The Reminiscences of Mr. Alfons De Caluwe
From the Owen W. Bombard interviews series, 1951-1961 Accession 65
Interview conducted: March 1952 Transcript digitized by staff of Benson Ford Research Center: November 2011
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Ml. ALF0I8 BI C119VI
fowl Motor Coatpassgr Archives Qv&l. History Sscticm The EeaiRiscences of
MR. AUTOS m OAJJJWE
These msliadfeeftees are the result of a series of inter- views with Mr, Alfoas D@ C&lwe by Mr. Keith dark la lay, 1951» at the Fair Lane gatehouse.
These interviews ~mm held wndte fci» awsplc^s of th« Ciral Histc»7- 3eotion of tho ¥<№d Motor' Goapany ire^tivwi* tlm language of th© narrftiiir© 1« entirely ttet of tbe He has reYieued aM corrected the sacui?cript and by his siignature be- loir lndioatad that it is a eorroet ctspy of Ma r«sifila©8ne«»« This a@»oir in deposited in the Ford Motor Gsssimay Archives with tto® jjwSerstantiinf that it nay be naed fegr qualified l»di^,d^l® in accordance with accepted archiml practice as administered If th© Archivist. №.. ALFODS IE CAXJTO& - GBROBOLOQX Bonn, Belgian 1921 B»plo3«ed ma Gse&mmr at Fadr LftiMit' *^ Mr, and №s. leary fort 1923 la Charge of Gardens «t P«ir ten© Dearborn, liiehlgan AlfORS » CAL0W8 - OGBflflTS Th« C^rd«a8 at Adr Uum, 1920-1951*...... 1-43 -1- X was born in Belgixm and X learned the gerdsritag trad© trim tbt tiiae X was fifteen years old. After the war, I case &vm to Amsrlca, Ibis nas in 1920. X worked down in Detroit at * pi*©® eall®d th# Bstjpoit tft&ii»x» Btltlag Oeapaiy. ffcat m® ny first Job here, X couldn't speak English or anything, yes see. l$r brother got aw th» job. H© was la )3etroit. Is 1920, after the ©lection, hard titses cams—the de- press ion. X imm working ana day, tuo days every veek. That factory work didn't agree with m®, beeaase X had never done anything that. X wrote to California; X got sosse friend® over there. work in the tmrseries o^or there and X was /{oing to get A job over there. S® X was planning to go ctpn there tsd g©t hmk im tii© «M» trad©, th© flower business, ov©r in California. X looked in the Detroit Ifews til th® want-ad sect ion. X saw som box number to vrlt© to* for an assistant gardener. It didn't sayttfeere o r anythirig like that. During tJsat tiws, X vmnt to Bight school to learn English tn & hurry. X bought a book with the Fleusish laagtiag© cm oa» side and English oa the other. X learrod it % itself. I'd read th© papers, and with ^y taroth®r*s kMs, you know, you learn fast. X easvered this ad. X wrot© to ths box in the Detroit I got & latter back £*«• hmt»p th® F«ri ««tate* H» letter va«k*t -2- frc® ?frs. F©rd bat fro® a gwieaer by the Bant of ViUJjnsen. 1® had. just started there, 1 think, in Jaamry of the sens year. This \mm th© spring of 1921 th@n. MilliMsea said to e@M out for an interview. I didn't think asich of taking' this job, because 1 eouldaH talk the Ian- gvmge. 1 said that gardaniag -in .vsjerlca is different thus iM Etsrop©. 4 place lite Mr. Ford*® would be up to date and want people that osn talk the language and mks the® understand v^iat th®j wait. That's prettj hard, you know, at the start. Bat I @«M@ I said, "I think you mm need a aan o-rer here, because things dtott*t Xcrak; a© hst—tl*» ^«®A«M»^ «afl «fBfytMi^.." Mm asked as how long 1*4 tern gardanteg. X said, "I mmr dmm aujthiag slm but that Mad of work,* So I got tte job. H« had to ask l#. Dahlingsr, th© intendent of ths Ford farms and th© houa©. % Mid be vfould let m know. Ha callad up and said it waa all right, I got tb© job. This was №. Bahllnger; evsryon© wa hired through his. I came out here and worked in %h» greenhouse. I'd go up to the house la the morning aad vt&aar the plants and take flowers in tha house, fhat was i^ job besides taking care of the feow®. I!also took th« v*getab&Mr oat of th« gsrdut to the d®rioe. that «&• too mob vatic* really, for one esau X sswnr could pit a^rtiodj to do all that after J m th© boss. But £ did |t§ .This 4a how 1 rtvtwt t@ kam Mrs. Ford.. They hav© a butler at that ti?sa. Tl?« parlor maid fixed the flowers that I took up to her. nils parlor said lsft. Then they wanted o@% t« fix the Havttn»« Mrs. ford said, wAlfona, how about you fixing the Horn**?* I ««idt *I»H w * *ait# '4h» tttd* •t^t*» all to get you soas help. Just try it," So X fix»d the f lovers. That was onlj the second I was h#r®, ami I'-^s ted tfeat Job @i»r sisao®, I mm» got rid of it, Rr««htfa«t, tlm on» I arma^ad th» Qo»«i to <«to -«»«• took sose rnc^e of aj t^« Mrs. Ford dicte*t get alorjg too wall with tlie m As in eharge. Ifeat was №•. Wllllamaon, I &zm*t kaow if ta®»s alive or not. He ms used to private ©states b@for®. ?al» gariener os an estate in Qras#» Points, he is the wan that was the place. He, ?erd*» estate was different because I had to ask Mrs. ford th#»» I had t© go tad get stuff through Mr. Dahlinger and through the Rouge plant. Most pl*a©% the people talk #№§3? with their garisner what they like to have and how much money they want to spend. The gardener spends it to the best of hia ability, and that's h©w they find out if he** *, good wiag©? besldies feeiag a gardener* that's really the proper way to wort th« thing*, these etber like Mr. Itehlinger don't toow anything about flowers, snd neither do the- people that b^f the dowers fee us. Hrs, P®rd gaw the ordem# a«d when %ce a^etied mgrtltia^^ we had to sake mil -.as. f»>€te7 awl take it' to Irs* Ford. She sent it to Mr«. Dahlinger. They Bade it out over here, and it went to the Purchasing Department in the Usage. You never knew Just how jour things was going to cose out. - That stakes a gardener mad. that's too maeh red taps, ue sail it* I th.iak that*a i*>y ttrs. F©r4 dldbaH get alo^ with her'otter g&rcteBers. lobc^y grtay®€-l»re tecaass they all 1mm that. There ms a high turaovar of h«*i garieaws* fh#y eoaMa't aijttst tbaase£«es to- this ehai^e, -'fhey eou^a*t- g© m& and get a certain kJtoi osf seedf t&ey eoml •«*llf mm, FmeAp* 1 %oU her, *1*U t«ll fm itet 1*11 do. 1*11 look after the plac©, but pleaae hire a gardener.* X was single, and I said, "1*11 look after it tt*® b@®t I OSB and take car© of it* I board is Dearborn ami I111 case back to th© aventng and 3@s if thijigs ar© taken care of In the But juat look for a Man and try to get a good ot>e.M -6- That k®pt goisg on—two month 3, thr#e sontiia. I ««tei Mrs* ftoird* *0id you get • gardeacr?* fife* wri4, *»»» I luntnH,* I aaM» •! Utah yea ifoaM,, tfc»« too aaoH for MI* I an - not HvlKg on the plao®. When th© winter e«^a» it's going to be that such harder.w At that t$m9 I thistle there wa# ste^^ tw&P» «№ wsrkl^: 1B the gardacs. But, at that tlise, the, place wasn't what It is sew. The oalj gardens we ted ms a littl© rose gaMaa ^i©re the Euglish garden is BOW, the flower l&fi» up to «tar@ th© pigeon- ^use was, aad so w&m purten. Tte psosy garder, was mad® the last year Mllliamssm was h@re. & the fall of 1922 and %h@ spriug of 1923, that's wteit tki&y note tha peony garden. That was the best collection of peonies, at that tiise, thers was. Also that js®r9 they staie tte rock garden. M Thsn Mr a. Ford myn wh@Et faH eai!5#s ¥ell» AlfoBS, as far as I know, X never waa sior« satisfied than: 1 asa sen, X dcm«t am aay use Ckly that msn't so good for me! I tola h@r, BI*a glad you're satisfied, but it*« hard « n»^ f can't do that." ^WeUp1* she saii* *M»»11 «i|a«i it ^» t«y. I*« a@t goitjg to hix« another gardansr. lou tak© charge from now as, I«rf l#i»n j»«t fargat aboot »• ¥**U do tte So it nant* W» leapt going OB* la 1726, \m got a eoapl© sore M. I had to get -a oew •man for the gzmxfamm *ad OHM or in©. for the outstde. Thtega ran along pretty good, Jtp»* Ford was wwy mash istawwted in the gardeas. She always case out at pl&stiag time and talked over Aat w» should in this pia©©» what «@ wr» going to pit in this plac®, and what oolor of flc^srs woulsl be timr®, W@ acnald not plant smy tlomr garmnu without her o I becass head gardener, in 1923* we* tod about isen in th@ awssaerti^. Then we got abmxt three more. W« added o» all the ti@@. fhsste wsr& all full-tfeie ®gsn. fh@ oslj tira© they {11^^ work here i«as ft^csa December to April, Ttosn would go to tit farms. They «nr€i' o« th@ Ford, fawa payroll. I wasn't, was hired as a salary i№* X «d»ys ^as salaried. But things got clmag@si aro«m. They got « payroll of %tt&t th©y call strmight ti»©. f It «»«» t w^h% pifroll ^* it mm Vha «M»* ISM go* f»td if 1 WBJ ^ off, «ad if ysm w®re #iekf ywt %a^ f«M. art f»n a card, f nmer did riog & oapd as losg as 1 wonted bar©, fom extra tira© tait yow didsa't g®t a^tbing for it* Tbat's t^iat th®y oall straight tia@, Tfaej fig^rtd jour salary bf so saay days worked in & mouth. Whatever extra you pat IB» you dlcto't get smything. -g. From tha beglmslng, 1 was on salary. 1 van Mxwd os Mm, F It wis ©asler, and a bstter way to adjust the thing. So it was changed over to straight salar-j. Tb® oaly dlffereijce twt*№#n that and salary is, I guess, aatotiatic raises mm* %• the hour, jtm got the saa» as tfea ©tM®r f«H^m.