Botanic Garden Newsletter, Spring 2000, page 7

The Cary MacRae McDaniel '69 Internship Fund was established in 1997

through the generosity of Barbara Burgess Wolfe '69, Margery Hickey Martin '69, and classmates in memory of Cary MacRae McDaniel '69. The income from this fund is used each year to underwrite an intern at the Botanic Garden during the school term. We wish to thank all those who have so generously

We would like to express our thanks...

                   donated to the fund and continue to do so (see box at right). Working at the Botanic Garden is a wonderful opportunity for Smith students. They gain valuable experience working side by side with the garden staff on a variety of projects, which is excellent preparation for a career in the botanical world.
     Bibiana Bailo '00 worked on discovering the most effective method of propagating Cupressus dupreziana (Saharan cypress), a very rare conifer native to a small, mountainous region of the central Saharan desert in southeast Algeria. Cuttings were taken from two trees in our collection and were subjected to different treatments. Her findings enable us to suggest more reliable procedures for propagating this endangered species, allowing for the cultivation and spread of new specimens worldwide. This research was recently published in Botanic Garden Conservation News, an international journal. The plants resulting from this experiment were sent to the Huntington Botanic Garden in California for distribution in a more amenable climate.
     Below another Cary MacRae McDaniel Intern tells of her time spent at the Botanic Garden.

     Of the many internships I have had over the course of my Smith career, I consider my work as the Cary MacRae McDaniel Intern at the Botanic Garden to be the most rewarding, educational, and entertaining.
     I have often heard other students complaining about going to their shifts at other on-campus jobs, but I must say that I have always looked forward to my hours in the Lyman Conservatory. How many people show up at work and are surrounded by a feast of colorful and aromatic flowers? I couldn't have asked for a more stress-relieving job! And did I mention that I get to play in the dirt? (Of course, all good plant enthusiasts know that I mean soil. After all, soil is for gardeners; dirt is for gossip columnists!)
     In all seriousness, I have learned so much during my two years in the plant house and I feel that it has made many exciting opportunities available to me. For example, from my experiences here, I was able to obtain an internship writing educational materials for the prestigious Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago last summer.
     Assuming that you are a frequent visitor to the Botanic Garden of Smith College, you will have seen the staff going about their daily duties of maintaining an educational garden with their usual camaraderie. But how does an intern at the Botanic Garden spend her time? Over the past two years I have been exposed to a wide variety

of duties in all areas of the Botanic Garden. My first year was spent honing my horticultural skills by pruning, transplanting, and propagating a broad range of plants. I assisted with the annual bulb and chrysanthemum shows, mapped the rock garden, catalogued plants, and performed general greenhouse duties. This year I have worked on educational brochures for the palm and fern houses, as well as the systematics beds. Along with Brita Dempsey '00, I have also served as a student representative on the Lyman Conservatory Renovation Committee.
As my senior year at Smith draws to a conclusion, I am treasuring my last weeks in these lush surroundings. I will soon transplant myself to a new spot beyond the Smith garden, but I will continue to treasure the camaraderie, knowledge, and experiences I have acquired through my internship at Smith.


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