844 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY; 



OR, 



HOW TO MAIvE HOIME PLEASANT. 



BY A.NNE G. HALE. 



[Entered according to Act of ConCTees, In the year 

 1P66. by R. P. Eaton & Co., in the Clerk's Office of the 

 District Court for the District of Massachusetts.] 



[Note. — The desire to impart such information as 

 should save the young house-keeper much perplexity 

 and bard and unpleasant labor, to show her how to 

 economise her time and her resources, and to help her 

 to introduce among ordinary household duties such oc- 

 cupations as should furnish both her and her children 

 with subjects for high thought and profitable conversa- 

 tion, was the motive which first led to the preparation of 

 these articles on Domestic Economy. And it has been, 

 and frtill will be, the aim of the author to lighten, to 

 cheer, and to ennoble the life of the housewife and 

 mother. This statement seems called for because she 

 finds that in her anxiety to meet all the wants of the 

 most inexperienced she has touched upon so many 

 points that her motives have been misunderstood, and 

 by s^-me I'eadcrs she has been credited with the very 

 opposite of her aims and intentions.] 



CHAPTER Xri. 

 WOMAN'S WORK AMONG GARDEN FLOWERS. 

 It may be necessary to devote the larger portion 

 of your land to vegetables, hence I have spoken of 

 those first, but even if that is the case, you can 

 ^manage to have a few flowers ; when fruit trees 

 and vegetables are arranged with taste there is 

 always room somewhere to set two or three bulbs, 

 or to plant half a dozen seeds, that will lend a 

 good deal of beauty to the kitchen garden. Still, 

 on many accounts, it is better to spare a little spot 

 for their especial use, and you can lay out your 

 ground so that it shall be in the centre ; there yon 

 will be sure that tender plants are well sheltered 

 by the stronger and coarser growth of the trees 

 and vegetables. To this, a walk from the house 

 should lead, bordered by ornamental trees and 

 flowering shrubs, or the hardier flowers of low 

 growth and such bulbs as need to be taken up in 

 the fall. But the best plan is to set apart a plot 

 for flowers alone ; and this should he where a good 

 view of it can be had from the windows of the 

 house. It is also pleasant to give others the bene- 

 fit of its beauty and fragrance ; so let it be as near 

 the street as you can . A great annoyance to house- 

 keepers is the dust that rises from open ground, 

 which, when there is the least air stirring, rushes 

 directly in at the doors and windows ; because of 

 this, the mould immediately surrounding a house 

 should be turfed. In this may be set trees, vines 

 and shrubs, and such bulbs as seldom need remov- 

 al ; the turf upon their roots should be laid back 



every spring while a dressing is applied to the soil, 

 and then replaced. Thus treated, this land and 

 that of small front yards gives a much better ap- 

 pearance to the house, as well as saves the owner 

 more trouble, than the usu.il fashion of devoting it 

 to the culture of such plants as require a bare soil. 

 If your flower garden needs a screen from the 

 street, or the northern or easterly winds, see that 

 you have a good fence, upon or against which 

 vines and tall shrubs may be made to lean ; or else 

 set a hedge. For this, the haMhorn, with it8 ♦ 

 beautiful white or red blossoms, is desirable; but 

 it grows slowly and requires a dry soil. The buck- 

 thorn will flourish almost anywhere, and grows 

 rapidly. If these are raised from seed, sow them 

 in the autumn ; but getting young plants from some 

 nursery is a more satisfactory way of starting it. 

 Set plants for hedges in May; after the second 

 year, trim and head them every August. The 

 lilac makes a good hedge if allowed to throw 

 up suckers. This, as well as the buckthorn, needs 

 much trimming and frequent "heading in" to form 

 a thick screen. The arbor vitse, raised from cut- 

 tings, makes an excellent hedge, neat and durable. 

 I once saw a beautiful hedge planted by Nature's 

 hand, but kept in order by man. There were 

 plants of various form and foliage, blooming each 

 in its season, — the shad-bush, bird-cherry, elder, 

 wild-rose, blackberry, raspberry, hardback, mead- 

 ow-sweet, golden-rod, and aster. Such hedges 

 cost nothing, require very little care^nly to be 

 kept tidy — and are an ornament to any ground ; 

 it is a pity that they ar* so often destroyed. 



The boys of the family will like to help make 

 the beds and walks, and to keep the walks in or- 

 der. It is a good plan to give older children beds 

 to cultivate for themselves; they thus have a par- 

 ticular interest in the general concerns of the gar- 

 den. Assist them in the choice of flowers, and in 

 their arrangement. Some children find a great 

 deal of amusement in planting seeds in fanciful 

 figures, and letters and words, and will work 

 hard in order to keep the device looking well. If 

 they have a taste that way, indulge them in it; 

 and point out to them the wonderful varieties of 

 foliage and form ; teach them to noticethe delicate 

 shadings and textures. By these means they will 

 acquire habits of attention and observation, — their 

 taste for the beautiful will be developed and culti- 

 vated ; and they will very soon learn to find more 

 enjoyment in gardening than in rough sports, or in 

 lounging; the most heedless will grow thoughtful, 

 and those of coarse and wild manners become re- 

 fined and gentle. 



The form and size of your flower beds depend 

 in a great measure upon the shape of your plot, 

 but circular or oval beds or rings, with a few of 

 an oblong, or a crescent shape, to give variety, are 

 most easily laid out by women, and have a good 

 effect if rightly filled. Directions for making these 

 have been given. They should be edged either 

 with turf or low, close-growing plants or strips of 