# If you mm tiut boa** ywi got sore acoordiEgly, That's ^mt w tbi' dlfferenoe. From that tlffl© ot5, 1 went on straight salary 'until qp to th© yar. that \m.s still tha sajs© my to sag, tell or, the books, they say they chaffed It* I don't kjMJW. to ®&, it nev^r imd© any difference. The twsdv® WBR working m&m m «@r» all hoxarly mm* How I csas to cam her© as a salaried aa» wts aostlj through Wllliaason, the m&n who had bstssrj in charge. He wsrjt In and told Mrs. Ford that he could Mrtt ®@» that kasw the trade, garden@rs and assistant gsrtetersjp. for lesa horsey ttutt he was paj- lug the les on the farsa. AIM! tint actually d!4 happen. Tfoat's what happened to sse. X omm her# -and I was sesorsd in charge. I was paid leas isonaj thwd fill the fellows -who wsrksd for us and dl«to*t kmm anything* The nirioteen mm who have worked at the residence are John ifcfotjrs, Jo© Waldif Walter Scott, Jay Allen, Id Suter, Clar^tje© iJchofoskj, ,41fr@d Jailer, Jo® Kodra, Mooslrow Bannister» Otto Sakriska, Mvard D®o, Charles Rlsjdon, C}«ra»»» Roas, Henry Dso, Henry HS22m&, il Seamers, Charles Sdiick, Leo larwy, aad at* I oan just about tell what year It was vhea all th©s« men were woridag at Fair Lan©. Heat of those »§» w«8B't hmm «t»8 I came h©rs. JM fact, the only OR® that was her© iitam ¥tHIa®son VB& her© ima John Mclntyr®, H® was the w tfto omm %& help oat to ths groanhous©. AH the others ara man who c^s® b®re after Williamson «as gtme. When I G$£®& her©, nobody who worked bare worksd for less them six dollars a day. Hiring rate was five dollars « day than— a«we»ty-ft^ ©sets as iwar for «t^t teour** th^r s31 -gol ^na^s and mut WheB I (ssme her®, I was hir®d at th© rat® of |15O «. month.. That was ths rate of sis dollars a day. %at x«8 the salary for a sjbe-d&y week. Sasday №S the day off. At that tiims It m six da.ys a. week salary, ffc»y figijred if you mm salary, that |150. If yota wortei l^ the day, jon would haT© got sore beoatia^ there's tw©rtty-ssvea working days i& * month if jmi work aix dajs. -10- Most of the ffts^m at that tim drew aboat $6.20 to |6,70 a day. AH the g^ys that vork@d here far a© did. Of course, X didn't begrudge them their aortej, fegeswae they worked for to© Ford Motor Conpaay for * long tin© befsora I vmtTmA fame®* 1 @mM their i*$e» *32 fight, too* But aiiH ti^ «w»- asking mam thiss 1 did. Biit that*s «?iat Milllaiason told №«. Fordj be could hir© K»a cheaper, and be could at that lisa©. That wasn't Mr. 1 was tM№» four ctays- item I toid tb«® I w qttlttteg* 1 t WI*» not standi^ f^ that uttiff*11 the iNMt I oostLdU I tali tluNu "Why,« to a^% "Jtm «la*t aven paid yet and you vsuat to quit?" "!©©»" I midf- *I iwst t«a i#llafs a i^erttt M»r»« 1 doctH want to work for mny 1mm thar, those guys over b®re—what 1 MBf«s. H»tr boni»if 1 2st ttat go. The p«o0 They giv© B® t#n doilars a aonth «or@ and I never worked less, fho l«w«»li wi^s« I got on this pl«s« «ad $6«40 a dener. for m vhllo wb«a X task aharg® of the place, 1 got i»s« siOB»y than the mm who wtre workir^: usta* ae* 1 told Hps. Ford, "For four raonths I ran the plmm for less warny than the mm vho tmt m+* This was aftar Willlamsmi had quit and aha liad given the -41- job to t»m t told IMO* I didn't vast th» job* if idea, MM to work h«r« till 1 got awriftdL I vi»t#d to g#t agra&tf a p5*Q» esAslde and work for a iMle, that go tot© business for igr»«3Ut» If I liv©d here, 1 oould never do It. That*s whj I didn't care so web to get tbe last- dollar or flftj cents s (toy wages. AH 1 wmtsd t«s a job to -pit a start« fhat*s Hw way wwt p^pl® »t«rt ta thfi kind of buBiuess. Bat as long as 1 was not married, 1 co«ldBft #0 It asys«j> So vhen sh© forced rse tats th© job and said As didn't want anybody else, I said I supposed we sho\ild isako BC^S kind of adjustment, Sbm mUt "Utat is tlmtf • X told h@r» wI)o you know that I run your place and earn back after quitting tlffis aad all this, and Sursdajs, Net I g®t paid less than the six fellows who are vorklng for ®afM She said, "1 newr haard of things lite tliat. How is that? Why I '«M# *1 4M» tat I .dfciaH g»t atay plao** I*« as* » mm that likes to fuss aboiat. things lite that. It just .p»t» a@ riled up and. ssakes B» feel ted. I'd just as soon go on and either tales It or leawi tt»» 3h« aaid, WI*H ••» ateit it.* to gtf» a» & mis®. I tea*t If it's the truth or not, tat otter people told me he had a man tlmt he wanted to put in as gardener. Hr»* Ford vat&iri't ham hi»» and I got the job. That's why h» wouMn't work with «*• 7 only get It from hearsay, but that's -what a lot of people say. This man didn't know anything abort flowers. He mm «SFkifig on the farm. H. Ford k&ftr that too, that the mm vasaH «att«fi. for the job. It the m» tla»» I mm between tvo fires. f@ aak 1*3. Ford for a ruim was not vsrj easy either. Sie vas •thrifty. H«№» y^s qxdtn & ra^^ al»@afc It* 9MI wtM# ' see №. Bahlisger abotit that.'* . ' H# didn't vwtk along with tor. fi*at:*a vHmrm I have got a break if h© woxild have work»d with gj®. But Mr* was always that way. If I-Srs, Ford didn't smk Mm for to dS4nH Ilk* it* Aaytaodtr that Hr* «at Itnu Mr. Dahliiiger didn't Hies* B« was jealous. I often used to say to Hfs*. Ford, m/ty dorj't you ask Sh@»d say, "You see Mr. Dahlingsr and t®ll hi© X wast this, th&t, or have that don«." I*€ s®y» "Why d^m*t you see Mm abwst it?B She'd nnwr} "da, to doesn't ioiaw anjtiais^j about it. Well, that nftda Oshlinger laad. I'd go get bia, sad -13- pot it off «nd part tt off. low know, jusfc wad* It tasri ©a jpewu So Dahlisger want down to Gross® Foists to take tnforsaticm «a *4»t other ggurdssarc war* banrimg:* M«H| -mm® having good none? ani IQH wmmaH. E« fold tor «feat getting but I taomr what th© paopis wer® getting sjself. But I wasn't awrisd, sad tl»% iids.*t ««•» iado th# pite%w»# I «u » single wun. That's what thmj shoald ha^e^ considered.* and 1 should mm® mamf, .3® ^Klljagsr 'decided to gtf» a» fit®: oe»t» *» ham forty cents a day. I wouldn*t take If, rs* F«pd and I t#M fe»r» ^PM»; i aald ^»»d talk to Mr* IMlillng«>: ab«* lt» got sort® mmm of that stuff eoota»d tip* I -didn't tate ^ momj tmt a article month. It IM« Isft. In ths pay of fie©. jBfwey tii» tliey ®&3!*i «• Mrs. Ford said, !ryhat aw w ;3oiag to 40 aboat that? Xoti**e gtttiag paM. -vhat oilier p&®pl» f«tt»* 1 «aidy *f»«, Mm, F«fi» that*a «feat \mmm p@opl« tewt but ths psople hav® * houss| they fat faeli thsy f«t lighting and •04- said, "Wall, if fm mm wsrrl*d# jm wmM g*t it,* But that didn't lw*» anything to do with it at the mo- ment, at that tiiae. I got «o xil«d up, I «nM» "Well* Vm g@i»g to tell yaw ami. I*v sorry I ever asked you for a raise. To w»y it £«n*t anything. X*m sorrj, and forget about it* Just let it ride. If that*a all you. want to do about it, \m*re going to forget about it* If t knew it would com© out that way, 1 vouldB*t ta«» Siva bothered That vest os th©n till I got host© in 1926. Wmn 1 mam bare, I was & sisgla am and boai^ied la D©ar- . But •wheu 1 eaa© to Fair Leae to live, I got everything fr©@. I had the hoas© fr©ej 1 tad the fuel, lighta, the vegetables, ©very- thicg free. Everybody did yho liv©d OQ the estate. Tha ebaaffmir and the horsewm both liv©d on the §p«oo)ftds too. They him everything fre©. % can't reeansbcsr the hors@ssan*s narae—they used to tiav© horses at that time, lot I diteH Un b«® *t F«^ Low wMfl X9flt6w HMk*« vher. I went ham and got rsarrisd. Mrs. Ford fia©d th© house up while I was gone* I.moved right in there when 1 caa® 5mck. So th© people who livod her© vhas I lamm® hmd, g&rdensr were myself, the ehauffa«cr, aM the butler. ¥i lived in th© thre# cottages. Th© gatehoase was espty. 91M gates^B lived her© wh©n I -15- caws b«r#. later» tbi nan di«d* At that tlae they bad only two !8©B| the day weam arid, the mua who liT©d here. 1® took charge of thm gate la ti» «v«&iag, Whan srpesyon® was in, h# ©©aid just lock the gate and go to bad. H© was kind of on duty off and on during ike night* If tb* .jj»©p3L» wsre ©at, h»*€ Itavt t© stay i^> till & certain time ^f*erj they coise Is* But when be died, then they had tteree ibifts tot thm Jfob# They let, the &QUM> . Vhile llviag oo fair La»% I get agr wg@tabl®® £cot««d of lattiztg It-go t© Murtef I*d #«yt. *I©a eaa ha« thti# or that," ami I'd let ik&m have? it* Th© house was supplied; th© ^ be^st of ©tesTtlttog wwat to thm hmm, teythlng that Mrs. Forf i«ntsd to gi*» «uayv **» got. Th^- su|^ll«d the iiaat* ' Aay tlae I a**6eA tmlt all I tod t© do «a» * sold Mrs*, fard thai perd®ii» Sh» ma the en® 1*0 mm m& m& nsld ma, Tmd itm Mm, Mrs. Foot* Bade & ©o»t«st «nd MM Mrs. Iterd the idMu He never nv the architect before It m» a®tti#a that v& wer® going to taw® tt» rcMM ^PAS». Hr«« Fs©t« go^ tl» «3?rtil» t«et «£^ Mr, Siiilswiy mm th« w, Mm ms twry. food. B» va& Mrs. Pe©t« «e«*^ It <^ tocatfeNr.' H» MM £Hit the plan* «ni she irapteti them out. Sie bought ths roses and planted them. Hie wan laid out plans of the garden. Mrs. Fest« iNBt a31 mm? th® e^artry «nd t*»a#it th» IO«MI tlMnm n»» a apaeSsaa ®£ mwmtj •variety. %moj r®m that was IOMMB at that tifct ws pot iat© tte ras® gardMu a«» w«r® «tt^ 4«J varieties pat ic. Mrs. Foot* travsl#d around the coantrj h©rs@lf looking for those gardens. She had in [Boston i&at is kuown as a display garden for the RUM Society. X think the Society got scat of the plants, I don't know. Mrs. Foots mm adv@rtisiRg h«r am rose garden aad inviting people to see, in a MU scale, the wonderful roses she h&& got. She mm selling the idea and the garden. Mrs. Pord offered SBgg^«ti«B« towr^fclf, 4t «tet tlwi w» i^siit la^raal, »»» №•»• Ford, and -MPS. f^t*, to flfid th« ^l«e we ^HP«. golag t© pit the w@m pcc&m* Mm go% t# tl» little gardes where th© English garden is now. M@ got a little pool and maybe 250 roses. Mrs. Ford wanted to take that all out, ths shrubbery and eTerjthlng, a»d put the rose garden th®r©. Mrs. Faote says a®, that spot vas too saall, Mrs, Ford said, ffL0t*8 taka oat th© ether side, too, tip to th» driveway* oa bath stt«« «|> to tto® wulk t© %bm kitdfewo.1 Mrs. Foot* told her that it was still too small. Mrs* Ford suggested ws take part of the lawn on the aids of tt» grs@n- houae across the drivev;aj that cc»ses 19 to the garage. ••»»• *e nil, «ttei wa*t do.