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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



peering over its fellows. The farmer need not he 

 afraid of paint ; it gives durahihty as well as 

 beauty to his buildings and farm implements. It 

 is an agreeable sight, as well as economy, to have 

 "a place for everything and everything in its 

 place," and a bad sign to find the farming utensils 

 scattered over the farm where last used. In a barn, 

 utility, convenience, and adaptation to the wants of 

 domestic animals, are essential. 



" Let the exterior of the dwelling look as well as 

 the interior, for we lose nothing by endeavouring 

 to ju'ocure the favour of others. Adorn the inside 

 with a library of works, whether treating of agri- 

 culture, science, art, or religion, the tendency of 

 which is to lift a man up, intellectually and 

 morally, and place him where he was designed to 

 be, ' a little lower than the angels.' 



" There are, we might say in truth, a thousand 

 ways in which a farmer's home may he beautified; 

 but it is a fact that everything looks well that is 

 appropriate to its peculiar place and work. Fine 

 horses, cattle and sheep — /'. e., in good condition — 

 do most towards adorning a farmer's barn-yard ; 

 fine crops the field ; a fine farmer and wife the 

 whole. Such a farmer, if he ever has the good 

 fortune to be called wealthy, will be so in a three- 

 fold sense — in possessions, in mind, and in heart." 

 S. E. P. 



" Should farmers adorn and beautify their farms 

 and homes before they become wealthy ? Yes. 

 There are many reasons for answering thus. Many 

 of them may never become — in the popular sense 

 of the term — wealthy ; and should they forego the 

 pleasure all their lives of having a pleasant home ? 

 AVe live and labour too much as though riches 

 were the height of enjoyment, when in fact it is not 

 so : the choicest blessings are free to all. It seems 

 hardly possible for a man to be truly wealthy with- 

 out a pleasant home. ' Delays are dangerous.' 

 Let a farmer turn his whole attention to becoming 

 wealthy, making it the all-engrossing topic, bend- 

 ing everything to accomplish it, and training his 

 family to that as the matter of greatest moment in 

 this world, teaching them that first of all they 

 must become rich, and then they may plant trees 

 and flowers— who will tell him when he is rich? 

 In all i)robability his family — those who should 

 have been taught to sympathize with nature— will 

 have grown up selfish and cold-hearted, and been 

 scattered, before the man will have found out that 

 he is able to make his home an attractive spot. 

 How often have we seen a costly mansion with 

 nothing cheerful or inviting around it — nothing to 

 tell us that o?;eof its inmates has a single pulsation 

 in unison with the beautiful and lovely things of 

 nature ! And we have seen the cabin, with that 



tasteful arrangement around it which has led us to 

 feel that although its inmates were not rich in 

 gold and silver, they had that which was far better 

 — gentle dispositions and cultivated and refined 

 sensibilities. It seems to me that no child of 

 crime could proceed from a cheerful and beautiful 

 home. 



" How may it be done in the easiest manner ? 

 ' Order is nature's first law.' Have regular fields 

 and tidy fences. Build nothing but what can be 

 finished in a neat and substantial manner ; a small 

 house in good repair is better and prettier than a 

 large one going to ruin. Take from the woods the 

 sugar maple, the ash, the hickory and butternut; 

 plant small groves in the pasture and an occa- 

 sional tree in the meadow, and a row on the street. 

 Your neighbours have flowers of various kinds, 

 and will be glad to give or exchange. Observe : 

 Our tastes are not all alike; it is a good thing 

 they are not, for thus we have variety. We must 

 each set about it, and cultivate our own. — One 

 OF THE Boys ; Arroivsmith's, Defiance Co., Ohio." 



"The planting of ornamental trees should be at- 

 tended to among the first operations of adorning 

 the home. Of these, evergreens deserve the first 

 place. Their fresh green foliage during winter, 

 when all other vegetation lies dormant, gives them 

 the preference over all other ornamental trees. 

 But for variety, deciduous trees should also be 

 planted. Most kinds of fruit trees are good for 

 ornamental planting, especially when dwarfed. 

 There are two seasons at which they are particu- 

 larly ornamental, namely, when in bloom and when 

 ripening their load of fruit. In addition to this, 

 their profitableness will soon repay the cultivator 

 for his care and expense. But every one must be 

 his own judge in the kinds of trees he selects. A 

 variety of small flowering shrubs, such as roses, 

 snowdrops, &c., is another necessary ingredient in 

 beautifying a home. Again, the spot desinged for 

 a lawn or yard should be carefully cleared of all 

 mbbish, and as smooth a surface as possible im- 

 parted to it, and a good coat of green grass secured. 

 Gardening should also be attended to with neat- 

 ness and care. 



"These, and nearly all other operations essen- 

 tially necessary to ornamenting the home, can be 

 done with very little cost during the spare mo- 

 ments which farmers can have, if they properly 

 economize their time. Beautifying and adorning 

 the farm is rather a more extensive task, but with 

 care and perseverance may be easily accomplished. 

 Next to the beautiful homestead, the orchard is the 

 greatest ornament to, as well as the most profitable 

 part of the farm. Probably the easiest way to 

 beautify a farm is to have the various kinds of 



