TRANSACTIONS HOUTICL LTIKAL SOCIETY OF NORTIIKKN 11,1,. 375 



The following essay was then presented by Mr. McWhorter, who 

 illustrated his ''.supplement" with crayon sketches of sufficient size to be 

 distinctly seen 1)\- the audience: 



IIO.ME.STKAI) .SCENERY. 

 l!Y TVLKR m'wHORTER. 



If there is any one subject on which horticulturists are guilty of 

 negligence, it is that which relates to a cultivated taste in homestead 

 scenery. 



To realize the importance of bringing our country homes up to a higher 

 grade of culture and taste, we have but to turn our attention to the town- 

 ward tendency of our American po])ulation. We can not disguise from 

 ourselves, that this townward tendency of our rising population is 

 because our sons and our daughters see in town life more evidence of taste 

 and refinement. If we would restrain our children from forsaking our 

 homes for the fascinations of city life, we must make home to them a 

 place of more endearing attractions. 



It will be my purpose, in presenting this essay, not to make it an 

 elaboration of poetical flights, but I will endeavor to come down to the 

 ground-work of practical ideas. 



All true taste in homestead scenery must sprin'g from an apprecia- 

 tion of the scenery of nature. Man can plant a tree, but nature produced 

 the tree. The trouble is, nature is so lavish in spreading forth her beau- 

 ties, that man becomes stolid and indifferent to that which greets his gaze 

 on every hand. 



With the march of civilization, native forests and charming land- 

 scapes must be stripped away to make room for cultivated fields. People 

 become so accustomed to clearing away the natural groves and woodlands 

 that they become insensible to the beauties of nature ; they look upon all the 

 scenery of our natural landscapes as something only to be destroyed. To 

 the minds of some men, things do not have an aspect of civilization until 

 the last vestige of natural scenery is cleared away, and fenced up into 

 rectangular fields, gardens and stock-yards. They intend to have things 

 nice ; they perhaps have a commodious, well-painted dwelling-house, a 

 nice little square door-yard — well fenced with a white picket fence, a 

 straight walk leading from the front door to the gate; they even go so 

 far as to have a few evergreens, exactly in front of the house. On the one 

 side of this little door-yard is the fenced-up kitchen garden, coming 

 up to the road ; on the other side is the barn, with its appendages of 

 feed-yards, corn-cribs, etc. — all closely and conspicuously located, so 

 that at no time is there any lack of the familiar odors of the filth of 

 domestic animals. To make room for these homestead apjicndages, the 

 least vestige of natural scenery has been completely cleared away by the 

 industrious proprietor. 



Is it a matter of wonder that the children of this homestead are ever 

 most happy when they can steal away to some natural grove, or to the 