« 'Mrs. Ford said, *M«il# let's walk, aroiad the garden, around th© place.B So w© walked aawiasd and up throixgh the lane. V® went arcmad th© back and mam to vher© the roa« garden is not** That «as shoot a thre#~&cre lawn. As SOOR as •«© talked In, Bra* foot® said, "Mrs.. Ford, this is the spot I want far the garden,ft Mrs. Ford said, nCSi, Mrs. Foots* That*s too blgi X d«m"t wast «^rthisg ilk» tMtl* B-uct sh@ sold her the idea and that's hov it ®mm to be thare. . 3bs sold tor the idsa at that time. Mrs. Foote mM that Mr, «ni f-trs. Ford seeded ®ore #x№el»s, (loa Imow, \ti©E jou get a certain ags, you tove to keep going. If you start sitting down, jou grsdijally go dowi.) >trs. Foote raally sold them on that. Slie told them, wIt's going to give you «». interest, you and Mr. Ford, •2*. to mm and walk up all this way aod walk arour.d the placs aafi all tfaftt." And It voriEed* Sim mM them the gawtea, Hre» Barrt*t fbot* was tlwi lady 'that **&a h«p the idea of building a rose garden. Mrs. ford visited tar- plac« to look at her display of rom garden outside of Boston, In I927t the iteaet gpriMg* I took owe* th« AMI® «t th® j№pa. Hafri«t ^tw»t« took mm of It the didn't cotne bftek becan-j© tbejr© -VIES mm ki»d at with №§, Fowl* I had tvo full-tirrsa sen ther© and an extra mm. there in the bloosalng period to out all tlie spent blos&mn. That takes sore help. Then is the fall, all the aes go in there to oovsr ¥® iiave to oom them all np with dirt ebsot ten £i»hee high. Wteii that i» isem, thea we ®&mr that vlth aarsfe, bay# That Is the way it is taken earts of ia the fall tip until generally. Is ths springy it is tike sairse procedure, bat tSies it taWtof it off, Mrs. Ford usade m tmt changes while it was 'oeiug built. That is where the dlsagrse^snt ea^g ia betyesn hep and Mrs. Foote, *We had mmm& %rm roee«$ t3my emM. them «t«aterd« Foots planted them aecca^Uag to the i&aas atoo had taada. }fi?s. -19- would go and look at the Job eitery day and ate: didn*t -like then la a pmrtieMytar pk*m* Mrs* ford aa£dt *I io net vast tim tree rotes theret" Jfira* Sarrlat Foote setici, "Tbat is the my the plan Is and that is liwara they are g®tn§ to tail 1 w»ft r«KWR8 tham»* Ss© «lr@ft%- had their, ttero* otherwise i#s. Ford wouldn't @«@ tVsat she didn't lite it. tot she would not tato them out. №«, Ferd told h#jp spwslfteftlly* 8ffe®y h«*e get to aali# *Iel They stay there!* law auat xwaeaber 1 ^iroft here at the tine; i ^s is Belgian* Mr»« F«rt tald »e that tersAf ii»B I ease beefe. She went dc^n there the m»xt day asd took two of the boys that worked there from tto far®. Sh® mid, *io« you ««» ;«tth .»».. Xoii 4% ip tbose tree roses,* (lira. Foots was 1» th©rs superrisijig the planting, were still planting,) Mwu Ford «aid» "lam €1^ lAem out;I0 • That la all those boys could do, jou know. They paid by the F«ti 14otor Cottpaay and t3iey were woa^eiag for Mr. ford. fh@y didn*t like to do tfc»t, though* I knoii that* ^MS of the b^» vorted in the rows garden for a long tine after* He toM urn after- wards the saaa thlrjg^-what happsned. That Is all ttoy eould do* They just had to take them out. They said to №3. Ford, "What are we going to do with tfa©a?« She said, *I don't care what y«a do with them." She said, "I want them out of there aa& that's all.R That is the first of the disagreements they had. №rs« Ford said, "If I am going to have sera©thing, I am going to have It the way I like it, I have a right to change ssy sind." She was paying the bills. That's generally what we say. That»s what 1 always told all ®f ray boys. When anybody came and worked for me, I»d say, "You take orders fro® raef Mi if at any time you're № the Job and Mrs. Ford eomea around awl tails you to do something, don't wait for me. Do it right thus and there! That is a order. They are th© standing orders.11 X said, "From anybody else, no." v ... I know Mrs, Ford did that several tises. &i& would cose arotmd, and th© nen worked in the garden, and she would say, "I mat yott t© d® ttot»* You see, certain things she liked done right away while she was there. I told theta, «Tou do it, That is perfectly all Tight.* That is one of the things that happened with this man that was hers, too, Williamson that was in charge whan I earn© hero. I wa# fixiag flowers in the hoaae* Hra* Pori was irwy peculiar about certain kinds of flowers. She know what she wanted and what she didaH want. Of course* that is the mam with «*®ry«» body. She used to ease down to the greenhouse and she'd say, "Alfons, now I don't wast those kind of flowers at all** They were beautiful plants. He had a buach of beauti- ful plants, Hiey were beautiful to m smi. they *»i^ prowtng nie®» she would say, "I don't like tha color and X don't vant them. I want you to throw them out. So I»d say* «fhat»s all right. I»ll tell Mr. WHlis»soa| h® is the boss. I'm not going to throw them out." Ste»«l stay, *0kayt* So when Me* WlUiaasoB e«»e la the gtwmbmm X told him Mrs. Ford was down and that ahs toldrae that slie wanted to throw thoa© plants away. To grow titam, it took abo^rt; six atostfes frost seed, and you spend lots of time on it. It takes sens tim» •before you ioaow what people like when you work on thi® kiad of job* On a' gardener*» job-, yoo don't know for a while -what they 111® and what they don't lito, What sight please me sight not pleas© then* X nyself thomgiit they were wonderful plants* They were wonderful pla»tst and the color suited m9 tart it wae m» of those colors Mrs* ford didn't utst* "Well,.11 i:illl&m.Bon said, >»$*© gy#w those plants so long, v» ar® act going to ttaroir the* out** I mtld* "Okay, joa*i» the boss** After ft whil® atot caiae back. It was about two days aftsr, and ah® mid, *<@ma9 ytwt »tiH luwe tb®^ pjjmtpf* I say* "I told Wt» Williamson and he say he's not gotag to ilafoif theai cart,,* wBat»" i&® said, *^*i^® fol^ to threw ib«i otttl* (If sh© said ah© didn't v^mt thes, she didn't mat thesg.) SIM aaidtf "lewt go «ad get tap. UiUAmsoiu* I got №•• Williaiason and he caiae down, and fte said, •l^r, Mr. WUIiaasoa, I wrat .Uforai to ttermt ttw»» p3jusls right new," He said,. wCtey.« to jts*t wttDced swt*i 1® &> 1 thrsv then o«t» That was on@< of the things. Me talked it over sod I •aid, *W*11, I don't kaow, Mr* VUUMMBU If At i«»«*t wat th©ta, I thlfik I would throw them out. Si« is paying1 fir thg stuff saha vants. Thes© are- tliiRgs a gardexser tea- to f.iad oat. I wouldn't be that way about it." That is the way h@ vas. Th© mm thing happesed 1» ttie gard@H. I® got scsse -23- flowers plsBtad .In front of the m parlor where Mr. and Mrs* Ford 3it* I used to go mid water the plant® sod fix' th© flowers in the house @*®fy morning. There was a bird-fe©d.lsg station standing there just at the ®dge of tits flower bed. la the lawn. Be ted MM ' flowers planted around that. 8bm said, "I doa't want thoas .floors there," WilliajasoK INMS In the garden, so she opened th» window and said, "Charlie (his sans was Charlie)» X dos't want those flowers around that folding station. You can pft gra,»® under that. I don't Kant aa^ fleaders thsre at all." He mid, n0kaj.n I« knew X was there. He knaw I was is the house, 3o when I cane back to th# ip*e©Kbou3«, he said, *!'*» not going to take *g» out.B I said, ^C&arll®, why not if ah© doesn't want tben?w Id said, "I plaated the® there and thay ara going to atay thereJ« So the 0®xt ^y sh© looked out again. Ste ^iid» "Alfcms, those plants are still there." I said, n*ah** Charlie waa back in the garden there with the aea, end she told him again to take those plants out. She said, "I don't want them, Charlie, fate thssa out of there. X want ttas out." -24- He told me again wtien ha net a® Is the greenhouse, 8I*« not going to throw thes out." Golly ges, I didn't know isyself. Sam® day she was going to bother m stootit It and that would pot me m the spot too. The next day she looked again. Si® didn't say Rothiag. They w«r# still thare. The fi«xt day she looked, and sh® was mad. She said, "Alfons, oo» here! You kB0ir 1 told Cisarlie twioe 2 wanted those pl«at» mit #f tbw«. 