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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 9, 1980, PAGE 9 About an Aprtil day 'When the warm sun, tha t brings Sedtime and harvest, has returned again, 's sweet to visit the still wood, where spings The first Flower 0f the plain. From the earth's loosened mould The sapling draws its sustenance, and thrives; Though stricken to the heart with winter's cold, The drooping tree revives. " Two verses froni Longfellow's Nature Poems about an April day. When April cornes rebirth and renewal surround us. Every growing thing cornes alive, spirits are uplifted and strength is renewed. There is nothîng more lovely than a flower nor more essen- tial than a plant, breathing, communicating, living things and part of our lives. Without green plants we would neither breathe nor eat; they devour carbon dioxide and expell oxygen, the act of photosyn- thesis, proclucing oxygen and food for animal andn-ian. Plants are spiritually satisfying to man and have always been used as tokens of love and friendship. Flowers are used for tirnes of celebration and at times of breavemnent, in fact it is bard to think of any occasion when green living things are not purposely in evidence. Hundreds of years ago in Europe certain plants were plan- ted for different reasons beside each other. Vegetable beds were bordered by various flowers which were known to im- prove the health and quality of the vegetables. Companion plants, plant symbiosis which is the ability of certain plants to help each other by their mere presence. TLhe opposite, plant antagonism where both do poorly. A plant which needs plenty of light rnay make a good com- panion to one which likes partial shade. The following ideas are just a very few hints; there are many, many more some of which we wrote about a year ago. Melon leaves are extremely rich in calcium so should be ad- ded to the compost heap and the calcium content will be in- creased. Lupins also add calcium to the top soil, especially if it is poor and sandy. Sweet corn does well with early potatoes and green beans planted in alternate rows with the potatoes put nitrogen back in the soil which the corn needs and uses up. Corn provides shade for melons, squash, pumpkin and cucumbers and the latter which when planted in rows are beneficial to corn. YMCA- annual meeting Beans aid celery if planted in ratio of one to six plants, that is one bean plant to six of celery. Beans and strawberries like each other while radishes grow well near pole beans. Beets and kohirabi do very badly near pole beans. Some flowers dislike each other so much that they grow away from each other, that is lean away froni the offending plant. Others die when put side by side. I'm told that roses and carnations do dreadful things to each other and I wonder if florists find this to be so when they refridgerate theni together. Onons like beets and early lettuce is beneficial to onions and plants of summer savoury. Onions inhibit the growth of beans and peas. Growing purnpkins under corn is good but potatoes and pumpkins do not like each other so should be separated. Onions proteet the garden from rabbits and can be planted ail around the garden to keep them out. Garlic funnily enough vastly improves the perfurne of roses. Caster bean plants, the pods and seeds 0f which are deadly poison, repel mosquitoes. If planted around a patio they keep it relatively free of mosquitoes. If planted by a marsh or marshy area they may reduce the breeding of mosquitoes. These plan- L3 grow to an immense size and almost look like trees. However care should be taken if small children are around as a small amount of the pod or seed can cause serious illness and of ten dea th. Lavendar, mint, rosemary and sage repel house moths and tansy repels flies, ants and moths. Spearmmnt if grown near the house or barn repels rodents and ants. Chives are rarely attacked by disease or insects o'nd heip apple trees by preventîng scab and repelling powdery mildew. Marigolds are not liked by insects and.mosquitoes s0 I plant them around niy vegetable garden and avoid bites while weeding. We could go on and on. The list is endless of likes and dislikes in the plant world just as it is in the people world. Some folks are drawn to others even before they actually meet and people are often attracted to others by an empathy, maybe by vibrations, the electric field which surrounds us. By the same token the opposite can happen, you know instinctively that someone for some reason repels you at first sight. So it is with the plants and to have a glorlous garden and a productive one it pays to learn what others have known for so long. The Durham Regional Family YMCA will be holding its annual meeting on Friday, April il at Durham College st.arting wi th a reception a t 6 p. m. The business portion of the meeting will be held bet- ween 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with dinner being served at 8 p.m. The guest speaker will be MPP George Ashe (PC- Durhami West), the parliamentary assistant to the Ontario Ministry of Energy, and will address the audience on the importance 0f energy in the 1980's and how it wilI affect the in- dividual's lifestyle. Tickets are available through the Durham YMCA office and members of the board 0f education. For more information caîl 668- 6868.'1 IROLET MOILEE ; 7 &SONSLT D. j- CHEV-OLDS- 683-4091 Kinsale & Hwy. No. 7 OOSMOIBILE 655M3351 Ecônomy of Value. For over 60 years Chevrolet has been -the automotive value buy for millions of Canadians. the [D0ctor Josph O. Ruddy _ General Hospital - SALE 0F MEMBERSHIPS The Annuat Meeting of the Corporation of The Doctor Joseph O. Ruddy General Hospital will be held on Wednesday, June 18, 1980 al 8:00 p.m. ln the hospital cafeteria. Section 1 (2) Il> of the Hospitat By-Laws states: "A member who pays his or its tees annually shallflot be entitied to vote nor to participate at any meeting of the Corporation unleas his or lits memnbership was pald ln full at toast thirly days prior to the date of the meeting- Fees may b. paid at the Admnistrator's Office of the hospihat Monday through Friday. during normal business hours or may be remitted f0: The Secretary Board of Governors The Doctor Joseph O. Ruddy General Hospital Gordon Street Whitby. Ontario UiN 5T2 Crfelues marlred **M.mbership F e"- should be made payable to the hospital. Post nu"l dehormines eligibility of malied applications. Memb.rship Fee: lndnridual 52.00 Organizat ion $500 1980 Chevrolet's continue this tradition of value, style and economy. New metric high Pressure tires, full efficient engines and aero dynamic styling means that the new 1980 Chev Bel Air, Impala and Caprice stili means economy today. Corne in and compare the 1980' Chevrolet against the competition, foreign and domestic. We have over 30 to choose from. 26.9 MPG- 267 V8 Based on Transport Canada Approved Test Methods.