Evening star., 1943-03-28
Use Hoe Instead of Chair; Plea to Amateur
Farmers by Chairman of Victory Gardens 1
Mrs. E. G.. Sweenev
Practical Head of
AWTS Committee

~ A" y Iu UC ~ JUChCU JOUCS
Early in February, 1912, at the
first meeting of the District Vic
tory Garden Committee, a tall
young woman whose shy smile
lighted an earnest air was pre-
sented to the audience as "the
energetic young woman who
has gotten the Victory Garden
movement going in Washington
while the snow was on the
ground"
Mrs. Frederick H. Brooke, in
presenting Mrs Edward C. Swee-
ney, understated the case, for
this chairman of the Victory
Garden Committee of the Amer
ican Women's Voluntary Serv-
ices, was hard at work on garden
projects before the snow fell that
year.
She calls her lovely 6-months-
old boy her Victory Garden
baby, because he came just after
she had been devoting her time
to spreading the gospel of home
vegetable gardens.
In the spring and summer Of
1912 Catherine Sweeney laid a
good foundation for today's
flourishing garden project. Lee
lures, a practical demonstration
course at the Glover estate and
an information service given by
AWVS for the Public School
Victory Garden project was car
ried on.
Last fall, Catherine, with far
sighted vision, laid her plans to
organize an official District Vic
tory Garden Committee as part
of the civilian mobilization Sec
ton of the OCD. In December,
while most of us were thinking of
Christmas, the first meeting was
called by Mrs. Dean Acheson,
chief of the agriculture section
of the AWVS, and Mrs. Sweeney.
1t was a good and inclusive
committee, having as chairman
Mr.. Granville Guide, and as men,
bers representatives of four news
papers, officials from the Depart
ment of Agriculture, science
teachers from the schools, other
District officials, representatives
of garden clubs and citizens as
sociations and three members Of
the A. w. V. A., Mrs. Brooke,
Mrs. Acheson and Mrs. Sweeney.
Too much praise cannot be
given to the committee members,
says Mrs. Sweeney, and to the CO.
operation Of the press; Mr..
Youngmans articles in The Eve
ming Star being especially effec-
tive in rousing public interest.
The organizer had unique
background for this work. Mrs.
Sweeney, then Catherine Han
berg, born in Rock Island, Ill,
was from childhood interested in
nature. Her B. S. won in the
University of Illinois, was
through work in geology and as
a graduate student she delved
into geology, which she explains
is the relationship of plants and
animals to their environment.
She also carried on research in
this line at the University of Ari-
zona, where in connection with
her work she ran weather bu-
reau station just north of the
Mexican border.
In 1885 she was one of 20 STU
dents chosen from all over the
country for a course in nature
work at the Yosemite School of
Field Natural History. This in
tensive course is given each year
to students selected for outstand-
ing work by the National Park
Service to be leaders in adult
education in nature work.
One of Catherine SWeeney's
hobbies is the collection of native
orchids. In her parents green
house in Rock Island she has
some $50 varieties, from the
gorgeous Southern beauties to
our Northern fringed purple
orchids and the ladies tresses.
Today she is more interested in
carrots, tomatoes and corn and
their cultivation by amateur gar
deners, for she knows how much
we will have to depend upon our
own efforts during these war
years.
Modest and reluctant to speak
about herself, Mrs. Sweeney glows
when she talks about garden
plans. A question about herself
brings, ct is my husband who is
the interesting person" 1t.
Sweeney, U. S. N. r., was for
merly with the Civil Aeronautics