2SK*I rl#t ^g» y^m ®s outside, pull those planta oat and just throw tfamn on the grass!* I 4aid» ^№iu fiord9 I ^^tatoly 4ffit*'t. lite to 4a tltat. yilliamson is still my 'boss. He Is In cl-mrg© of the place, mud I always Itto to ©bay -tiM» bo«i*B ^w miit "Hell* th»t*» p@rfeetly aU: rl#t.# I*« f@l«« to st«y right in. front of tha wiMew &nd you g© out a№l jwt poll thaja out, and he osavt do anything aoout it." Sh@ opened the window and srtayed right In frostt of it* 1 walked through the housa, ttoo'^h the stf^anlnf pool, back throui the walk into the garden, and I passed him* He was is there. 1 amid* "diwrli*, I*"TO e«» to ttoow th©a® fjtets oat,* He di&RH say nothing to tm.» He didn't speak, S» feollwei at hl»t "Qiarli*, Vim a©nt Mf« 1 want to throw those plauts »ut." So I threw thesa out. That was one' of the things; whaii lies* Ford wanted -25- *. *fa» tuaatad it. If there was a ©#rtaio thing «t» didn't lik®, she didnH like it, and It sade no difference what effort yea would spend on It or nothing, ft liad to go. She wouldn't be apt to change tar mind, on how she waated thisg®«~iH*t too wash* l®o ©oald talk to fa#r «ay tlae, M»f4 go around th® garden and talk abotit irtat she wanted there* It would. be ¥©ry difficult to chauge her mind about certain things. Ons plant might do better if t#@ just rQtrersed ths loca- w tion, »rti l«d alwy» wgrv l»llt Mra» Ford* thst nodUi 1» th» test. If yoo want It th® otl»r n^r^ that1'8 th« vay it*a felflf to 1 bef taut 1 knew it i«a*t gotog to t^ark, * w "IM119« A* Mid, l»t*» t*y it." She would want her waj sbout it, Whea tgj advice went agaia^ hm idM. «rf* loottng at It, sh» woaMn*t v^ aft«o t«l® a^- advice, but aft^er a *iiile A«*4 flad ««t it vo«ild !»•*» b»»B bettor. C)B several occasions later on, aim said, "l^ll, Alfons, I tMak It woaM hav# betas teett«r if vw did get tb&M p2j»ts la* that certaia location and thos® others over there. But I bats.to go to all. tbe tro«bl# now t© wnw tb©^ things** 1 used to My, ^©11, Jfr»» Ford, that*a «^ way, ft*» a long nranw to look at aomathirig jou don't y&nt there. If you waist it out, -m chang-s It* If yen don't i»lt tm long when w@ set -26- out the plauts, It do&sn'i hart the® too much if wa WWB them again la two or three vsiks bseaua® th®y*v© all b@en In pota»B Sbs*d a«yt "lost think »©?» 1*4 «yt "Stm, 1 woaM lUs» ttawi ®twr tlww*, ie»# if yextt will mjpf®» with it, !»%*& «ot» %b«ti«* • Sie*d saj, "Go ahead." That's tli® way I'd k©ep h«r ^tisfled. 4 gardener has got to sake up Ms mi»d that there are not two people that are the ssse,. got h«r own Ideas. Sh® vould figure out »1 want that," aud It would be pretty hard to change it bsfor© ah© got convinced that it wouldn't work jwt right, Ha&tJs tow sh© atBd ?-frs. Foot© were in trouble with that. She would mil change that. Mrs. Foote say, that's the way it should be, and that's tii® imy It*s got^ to t»t* The 58ore ^ie said that, tha isore f-lys, ford said it wasn't going %o "m that vay. fb@ contract yas that this lady was going to o«9Mi^ imck the next spring acd take charge of the ram garden again. Bat how many little things cropped, up while I was gmrn, I doniH tesw.' , Ford said she was not going to have her back be- eause sfa« figured* "There'll fa* just so away »©ra thing* I don't agree uith» and I»» »ofc going to hmm her** I suppose there vst* a terrifie bill for thin garde©* The later Itself ws tsrrlflc. Tha labor was done under Mr. Bahlinger* not «#• There uss fifty, sixty, seventy guys in there all fall. Tou see, all that Ian4 mo level* so th@y wiie^ all tboa» pools. That was all «xmm&®&* The pools were ssad© out of and that teahoiase and pagoda ware all pot iiu AH those they dug ««t fowr faet deep and th@y rebuilt the itev ground In there. It «R«*t me**aaryt bat I ttolnk the aroliit««t*s vmk cm a cost-plus betsis* Ion m»f. the store tho gwrdaa ©@*fest w&m th® areMt««t gets for eonaissfan.. If tb«y don't the labor, they haw to g«t so wwli oat of th« ooasiission, I that's the way they'coatraoted th© work. any labcv, thay vould hire thmself # They would the people \fimrm. thmf mm doing the job ai»d ch«^i then mem tbaa thoy p»y their own labor. Bat «h®ai Jigs fuarat* the I«bar» tho plae« itself» they have to get so B«eh« ?# staff aad wjailf jttst did tha regular voek* №t Mteu the j*oae gwpdbn ^as 'built, that was the sanner 1 west hone* ffaey w&dm th© rose gaareteft io the fall of 1925 *od they piasted the- -r®mm i» th© sp^ig of 1926* 1 got ay «itisenahip |»p@ra in th® spflng of 1926—you -2S- to be ttvm ywars Sn tha eowtyy, to go bask how and get aarrlsd «ni to bring your wife task hsra without any you 'Iwve t© to aa Aa»r4©a» eltisagu So I stayed fears ft«4 go ba©k until 1 was aa imeapimxi ol%.ts«n« Then I told Mrs. Ford I was going back hose next says, "Vdll* you ought to get someona to take your place whil© Mrs. Ford used to haira a gardener bj the name of Robert* H« s»0 tha first gardener Mrs. Ford ever got In ths city. He was an Snglishwii-i. &e thought h© was ft vary wonderful a»s and ah© o3ftee aa©«l to tall m» a beat hln# I dld&H knew hl»f few* I .net his hwe ones. H« came b«r« the second yaar 1 vaa h©r@. He caae to & ut*£U -la tfae fall Mltti ¥Hl&as« and *»» ffc»t*s all I of Mm, Ttiay dMn*t gat alsctg twpther, «ad lie left, Ura* fffiri mid, «M«llf ho« about gattlfig Bobart %*ill« gmm* Do yoa teow vh«r» ha tat" I said, *flh» f»a. la «^ta in IlgMaai Partc,* I© w^toi la th« Fesei plant. I told lisi1 that he»d ba to amm baok; 1 kaov tbat« &© «M, »yall9 that wlU b® fiaa* X«a fat feto sad sake wnpwig^wat« far hia to ®m® «VBT» What tlaa ie> yo» waat to the Fowth of *Wlyf * *I% I want to laava aboat th« »tMl© or first part sf I think It w»a about the tenth of Jw» I left* Sb* said, *?oa get hia h«ro a «ottpl« of 4aya bmfm* a&d show hira what we want," I was kind of anxious to get that war, beeasae 1 still wftnt«d to get out of tliis job» 1 tod different ideas, I <31d&*t like to be tied up £n b«re* 1 w«»ft«e a3jr«a.^ri I u&at to get aa«k. I«wa \oamtf I bet 1 figw^d it iwoog, I bet ttae papers toot ay wlsans ax« laying hone in Dearborn in «y .30- boardinghous®, 9mm tsl-stake about the addresa probab3,y was made,11 I asked the consul if be woald do sewtMng for is©. If® mid, **I#S,« X told Ms* wSdnd a cablgfrsss to ilia address (I g&v® him the aAiresa) to *y br©th«r la Detroit* feH »y brother to go down to tli@ baejrdl&ghdaae in Itearborii and see if there la&H aacgr wall £rtm VaAiagt^ thmt iemj hmm eome jfroii there- and fee laying there** So ha did, sad two days after, m ha& a cable back. Ste» @aoti§iif the fapars w»r» laying rlglit there* It noaM have taktt» so wish t$a© t-o get then «№• b#p® aad get thes batek* «wi othsr «rx«i%«Mmt* that 2 iMiid# «I tMA there i» a s«ft&in «ay to 11 figta!« It oat* Itappos® 1 let Hr* asd MP»» F«ri toft^. I that m&yb© they could da sometblBg about it. So I »at u«^4 to Ifr. and Mrs, F«rsl as to trowMe. fhejf t«l#^oo#d ®P got ftemebo^sr to contact Three days afterwardet \» get a esW.» ta the Aatriaan mmaml i» BslgiuH. It told ttteat to let tise nissw cosis In and to gire her a irlsa sad not to bother £«r «BytM»g« So it «aa paretty near six south* until I ©a»© baok* I cam® bask, and they sane and got me and the missus at the depot. Th»y took «s rigfat imm to the office of Mr* Fort* H# was wait-lag there mid wanted to sss •», -a- II© said, "Ion go right down to the house. Mrs. Ford mm%9 to iw you right mm$*m ' Then th®y drova «§ dmsi thers, and us cam© up h»r@. Mrs. fertf said, **W©11» Aifons, when ar© you eenisg back to wesrk?# •ffal« mis a Friisty, and I saM, "Monday* I gmm*n Baa said, *51*» house Is all ready to mem to. lv©ryth.ln 'is splck-«.n(i-3pan. Ms god it all fixed up whll© you wear© gcme.H So I cam© 'back to >iork the n«xt Morjday. Mrs. Dotd «0o^ «I» Wbnrt #1111 IMMI* I ,a»id» *f«»f Mrs* tori** dto t#M ••» «^H» I ta't'.tbink m n^ bim. 1*® first Alfons or ae?'" Nr». Ford »idf "Alfona will bo the boss." Sobwt Mid* •! i«Blt vovk t» latau* Mrs. Ford told him, "Okay, yoa <@SB go back to Higfel&nd all ri#t»» told a@ that. , Mi49 *roa lito fiobirt. M® <^m «lMl^hifeMi that out. 1*11 work for hiai. fan keep him as boss and let his liv© over h®re if he wants to, 1*11 eo« aad wsrk her® ©very she said, wI»m not going to have it." •32- Sh© said stie ted ©Bough of Robert. She said, wHo, *® g«4 to oone right hare* I don't want to tell hia not t« back here any wore, leu take the jolt over, ted ftartaevMare while tbl» rose- g№§sn m« toelsg tooilt whila y©» w«w gom, l*f» had nothing but trouble all svmimr. Ami next spring, that's job too,* Mra« Fcwd dl^'t Hi» the way the rose gard«n vaa ma»—too manj guys in mroand thers all the tlis®, %h» said. !