Lillian Elizabeth Roy

“ Tompkins laughed heartily at the comparison, and added: “I see you know something of the Scriptures, Norma, so I can say, and you will understand, the line that goes thus: ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ I trust to my faith in good creatures and hope that they will respond to my loving faith in them, and sure enough! the evidence of such things generally appears to me.”
“Why can’t I encourage the same sort of faith in my ideals for a garden, Mrs. Tompkins? I know a garden of flowers must be good because flowers are beautiful things created by God. ”

“ If you place a bird house under the eaves of your house, you can use the slat and nail it securely to the ledge of the window, but keep the house out towards the eaves where it will be far enough away from the window to insure privacy to the birds.”
“Dear me, I wish Janet had thought of keeping bees. I will speak to her about it, and if she doesn’t try it, I will do it myself. I want bees, and birds, and butterflies, and everything, to enjoy my flowers as much as I shall myself,” sighed Norma. ”

“ Tompkins laughed at the girl’s very evident interest. “You will find stranger and more absorbing things happening in a flower garden, than this very common occurrence. Because you see, it really depends upon the breezes, the bees, or the birds—sometimes, on a creeping insect or caterpillar—to carry pollen and the fertilizing germs from one flower to another. And Nature seldom errs in her judgments, either.” ”

“ The news was so thrilling that every scout in both the patrols had to climb that ladder and have a peep at the expectant mother, but the male bird scolded and snapped at their faces so daringly, that they really saw nothing after they had reached the top of the ladder. So each one came down again.
The day after Norma had finished her cote for the pigeons she began turning her full attention to her flowers, once more. Not that she had neglected them past all hope, but they had not been the sole ambition of her time during the extra diversions of water gardening and cote-building. ”

“ Tompkins, I am going to show you an eye-sore that spreads all the way from the barn yard end of the farm to the road that runs past the northeast corner of the property. Perhaps you can suggest a remedy for that disgrace,” said Mrs. James earnestly.
“There is no ill in Nature. It is what man makes of his opportunity. I know the spot you speak of, and I often wished I had the right to go in there and work my will in that depression.”
“Then it is yours to do as you will with it, only let Norma and me act as your aides in doing it,” laughed Mrs. James. ”

“ I want to say, that in speaking of entertaining the little feathered angel birds, in my flower garden, I also entertain them in beneficent ways unseen by me. For bees and birds are necessary and valuable for your flowers. The bees have panniers on their legs where they carry the pollen to the hives, and many a tiny bit of pollen falls from these well-packed panniers to fall into the heart of the blossom from which the bee is gathering nectar. ”

“ Don’t scorn this little flower, Janet, because you say it grows commonly everywhere. The field and roadside blossoms have the greatest mission in God’s flower kingdom. Because they are told to brighten and cheer all climes and creatures. Besides this, the dandelion has a most interesting construction and its great sweetness offers unlimited nectar and pollen to the bees and birds. ”

“ Norma explained what was going on there: “Janet has to fence her chickens in because they scratch up Nat’s garden and eat the tops from her greens.”
Mrs. Tompkins laughed, but she said: “I wouldn’t want a garden of any kind, if I had no living creatures about it to make it companionable. To me, the bees, birds, pigeons and chickens, yes, even cats and dogs, help make my gardens more lovable, for these domestic animals love flowers and sweet-smelling things just the same as we do.” ”

“ Tompkins?”
Norma’s hostess laughed. “You did not think that I could spend so many years with my flowers without finding out some of the stories that belong to them, did you? One who grows vegetables tries to discover all that can be said about them; and a bird fancier, or one who studies forestry, or bees, or insects, learns their history first; the legends and tales that belong to almost everything on earth, are read or heard, and found interesting to the fancier.” ”

“ If I had a nice clean pond of water where they could swim and bathe, he said it would be different, but that ditch running past the barn, was too small and scummy for ducks, he said. With the lake we plan to now have, the ducklings will thrive and enjoy themselves and not be so hard to rear,” explained Janet at length.
“You all spoke of moving the dam down to the barn to accommodate Janet’s fowl, but I say why not let Janet move her duck and geese coops up nearer the place where the dam had best be built, and the water fowl will appreciate it just the same,” said Belle. ”

“ Finally all the petals had appeared, and the rose seemed full-blown. Then came such a rare perfume from its heart as would intoxicate the beholders. And from the heart of the rose, there came slowly and gracefully a waxen-white goddess of surpassing beauty and fairness. She stepped daintily from the rose and stood before the bewildered Vishnu. Brahma was speechless with surprise also.
“Then spake the queen of the roses and said: ‘Vishnu, because thou hast honored the flowers in thine own home garden, Nature hath sent me to be your bride. ”

“ Tompkins went to the mirror to pin on her hat.
“You’ll find anyone who harbors envy is seldom sweet or lovable, and geraniums mean ‘envy’ in the directory of flowers.”
“Really! I never knew that flowers meant anything excepting perfume and beauty,” exclaimed Norma, deeply interested.
“Oh, yes! Every flower has a meaning and many of them have very interesting legends connected with their history.”
“Oh, if you would tell us some of those legends at the scout council today how we would appreciate it!” ”

