30 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. • 



ing for? Thinking women will appreciate the value of such a 

 beginning; it is simply an opening wedge to more that is to follow. 



The Woman's Auxiliary, offering this as an instance of one feature 

 of the work to start with, wishes to urge the formation of improve- 

 ment leagues in every town, village and farming community in the 

 state. Let us note the present condition of such. It seems to be 

 one of general indifference to surroundings. Each man's yard or 

 farm is his castle — figuratively speaking — and he does as he is in- 

 clined with it. He can place his house even with the street, thus 

 shutting off the view of an artistic neighbor who wants a well kept 

 lawn in front of his home. 



The owner of the next lot will have a space in front, perhaps, but 

 will have it so full of trees and shrubs that hardly a glimpse of 

 heaven's blue can be seen. As for the ground in the rear of the 

 buildings: well, in one-half of the yards, it is the receptacle for rub- 

 bish of all grades and descriptions, from chips to a conglomeration 

 of boxes, barrels, tin cans, washboilers, old stoves, etc., making a 

 pile so high that it looks over with an exultant air into the dainty 

 orderliness of the neighboring yard, as if to say, — "You can't get 

 rid of me," 



The beautifying of individual homes is laudable and has its in- 

 fluence, encouraging others to like effort; but there are many, who, 

 because they cannot do just as their more wealthy neighbors have 

 done, feel that there is no use in making an effort to better their 

 surroundings, erroneously thinking that it is the spacious, elegant 

 house that is the essential and attractive feature of the home. 



Have you ever stopped to think how monotonous and unattractive 

 a city would be if all the houses were equal in size, beauty, etc.? 

 How intense and frequent would be the poetic sighs for "a vine- 

 embowered log cabin," "a lodge In some vast wilderness," and so 

 on ! It is variety that is attractive and satisfying. A tiny home, 

 perfect in all its appointments, snuggling cozily under beautiful 

 vines, a well kept lawn, all parts of the grounds trim and neat, is a 

 sweet picture to lay away in the memory. 



Every town and village should have a park commission, to whom 

 would be entrusted the care and management of all the public 

 grounds, streets, alleys, roadways, etc. The members should be 

 selected for their interest in the work and fitness for the position. 

 They should have an ideal plat of land under their charge, and 

 should then educate the residents to an appreciation of the necessity 

 of working to such a plan. Such a commission should be qualfied 

 to answer such inquiries as: what to plant? how to plant? where to 

 plant? Without doubt the greater part of the land-owners would be 

 ofily too glad to avail themselves of such a service, having neither 

 time nor ability to study out for themselves the best plan of beauti- 

 fying their lots. Least of all would they stop to consider whether 

 their plan would harmonize with the other lots in the block. 



Such a commission, having full control of the streets, would have 

 a harmonious whole. A street named Oak street would not be 

 lined with soft maple, or Elm street lined with white ash. Not a 

 tree would be planted without due consideration as to its merits for 

 the place. 