•&•. Wilson was a good orclmrd man. Bahlinger put hi® in thars, and ttasy wnr» raeyftiag it tog»titer. flat «n« aowrtfeing n@w. They wanted to rxm that | tl»;f thougixt tlmt was going to be m f@»tfe«s* in their- eap, #»« fixedf *toll# who l«©te»i aft«r th© »ali.» *%», BataHagwr aai Mr, ¥il»sfi» Int tfeay dto t^ Job* I isHa't want toat*- I«№t.*rti the g«y that's going to. look «ft«r It. ftait's .all tb*re Is to it. I*» goi^ to oall than up tod f«% all tfc» pap^^s, th* reeordUt* and «*9wytbiBf «ad thiem right bftek to ywa» loa'iw tto guy—ftm«r© the mm going t© lo©k after it,*1 ¥@11» thar« ta«y mm maA «t wi agsia* S»yf%#siy was at ®« f®r that. ,tei I 'd!4n*t wast %hm job. I said, «J job. If you knew anything about It, tltm ym noaldtaH getting rid ©£ it, I do«H want to hmm it beos&M'X ksow sash trouble tb«r» is for «©• Tea fellows ckm*t town anything about than and you think all you faavB to do is look at thaou law got lots of trou&Ui th#f® last ^mr. Is far as 1 toow, Mrs. Ford told a* you got thirty-five* forty ata to tter* vip Iwftves in the gprdm* '3»»e not f^^E to ®t«M for th*fc** tebliDg«« aad VEUMB -said, «W«llt th«y gtt all W.mk spots when the leaves fall off all the time." So I finally wcai. They tiamad everything over to ?aa, ami it m» up to JSJS. Froa that ti»» on, X sa@d@d lots ®ore gtiys. They kspt ine«jasl^; th« gardea#f and tm hutd to feaep -UMM «p mil tl»» tJs®# They built the path along th© laks and the path tbr^agb the woods. At tbat tiiae, and through the years, I had twenty-four fbey mm mm %rt» DCMA ofwc b*** .fro« ippH till '* Vbon ii« got th« row gardes, they stayed km» till Christmas bscaiise t« had to cover that all up. Th© rest of th© ti®e, they went bask to the far^s till Z a«»ded them bask. There was lots of wcsrk. There va& bulldiiig in the Village and BffrtJC tre*s -ia tlw wiati«FtlJ» «««!• »aeb «s that* fb«r« wfc» lot# of work an the farms at that ti&e. -34- I didn't have nb»f«wi! under 28©* I divided up ay iaen. On» gtiy wm!4 be in oJaarge of a osrt&in place, but I'd tsll Mat what to do. They didnH get any mom «©u»y tiiaB the otter men, . although they should 1mm, These men warn hired through the farms. Most of tiMi wa were trained right here. Dahliager woold trliig sss amm guys from the farm in the spring. If there were any good ones, I'd keep them. I*d try to ptole the test ones out of thesu The only good one I knew mm Mclstyre. 1® was a ssn that know his b«3ia©00. H@ was a greefshouse W№»«J^ Melntp^. Hef a working ovsr at Bell© Isle now. He quit the Cosipaay for the city of Detroit» At the hei#t of the staff» I had twenty-four aen. Hut ma w? till 1930* tkat %mg firoi 1^26 «f tb» qprfe* «f 1937 to 1930. Ditring the depression, it starts! to level off. Tha de- pression ciit It down, Aed the war, that's ttet really started It going down again. During the depression, th© staff mm not - r@due©d a«ch. fbrnf vmm gettti^ oM»vt -Me* «ai ilrs* l^wd, &!«i ttosy 41#t*t g» so far away on the place asj more. Gradtially, they cut out certain parts and reduced the staff If- four or five men. fbwr* was about eighteen men at that time 19 wrfcil the war, .la the mawertis». Mrs. Ford*s gard@ns-~there w#re no gardens kept lilc© Mrs. -35- Ford's gsj"ciaaa» When the grass urns ««t today, ©verythlng had to- te triaraed the mm& day, So grass standing armrod the tre«# or along the sidewalk—-that had to be aslpp©d oft*'• Everything had to be dot*© I atrvtr west aajwfa@i"@ else to do gardsniai.; for the Fords, Tfes only place X had mil right few** Itosa Mr* Ford opened th© Sotsford Inn, he wanted m. Mr. Ford WAS a great am for gardens, for growing things, btrt not the flower gardens. Yegatabi© giardons—h©^ said h© wanted m to ate A vegetable garden avmr at tha Hot sfore! Inu. H® i*an that for a. vfeil« \A»en h© opened that up* He said, "1 want you to pot. a man over th@re. loa go down there sad tell his how to get that started. *» I wasn»t anxious to do that because 1 had to© sueh to do slroady. &r€«at^8' i* s»fc Mk« otiiaer j»te« !««»•» f@t to g«t » «&& that .knows. I? yoa*r@ the gardener und k»ow everything, lt*s cot like s^kiBg anything and telling anybody t© go ahaad and do it. It takes %m long to learn. I eiwftte't be ayay frc^ this plaee that long. Of courss, X would do anjtfai&g that Wtm Ford said to do. m I dlia*t «y «agrthi«ff« I mUt mw9 Mr* Pwd.« So took mi out there and he said, "low yom get anything need, and pft one of yoitr asu oirt her®. Every day or every day -36- ©r s©» you, eose and m® tf things are all right.® That wwat on for two mek» tmtll one Swui&j «o*»ing.- €» Sunday, Me. and Mr». Ford always a»t la the SUB parlor after 'breakfast. OB Sundays I had to go and water the flower** I al- ways did. That was sqr job, Sundays or any day. I fixed a bouquet of flowers and everything looted all right. I triad to get thm fixed os Saturday so I wouldn't have rsmoh to do, but I always had to go la on Sunday mornings anyway. Mr. Pord was sitting tltere x««4ing th® paper and he sa£«t toae, "Alfoos, did yoa go to ^tsford laa ye«t«rd^yf * I told him, «!«».« • Mr»« fcrf looted up aod 8»idt "Botafcosl Ban? Wtmt mm yoa doteg over there-? * Mr. Pord s»ldf *0bf 1 txaxA to aalEs a fBgatatol# gardes omr there, I told Alfo&s to t«l» one of his aen ;a»d gwt that wtd® over there and teeep looking at lt,*» Mrs. Ford «edUi# *H«ary» you get aonebody fron the fern to do that.. Alfcms has too w*gh vork h«re,' I io»*t 'tmnt Ma to go 4own. there any «oare,M Mr, Ford, just staniggai his aii«iM»r*» S» said* *Iott take oae of yoar garde^rs froa. the fara» Jkmft take dlfons away from h©r@; he has too ssiich work her© already.'1 l&ieh was th©! truth! •37- I get out of that jeto kind of easy! 3a I didn't have aay other gardens to take oar© of. QEMM .in a while they*d t&fce w§ down ttjarefogh the Village* i»t I triei to get ©sfc of that* f I said,. *Tott «» get yonr mm mm timr®t .Mrs, f«ri. %&k» eaar« of tbat* 1 got too W*^J vert: auroam I x»v«r weat with the f©x€* to Georgia or they mml to go to Bsoffeor ^atA. That was their auwwaar on Lake Huron» 4s Xo&g as they w«nt up there In the I vast tip there and planted tfee flowers asrwa^ the eottage* Sat they did away with. that# they*d go to Gsapgia or Florida er Hatmtala, l#s* Ford wiBted flowers around hsr sw«a»r cottage. Every jeor tefest^ th»y want, 1 vent mm? there* I took the flowers fro» her® &Bd planted them aronad the cottage. Mr* FcBpat did not «»s#iti MaseXf at all with the gardens. That applies to ©ipwrytislag trtslde the estate* Hs left tbat up to Mrs* Ford* She could 4© aad haw a garden Jwst the my wanted It, He vmld wit lsterf«» with It, Nobody eooM work In the gardens after quitting tiae« espectally Saturdays and Stmdajs. Suudajs, nobody could work. Quitting tine was at fe«fr*»t&lrty. Mr* Ford used to ®m® five a*e3.ook* He said, *pon*t have anybody aroond doiag the watering Or anything. I don't want anybody m, the place. 1 want to hav© the plso® to. wfBolf»n fhey did, too. Th#y fttdnH like to Bt®#t aqjrbckljr* toil® a ma was working in tbe ganfeoa, Jfir, Ford vo«ilcta*t go aroma, fh» only tise .Mr. Ford would go around the gardens was when he got up in the morning. He'd go around the place before anybody was working. Then he came home, ate breekfast, and west out to the plarst. He'd come hoae at luneli, then go back again. But after quitting tiae, 1 he didn't like to have anybody working oa the place. OD Sundays, Mr. and l^@. ford would take walks around th© ©state. In the forenoon, he and the raissus vould take Is. one part. la the foreaooB, they generally mmM tatoa in th© orchard, %b® vegetable garden, and around the greenhouse. After Irmch, they would walk up to eyening, around three-thirty or foar o'clock, just before sapper mostly* They'd walk up through the rose garden wad by the late* When Mr. Ford tm» by himself—-they vtmA to have what they called Tan Bark Trail 1H the flats along the riverside—he used to walk that. He'd walk up a log with another ax o& lt« They*4 fa® t!i«r@ few ymmm,. aad nobody vould touch that. He'd oane aretad and tak# a coupl© of swings on that a?fei»$j, IMP with the al«#ie haaner, he*d ataaci a little farther back. Ho always said 7011 ted to keep exercising. Mr. Ford slackened up la the thirties and forties. But up until the daprrosios, b» «as pretty aet£v» all the timi, fh» only time lie be .an to @ttw MB alowliig down mi when the war started* Then lie sLaolewMHi •»? qolta a bit, ©Em^aily. le the «j«ii»gt i»- nas oat -sarly* ta tba «jPt«ra«»B». h« ^»d to walk tbrotigli tfe# %roods yUmr® tha ^«f aam» Ho* a got piths all tte way tttrotjgfc tte© ms^s WIMHPO be s©«ld g# and Wktsh the deer* H*-*d mik f©r hours. fw» hoars l»@*«3 be g«»» ail 'fey himself. Mosquitoes were bad, but ha liad a hat and had a mosquito not imaging, ower. fboy wouldnH l«»fefe®r him ani l»«d jmst tas«p walk- ing* le llkscl wild naturej he liked to watch birds and animals. He liked to go alone fin walks, but he liked to go with Mra. Ford teo» Ho would mme ask anybody else* He*d go by aolf. they ^»t o«t li^a together* 1«»4 take h»r o^ on M the Village* He'd aayt COBO 01^ I w«at to They'd go oofc for a ride Jtwt oy th«wwlt»». They vo«&tB*t ©all the ehai^f«r, Mr&mA the ©M honwetead* th©yfd <$riv» -40- there* Be*d he doing things Coring the we#k mai he'd wort to shov then to her. But if be didn't walk with her, h**d walk toy almslf • 1 hair© »w seen kl» taring anybody in to take a walk* !