“ Being only too glad to leave the mower in the uncut grass and find an excuse to go with Janet to help her in some work, Norma met her half way.
“Say! I just had a fine idea about the pigs’ bathing pool. If I make a concrete bath in the present pen, I will have to keep filling it with water every day. But if I move the pen over to the little brook, they can swim about and bathe as much as they like, and the water will always be clean, because it will run off continually, you see. Don’t you think it would be a simpler matter to move the pig pen than to carry water every day?” ”

“ First of all, the floriculturist must understand the soil he expects to plant his flowers, or seeds, in. There are many kinds of compost, and some kinds are better than others, for certain flowers or soil. Best of all general flower fertilizers is a well-rotted cow manure, but it must be six months old, at least, before it is mixed with the soil. Fresh well-ground bone meal is best for roses, shrubs, trees and many flowers. Soot taken from our chimneys is splendid for box, privet and other hedges, especially so for the bay trees which are so decorative these days. ”

“ I believe that the spring we will discover there is not only the cause of that bog and the rank growth of weeds and briars, but it also furnishes the tiny stream of water that trickles past the barn. If this is so, Norma, then our hardest problem is already solved. In building a water garden the question of water supply is the greatest thing.
“One can run a pipe line from the house to any locality, and one can divert a nearby stream into a pool, and then lead its overflow away again, but that means a lot of work and expense. ”

“ If you find the soil in any section of your garden of a clay nature, you will need to lighten it. Sand generally needs rich farm yard manure to strengthen it. This must be dug under and well mixed for about two feet in depth. As I said a while back, it is too late in the season to make use of farm yard composts of any kind, unless you use it in the water with which you soak the plants after sundown, at night. I keep a hogshead of water in a back corner of my garden, in which I soak manure from the barn yard and stalls. ”

“ They won’t have very far to waddle to reach the pond, if the dam is so far down towards the barn yard,” said Janet eagerly.
Every one laughed, because Janet planned all things to fit in with her stock’s pleasure and benefit. But Mrs. James added: “Girls, I think Janet’s idea of having ducks and geese swimming in the stream and lake is a good one, as live water-fowl always make the lake look more picturesque. A swan would be entirely too large for so small a body of water, but the ducks and geese will be just the right size.” ”

“ I told you because I feel there is the same affinity between you and me as there was between Robert and me, linked together because of our mutual love for flowers.”
At this moment, the merry shouts of the girls in the car, interrupted further conversation and Mrs. Tompkins started for the door. But Norma caught her hand and whispered: “I’ll not call you Mrs. Tompkins, hereafter—you shall be chrysanthemum to me, because you truly are a shining light in the firmament.” ”

“ There was too much to be done, however, for anyone to pay the least attention to Rachel’s wounded pride, and soon the scouts were bustling about like bees at a hive. The wooden mold, or frame, for the dam was completed and Ames now gave his attention to the islands.
“You show me about where you want them made,” said he to Norma and Mrs. James. “I sent Sam to the barn to bring some more small boards for more frame-ups.”
The three most interested ones now descended to the floor of the hollow and prospected carefully before locating the main island which was to be in the wildest part of the pool. ”

“ AN AUTOMOBILE IS DONATED.
Norma left the basket of plants in the cool cellar for the night, but she was up in the morning before anyone was astir in the house, in order to get the plants in the ground before the sun rose high. She was busily engaged in digging holes with a kitchen coal-shovel and planting the roots carefully as Mrs. Tompkins had shown her when Mrs. James came out and saw her at work.
“Ha! the early bird catches the flowers!” called Mrs. James, as she ran across the grass and joined Norma at the garden. ”

“ Ames stood smiling while he watched the merry scouts jump into the automobile and call for Frances to hurry and get off. Then he turned to Janet who was chirping to Ben to make him go faster to keep up with the car.
“If you saw away at Ben’s mouth like that he will balk and never move a step. He knows a woman is drivin’ when you do that way, and he takes a mean advantage of you for it,” laughed Ben’s owner, as the two girls in the cart endeavored to inspire the easy-going horse with more ambition. ”

“ Most birds like a cozy home, with enough room to build a good substantial nest therein, but not so large that it will feel like poking in the corners every night to make sure there are no tramps lurking about. The tenants like a safe perch upon which they can rest when they alight before entering their home. And they even like a little promenade deck in front of their house, so the mother can exercise now and then, and still have safety and security from cats, or fighting birds that disagree with the smaller ones. ”

“ We turned to go out, but Frances suddenly had a brilliant idea. ‘People like you seldom appreciate what you have until you lose it. If some other young farmer about here would start a cab line for Four Corners, we would send him all the patronage we will have daily at the farm.’
“But no one rose to this tempting bait, so we poor bedraggled girls had to plod onward to Green Hill, carrying our bags and umbrellas as before, with injured pride weighting us down.
“Well, we finally reached the farm where Mrs. James and Natalie and Janet were eagerly watching for us. ”

“ As soon as the little ones are hatched we can remove the wire and let them have their liberty,” said Mrs. James.
“Suppose the pair on one floor of the house start a family, before the other birds think of it, and you remove the wire. They will fly away again, just as they did from the barn,” said Janet.
“We won’t take away the wire from the front of the coops unless all the birds settle down to raising their families. Only one pair of birds will be given their liberty at a time,” said Norma. ”