Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-16
lMBLER GIRL FARMERS
CONQUERORS OF SOIL
Fearless and Energetic, They
Face Nature and Her DAN
gers Enthusiastically
DEFY RATS AND THUNDER
graduates Ready to Serve Uncle Sam
. and Help Boost Food
Supply
photographs Illustrating this story ap-
..,r in the pictorial section.

They had killed seventy Eight rats with
.,ocms. which fact alone is sufficient to
80, tventy-fve girls in a horticultural
school quite in class by themselves. They
h,d titled the soil to the tune Of crashing
,,under and had followed the plow behind
real live farm horses.
rben one fine day somewhere in
Arbler." where all this took place
society came out in its best limousines to
,s.rp how TO make war gardens and one of
Tho members seeds with the aid of a pencil
because--well what's the use OF taking off
your clean white kid gloves anyway. when
you have a pencil in your pocketbook?
We'll, wouldn't 1t make you pause in your
task of tending the conservatory furnace
and snicker? And wouldn't 1t make you
wonder IL society was such a good sport
after all when it comes to take war garden
courses at the School of Horticulture for
Women out Amber way?
This is the question that persists in sneak
ins its way In on Friday mornings when
number of Philadelphia folk who are
anxious to learn the real lore of the truck
patch go out to the school for special prac-
tical instruction.
The answer isn't always the same
For instance, the lady who preferred to
draw the furrow for her seeds with pencil
10 taking off her white gloves and digging in
the dirt with her hands was scarcely voted
In the good sport" class. The lady who
wore a velvet skirt and asked for something
to amuse the chauffeur with while she dug
didn't quite make good either.
But then again
one khak-skirted regular paused III her
task Of building a beehive and said val
family: Most of them are the best sports in
the world. They wear rough clothes. get
down in the mud and do everything under
the sun they possibly can to get the good
out of he course Last week they worked
In the rain and wouldn't stop for anything"
The war courses that are the cause of all
these conjectures are specially mapped out
lessons in preparation of the ground. seed
sowing. drills, planting and routine culture
They were gotten up for the benefit OF
women who are desirous of going at vege-
table gardening in practical and scientific
way other short courses. into which fruit
growing, canning, beekeeping and poultry
are Incorporated will be in session all
through the summer.
There are twenty-five "regulars'-that is.
resident students-in this very unusual
school that was founded seven years ago TO
teach women the complete science of hort-
culture. They learn to be real farmers and
gardeners, not from books-athough the
basic science of horticulture Is taught that
way. too--but from old Mother Earth her
self.
Wartime, while it is not making a voca-
tional difference in the lives of the "regu-
lars" has, nevertheless, spurred the girls
on to patriotic energy. Some of them go
out one day week to supervise and direct
the making of war gardens. Then. too
to show they're good natured and really
want to help. the girls are going to pick
all OF the asparagus for their own farmer
men, who are busy cultivating the seventy
two acres that make up the school prop
erty.
The scientifically equipped canning
kitchen in Amber is not a war measure
either. but the glasses of jewel-like jelly
turned out regularly at each preserving
time make silent prediction that the girls
in Amber are going to be called upon to
show Philadelphia and her environs how
TO conserve what they grow To be sure
that Amblers jam kitchen is working in
order with Uncle Sans latest mandates.
Mrs Caroline Peeler, who presides over the
canning department, paid a five days visit
10 washington last week to attend the can
ming conference held there under the super
vision OF the Department of Agriculture
According to Miss Elizabeth Lee. who
is director of the school. the students are
not likely to answer the call for women
farm hands, this summer for the simple
reason that they will be of more value TO
their country as supervising farmers and
gardeners. IL the emergency should arise
they Will meet IT farmers in the rough
however, and forswear the right they have
earned to farmer commissions" for the
sake of Uncle Sam.
ihe students have been grounded and
thoroughly drilled in all the intr!cacies of
tne soil, from plowings to chicken raising
80 successful have been the graduates that
tne future application Ale is overcrowded
WIN requests for landscape gardeners,
supervisng farmers and gardeners for
nd
100 are much wanted The demand for
'ne rosy-cheeked clear-eyed graduates
cannot IN any way be met by the supply
several students own farms in various
psrls or the country and will take complete
enarge or them after graduation. Others
are studying to be landscape gardeners.