«*d go In the woods- aH by hinself* tf@ didn't watch hi® vhan ha-was walking alone. % idsa always %№Bf and I told all th» f^Hy# "If you «ee hla m-otind ti» 1 placet always ^t«l» If yoa a#® Ift , Foi€# inatsad of tryiag to w iw^t hi№f go a diff«j^»t i«y» E» iid»*t Ilk© to b». disturbed* Jit. F^ardt h® as®d to get lots of troabl« ia tfeoas- y»«r»» those lawsuits by the Jevs and evsr/thing, and this Dearboya Inds- > He otnrar knev wbmt to waali aeetv He didn't Xll» to meet strangers.. All the time I knew tatm* tbsy exxstisned to take pretty loag walks up tart 11 the tix» ftp, fer€ got aiek for a ufail«» Then he imgm to sl@w dowa. ft»i^ the war there, ;he diin't take so many walks any taore a a they used to do. H« took iaor@ rides with bis bleycl©. I •wotild say Mrs. Ford spent at least two teors a day stwtying oa the g«a«deas, 'Mrs. Fort, especially toy reading booka, learned gradually. When I first came here, Mrs, not t#« veil-versed on flotiers yet» 8* in all those y®«r« really tawv utoat sis* wanted art ^^ toww th» differenoe flayers. tbttt w»« the smm thing ultl her first g&Amxmt» thought they© was mo other ns that knew as wash abort flawsw a* he did* bseai»e aha didn't toow wich about it heraelf* Qm&mllj she fooad oat, it -wasn't that vay» fhe nar» you kaow «boiEt it, th® lam amja@i!$ eaa^ fool jrou* Xoa earn ptffc ftnythiag o»»p ^«n «^b«ij ti»t dooumH IOKW saytMng ateofc it, She uaed to spend lot© of time oat around the honas* W@ had the rock gari«a and the psaey ^rdeo. That is the first o»® w© Dullt. That only lasts about two weeks. She would go mid walk aroimd that garden at least, once a duy, ®ayb@ twice. 3h@'d call up her fri««ia to earn and look .at it, »«» the r#ek g»*»# that*® the first tkisg ttot newer* but that was th© sacond job that was dorse on the place. That was quit© & job. Sh© spent lot* of tlrae on that. RoGk gardens were - very popular at that tine* That wag a beautiful plaee. It still is nice although they haienH be«i taking auch eare of it since the war*. We had m. wm there that took ear» of it that did&H 4o anythlug- ©la© ^rt M«^k to the roek garden* up till th# war broke (Ml in 1943.* Then most of the people vent to the factories, aad 1 this mm w»nt to fell© Iaie# and we neter had an^th^ one in it# Vie just took aare of it the bast we could without having • mam pay -42- too much attention to it. 9 She said* *Let*« out 4mmt awl m*&. just d© «wy with it and Just take a couple of guys in there and fix it «f» now am! thea* It would tea all right* When she would walk around In the gardens* she didn't want aaaytiedy to leave* l^sxybody had to stay on the job. Hobody to go out of the way when she waited around. 3km wanted to yoa. Sh® said ao% to pay aoy att@nti<« to b«r. If stoe wanted # to talk to yottt that v&s difJfereot* 3b* wwild say Sooi »«raiBf* to .anyoo% that w»ted arooai tart; A# iid»»t like them to talk, to her, to start a e«»i«n*sati©B if ah© diiaH. That** not ni SOBS people don«t r»eXi»» that* loa «ic?a*t mtk ^ to tl«w« Me tad OB a»n one©—4ihy» tl»t*8 only atooat tbre# ysara ago io the spring, this one particular fellow,, he %»« kiirii of, we would say, li^tt in the h©ad tort he was a good wsrtor* %i» awn was working up the flower Itt&e. Vttm, Ford walked ^p there» He didn't teow Mrs. Ford. 1© »ev«r saw h&r before-. It va« i» the spring* (I kepi hia mostly m& ia the mtrsaary wherw its fery sel* don votsli go, but ths,t purtioaMr day to was helping OH* on the flower lane.) The misaas miked mp there tte"O^h the laa».» g«i»f to t1» rose garden wissre we got all the flo'v/er beds. ; 3h# set ths wtt* The man looked up and saw her. 3h« kind of gl&noeci at his and -43- said, *Qood Horning,» # H# go* up gad IML2IUH3 ofwr to her* «y«ll.» be said, *X suppose you1*1* Mrs, Pord.® mm said, •!•#.« "Uell,a to says, mfm.$*m got satm beautiful flowers around her*!* and, started ta3M^ to hmr .UJE» that. I® said, iidtoe't kaow i*at all th«y talJtod aboat# tat aim leapt walking on. And when she case back about & half hour later, she told the 'iwtl«r to sail a». So I went to- tfc« h N She «^Ld# Say« Alfc»s» is ti»t a sew win alwog tk« fle^a> laasf * kp *l®Sp that lc tto first J»MP te is said, "You know %Mj 1 ask? 1 'walked «p there, and I bad never men him aaA he had aevsr sees ia©, and hs walfced up to use." And ate told use his whole story. Sm was kind of amused about it bseaus© she could mm herself it was jmst his waj, that he didn't think enough. S«i mid, «««Uf thatts all ri#it. Hov is tef* I aald, "isE, !»*» a prvtty g<»d wxri«Hr« !*"№ b»®» hisi off the flower learn bacatiss 1 was afruid he »j? do things lite that, bafc he ts all right. He works fcgr hissslf** She said, »fl»tf» okay, i«@p hia by ht»aslf~«0ttt of the nay uhare h» vonH tetter luajtwdy.11 When- afae m» miking arotssi the gardens ifae voaltf «ufc off a tm flow@r».#. lw* A# wa«M aot astually get her bands soiled ©r aj^thiag lite- that. In the spring, h»y fwrarite fltwors w»* those littl* blue flowwrs '«•» baw® In. ttai «^da# «rllla# sXl ^» and 4mm tl» dri'va'uay* ftwy eall th«a seill*. At first, the oaly fl«cs us had them was tip la the voo&s l»yc»d the bouse, going to the leg cabin. w Sh© said to me, Hfiaat I lifce tho«» flowers. 1*4 Xik* to »ove s Sh» liked the rows "mry wellt end delphinium may mieh so, and lupioes, sonethisg you very seldom see» ¥• elvays get a big bed of it. Peonies she lifeed too bast sb» sald^ they didn*t last long. He generelly got a big storm* It that %hm, sh« didn't lik« wmy ^Ait© or red flwaara. fh« oaly red flowar she aouli like was wry dark red, mat brieic red. ^e di«te*t like that -45- eolar, She liked a few whit© flowers* Bines wars h*r favorite* Tropie&l water lilies she lifted w«ry well in the garden. S« used to ha^e than #"w«ry year* I would taring in fresh bouquets every wav&lag*' We had a refrigerate in the faooae to the flower roo»» «rf next to the flower roo» «s tad a tntse rooou I g«»rally cttt flowexii in the evsnlng. That m» o»e of »y jobs too* to see that 1 got them on hand. It Is no! t®ry good cutting flowere 1© the fr«p*aoee iitee orab «ppl«®i wild plans, afee litasd very nellf also beauty bash oy koHniitslaj wad apir®&f and Frcwta XlUen, that was one of b@r favorites. Thers is no place yhsre tiser© are as aany lHaes as b«p©. Most of the lilacs we haw are mxm we gmv otir selves. Sh# dii»*t Mte Scrubs to be artifieially trla^d or ear© too wtteh f«p fosfwd gardens* That is oaoe thing aha said about tins rose garden; it was too fonaal. She would rattier have the kind, you, would say, that ted -more n&ttaral lines. About the QSily tlaa Mr* Fsrd »sl»d m» to do ««ythlitg about tfaa flavors, I think, %m& 3a«ewli«r@« aroiad »28« H© said, "Alfosft* lit(s»« all %b® soad of the lilaea, the nice ones." He to«w Mra. Ford «a« -wry foad of lilme®, aad ua dld&*t hav# too imay at that tine* He said, *We %NOit to »«ed than and prow s«@® ft*<»^ saed** Mell, I did, and we had thousands aad thousands of theis. M« fespt Wh«n aha ^»T» a garden p«rtiy, ate l#t yam know tiiat ah««i of tlite, and that was £w!3^ the day I Vh® ««rk had to be dona Just -47- rigiit. She would generally go around just before lunch (they generally had so garden parties 'til afternoon) and take a last look to see that everything was just so and there was nothing left behind. Si® said, "low, Alfons, the last thing you do, be jure v© get all the walks swept. Be sure all the benches are clean, wasted with soap and water so the people ma sit down, and every- thing like that* I want everything just m$ no tools left behind any place,* When we had a garden party, then the mm had %& get ant of the garden. There was BO wmm warktnf la the gardens, fta a day lite that, if it was a big party and we had lots ©f W»rk» we started tw© hours earlier in the morning the day of the party, got everything cleaned up, and the sen got that such earlier off. If we didn't, they'd go and work in the supply garden out of sight. A 1st of people would say, "How can this plaee be so clean? Thar© is soboty around!" I suppose that's what she wanted people to say. We'd have to sweep all the walks, arid that had to be done not only the day of the party. All the walks Is the garden had to be swept twice a day, any day, first thing Is the morning and before quitting tl»@« That would be all throiigh the avmmr, as long as the gardsns are open. fhm hmmohea ue««i#d to be mated ones- m 4ay* Senebody had to go around with a fail and seaa water and somn sloths and uash the*. Everything had to to©, eleawd «p e*sxgr day wlttooat fail. Wh»o the man e«t the grass he had t# b» mv.9 ybmn he eottisg grass along tbe slddvalk^ to get a la^« the