53 
May, 19 IS 
MAKING YOUR GARDEN HELP the RED CROSS 
How One Woman Became Plant Agent for Her Community and 
Swelled War Charity Funds 
MARTHA STRONG TURNER 
F OR women vitally interested in raising funds for 
local Red Cross work I have a new method, per¬ 
sonally tested, and munificently proved. 
It was spring and our funds were running low. It 
was impossible to raise money successfully in our 
farming community by the means employed' in cities 
and suburban places. 
One day coming home from a Red Cross meeting, 
I passed through my flower-garden, and my moneyed 
broodings were interrupted by the sight of bare spots 
>n certain beds and crowded corners in others. How 
I would like to buy lilies for this bed, or tulips for 
that one! But it was out of the question. Flower- 
garden expenditures had been cut out altogether, the 
vegetable garden claiming my entire strength physi¬ 
cally, mentally and financially, and I felt justified in 
only spending enough time and money to prevent the 
deterioration of my flowers. I comforted myself, with 
the thought that I was not alone in my attack of 
smouldering flower fever, and at least I might help 
some flower affinity by presenting her with my sur¬ 
plus plants. 
The evening breeze drifted through the pine trees, 
and over the flowers, surrounding me with its fra¬ 
grant freshness. It wafted a message to me from the 
nodding flowers. “Sell us, sell us,” it whispered, 
“and you will find us of service for the Red Cross.” 
It was late spring, almost beyond the planting sea¬ 
son, so no time was to be lost organizing, advertising, 
etc. I quickly itemized my salable plants, and hunted 
prices in a standard catalogue. That evening my 
telephone conversation with several friends ran some¬ 
what as follows: 
A Red Cross Plant Agent 
I know you are interested in Red Cross work as 
well as in your flower garden, so won’t you convert 
your surplus plants into cash for the Red Cross? To 
be more explicit, I am a Red Cross plant agent. I 
will find a buyer for plants you donate and will sup¬ 
ply you with the varieties you may desire.” 
In each case I met with enthusiastic co-operation, 
receiving a donation of at least six and often a hun¬ 
dred or more plants, besides a substantial order for 
those on hand. 
Often some variety was in demand, which while 
not on my list, I had noted in a neighbor’s garden. 
My next call would be on my neighbor, before whom 
I would lay my plant case. She would generously 
spare some of her plants, at the same time donating 
some of her surplus stock of other varieties. 
One Day’s Orders 
Just to show how engrossing this work may be¬ 
come, and how readily trade may be built up! Early 
one morning as I was returning from village errands 
in my car, I stopped to speak to a friend and told 
her of my agency. She said she wanted cosmos, but 
the florist did not carry it. I happened to have some 
on my list, and told her I would ask the donor to 
leave it at the grocer’s the next morning, having al¬ 
ready enlisted his services. When I telephoned my 
friend of the sale of her cosmos she told me that her 
gardener was clamoring for celery plants and had not 
had time to look them up. I told her that I would 
find them for her, or would let her know to tire con¬ 
trary by evening. I put this on my order list. I 
was in need of tomato plants and drove to a friend 
who has greenhouses on her estate. She gladly sold 
me some tomato plants, at the same time ordering six 
dozen asters from me. Here I was most fortunate 
m receiving a donation of from 60 to 200 plants of 
several varieties on my list. She told me also of a 
nurseryman who had an abundance of celery plants. 
I stopped at the nursery and bought the plants from 
the nurseryman for a small sum. I casually men¬ 
tioned that I had pepper plants for sale and asked 
his advice as to the price. He exclaimed, “Any 
price! I have not been able to get any for love or 
money, and I have promised to send some to a cus¬ 
tomer to-morrow.” “Then I’ll sell you mine,” I said, 
“at wholesale price, to help you out.” By the look 
in his eye I knew at once I had a staunch customer, 
and I was not mistaken, for he donated much valu¬ 
able stock to me during the next months to help me 
in my predicaments. I ended my morning’s work by 
delivering celery plants to my astonished friend. 
Now that the last tomato plant is in the ground, 
and the flowers are contentedly moored for the sum¬ 
mer, tlie plant agent with a little forethought is sure 
of good financial results. The geraniums are often 
used as fillers in. They do not have to be hurried 
into summer quarters, and thus many a window or 
piazza box is left for the last gardening effort. Also, 
one can always find room for one more. 
Enlist Boy Scouts 
A jolly plan is to enlist the services of the Boy 
Scouts. Decorate a farm wagon with the colors of 
our allies and in it place as many flats as possible 
big enough to hold three pots. Have a donation 
arranged for in advance of equal amounts of red gera¬ 
niums, whites ones and lobelia, the latter being a 
dainty flower of real patriotic blue. The boys can 
drive from house to house, selling these patriotic 
plants in groups of three. 
July and August are the months when lists are 
made for autumn planting. In the event of any large 
order, I have found it profitable to appeal to a nearby 
nursery to sell me at even less than wholesale rates 
plants desired, which are not donated, and thus make 
a good profit. 
It would be wise, in getting orders, to decide on 
only a few varieties, and retail these by fifty or a hun¬ 
dred. This simplifies the work. During the early 
summer, one can take orders for small evergreens for 
(Continued on page 78) 
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