Evening star., 1943-06-27
Vice President MingIes Biblical Lore
With Gardening in Informal Interview
BY GEORGE KENNEDY,

"And this is hyssop," said Vice
President Wallace, the wet back Of
his blue shirt-and-slacks combina-
ton showing as he stopped over to
break sprig of green from small
plant in the Victory garden in the
corner of the few acres surrounding
his place near the Wardman Park
Hotel.
He quoted the passage from the
Psalms, where David repents for his
sin with Bath-Sheba, saying Purge
me with hyssop, and shall be
clean: Wash me and shall be
whittier than snow"
The former Agriculture Secre-
tary's encyclopaedia knowledge of
vegetable lore is not confined to
the Bible.
"And this is rue," he. said. break
ing of another sprig. Judges used
to keep this on the bench in the old
English courts to ward of con-
tagion from plague-ridden jails."
Pictures Await Corn.
This reporter had encountered the
Vice President just before Q am.
yesterday. He was running across
the broad fields like boy, having
finished Ais mornings stint with the
hoe. He offered to walk back and
show his garden, but asked that no
pictures be taken because he had
been keeping the photographers off
until 'the corn is in tassel."
Mr.. Wallace is one Of the worlds
great corn geneticistS. He has de-
veloped hybrid feed corns to give
greater output and hybrid golden
bantam corn that develops earlier.
The Vice President showed his
corn. 1t is little late. He planted
early enough. and in normal year
all would have gone well. But the
cold April gave it bad start and he
dug it up and replanted it. He has
some Bolivian corn growing there.
The alien corn is souvenir Of his
recent South American trip. His
only potatoes are a few hills of
Colombian potatoes a yellow
meated variety-grown now where
the potato was first discovered by
Tie COllqulSIduUI6ss
Dodges Political Question.
How did he regard the home front
situation ss he hoed in his Victory
garden, reported asked, referring to
Congress cverruling of the Presi-
dent on the anti-strike bill the day
before.
You know" said the Vice Presi-
dent with a caution uncharacteristic
of him in former days, II find this
a good place to work out problems"
Was he presiding when the Sem
ate voted?
II arrived from a cabinet meet
ing in the midst of it, he said, still
smiling and still voicing no opinion.
He went from herb to herb pluck
ing off sprigs and giving the char
acteriStics of each, basil, fennel,
Sorrel and others.
Take these along and make
miranade," he said. THE mari
made is the basis of French cook
ing"
Had he been using them?
Il once used some marjoram with
lamb with great success" he said,
'but (and his slow smile caused his
bushy eyebrows to peak American
eating habits are hard to change"
Beetles Attack Garden.
The Vice President is gardening
a difficult piece of ground for its
second season. The spot was once
a ravine and was filled with earth
removed for an apartment house
across the way. The soil is sandy
and lacking in humus. Mr.. Wal
lace is trying to make up for this
lack with a compost of stable ma
nure, leaf mould and refuse from
the garden itself. He has a water
barrel beside it to keep it damp and
decaying. He picked up some of
the compost and broke it to show
Its content.
The enemy has gotten to his bean
plants. The leaves were perfo-
rated by beetles.
There's nothing you can do about
that" M. Wallace said, "except to
grow your beans before the beetles
come and a second crop after they
are gone"
Ties Up Tomatoes.
His tomatoes are tied up. although
he believes they grow better on the
ground.
Sometimes they rot on the
ground. though" he said, "and
women hate to see that"
He showed one vine that had
clusters of five tomatoes each on it.
He had won the battle against
The weeds. Although his plot is
almost 100 feet square, there was
hardly a weed in it.
Mr.. and Mrs. Wallace are out in
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M nm