ellppt&gs off the walk «© It looked elews* I get ovwytfaing the «aj it stetild be fifo«: oew end of the gmdmn to ^B0ther» Vh«a I aay the *®Ue» had to *a» )SW»pt twioe a day vfaile th« f«rd»B.s were open*, I seas all during the sanaer* Hware uaa a« foiwsl owning for the gardens, bat I Beaxt frott sprl>ine} no j»rticala:p days, but wteen the g«ri0BS imre atartiag- to look dee* Any tine yoa Mortod ia the garden* they fi«*d#d to be'avept* Of ©our** all diwrlug the wl&tertiiwy the mite were 8M*p% ^«s© a day anyway; that was the walks aro'smd th.a bouse, th© terrace, Ob Swdays, I had one nan taking mm of the gr^A«» ««i .ear© af the tlmmrm In the boose* 1 meal through th@ ho«» in the sorntag, and if aapr H«^r» a®#i changIsg* I did "that, ft»» nan works la the greenhouse and hla duty i»sf the first thing i& the asraiog» to mump the walk* ayoaodt the howa®—not all aver the garden®t but all the oms that go wound the English g«rde% the titae garden, and ap to the t«rr&o»* than he*d take * The greenhouse Is nsar the aai.o house. It is next, to th© gai^ga on tha south side. 1 wasn't tere whsn that was built. I think that was built In »15 w *16. Th*t was to haf» fX *roimd aM to .gr« tb« plants for ti» gaxvtais* It took; « dous asount of plants. WQ also had mm, greenhouss with grap©3, hothouse They're atUl tlMar«t tet th«y*ll hww to die oew» I p»ss« Bi tfe# gr««Bb«ii»» we gfev plant* and flower* f«r the howse and we -also grew vegetables for the house 1B the M© got gr«#n ^wna all wlater X ^uHflowarat wad spliweh that w» ^»w iaslift the grftertianwt «ad soae l«af lettnoft* ®fe» br<^«oli« A^thii^ we ooold grow in tfae g^e«nb«№8» *w grew. So they got their own vegete&l** fron the hothoua® in the wintartirm. Mrs. fort wsaLi tell «e i*»t mgetahlMi att# veiled w» to gre« tfa@re» W« tti^d t» ^«» a e fond of e«eu»b@rs» there was also a vegetable garden outside* that is wte»fe we grew all idtei* of 'vegetables* That fed everybody In the teems©, She gave astey soae to the relatives, aad frtenis when they ©awe tip. They brought potatoes- from th« f«r». ife gfw I told Mt&m Feri that «a« the mily way we eaold A& it* In «B« nigh* the te«i»« waold destroy ell the cars we had ia the garden, I said* "All it takes is a battwj" and » wix® aroand the Wall, ^8 didn't have any mom trouble* Th@y also sat th® strawberries and everything yo». hate is the garden* !&•• was 'wrj tomk of thoee a»i^l8 w^ he wo&Mit't let msyt»iy kill them. fh» to vmm around the grounds. When 1 fIrat &mm hero, the deer ran any plac®. They stood right up at the front door, rl,#t uMarneath the porch, right ther© at th© house. ' Mr, Ford used to feed thes th®r©. They used to earn there. At mm tiae be must hav® got two Inaiirsfl «r •or" Ona tia® la th« woods, on© ran hisa up a ires* 0B» cam© for hiss. At that tia® of ths season, in the fall season, thoae big backs are ugly aniasals. They wouldn* t get out of th© way for you. I urnd to gat the® around the house when I was her© vhesa they wouldn't get oat of the way for you, and at tte other tises th#y wmild just rua off. They just got that way. Th© ?9gatable garden I would jodge, with th© walks and tte berries, is a good aere and a half. Ue ted lots of straw- berries, lots of raspberries, red currants—-lots of fruit. Thsr© lm mt orchard and grapes. That mm about th® mm each year all along. That Is & regular feuoad-iB gardes. Thay kept that up as long as -*s. Ford was alive. Up tiatil last y©ar» tta&t was kspt up all tte tins. We also have &n mtpmiam&ml gardes. When tte gardens gr«v so Qxte»8ivs, I told *s. Ford' we ted to get a place to grow oxst har«Jy plants lite dslphijaiura, jfelox, any kinds of hardy plants •-52- that ©aee In a i&ile need to be replaced* It Is a very bad policy to Just dig tip your plant and cut It all to pieces and set It oat. The best way to grow nice plants is divide them in the spring, set them eat in the nursery, and they'll be nice plants to set -out Isj the fall or the n»x* spring vkan yoa seed that. be far better; they*d recuperate right there. 3» said, WI do»*t tewr ^ft»re w ®mM p3& it..»« I said, "We have a place right alongside my house.8 (it ms ki&d of en a slope.) »lf we le^raled that off, 4t*s sandy ground and would be an ideal place to grow plants. It is elos© to ay house. All V-m got to do is Jua* valk tteo^h the yard, and. Vm right there if I want to do anything on it is the evening.* Bm said, *¥ell, let«# do that.* That's what I did* It was just a place where ws grew plants to replace our plants in the garden. And, also* we grew In there cut flowers lite gladlolas and dshlias—a row of flowers of each kind-—what we wanted to cut off for the house. We seeded so many flowers that It mis a 'very bad policy to go right out in the garden and just cut off your flowers because you Just spoil the show, the blue garden is the garden down on the bottom there by the house, facing the dining room, along the swimming pool* It faces -53- tha riverside, that loag garden vith the -walk-is where you go down & few steps. That was called the blu© /rarderi fceoasuie she would not have any flover is there that wasn't blue or ft shade of blue. It had-to i» oltte flowsrs «e@pt In the spring* esyb* a few tulips. The SBgllsh garden is that little garden cm the end of the house, ifs* Siipan wade that. Sh© Is trm to fork. Hat was ssade after we got the other rose garden. Mrs. Ford saw several of the gardeaa sb« ^d©. Mrs* Shii^an ia » very good areiiit#et la flower gardwns. Sht» ws^© s»-wral mmwA Qaponm Potot«» aodi Mrs* Ford admired them and sh© got her to make that GBO, aie always a^ired that garden very such* On® thing Mwu ford votiM got hate is tha @»i#n was atatues. Lots of them like to put; them in» bat jtw wm*% find » one around her®. She said aha wouldn't imm msj in the yfeatawsr—»»o»e of those «tatttea that spout water* or & or anything Ilka that. She thougfet they dida*t b«lo^g in there* Soae people think they arm o£®« in- a .pa^en, bat she sold* "They couMn t E|V» ^. one to -pit there* I uould&'t h$m iti* ftp. Ford did sot believe in irrigating the Iswas. №• Ford liked e^^erytliirig to fas natural* He said, Bfhat*a nature* If we get a iry spell** let the grass dry o«fc,* That -was Ma Idea* He told me that. He. said, That's -54- •11 right with m,n 'But Mrs, ford dld&H feel tfee «EHMI way about It* She dida*t lite to aee the pra«"*H irla4 up arotind the homm* so they finally decided to put the gprfokliag aystesi la the lawn. Tt»y only pal it up in the big lasma, sll optwwi t&m ram gut®mm mni mp the 'tlvmat lm»* 1B f!ro&t &f the &«i,w i^em is none, nsltfear Is tter« on the bill,, V® water ttet bj hoae. We had to ke«p tha MMQ in front of the boos©' grmn all the tia®» that was UNI* Wwe4*s oeiai** He didn*t g»t hl» mqr abmrt that or th* big laim either* Btrt after a ^il» «» didn't use the sprinkling systwi too wawb- en the big 2a\m»» M® Ji^- let it • ^®a *26t tlie tine ws wade the jf©a» fardan mtU d»i«g the- depreasion, the lavm was sprinkled all the time beo&um vm h&d lots «f ptrtlea darijE^: that tlae aai *h« iite*t want «^r ©f the lawns telng dried up. Bat during the depressicm, we kimi of let It slide. Sb© just said, wKe©p it green all aroimd th© house.w MP»« Fwd wa» aoi too hard to w«rk for if you w#»t aloii^ the my ah© litod to have thinga dona. OUGB the job vas started, you imd quit© a little leeway in getting it to the best without tor int®rf#ri^ to© mask witte it. ^e woa3dto»t ooee -55- sapervlm It -wry mask* Q&oe It vas settled vhat we ms going to do, sfr® would Imecm It «p to yoa to do It. *s. 'Ford never much showed her temper. 3be would laake $<№ d£ it, that's all,, but, izithont getting sad, She tod no teapeir Ilk® a lot of people have, but ate made you understand by the way she talked that afa® wanted It don© ssd o© two ways about it! If ah© didn't lite It, A® vested It don® the way slie f | llkod lt# s&d tfaat « all tbsre i»8 to It, If yoa dlia t do it right away, she vooldtaH get too aa4 aiwatt it. Of' oooraa* if you'd jmt her off two or three tisngs, I axippoa® It would ha^r© been a dlffewiat fffcory, Th© time we Imd to poll the flowsrs, that was too such, butt shs told him ID a nice way she didn't want thes? thsr®. .B*at» of course, she was kind of mad beeatise tie voiddB*t do it* "I «K going to be th» bos«t and $ It ns®d to b® gardeswrs eha%«d quite often, and there la always a big adjwataent for the geviener* I© ^y ksow eimiythlng from I to 2, feat those .oth#r people he Is going to wovk fop want different things than the ones he iff leering* He has to find that out fpmdaalijv Every gardeaar haa his flsverlte flowers., too* the sa»» *# ©varyoody else. Ho nay have a more intelligeKt choice, bat that -56- -man anything* He ha» to satisfy tbo people- fe» is working for* 4 gardajser has to taav® am ©pen nlsd* ^J that respeot, to asJ» a success. Its mind tea to be open and he has to adjust himself to feia employer's way®. There is always on® mm that will fit ft certain job if h . If it ditoH C«M® oat rifht, ato« was glsd