COLOR FOR WINTER'S RELIEF. 



when they burn rapidly, but not dangerously, or forest 

 fires are sure to follow the lumber crew. It will cost a 

 few more cents on each thousand feet of logs to dispose 

 of this material, but better this than the total destruc- 

 tion of our country's forests. 



The lumberman cares but little for the land and tim- 



ber after he has taken off the cream of the latter. In 

 most cases he then lets it go back to the state for taxes. 

 But he has no right, in the true sense of that word, to 

 imperil the rights of others by such loose methods and 

 sadly wasteful negligence as we see so generally mani- 

 fested in modern lumber woods. W. D. Boynton. 



COLOR FOR WINTER'S RELIEF. 



CHEER AND BRIGHTNESS OUTDOORS AND IN. 



VERYBODY that is normal loves 

 bright colors. Nature revels in 

 color. I am glad we have got by 

 the fad of neutral tints, which 

 was only the deification of dust. 

 There was no bottom to the fash- 

 ion. It created so far as possible 

 a dull uniformity about our 

 homes. We have a right to whatever makes our 

 emotions cheerful and bright. Red is delightful 

 to old age, and yellow to young life ; and there is 

 no reason why our houses should not be painted 

 or colored with what is adapted to their occupants. 



When a resident of Chicago, a few years ago, I vis- 

 ited the kindergartens, and inquired which color was 

 first chosen by small children. In every case it was 

 yellow, with but one exception. The relation of color 

 to us is far more intimate than is generally supposed. 

 The blue ray predominates in the sunlight of spring ; 

 the yellow in that of summer ; the red in that of au- 

 tumn. This corresponds exactly with the relation of 

 colors to our ages ; blue for the mother and babe, yel- 

 low for the rapidly growing child, and red for the ma- 

 ture adult. Experiments in European retreats show 

 that color has so vast an influence on the mind that ex- 

 citably insane persons cannot endure red; but the 

 melancholy need red and cannot endure blue ; so there 

 is something in the expression, " I feel blue." 



Horticulture has more to do with color than any 

 other art except painting. Our plantings should look 

 not only to flower and foliage, and grouping, but also 

 to the colors that are possible, and their right adjust- 

 ment to the seasons. Nature gives us the cue in mak- 

 ing a specialty of brightness as the year falls into 

 decay. But man has needs beyond those of the rest of 

 creation. It is specially desirable that we shall be 

 able to brighten up November and December, and even 

 secure cheering nooks all winter, and this we can do. 

 There are trees and shrubs that are inspiriting and 

 joyous all through November, and others that do not fail 

 us till spring. 



The most superb glory of November in America is 

 the euonymus, an inconspicuous affair, without a sug- 

 gestion of unusual loveliness all summer. In Octo- 

 ber its seed-pods color a lovely pink. When we have 

 begun to say that these can hardly be surpassed, lo. 



they burst open and show us a heart of brilliant scarlet. 

 It is the purest, warmest color in the American wood- 

 lands. The shrub does admirably well on our lawns, 

 in all sorts of soil, and either on upland or lowland. It 

 stands, when full-grown, about eight feet high, and in 

 November hangs loaded, like a cherry tree, with fruit. 

 The color is not unlike that of a Morello cherry. The 

 flower comes in June, and, while delicate and deliciously 

 sweet, is inconspicuous. I can hardly overpraise the 

 euonymus. It should be very liberally planted in all 

 directions from our windows. Alike on dull and drip- 

 ping or on sunny November and December days, it 

 stands full of cheer and brightness. 



The European sort has yellow berries and is not so 

 happy a shrub ; besides, it is infested with lice and 

 must be syringed with kerosene emulsion, or it will be- 

 come unsightly. All through the northern states and 

 far south our American sort grows wild in rich lands 

 bordering on swamps. The effect is superb. It can 

 be obtained of all good nurserymen, but I wish they 

 would talk more about it. 



Its noble companion — they are par tiobile fratrum — is 

 the European barberry — now adopted by our own 

 woods, and found freely growing everywhere in the 

 northern states. In many ways this shrub is so useful 

 as to merit a place very near the head of all we 

 can select for our lawns. In flower it is superbly 

 graceful and sweet — too sweet for some persons. It is 

 eminently a bee-feeding, honey-making flower. The 

 long tresses hang for three weeks in June, covering the 

 bushes. But the glory of the plant comes, after all, in 

 October and November. The berries color as early as 

 August, but are not conspicuously bright until the 

 leaves fall and bright spots are specially needed. Then 

 bursts forth the blaze of crimson scarlet. It is literally 

 a burning bush. I have one standing ten feet high, and 

 ten feet in diameter through the spread of the limbs, 

 which weep until they touch the ground. 



For natural green this barberry surpasses all the so- 

 called weepers. The berries are also useful for jelly 

 and marmalade, if you have so many that you can af- 

 ford to strip a few bushes. For my part, I prefer the 

 color on the lawn. The taste is delicious to an irritated 

 stomach, and some dyspeptics claim much benefit from 

 using the fruit. I do not intend to overpraise the bar- 

 berry, but it cannot easily have too much said for it. 

 Our wild shrubs are our best, but are thought less of 



