VOL. LXVI
INDIANAPOLIS, NOV. 11, 1911.
NO. 45
THE FARM HOME.
THE .GROUNDS ABOUT THE FARM
MADE BEAUTIFUL AND RESTFUL.
The gTounds about the farm home
should not be pretentious, but simple,
restful and logical in their relation of
use and beauty as befits the
home of the man whose labor
forms the basis of our country's welfare. The multimillionaire may adopt
and adapt foreign architectural styles
and features, or he may expand our
own American styles into a home for
himself, his family and retinue of servants, but it remains for the farmer to
enjoy the luxuries of country life and
of modern civilization amid surroundings simple, satisfying and in excellent
taste if he but use his native trees and
shrubs and fine old sward to the best
advantage.
It has been the city-man with the picture of his childhood's home in his
heart who has noted the best in our
farm house architecture and has been
responsible for the restoration thereof.
The Old Homestead.
In retouching the time-hallowed
pounds about the old homestead the
trees should receive first consideration.
llany fail here. Because the landscape
gardener tells us that we must have a
plan, a mental picture before we arrange our home .grounds. We search
for ideas far from our local setting and
we get a mental picture of house and
trees and shrubbery and then we seek
to obliterate the flne old theme on our
canvas. We cut down our trees and
old shrubs. If means permit we erect
a pergola, beautiful in itself, we set
about a bench or two simulating marble, and we add some Italian vases filled with plants. We put a classic entrance upon the old house; we do some
things to the enterior and we get some
new pleasing effects, but after all do
we not in many instances, paint out the
theme—the spirit of the American farm
home which thu arrangement of trees
aha vines and shrubbery should portray.
A Real Vision of Home.
Close your eyes a moment. Can yon
not see the old home? Everything had
'ts place, its use. Can you not see the
old locust tree and the old well? It had
a meaning; the old flower garden with
Its box hedge, the old boxwood trees;
the vegetable garden near the kitchen
*oor, the old door itself; the trim,
straight walk that lost no time in lead-
lnS one to the simple, dignified porch
and an entrance that let one into the
hospitable hall; the ample shade the
hight and grandeur of the fine old
trees; the old lilac bushes, the hardy
vlnes and plants, and even the deep
Burgling brook. These were the material and what was the theme? Shelter, comfort, conveniences for • life's
sterner duties, and restful seclusion for
ils leisure moments; frugality without
meanness—a sane, safe economy and
the simple honesty and kind generosity which demands an analogous
treatment oj surroundings.    What does
he farmer want of a pergola, when a
shelter of fine old vine-hung trees incites a few    moments    of rest?    What
°es he want of a marble embraced
"'y-pool, with that pure rippling brook
running at his feet?    Out of his sim
ple material he can evolve a picture of
beauty and dignity and tho widely different, it can vie with the money-lavished grounds of the wealthy, for In its
simple lovely way, the well kept farm
home is distinctive.
Keeping  the  Fine  Old  Trees.
The dwelling has the best effect with
fewer trees in front, the heaviest shade
being kept at the sides. Fine old trees
are worth doctoring. Careful pruning
from time to time is a great benefit to
many of our shade    trees.    The    work
GREAT FARM DEVELOPMENT.
UNITED     STATES,    THE     SEVERAL
STATES AND COUNTIES IN THE
WORK.
A  GREAT  MOVEMENT  PRESIDENT
TAFT FAVORS.
[Extract    From President   Taft's Late
Address.]
The   land-grant   colleges   established
by  the federal  government  have vln-
should of course be done in early winter or early spring and the wounds
painted with fine tar and paint, using
a dark colored paint.
In pruning single specimen shrubs as
the Deutzias, snowball, syringas, try to
prune so that there is sufficient new
growth about the lower part of the
plant. A naked tree—like body is undesirable in these shrubs.
Keeping  the  Lawn  Beautiful.
For the lawn the winter dressing of
manure, a good rolling in the spring after the frost is out of the ground, and
a persistent cutting with a lawn mower
during the summer are essential.
Lavish shrubbery and floral plantings
should not be attempted unless one is
sure he can give them care. They
add to the beauty of the farm home
only when well cared for and are expensive where the necessary help must
be hired.
Such vines as the honeysuckles should
be closely sheared each spring to insure a mass of growth. Climbing roses
should have the old wood removed occasionally. M- R- c-
New Jersey.
