Garden
IT
VOL. LVI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., OCTOBER 19, 1901.
NO. 42
gspevtenxc S-cpiirtmcnt
WHY SHOULD THE  HOME BE ATTI^ACTIVE
AND HOW CAN IT BE MADE 50.
The Spirit of Home is Love.
1st Premium.—
"Home   is   not   merely   four   square   walls.
Though   with   pictures  hung  and  gilded.
Home   is  where affection calls,
rilled  with shrines tbe heart has builded.
11,.inc.   __;**   watch   the  faithful   dove,
Sailing   in   tin*   heaven   above   as.
Ilitntc   is   win-re   tin-re's one we love
Home   is   v» here  there's  one  to  love  us."
First, then in the category of attractiveness in a inline we wunlil put a mutual
lnvi*. nut necessarily the love of a husband for a wife or vice versa, but love,
whether it lie for father or mother, husband,  wife, child or "the stranger within
mil'   gales."
Love is tin* strongest attractive power,
.miiI it is a sufficient reason for itself.
W'li*-re love is, trouble, or fear, heart ache
:*iiil sorrow, poverty or vexations lost*
their power and become very small ami
insignificant in comparison.
lt is not necessary to "always mee,t your
husband with a smile" as the papers tell
ns. for there are times and seasons for
smiles, but the entemal, stereotyped grin
is about as exasperating a thing as can be
encountered. Tact and loving kindness
arc better than many other things. The
attractive home very handsome and elegant, or il may l,e simply four "square
walls" enclosing loving thought, kindly
words and deeds, and all the fruits of the
.-am.-.
Love is good but the woman or home-
maker who wants to have the dwelling
place as attractive as possible, must
sluily ways anil means. What one might
do to make a home attractive might in
another case be wholly impracticable.
Tbere is no doubt that most folks love
beautiful things and the conveniences and
luxuries Of life, but these are not necessary for happiness. We may be happy
under the barest material conditions if
<•!■!- spiritual and mental conditions are
right. If we could but realize that life,
and real, actual "oodness are the only true
riches, very much Of the strife and un-
happin-ss would be eliminated from our
existences.
To make the must of our present means
ami mil reach out too greedily for the
thing we cannot afford is :t sure way to
make a happy home, providing always the
spirit nt love* permeates all.
The simple home with its rag carpets
or painted floors, its sunny windows
draped in muslin or filled with Bowers,
iis cozy chairs cushioned inexpensively, its
neatness, its sweetness, the loving thought
for others, the forgetfulness of* sell', such
a home is better than one more richly furnished where care sits forever enthroned
ami  where selfishness has its throne.
There are thousands **f ways to make
our homes attractive, but we must think
tirst ui' the more pertinent points. We
lausi ael ti.nn right motives. It will uot
make our home more attractive to place
in eur parlors upholstered furniture that
has been bought through overreaching our
neighbors. It will not make our homes
more attractive to see a grand piano in
our music room, providing we could not
afford to have it there, and the cost has
brought a uew look of care to the father's
race and added lines of weariness to the
mother's.
The material means of making home
attractive are so many that all know them
by heart. We know the dainty furnishings, the music, books, pictures, games,
nailing out loud, study, research, encouraging the youth to fresher lines of
thought, the refurnishing of Molly's room,
the getting John the long desired gun, or
wheel. The tennis set or golf, the top
buggy, the vines around the home, the
tries, the shrubs, the flowers, the well-
kept walks, the ileaned-up back yard, the
well-kept lawn, the near by  water supply,
the furnace or radiator that carries
warmth to every room iu the house in
winter, any and all these an* desirable,
ami tin* effort to have them commendable.
But. with all your settings t still hold
that the true spirit of home is love, aud
the ,1'ttcome is unselfishness and kindness.
And the ones who make the best and
most attractive homes tire ihose who accept Lite cheerfully ami work willingly for
Ihe betterment of all, whether they work
with abundant or scanty menus.
B.   S.   M.
Nothing like a Pleasant Place to Live.
2d Premium.—There are many reasons
why our homes should be attractive. There
is nothing like having a pleasant plaoe to
live for the brief time we are here ou
earth. Attractive, cheerful surroundings
make onr daily tasks pleasantor and help
us to forget the things that annoy us.
Life is better worth living while we en-
,i**y good health and more endurable when
sickness and misfortune overtake us. It
gives us a sense of comfort to know that
our surroundings will bear comment.
In making our homes attractive we are
cultivating in our households a love for
the beautiful. An attractive home has
a good influence on those we associate
with, also the stranger within our gates.
