I6S 



IRISH GARDF-XING 



\()\1MHH 



Aiiuinin C^.oloiirs. 



Bv I. W Hksam. C'.l.isiu'viii. 



AM in ;i WL-alth of brilliant autumn colour- 

 in- i1k> lupolo or IVpporitl^-o (.\ r.v.v./ 

 .n'/r^///<v/) has this year been parti.uiarly 

 stI•ikinl,^ No bettor troo can lu- tound lor a 

 moist position whore colour otVoct in autumn is 

 dosirod. The leaves, moasuriui,'- some y^ inches 

 Ion:;, become brilliant scarlet about the middle 

 of September, and continue so lor a rortnii,'-ht or 

 more. The tree is a member of the Dotrwood 

 lamilv C'ornaceie, and hails from North America, 

 where it is said to form a tree from ;,() to 

 50 teet high. 



Pvrus nii,'-ra also is a highly desirable subject 

 to plant for colour effect in autumn, the leaves in 

 September turning a glowing crimson scarlet, 

 eflective from a considerable distance. An 

 additional charm here lies in the usually prolific 

 crop of jet-black fruits, resembling in form some 

 of the hawthorns. .\ native also of North America 

 this, like the Tupelo, might be effectively used in 

 masses in large shrubberies or the outskirts of 

 plantations. 



Manv other trees and shrubs furnish tine 

 elVects in autumn, and where judiciously planted 

 form permanent features of great beauty. 

 Thus of shrubs, the Dogwoods all give charm- 

 ing vollow and red tints in the dying lea\es, 

 which, when fallen, reveal briglU-red and also 

 yellow stems which prove most attractive 

 through the winter months. 



One of the most brilliantly-coloured shrubs 

 of autumn is Berberis Thunbergii, the leaves of 

 which turn a beautiful orange scarlet. This is 

 deserving of being planted in large masses, and 

 would prove a never-failing source of delight. 

 The Sumachs are also very striking in October, 

 the leaves being beautifully coloured orange 

 and red, particularly in Rhus cotinoides and 

 R. typhina. 



Of trees, one of the most effective this autumn 

 was the Sugar mapel {Acer saccharinuin), the 

 leaves turning a beautiful bright orange before 

 falling. Several of the cherries are also effec- 

 tive in autumn, not the least worthy in this 

 respect being the common Gean Tree {Prioius 

 avium). Many other woody plants give wonder- 

 fully rich and warm effect in autumn, and prove 

 quite as welcome and pleasing as the gaudy 

 hues cf spring and summer flowers. 



r\irmin^ as a Moral lu|ui\alcnl 

 lor War* 



l>V l-KANllS !•;. J. I.AKK. 



r-|-^ll\l ..Iw.iVN inlercstiiij: pra>,'matie pliilosopli. . . 



I William James, sii^'Ki'^ti'd Hiat sometlii.iK 



shouki l)i; discoviTi-ii as a monil i-i|iiivaleiit for 

 w.ir. lie ili'sirvd some oeeiipalioii llial will ticvolop 

 manly iiiialitii-s. llial will require y^rW and viKOur. ;iiul 

 that will wlul wli.il Mr. Roosevelt calls llie " liKli»"'K 

 edge" oi eharaeler, which at the same time will he 

 iisefii! for tlie eommimily and State, .and not destriielive 

 and harbarous as is war between men and nations. 

 He Miy^gesled various useful but humdrum employments, 

 like washinj^- windows, washing? dishes, mending roads, 

 fishing on the (.".rand Banks, and the like, for the gilded 

 and idle youth who now speed in automobili-s or loll on 

 pia/.zas and lead frivolous or vicious lives, a mena.i- i«« 

 society and the Nation. 



I think, with all due deference to the great philo-. 

 pher, thai 1 can improve on his suggestion, and propos.' 

 an employmenl which, in the classic language of the 

 colleges, will ••put it all over" these other occupations 

 as a useful development of the fighting instinct, a 

 hardener of muscle, a quiekener of ihe brain, a 

 developer of resourcefulness, and a sharpener of the 

 will on the hard grindstone of opposition. 



This occupation is as old as Adam, as respectable 

 as Cincinnalus, as beautiful as the f.arden of Kden. 

 It is none other than the ancient and honourable pro- 

 fession of farming. 



Hul what I am chiefly concerneil about in this article 

 is not its age, its respectability, or its beauty, but its 

 strenuosity, its useful development of the combative 

 elements in ournalme, which were evidently implanted 

 (or some good pinpose ; in fact, as my title indicates, 

 I desire to consider farming as a moral equivalent ler 



Some people are very nnicli afraid that when .ill our 

 swords are beaten into ploughshares, and all our spear^ 

 into pruning-hooks, the race will deteriorate, the manly 

 virtues, with manly muscles, will become flaccid, and 

 the race of heroes will die out. Do not be afraid of 

 this, my friends, while farms remain to cultivate, and 

 weeds grow, and worms wriggle, and moths fly. Let 

 no one deceive himself on this point. The Creator has 

 furnished for any one who owns or cultivates a rood ol 

 land all the opposition thai a healthy man needs to 

 keep his fighting edge keen and bright. 



Here is my little farm, for instance. It furnishes as 

 good an illustration as any other. The winters snow 

 and rain and frost no sooner relax their hold on my few 

 acres than the fight begins, and if I fail to be on my 

 guard for a single week— yea, for a single day— the 

 enemy takes advantage of my carelessness, and my 

 forces are routed. 



With eagerness I waited for the soil to get sufficiently 

 warm and mellow to plant the first seeds, and, with 

 hope of a glorious harvest, I planted my earliest vege- 

 tables, which are warranted to withstand a little frosty 



Reprinted from T/ie Outlook, New Vork. 