jram toM b»f- la'UMi place that that was the way it would cose out, I guess it her realise that it woold pay to take advice. i3he did not- taka care of raises in pay far the B@B. That is on© thteg that was supposed to fc© Itandlsd through Mr* Danlinger. That is where \m alvays ran iato trouble. -57- 4 lot of tlasv he aide m go to Mrs* fort. Me fovotd ®s to go, 1 told the nan it was a lot better to see what Sir* Oahllnger would saj. H@ woold tell them dlffer®st tbinga to got tban off Ms n§ekt lite v» would say* jtwt pasfa it onto- «oa»i)ody els©. The ana got kind of disgruntled. Sometimes they would pit disgruntled with m about it* 1 would say It waa the wrong way, btit 1 did it* ¥© «®re just up against It. He farcared th@ mm of the far® too much. All thos© hoyn More paid by the farm the tan® as anybody worklsg ens the farm. He had little control over them. They vera working for K© ftll th© tltise, a«jd to my eatlsaation, the boys ne-ror did tew A square* deal. He would lie to the salssas about it* You know how it is, the boys on tfae farm would t©U these boys how such mormj they got* They would fit less, and they worked more and wmm worth sore. Any- body knew that, I had sons© of the best «9& we got on the farm. But, at the same ti?ao, ttey wold b© |>aid less. I would go to her about it and explain it to her. She talicod to hla, and he denied it. W©11, hmt can you prov® it? She wooM cc«n© tock and tell >se he dsnlad it* - (toe tlbni A® even told - - ®@ I ll®d about it, I said, *Hr»» R^rd, I dflw*t teow, 1 ioa*t think p»» but if that's the way you think it is, there is nothlag I can do •boat it.» I felt this wayj there w»# so t»® talking about it* ©said hawa found oat if ah* vested to. I found it wa* BO W» to go to higher-tips because it only mde it more coeapiicated, I was n«*wr ®os« glad than %**«» th* VmtA Motor Gompaxsy took thia far* IKSW ia feaad. ffcat is oste tMag I gmm %h» aaion bs^aght abouA| tb» S^ipwy amid tfaay «o«klda>*t d«^ tba peosd* th»t didg.lt beloag to th® iiKion the adiraEtag© the union people .got* That is OUR thing that helped thos© boys along. I£ ths «nion foroad th« C^fsu^ to g$m m m&m in tfas plant, they would be automatically forced to is other places, and than my boys vould be inoludad because it went automatically. Oth«erifia«» th* boys oe th* fam «l^y» ^3* it* Thar© is cm© specifle «wapl« alxjut tMtf -and that vss the first year of th© imr9 in '42. Leibcr was getting kind of soarea» bat th* ©»y» «e» paid l«se. fb@j wnrw oa^r getting $5*00 & day then, They were still kiad of depression ^®gaa. 1 knew all the van on tha farm got |6.00. So fiBallj I had to go and toll Mrs. Ford abo-at it. The sen in the rase g&rdsm, those two 0^3» told se, *8o¥> you**® got to fo aM a** ifirat. Fordjr aoi if ah* don't pay taa |6.00 lilos thej got on th@ f&rm, you CUB tell ber V® going to cpit. I*» Isnwiiig, t*m <(Bittlng.* (MiH«rf ap*eifloal3jf »id this.) She kind of liked him. 8e had bean to there «ver «in®§ It tn« built. They didn't Stow anythirsg about It tort ttoey' nere willing to Isam, and they -yar-e good a©a for TO aa*l for her also. Sa 1 told b®r about It and atom said, ;«i€W »»eto do the mm gst on the fantf * I aald, "Six ioll«r»l« Shft s«id» *Iow WSK^ do those boys get?* I said, "Ftmsf 1%ii^8 «r» going «p» ftps, FoM. It*» pr»tty hard on tha »»B.* Sh® Mid* "I'll find aot»« So the called Up., De&Usger ancl tt&t n»s tl» tliw* tl» B©J* 'B»nalng, atoe mid I mm lying ateat it. le dtoaiti it. I* said it \ma o&kj txuck driver* ttot ware gwttiag #»C» * day« 1 «sidt *ite&p HP»> Feardf FBI mrtf$ but th»y traat ia@ all tn*sk •dri'^ra AMBI tfe№#, i@ are fo^iag t© g# M $hm aaidt M®llf that £s what Ir. J^ll»g«r that is t&at it ig« I*» not gotng to gi^» t&«n:» rai«»» g®t as wmh as 1 I mU, *m«y. 1*11 tell tte MH,< ; 1 t«l€ th» i»a« flist vac ttar^^y# 8® said* *Iett t®ll Mrs, F«rdr Satariaj 1*» she SK» me, she said, n¥ell, Alfons, vlutt did they -60- my abewt it?* I Mid, *I*» mevyt &>s. ?e*d* 8»*» throagb Saturday, 1» mid tm Is .not ©Q»i»g bask,® She Mid, «W All right* 1*11 sail Mr. Dafalijigw.8 So she 0sU.«i him up and told hiss to come down and s®@ her. She ssusrt hav« told hi® what it v®3 -all. about. They walked up to the rose garden, ftexw the two boys were working. Tmy walked up to wHer@ %lmy wmtm workicg, She kmn tbm b^ naise, She wslkad ap and said, RGoad earning** *I li«ar jr« ar« going to le«*s^ us?8 I® s«id» •№». Ford, didn't .Alton* t«ll y« if 1 d£dB*t , "Ion fam® H« Mid, *!©, Jfirs. Fowl,. 1 »M«I1.,.» A® Mid.' : ; H* said, «jitra. Ford, it»s like thisj I am not going to work bars for $5 if ©veiybody ®is® o« the farw gets |6.H Sha said, *Well now, Me. Miller, Mr. BaUingor tslla me there is nobody g@tting fS.11 (D^iliBger was right tfo&re with This man spols® right up.. •Mrs* Ford, Mr* feaiows better than that, if km tails you that, to Is- lying." light to his f&eet 1© said* "if he tells you., Mrs, Font, that may of the 1 ®e» oa the ffar»» ©xeept iwwly hired men* haronH g ^ |6«00f Iw is lytng." Right in his ffcee* *lfey,. how *l««fe it?B be aaid, •y»s*» "Well.* ake ,saii# *»H rt^t» I «m i#lag to aad th« oth«r »SB ^O wrk h«r# |6v0Q-« Ar« y«a f©4i« to 8© .saldj," *Ia».* He sisgwl« 3h® called me after luneh and told »e all about it. X knew about it already. 1&a knew all the boys \rfio worked for you. All igr <^ber twys weres^t «tirfi®4 either, Hiej %«№« la the boat, but that is th© nan that spoke up. He was going to quit* fb« others wacted to quit, bat this Ma was going to- q«dLt «3syw^. &s far as that went. He had bought a little farm in Midland and was just waiting to get a Job in the Midland Steel Company and was going to quit anyway, but he wasn't going to take it any longer. Is told m. le said, nVm going to stay out 11 I get a |©b war there- anyway. I got my «ppll«ati«Mi isw» , «A11 right.* -62- Th# other bo fa all Icnetr that too, alraady, that th@y war* going to gat |&» So evexybotty thought tbay ww» gojjsg to get $6,. , So «h» called mo ia the bouse and said, "I s®«t over there with Mr, Sahllngar.* She told ate the whole coBVarsation. She told m that herself that bo agreed to It, that they should. gat it. . Sh@ said, "I promi-sad to give juat th&m two boys la • ?ord9 itoat do yoa wm&t Hov •otter boys liks «ft^ and all th» otbftr a»n that are Jhaast «» portsat as th©«»—«U tb« oli WHB we kam>tm m mm mU, Mmf mot* f said, ^Wellj Mrs.. 'Forci, jm*m Just snaking an awful lot of troabl*. ^r» ia»*t goiag to b» wsyimeSy Iwre ifaidtaiy." a» «ld» *l8»at do yoa »saat» X isaid, mM» soon «s those boys know th#y aren't goixtg to g»t a raise, do you thick they*re going to OOWB back? lou «a&*t to thatl* . . Sh» «aMt "Utllf turn will ttaagr I *ftii&* mWm». Fcrt, thay toion She said, "f suppose they told one another.* y«wtaow feew i t !•• f&ey»t« ail .63- togethar. ?hev»v» worked here for ten, fifteen years already. They don't keep secrets like that, If it was wcaeptional what they got—but it's only getting what other paople spa getting. lou'd better straighten that out right now or I dor.ft know what is going to happen.w She midt "All right, f«& v/rits all th© ntnum down, git*®' th«t to ^# «ad I will wsi it Vtot tiap^aedi? W»a tfaoa© two tooys g«t a dtellaar ral*» tb*t &y» tb$y gave tfee oth«r .©B#» asoilwr nlokel* It iMn*t t«S» l«sg befmm they foani B«« ' . fh» first p&yf. th# b^rs mm h&p$ g«t «h»t the ottwr bcgw ted* Th« flr#t pay ttuw oltf thing, that, ts tli« Mad of tMsg you ware fl»t*a vfeat- reMdly helper! an »«fid lot that t^ 0«s^^* *tit«M8.tteaHy r*la»i: it. -64- The lgttimis@@a@®« of Alfoca B» Index Allen, Jay, 3 Bannister» Uoodrov* 3 Borsay, Leo, 9 Galloway, Mr. {landscape architect), 15-16 Dahlinger, Raymond, 2, 4, 11-13, 27, 32-33, 56-63 Dearborn liwiessa^ent, the, 40 Dao, Edward, 8 D@o, Heary, 8-9 Fair Las©j e®ploys©s* acewrsBodationa at, 14-15 Pair tose gwdftsa sroi grounds, gassiB Foote, Harriet, 15-20, 26-2*? Ford, Clara Dablinffer, Raymond, relations with, 11-13* 60-63 Jfc Fair Lane JF Flowar gardens, tastt«s in, 7, 44-46 Garden p&rtlss* tastes is, 4.6-4S Gardens &sd grmmds idiainietration of, 3-7, 15-27, 34-35, 4B-49, 54^63 Habits around, 38-44 House flows? arrangstKssnts, 3, 45 Rose gardes, ideas cm, 16-20 Vegetable gardens, tast«s in, 49*51 QardsB st&tues, dislike of, 53 Gardening, knowledge of, 40-41 Herbor Beaeh flower garden, interest 1E, 37 lawa irrigation, id©as ont 54 Parsonalitj, 12, 40-44, 53-56 Ford, Henry Botsford Inn gardens, ide&s CM, 35-37 Fair Lane Gardens and gro^Bds Attitude toward, 37 Bsaplaye^a, relatioss with, 37-38 Habita around, 33-40 lawn irrigation, idoas caa, 53-54 lodrs, Joseph, 3 Helatyre, Jcrfm, 6-9, 34 Miller, Alfred, 8, 58-63 Harary, 9 -65- Th© RandtoittMmoM of Alfons De Calnw® Index Rlgdoa, Charles, 3 Robert (gardener at Fair lane), 28-29, 31-32 Ross, Clarence, B Sakriska, Otto, 3 Sehlok, Charlea, 9 Schofosky, Clareuoe, & Scott, ¥alter, 8 , Mrs, (New lark horticulturist), 53 Al9 9 Soter, Ed, S ¥aldl, Joseph, 3 ¥illi@asony Charles, 2-3, 5, 8-10, 20-24 Wllaon, Mr, (Ford fsnas ^ployes), 32-33