Time spent either on business or pleasure
in a beautiful, well ordered home gives
one something pleasant to remember for
many days, and to the thoughtless is
often an inspiration to acquire more careful habits. The children reared in- such
a home have so many pleasant recollections
of their childhood and youth to cheer them
in after life when they meet with trouble
and isappointment. 'Tis said thait a
sunshiny childhood is the best capital tu
begin life with. It is true that many a
child has its whole life darkened by the
remembrance  of  an*  unhappy  home.
Making home attractive is one verv
good way of solving tlfe problem of how
to keep the boy on the farm. By a little
extra labor, small money outlay, and exercising uf gund fast** the humble home
may be made so attractive that il will
prove a strung safeguard to a child in the
liuiir or temptation. Fur tin* husband
ami wife there is little hapiness outside
of home. This is one chief reason why
we should make home the fairest spot mt
earth. Different people have different
ideas concerning the use of elements that
make the home beautiful. I will give a
brief description of the farm home of one
of the subscribers to the Indiana Farmer.
To tne this home is attractive within and
without. The house stands on elevated
ground, which insures perfect drainage
and free circulation of air to all parts
of the house. Ornamental trees shut off
unpleasant features. A few trees of rare
beauty are given prominent places on the
smooth, grassy lawn. Oilier trees are
planted in groups, several different varieties in a group. Other natnral beauties
adorn the grounds making them inviting
ami restful. The stiff and formal lines
of the old hutise are modified by a partial
covering of vines. One of the vines that
shade the porches is known as Hall's
honeysuckle. I mention this variety because it is so attractive and holds its foliage nearly all winter.
Other features of this farm house that
make it attractive are the thoroughbred
stock, good machinery, a clean, grassy,
shaded barn lot, and good walks around
the house and from the house to the barn.
Within the house there is comfort, neatness and order. The family is provided
with indoor entertainments, books, newspapers, pictures, games, and music, and
each one of the inmates is encouraged in
their practice ami use. The pictures that
decorate    the   walls   are   inexpensive   but
wisely  selected    and    suitably     framed.
Among other attractive features at this
season are the beautiful blooming plants,
warm tires and bright lights. So many
country homes are not well lighted and
l.eated, bedrooms especially. So often
wall paper or carpets are selected with
dull colors that have a depressing, irritating
effect. Let ns have cosy, cheerful sitting
rooms and not put all the comfortable
chairs and pretty cushions in tin* parlor
iu bs used on rare occasions, when some
one of the family dies or gets married.
The best is noe too good for daily use in
the home of F. M. W.
"Keep Thy Heart with all Diligence "
3d Premium.—The home should be attractive in order to attract: i. e., draw and
hold the occupants. A little girl of my
acquaintance understood this, when, after
her mother's death, kind neighbors told
her that Mrs. A., would take ami keep
the baby of the family, dress him handsomely, ami added: "Then you will
have mure time to keep the house in
older." The little girl replied: "Oh,
baby makes the home so attractive, I cau
work so much better: I will always keep
him so clean and sweet that papa will
stay  at home and not go    to any other
place."
The home is the bank where the vitality
and   strength  are  drawn   to  sustain   the
peace and happiness of all of the members, and where the business worries are
left in exchange for hope and buoyancy.
There may be failures in business, but
there is seldom a wreck uf life where the
home is made attractive. An.l how can
il be made BO? There are several ingredients in Ihe wurd attractive. "Keep
thy heart with all diligence, for out of it
are tin* issues of lite." The heart kept
willi diligence will produce patience, cheerfulness, carefulness, neatness, which make
up the sum of life. We have in mind a
home. The house contains five rooms ami
basement. This is the home of a father
mother, three children and the grandmother. This home is su attractive that
the grandmother is very happy and content, though her former home was a stone
front  in  a  beautiful  city.
The yard is neat and well kept, with
here and there a flowering shrub ur vine.
Entering the house we come into a reception room. The two windows are draped
with pink mull, the floor is covered with
a bright linoleum. There are two tables,
une holding magazines and papers, the
Other some blooming plants: two rockers,
and a low bench at one end of which is
a row of shelves containing books. Prom
this room through double doors is the
parlor, simply furnished with a bright ingrain- carpet. a musical instrument and
rockers. Throughout the house and over
the place is the same simplicity. But
an- atmosphere uf cordial sociability is felt.
Bach member uf the family seems to have
a purpose in life, to make home atliae-
tive. tu make it a warm-hearted sunny
place. Mrs.  B.
