The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-11-01
Girl Scouts
Prepare for
LandScaping
Project at Little House
Scheduled to Begin
Tomorrow.
By HELEN LINDSAY

If J. T. Frank Laughner, Whites
town, decides to dig in his flower
beds tomorrow, he may think that
a thief has been in his tool shed
and taken away the garden imple-
mentS.
A glance at the calendar will re-
mind him that tomorrow IS the day
when landscaping begins in the Girl
Scout Little House. 14th-St. between
Pennsylvania and DelaWare-stS
Then he Will know where to look
for missing rake and spade They
probably Will be in active use at the
Little House in the hands of his To-
year-old daughter, Betty 10, or her
sister Eugenia.
So keen is Mr.. Laughner'S inter-
est in his daughters landscaping
activities, he probably will hurry to
the Little House to help them.
Six members of the New Augusta
Girl Scout troop. all working for their
tree finder merit badges. are to be
busy tomorrow. They are the Laugh
ner sisters, Madge King. Martha
Pool, Catherine Wagle and Christine
Wright Catherine has been a men,
Der Of the troop five years, while the
other girls entered two or three
years ago.
Living as they do in suburban
homes, the interest of these girls
naturally has turned to outdoor
activities. When the New Augusta
school closes in April, Scout meet
ingS are to be held in the open air.
Their yearly schedule calls for long
hikes and nature study jauntS, with
an annual bus trip to one of the
Indiana state parks.
Learn Tree Care
Last spring. as a part Of their
tree finder work, they selected small
trees in the woods, which they up
rooted and transplanted. Each girl
chose a different tree. Mrs. c. c.
DobSon, their troop leader. still
smiles with amusement when she
remembers with what difficulty the
long roots of an oak were dug from
the ground.
All of the trees but one lived.
They are to be used for practical
experience in spraying, pruning and
other care.
The landscaping on the Little
House grounds is not the first these
girls have done. They began the
work at the suggestion of Rosemary
Dobson, their troop leaders daugh-
ter, who selected it as an intesting
project after completing a course in
landScaping under Willard N. Clute,
curator of the Butler University
herbarium. Rosemary is a Butler
sophomore. and a lieutenant in the
Scout troop.
Yards of the girls homes served
as their first practice ground. They
drew landscape plans to scale, and
criticised the planting, making
changes where necessary. They
were assisted in the work by Mrs.
Dobson and the Rev. H. Grady
Davis, Salem Lutheran Church
pastor, who is their nature study ex-
aminer.
Get Lawn Job
SO impressed by their study is Mr..
Davis that he has commissioned the
girls to landscape the church lawn
soon. So impressed are the girls
that they have started individual
projects in their own homes.
Betty 10 Laughner planted her
own vegetable and flower garden last
summer. She plowed the ground,
on one Of the hottest days, with the
gasoline tractor with which her
father cultivates ground for his
gladioh plants. In the 50-foot
square, which was planned carefully,
there were orderly rows of humble
cabbage plants, as we'll as flowers.
Tiny walks led Betty 10 through the
plot on her tours of inspection.
Madge King has persuaded her
father to give her the space former
ly taken by his strawberry plants,
and in this she hopes to raise
garden next year.
The girls have high hopes for the
landScaping Of the Little House
grounds. They are to plant ever
green's for which the Indianapolis
Park Board has been caring. Tulip
and narcissuS bulbs also are to be
planted this fall.
Early in the spring, barberry.
Spirea and honeysuckle are to be
added. and later the girls hope
to build a small rock garden and
pool in the rear of the house.
The northern section Of the
grounds is to be used for outdoor
meetings. 1t is to be terraced. with
f1agStOneS, each contributed by ali
individual troop, and an arbor Of
grape vines or climbing roses Is
planned.
The group plans include a low
white picket fence, and high shrubs
which will shield the terrace from
adjacent houses. Peonies are to be
planted this fall, and next summer
the girls hope to have perennial
flower beds on the grounds.
Small, But Active
While the New Augusta troop Is
one Of the smallest, having only Is
members, it is one of the most
active. 1t escorted more visitors to
the Little House. before it was
awarded to Girl Scouts, than any
other troop, and for two successive
years has won the Needlework
Guilds sewing contest. The first
year the prize money was used for
covers for furniture in the winter
cottage at Camp Dellwood.
Last year it was used to purchase
new books for the nature study Ii
brary, which is extensive. and has
as its librarian 13-year-old Henriet-
ia Simmons. She has prepared Ii
brary cards for the books. which are
kept IN chest at the New Augusta
school, and are loaned to Scout
members for nature study.
Brownie members are to be guests
tomorrow, to inspect the beginning