First published in 1976, Gardener's Folklore collects the little bits of magic and myth to be found in the gardens of Britain and North America. Compiled from letters sent by gardeners to the author Margaret Baker, it unravels and documents the mysterious sayings and scraps of knowledge that are passed down through generations, while exploring the science of the time that backed up - or in some cases, didn't - the claims that were made. This delightfully written book shows just what people have believed and still believe will help their plants to grow. The observance of lunar and astrological conditions when planting, ways of encouraging fruit-bearing and discouraging pests, beliefs about the effects of climate and calendar, spells, the influence for good and bad of certain plants, the links between owners and trees - these are only a few of the aspects of gardening lore that are discussed. Gleaned from the people who grew up with them, they have much to say about our rural origins as well as having, here and there, implications for our future. Capturing the knowledge that old-time gardeners used to have remarkable successes, the ancient secret of a happy healthy garden are shared for a new generation of green-fingered plant-lovers.

To primitive man the whisper and movement of leaves and the silent unfolding of flowers were proofs of life and power, and their regeneration was a promise of nature's continuity. Cures, magic, divination and portents were all connected with the rich variety of available plant life, especially in verdant Britain. Some of these beliefs were astonishingly long-lasting and, even if an altered or faded form, have survived the sophistications of modern life, as this book sets out to show. This volume is arranged in alphabetical order and is illustrated with engravings from old herbals.'

In 1932 Donald and Lelia Baker arrive at Mondombe, a mission station far up a tributary of the Congo River, to heal and educate the Africans. Dr. Baker is the only doctor for an area the size of Indiana. A year later their daughter Margaret is born.

In "And We Ate the Leopard," Margaret Baker Wente describes the unusual story of her family's life in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) catching marauding leopards, surviving serious malarial attacks and helping a hunting and fishing people gain the knowledge to join the modern world. Living in the jungle without electricity or neighborhood grocery stores demands pioneer ingenuity. Messages come by drum beat; canoes and bicycles provide the usual transportation; mail from the States takes three months to arrive. The mission steamboat Oregon spreads the gospel and provides transportation up and down the river for the mission.

Gradually educated Congolese assume positions of responsibility. With independence in 1960, the new Congolese government proves unable to control its rampaging army. The Bakers must be evacuated by the United States Air Force after serving twenty-eight years.