Evening star., 1932-05-24
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

hole, down the side Of the jar, OH
across the lawn to his lair.
He Is Successful Ant.
The little beggar doesn't know that
he has poisoned himself and Is now ON
hls way home to poison his entire fam
lily. He has violated q law he never
heard of, mGn-made law. that you
can't get something for nothing. And
he has infringed on another, that ants
must not bring up their sand out OF
their runways to spoil the appearance
OF lawns.
And yet 1t is dirty trick. after all.
Without malice the gardener regards
them and the hundred and one other
insects which do SO much to keep grow
ing plants on their vegetative toes.
They are here because they are here,
just as he is. They are a part of the
garden picture as much as he is, maybe
more. The home gardener accepts
them as a part of the picture.
He knows that gardening is sort
Of composition. in which every compo-
nent is not equal, perhaps but at least
ha; its essential part to play. A small
line is often as necessary as long one.
The application Of this rule accounts
for the utter lack Of human sneering
il the garden. In politics there is
cially among musicians, subtle and COW
cred sneering often is heard. Daily
life is full of it.
Only in the garden will you find an
utter lack Of 1t. Gardeners in time
come to work up real enthusiasm even
fer weeds. In ordinary terms the weed
garden Is a vacant lot.
Utterly without human care it grows
thousands of plants of the finest, dark
est green. whose color would be a JOY
III the cultivated garden, could the gar
dener induce his plants to take it on.
They are weeds-that is, plants not
admiration. There is no tendency to
say anything but good of them After
al, are they not admirable specimens
Of what they are supposed to be? They
are like the sturdy, fat children Of the
poor, which one often sees.
The same powers Of appreciation
which can distinguish between the
blooms of the peony lie Cygne and the
peony Solange are now brought 10 bear
on the appreciation of a FIRE weed If
by some curious twist the peonies were
the weeds and the So-called weeds were
the cultivated flowers perhaps this
strong. green grower here. with its
great. wide leaves, would receive a rat
ing of 80, or practically perfect. too.
There Is no room for adverse crit
lcism in garden. because there is room
for every plant. At the worst. one can
but say that he likes something else
better
These lilies Of the valley will do well
where few other things would, hence
thelr place on the north side of the
house, beneath the acid-loving rhodo-
oendronS. It Is difference among plants
which Silences human criticism, whereas
with strictly human subjects difference
makes for criticism
No one dareS to be different among
human beings except upon pain Of crit
lcLm, and II the difference is decided
enough, the infiiction Of real pain,
either mental or physical
The very slightest difference is no.
tlced and either resented or commented
upon III search for critical material
II any optimist doubts this, let him put
small blob of red-staining antiseptic
on the back Of his hand applied three
g times, with drying allowed between each
applicatlon, as some physicians advise
Nine out of ten persons he meets will
spot 1t instantly and cry out Whats
the matter with your hand?" or What
dld you do to your hand?' Were YOU
in fight?" or Who hit you?"
The quick. rowing animal eve sees
alI-misses nothing. But in the gar
| Den the plants have no eyes and, thank
God, no tongues. After all, they can't
TAX. Perhaps that is why there is
little sneering in garden since a gar
dener who feels sorry for his ants would
scarce oerate poor plant that could