The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-24
M E N, w OM FEN
 AND THIN G s

l NuA HSo the BdTueH iHlo lhAHS VA beauty.
 But before another Sunday had rolled around, "a wind came out of a cloud" not by night as Poe so expressively put 1t chilling and killing Anna Bell Lee" but in the afternoon playing havoc with my wisiaria.
 stood at my desk and watched the clouds form in the west and saw them crive the rain in sheets around the corner and, looking towards my home, I feared that I would arrive at night to find that it had done some damage. l didn't venture cut in the dark to see, but wasn't at/all surprised when r went down early for breakfast to have the cook say, Well that wind show did blow hard and you just ought to see what it done to your back fence" She hadn't learned that there is lot of difference between fence and a pergola.
 I hurried out to see what the wind had wrought and sure enough it had laid low about 50 feet of one of my prize pergolas throwing the great timbers out of place and overturning the big stone columns with the same ease that a child plays jack straws. It meant a money loss, but could have stood it better than the injury It did to my prize running rose.
 
 didn't know that the loss of favorite rose bush could make me feel so blue. I went out and took stock less task to save any of 1t for this season on account of its being bruised and so entwined in the wire trellis without just giving over any hope of planting the lower garden, felt like giving up the vegetables for the sake of the blooms.
 If it had fallen in the alley, I could have left it until it had bloomed It. self out, but, after a family counsel, it was determined to prune it to the quick and rebuild the fence. It was the sensible thing to do, but all the same it was with a sad heart that went to work to try and clear away the debris which had filtered about one-half of the garden, as timbers and pillars had flattened themselves out in it.
 Now anyone who has had experience with running roses Is aware that 1t is hard to get a variety whose blossoms will be anything, like as large and as perfect as the bush species; and yet this rose of mine each year was filled with wreaths of roses as big and full as the choice ones in the garden be- low. think it was the finest speci- men of a running rose that I ever saw.
 
 I happened to see Dr. Strarcher of the horticultural department of the Alabama Polytechnic institute and was telling him about my loss. He was greatly interested and wanted to was unable to tell him. bought 1t some 10 years ago and, 1t being an unknown variety to me, planted it In the garden and gave it little thought as I expected little of it.
 But it never seemed to know any thing about my first indifference to- wards it for 1t took root and began to grow and the second year gave me a rich spot where 1t got both the morning and the afternoon sun and it just simply grew and grew until 1t had practically reached out it's arms covering a 5o-foot pergola. It was marvelously beautiful sight when it was in full flower, and made the Doro- thy Perkins and the Crimson Rambler pale In insignificance.
 am in hopes that the roots were uninjured and that the back set will not permanently kill it. Dr. Strarcher asked me to send several of it's blooms to the expert rose fancier and grower at Auburn, and am in hopes that one of the runners which I managed to save. however, in damaged condi- tion will blossom. as I am anxious to learn it's true name so that may com mend to those who are in search of a running rose for their arbors.
 
 On the pergola blown down was the rose bush about which I have written. wistaria and blackberries. Beneath them covering the wall overlooking the alley dense foliage of Japanese roses an improvement. on our old wild Cherokee roses. It was a tangled mass of green leaves and briers that I had to work in and. although I had on buckskin gloves my hands were bleeding and torn before ever got the shoots separated from the wire and the wood around which thev had wrapped themselves.
 I know full well that every rose has it's thorn, but in all my life have never before had so many rose thorns in my flesh for. as I sit here and write on my typewriter, the tips of my fin- gers are sore and my hands and arms look as if I had been in cat fight and the cat had gotten by far the best of it; but in spite of the pain I am glad that I had the courage to tackle the job for I was afraid to trust any hired man to do 1t.
 There isn't any excuse in the world for anyone living in Birmingham not having all the roses they want if they have even small plot of ground fori| roses are easily grown in this red soil