to inform you that the Societe Nationale d ’Horticulture do 
France has decided in its meeting of the 12th of December to open a 
subscription in favour of all those who, at the horticultural point of 
view, have been victims to the invasion and who have suffered material 
damages owing to the war. 
La Societe Nationale d ’Horticulture dc France sends you its most 
earnest entreaties, and hopes that you will be kind enough to help it 
in its work, by informing the members of your Association of the de- 
cision which has been taken and by collecting the subscriptions which 
will enable it to answer to the urgent needs which have already been 
pointed out to it. 
The beautiful industrial solidarity which has always been shown 
clearly in the French Horticulture as well as in the International one 
in painful circumstances must not fail when it comes to make up for 
such terrible ruins. 
We beg you to receive, dear Sir, with our best thanks, our kindest 
regards. 
Lc l er Vice-President de la Societe, 
President de la Commission, Le President de la Societe, 
Abel Chatenay. Viger. 
March, 1919 
Receipt of contributions will be promptly acknowledged by this of- 
fice and names of contributors forwarded with the money. A further 
suitable acknowledgement will be sent later. 
Frederic Cranefield, 
Madison, Wis. 
I want to plant ( — ) fruit tree(s) in Devastated France and enclose 
, which please forward to the National Horticid- 
tural Society of France. 
To Frederic Cranefield, Secretary W. S. H. S. 
Madison, Wis. 
THE HIDEOUS RETREAT 
The Huns were retreating sul- 
lenly from the Aisne. French ref- 
ugees were flock'ng wistfully back 
to what were once their homes. 
French soldiers, on leave from the 
front, were trudging forward on 
fearful pilgrimages through char- 
red roads and pulverized villages 
to see what was left of their 
farms. 
The Boche has done hideous 
things. Only those who have 
anxiously watched their own 
things grow can fully understand. 
The Hun had cut down everything 
he could see, even the lilac bushes 
— only what was in the ground, 
alive, they could not kill — accord- 
ing to a vivid report in Collier’s 
W eeklv . 
One soldier was amazed to find 
his grape-vines standing. They 
were budding. He reached ten- 
derly for one of the rough brown 
stems. It stirred oddly. The 
sweat broke out on his forehead. 
For twelve years he had patiently 
cultivated these vines. He took 
hold of the lower stem. It had 
been severed from the root with a 
fine vineyard saw, and its sap was 
oozing from the stump. For three 
years he had fought the Hun in 
the trenches. But he had never 
known that there were people in 
the world who could do this cold, 
calculated harm to a grape-vine. — 
From Fourth Liberty Loan Poster, 
1918. 
Americans the Best Gardeners 
Much has been said concerning 
the remarkable results secured by 
gardening conducted along inten- 
sive lines. The French gardener, 
in fact, has been held up as the 
last word in this particular line of 
effort. The Oshkosh Northwest- 
ern says : 
“Frequently it has been urged 
that the people of this country 
should study and adopt French 
methods, in order to secure better 
results from the gardens cultivated 
in this land. Now, however, comes 
a surprising report that some of 
the war gardens which have been 
operated by Americans in France 
have been made to produce even 
better results than similar gardens 
conducted by the native French 
gardeners. The Americans, in 
other words, actually have beat the 
French gardeners at their own 
game — which is the usual result 
when the energetic and resource- 
ful Americans seriously set them- 
selves to accomplish any given 
task. 
“The report of this accomplish- 
ment is gratifying and also prom- 
ising. It is a matter of satisfac- 
tion to know that clever Americans 
are able to hold their own in a 
competitive test of this character, 
while their success furnishes the 
intimation that when they come 
home they will be able to duplicate 
in American gardens the records 
they have made in France. More- 
over, by setting an example along 
this line they will stimulate a gen- 
eral desire and effort by other 
cardeners in this countrv to im- 
