132 HEDGES, WINDBREAKS, SHELTERS, ETC. 



warm, cozy jacket of a house. Have a parlor if you 

 need it, but not for somebody else. Of course you 

 and your wife are one, and can grow together. Any- 

 how you will have to do this, and so you must let 

 her feel easy also. But when the house is planned, 

 or while it is growing, go on growing all over your 

 place. Make it such that anyone coming along will 

 say, "By George! that's Henry Owen's place! I'd 

 know it by the cut of it!" Go slow I mean grow 

 slow and find out where you want a tree, or hedge, 

 or windbreak, or even a rosebush, before you plant it. 

 Every bush, every tree, every fence, every wind- 

 break or hedge should be a part of yourself; and 

 when you get through with your first season's 

 growth it will be apparent that your place means 

 you as much as your body means you. 



Then, by and by, when you begin to cut or trim, 

 it will be just as when you pare your nails ; it will be 

 because something has overgrown in a perfectly 

 natural way and must be pared off. A real home, 

 rightly planted, never needs to be revolutionized; it 

 is always, however, undergoing evolution. Having 

 started right, you will see something to be added and 

 something to be improved upon each year. A com- 

 mon-sense planter always works with a memoran- 

 dumthat is, a pocket memory. Whenever he is 

 about his property he jots down what he sees is 

 needed every little trifle and every suggested im- 

 provement. Every night he looks over his memo- 

 randa and marks what is to be done the next day. 

 In this way nothing is overlooked; and fully five 

 times as much progress will be worked in. Nor will 

 breakages and little leakages be overlooked. He 



