196 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



of his very best friends, asking nothing 

 in return for their inestimable services, 

 but to be let severely alone. They 

 harm no one and should be welcomed 

 and protected by farmers, truck gar- 

 deners, nurserymen, in fact by man- 

 kind in general. Watch them at work 

 in the potato fields and along the sweet 

 potato rows as they silently glide from 

 plant to plant picking off each cater- 

 pillar or slug or worm, doing no injury 

 to man and none to the growing plants. 

 Watch them in the corn crib as they 

 lie in wait for the sneaking rat or the 

 destructive mouse. 



"One snake in a corn crib will do 

 more to rid the place of rats and mice 

 than a dozen cats can ever do. fur- 

 thermore, the snake will not intrude 

 itself into anybody's way, nor will it 

 keep awake the family by caterwauling 

 all night. 



"Quiet, unobtrusive, ever seeking a 

 place to hide when detected, always 

 ready to help mankind, the wrongly 

 despised and abused snake leads its 

 simple and useful life. Papers like 

 yours could save the farmers thou- 

 sands of dollars by trying to educate 

 the people in the right way ; when you 

 consider that the average annual loss 

 in this country from insect ravages 

 alone amounts to from $300,000,000 to 

 $400,000,000, and that there must be 

 added to this damage caused by rats, 

 mice, etc., etc., the figures amount be- 

 yond belief. With more birds, more 

 snakes, more toads, etc., this loss could 

 be reduced by more than seventy-five 

 per cent." 



A Plea for Outdoor Exercise. 

 We all desire health, but few under- 

 stand how to retain it, and when lost 

 we resort to narcotics and other drugs 

 instead of going to the fields and woods 

 and holding sweet communion with, 

 the mother of all life. Nature offers 

 no concoction, she appeals to no legis- 

 latures to authorize poisonous preserv- 

 atives in her food. For real vigor she 

 bids us come to her realms of sunshine 

 and vivifying atmosphere, to her spa- 

 cious meadows and view her wonder- 

 ful panorama of miraculous transfor- 

 mations. By the glowing nower of 

 her sunshine she warms into life the 



little sleeping germs that have silently 

 nestled in the bosom of old mother 

 earth for so many months. She bids 

 the delicate forms of the grass and 

 grain and flowers to come forth, en- 

 ergized by some invisible power; lift-, 

 ing their heads toward the light they 

 are kissed by the glowing sunbeams, 

 clothed by nature in all the beautiful 

 colors of the rainbow. Soon they 

 cover the fields and meadows with a 

 sheen of splendor. 



Certainly, when we view these 

 realms of beauty it will be a harbinger 

 of revitalizing power to the tired and 

 the w r eary, an inspiration of health to> 

 all. 



Come to the fields of golf where the 

 soft white clouds look down with ten- 

 der smiles from out the purple blue. 

 Where the zephyrs are perfumed by 

 the sweet scented blossoms of the 

 flowers and trees, where all can bathe 

 in the gleaming sunshine, breathe the 

 vitalizing air and drive the poison 

 from the lungs, the venom from the 

 nerves and the germ dust from the 

 system. All these are within your 

 reach if you will join our Country Club 

 and play the healthful, animating game 

 of golf. It may cause you to execrate 

 or bless, to frown or smile, to scowl 

 or laugh, to be disgusting or pleased 

 but for the time at least it will banish 

 domestic and business cares, cultivate 

 your social nature, rest the body and 

 the mind, preserve your health and 

 strength and put money in your purse. 

 The inspiring atmosphere will quicken 

 the pulse, place roses on your cheek, 

 a twinkle in the eye, tints of sun 

 shine on the lips and a laughing happy 

 smile upon the countenance. Every 

 man and woman within our beautiful. 

 Mahoning valley should come into our, 

 fold for we have an abundance of sun, 

 air and exercise. The real springs 

 and sources of health with all their 

 accompanying blessings. 



"View the haunts of Nature. The calm 

 s^ade shall bring a kindred calm, and the 

 s"weet breeze 



That makes the green leaves dance, shall 

 waft a balm to thy sick beart. 

 — G. W. Porter, in The American 



Golfer. 



