BEAUTIFYING THE FARM. 211 



tirsi trained up to the cornice and then it was allowed to drape down. 

 It was very beautiful as well as economical. Morning glory, cypress and 

 balloon vines are our best annuals, while the three mentioned previously 

 are best perennials. Again you can go down to the creek and find plenty 

 of grape and bittersweet. 



Ordinarily, flowers attract more attention than other parts of the 

 landscape. Too often the case, they so overshadow everything else that 

 shrubs, trees and all are ignored. Flowers are beautiful and conspicuous 

 but they should not overshadow everything else. As mentioned above, 

 never put a flower garden in the lawn if you wish a natural effect, and 

 that is the only one for a rural home. Plant the flowers in the borders, 

 in the shrubbery groups or against the fence. The shrubbery group Is 

 the most inviting place for the flowers and a most appropriate one also. 

 Flowers will serve to fill out the gaps and form the graduation from the 

 tall rear shrubs to the lawn grass. There are two classes of flowers — 

 annuals and perennials. We might add bulbs, but they are either annual 

 or perennial. Annual fibwers live but one year while perennials live 

 from year to year. It is advisable to use perennials as they need but 

 little care and are permanent. Many perennials flower early in spring, 

 an effect you can not secure with annuals. With perennials you can 

 have something flowering all through summer. I want to emphasize 

 again, never to have flower beds, but plant flowers in borders, among 

 shrubs and alongside the fence. Use tall flowers in the rear and shorter 

 ones In front. Bulbs give a fine early spring effect and they are out of 

 the way in time for the annuals. Plant bulbs in fall or early winter. 

 The following can be recommended: hyacinths, crocuses, tulips and the 

 narcissus. The best annuals are: petunias (single and double), balsams, 

 candy tufts, bachelor buttons, cockscombs, nasturtiums, pansies, phlox, 

 poppies, castor bean, sweet peas, verbenas and zinnias. These few will 

 give every color, form, texture and size desired. The annuals should be 

 grown from seed. The best perennials are: columbines, bluebells, cor- 

 eopsis, larkspur, Chinese bell flowers, hollyhocks. Oriental poppies, 

 peonies, phlox, golden glow, golden rod, tiger lilies, day lilies and irises. 

 Every one should have every one of these growing in the border. Peonies, 

 irises and oriental i)oppies are the most beautiful of our garden flowers 

 and surely no garden could be complete without them. These perennials 

 can be grown from seed but it is difiicult to get good results. Buy a 

 collection of your nurseryman. He will sell you the roots or plants. 

 Then, each two years divide up the clumps and transplant. In this way 

 you can start with a small stock and have a sufficiency in a few years. 

 It is necessary to mulch the perennials for the winter. . 



The last phase of this subject that I wish to discuss is that of the 

 care of the roads, roadsides and field ends. The best improvement that 

 a rural community can make is that of the road improvements. Good 

 roads are not only economical but they add beauty to the landscape- 

 Procure or make a drag and use it on your part of the road after each 



