HARTLAND VERMONT 
13 
SOME CUSTOMS 
The celebration of Arbor Day has been mentioned. Besides 
the holding of co-operative exercises and the giving of prizes for 
essays and collections by pupils, tree and shrub planting, grading 
and beautifying of school grounds have been encouraged. Ways 
for individual schools to celebrate the day have been suggested 
and an Arbor Day program, obtained through the courtesy of Mr. 
W. E. Ranger, Commissioner of Education for Rhode Island, 
has been distributed. 
The custom among Club members of feeding birds in winter 
has been so general as to cause their example to be followed by 
many others. Some have built feed stations and some simply 
hang out a basket in which seeds and suet are placed. One 
woman conceived the idea of heating a large freestone in the 
coldest weather and placing food upon it where her little bird 
friends could be warmed as well as fed! In time of heavy 
spring snows many scatter chaff for seed-eating birds, or put 
out chopped suet, hard boiled eggs, bread crumbs soaked in milk, 
or boiled salt pork for birds like robins and blue birds. 
Pamphlets have been distributed on the protection of native 
plants; and when walks have been conducted 1 by the Club, the 
policy has been not to collect specimens by pulling them up by 
the root. One member saves all bird specimens that have been 
found dead or injured and makes bird skins of them. 
A teacher of experience took charge of school gardens dur¬ 
ing the war. An exhibition from them was conducted by the 
Club, ribbons being awarded for vegetables, flowers, canned 
goods, sewing, embroideries, knitting and drawings. One of 
the most successful of these occasions was on “Old Home Day” 
when we had a large attendance. 
TYPICAL MEETINGS 
It may truthfully be said that there was never yet a dull 
meeting of the Club, whether there were two or fifty present. 
The places of meeting have been greatly varied: the sun 
parlor of the Underwoods, the bright garden at the Darling 
homestead, Fairview with its summer visitors and its lovely 
outlook, Quechee Gulf, Catamount Ledge, Hart Island—each of 
these names calls up a picture of past delights. 
In accepting the invitation of Charles Sheldon of Wood- 
stock on July 14, 1916, to come to his summer home for luncheon 
