VOL. LXVI
INDIANAPOLIS, APRIL 29, 1011.
NO. 17
HOW TO MAKE THE HOME BEAUTIFUL.
By C.
H. Q*etz, Instructor in Forestry,
Ohio State University.
The manner ot beautifying or laying
out gardens differs, of course, with the
exposure, the size of the grounds, ar-
i angement    of      buildings, _________
the soU conditions and a
ilozen other things. Yet
as a rule the planting and
arrangement of plants and
trees is not so difficult but
that they will harmonize
with the general planting
about the place and neighborhood and give a pleasing effect to the surroundings.
There are two general
types of ornamental gardens. The purely naturalistic and the geometric or
formal and artificial plan.
In the formal gardens such
plants as cannas, stocks,
lalsams.       castor       beans,
iladiums, salvias; four-
a'clocks and alyssums may
he   used   with   low   growing
IantS.   which   form   borders
around individual ina
... tho higher growing ones.
These may be arranged in
squares, circles, stars anal
other geometric figures,
with heavy grass lawns between the beds and hedges
of evergreens, privet, thun-
b e r g la s , or barberries
which may border the
•awns or walks. If the garden   is   to   be   less   formal
features such as sheds, house foundations, porches, garbage boxes, etc., can
be and should be screened from view
by proper arrangement of high-growing shrubs such as have already been
mentioned.
In front of the shrubbery beds,    for
forming banks of  foliage against    the
rod should be used for making a pleasing effect.
In these informal or natural gardens
there should be planted a few trees
where they will form a canopy of
green, under which a rustic bench or
hammock may be placed. If the back
yard is to be used as a vegetable gar-
flowers in window or porch bo
These boxes should be filled with the
richest soil and leaf mold, so as to give
both nourishment and preserve the
moisture. They should be well fastened so as to prevent accidents. The
plants generally used for planting in
these boxes are, wandering Jew, peri-
— winkle, nasturtium, sweet
pea and English ivy for
the vines, and umbrella
palms, marguerites, geraniums, petunias, coleus ani
begonias for the upright
plants. Along the porches
more hardy vines may be
I such as the morning
glory, wilal cucumber,
moonflower, scarlet runner, honeysuckle, bitter-
et and Virginia cre<
In ail the work of decoration and planting tl
shoulil lie a scheme to work
from. A plan is necessary
■JOOd results. First,
plant tlia ial highest
growing plants along the
fences or in the corners as
a back ground and then
plant those that come in
front of these as the fore
and, then arrange the
borders nnd   lawns.
IN
there should be much open
lawn    and    no flower beds —
should be in the center of the lawn, because they minimize the size of it and
detract   from   the   composition   of   the
whole.
Very pleasing effects can be gotten in
many sections of the coun- ——-=—=-=
• ry by planting castor
beans against the porches
or houses with caladiums,
■ annas, colens or geraniums ln front of them. Better results are had by
planting such shrubs as lilacs, mock orange, high
hush canberry, altheas,
spireas, ninebark and van-
houtter against the house
or around the porch corners, with low growing
shrubs such as weigelia,
Japan quince, California
privet, snowberries, Indian
•urrant, thunbergia and
barberries in front of the
higher growing ones, form-
'ng a bank of foliage rising
from the lawns up against
'he house. These shrubbery
°ffects are permanent in
character and are almost
as interesting when the
twigs are covered with snow
as when in bloom.
The natural style of gardening requires the least
attention, as almost all of
'he plants that »re used are
Perennials. They cost the
least to maintain and give
* pleasing winter effect. In
sueh  gnrdens   all   unsightly
Black Walnut .grove, 35 years old.    Trees properly pruned.
Mooresville, Morgan Co., Ind.—State Forestry Report, 1910.
border, such plants as hollyhocks,
anemones, columbines, asters, campanulas, hardy chrysanthemums, coreopsis, larkspur, daphneums, sunflowers,
day lilies,  paeonles,   phlox  and  golden
den it would be well to separate it
from the front yard by a hedge of some
evergreen plants or trees.
The beauty of the house may be enhanced  by  the  planting  of plants and
Catalpa Grove, planted 1878, by Wm.  M. Hunt, Williamsburg, Wayne Co.,
of early pruning.—State Forestry Report,  1910,
Ind.    Shows   neglect
MAKING     A     FARM
TEXAS.
Editors Inaltana Farmer:
Western Texas is a vast
prairie. That is, it has
heen; and would be now if
the Indians still roamed
over it. The coming of
white     settlers,     and     the
  consequent     departure     of
~ the Indians, has wrought a
change.
The Indians    used to    burn off    the
grass every year;  which  prevented the
growth of trees; and this accounts for
one feature very surprising to visitors
==r and  new  comers.     That  is,
the small size of  the  timber     It Is evidently of recent    growth.      Where the
eame from to make so
many   Jack-oaks,   all   of   a
size,  I don't know.       But I
suppose   snme   parent   trees
along the  streams  escaped
the annual fires.
I am in a meeting a little way out from Mineral
Wells, and the man whose
house is my home, is clearing land for farming purposes. It is interesting to
me, for I never saw it on
this wise before. The timber grows in sandy soil
with very long and deep
roots; and the stumps do
not rot as they do in Indi
ana.
They stay alive in the
ground a long time with a
constant tendency        to
sprout. So, to get rid of
them, they must get them
out of the ground.
Mine host, Mr. Jerry
Penix, pulls them by the
use of a capstan, a team of
mules and a long steel
cable. The capstan Is anchored to a flrm stump,
and the mules go round It,