STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 343 



tree, and I hope to see it more generally used ; it likes to overhang a stream of 

 water, but does well on high ground, is a native and consequently hardy. Never 

 put fruit trees in the front yard, let that be for the picturesque and ornamental alone; 

 let the useful elements come in by themselves where they can receive the care they 

 need. 



Groups of shrubs should be planted here and there. In the front or on the side 

 set the low growing ones, l^pi^eas, Weigelias, Hydrangeas, «&c., and farther back 

 set Snow- balls. Lilacs, Honey- suckles and Syriugas. Or j^ou can put them all on a 

 plat of ground and call it your "shrubbery," setting the higher growing varieties 

 in the background, and the lower kinds in front. Arbor vitse hedges look well on 

 borders of driveways. They should be eighteen or more feet from each other and 

 about a foot apart in the row. A nice evergreen border for walks and beds is Juni- 

 per Savin, and for an evergreen screen, almost any evergreen can be used by cut- 

 ting them back severely. 



Set a screen out around the back yard to hide the wood pile or any other objec- 

 tionable feature. 



Finally having planted the ground, take good care of it, cultivate frequently, 

 mulch heavily, prune judiciously, and enjoy the reward of living in a beautiful 

 home. 



DISCUSSION". 



Mr. Fuller. Mr. President, while I am pleased with the paper 

 which has just been read it seems to me that the picture is a little 

 overdrawn, and I fear that it may give the impression that we are dis- 

 posed to be unnecessarily severe upon some of our farmer friends in 

 various portions of the State. 



Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, I won't take back one word of 

 what I have said. I don't set up a man of straw for the purpose of 

 knocking him down again. There are those that cannot educate 

 themselves up to this idea. It is not my intention to make any attack 

 upon farmers as a class at all; I know there are just as intelligent 

 men in the country, who have correct ideas of how to do things de- 

 cently and properly as elsewhere, but at the same time I do know that 

 there is the least attention given to these things iuiaginable. It is 

 beyond dispute that there is not the proper attention given by the 

 farming classes to the ornamentation of their homes. Of course on 

 the prairies out where Mr. Fuller lives their surroundings may not be 

 so unacceptable, but it is so at least in Wabasha county, and I can 

 call the names of farmers and men with whom Mr. Puller is acquainted 

 who have natural advantages for pleasant and attractive homes, but 

 who make them actually repulsive by their carelessness and neglect. 

 It is no uncommon thing to see farmers' horne.^, where in orJer to 