W*- regret that we have nut space to
publish extracts from a large number of
additional communications submitted foi
this week's Experience Department. We
shall try tu fin-d room for them in future
numbers.—Editor.
Premiums of $1, 75 cents and 50 cents
are given for the first, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Parmer Company and should reach us one week before
date of publication.
Topics for discussion in future numbers
of the Farmer are as follows:
No. 293, Oct. 19.—Why should the home
be attractive, and how can it be made so?
No. 291, Oct. 20.—Give experience with
power machines—hydraulic rams, windmills, naptha engines, etc. What is best
aud cheapest?
No. 295, Nov. 2.—Tell how to keep stock
hogs and other live stock through the
winter without corn.
No. 290, Nov. 9.—What should the farmer
do to get  ready  for winter?
No. 297. Nov. 10.—How organize and
conduct a literary or social society for
combined pleasure and profit?
No. 298, Nov. 2.'5.-Tell a true Thanksgiving story.
Nu. 280, Nov. 30—Wbat farm implements can be owned and used in common of several neighboring farmers? Give
illustrations.
TREKS ON RURAL SCHOOL HOUSE GROUNDS.
Partners' Bulletin No. 134 from U. S.
Department of Agriculture is entitled
"Tree planting on rural school grounds."
It was preparod by Wm. Ii. Hall, Assistant Superintendent of Tree Planting, Bureau of Forestry.
The bulletin calls attention to the fact
that a great number of school houses in
the United States lack the surroundings
that make for comfort and contentment.
City school grounds are often so small
that planting is out of the question, though
Where space permits, it is not uncommon
to find them carefully laid out, with a good
arrangement of grass plots, Hower beds,
and shade trees. Iu towns aud villages,
also, may be pointed out many examples
showing great care and attention. In
the country, however, air improved school
ground is rarely found. In hilly, forest
regions they are often denuded of soil and
full of stones ami stumps, and on the
prairie are well nigh as bare, bleak and
inhospitable as when they formed a part
of the unsettled plain . The paper points
eut llle needs of rural schuol grounds and
indicates methods for their improvement.
Important lines uf study are suggested for
teachers ami schools in connection with
trees and forests, and the information and
advice given apply to country churchyards and to school yards iu many towns
aud   villages.
NATIONAL LEGISLATION DESIRED.
The National Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, through its legislative committee,
will send a petition to the fifty-seventh
Congress, asking for legislation on the following subjects: 'Further extension of
rural free mail delivery;" "An amendment
to the Constitution granting the power to
Congress to regulate and control all corporations aud combinations of capital of
a monopolistic nature;" "Establishment of
postal savings banks;" "A pure food law;"
The completion of the Nicaragua canal
by the United States;'' "Additional powers
to the interstate commerce commission; '
"Election uf United States Senators by
popular vote;" "Opposition to the ship
subsidy bill;" "Prohibiting the fraud in
colored  oleomargarine."
The committee closes by saying: "ln
submitting this brief statement for the
farmers of the United States as unanimously expressed by the National, ami
every State, grange of the country, we
beg to state that more extended argument
in favor of our position will be submitted
when Congress assembles and these subjects  are  under  special  consideration."
A VALUABLE NEW REPORT.
The latest general description of the
BlaeK Hills and adjacent regions of Smith
Dakota ami Wyouming is that prepared
by Mr. N. H. Dartou aud published as
one of the papers in Part IV of the
Twenty-first Annual Iteport of tho
United States Geological Survey. This
has just been issued and makes available for the first time a large amount
of information concerning the underground structure of this interesting region
and particularly its relation to the water
supply. From the uplifted central mass
of the Black Hills the broken and twisted
strata dip outward in all directions. The
rainwater falling upon the upturned edges
of the rocks gradually percolates downward and outward under the bad lands
and plains. Studies carried on through
a number of years have revealed these
conditions and made possible the prepara-
ti u of maps showing the depths to water,
ih*s being the most important mineral
outside of the ore deposits within the hills.
This interesting report cau be had upon
application to the Director of tin* United
States Geological Survey.
We picked our last free stone peaches
this year on the 10th. There are still a
good many clings left. We have had
peaches of some variety from trees, on
our place iu Irvington, ever since the first
week iu August, almost 12 weeks. Our
rule is to plant a few good peaches every
year, and this year we have hail our reward.      It has  been  the best  peach  year
in this locality for a third of a century.
 .	
A new manufacturing town is projected
near New* Castle, Henry county, which is
tu In* supplied at the start with natural
gas for light and heat and a $5,000 horsepower engine for power in all the factions. Power is to be furnished at as cheap
a rate as the Niagara Falls power.