■  > «
Since the discovery in England of the
lawnmowing proclivities of the guinea
pig the price of these little animals has
increased  forty-fold.
»   m   *    ■—
In France there has been Invented a
flourless bread making machine that
transforms the whole wheat into
dough.
dicated the policy "a making the grant.
Now the department employs 11,000
persons, many oi whom are engaged in
conducting experiment stations and
spreac'-n,? information all over the
country. The co-operation between the
state agricultural school system and
the federal government's publicity bureau and experimental work is as close
and fine as we could ask. It is difficult
to justify the expenditure of money
for agricultural purposes In the Agricultural Department with a view to its
publication for use of the farmers, or
to make grants to schools for farmers,
on any constitutional theory that will
not justify the government in spending
money for any kind of etfncation the
country over; but the welfare of the
people is so dependent on Improved ag
ricultural conditions that It seems wise
to use the welfare clause of the constl
tution to authorize the expenditure of
money for improvement in agricultural
education, ami leave to the states and
to private enterprise general and other
vocational education. The attitude ot
the government in all this matter must
be merely advisory. It owns no land
of sufficient importance to justify its
maintenance of so large a department
or of its sending into all states agents
to carry the news of recent discoveries
in tho science of agriculture. The $60,
000,00'; which as been spent for re
search work ln the department, how
ever, has come back many fold to the
people Of the United States, and all
parties unite in the necessity for main
tailing those    appropriations    and in
creasing them as the demand shall increase.
It is now proposed to organize a force
of 3,000 men, one to every county in
the United States, who shall conduct
experiments within the county for the
edification and education of the present
farmers and of the embryo farmers
who are being educated. It ls proposed
that these men shall be paid partly by
the county, partly by the state, and
partly by the federal government, and
it is hoped that the actual demonstration on farms in the county—not at agricultural stations or schools somewhere in the state, but in the county itself—will bring home to the farmers
what it is possible to do with the very
soil that they themselves are cultivating. I understand this to be the object of an association organized for the
improvement of agriculture in the
country, and I do not think we could
have a more practical method than
this. It is ordinarily not wise to unite
administration between the county and
state and federal governments, but this
subject is one so all-compelling, it is
one in which all people are so much interested, that co-operation seems easy
and the expenditure of money to good
purpose so free from difficulty, that we
may properly welcome the plan and try
it.
GENERAL REVIEW  pF CHOP CON-
DITIONS.
Favorable growing weather, general
rains, warmth and absence of widespread frost during the past month in
most parts of the United States improved the prospects of nearly all crops
which had not previously reached maturity. As a consequence the condition of all crops combined on October
1, was approximately 13.3 per cent below average conditions on that date, as
against 15.2 per cent below average
conditions on September 1, 14.1 per
cent below on July 1, and 10.7 per cent
below on June  1.
The condition of crops specified, on
October 1 (or time of harvest) on the
basis of 100 representing average conditions (not normal) was as follows:
Apples 114.1; Cotton 106.9; Sugar
Cane 106.5; Lemons 104.6; Pears 103.6;
Grapes 103.4; Sugar beets 102.4; Oranges   101.6;   Cranberries   100.0.
Rice 99.0; Peanuts 96.8; Sorgum
96.7; Buckwheat 96.7; Tobacco 96.5;
Sweet potatoes 94.2; Corn 89.6; Flax
88.2; Potatoes 82.7.
Of the crops already reported upon
quantitatively, it is estimated that, as
compared with the average annual production of the past five years, this
year's production of wheat is 5.5 per
cent less, oats 6.3 per cent less, barley
12.3 per cent less, rye 5.4 per cent less
and hay 16.0  p      cent less.
The average condition of all crops
combined, by states, on October 1, was
approximately as follows, 100 Indicating the average (not normal) for recent years on  October  1.
We Omit All But The States of The
Central West.
Ohio 96.7; Indiana 95.2; Illinois 89.6;
Michigan 98.1; Wisconsin 96.9; average
for division 93.9. Minnesota 77.9;
Iowa 82.4; Missouri 81.0; North Dakota 83.0; South Dakota 51.0; Nebraska
69.3; Kansas 69.5; average for division
74.2. Victor  Olmsted.
Chief of Bureau Statistics U. S. Dept.
Agriculture,