July, 1912 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
37 
A vine-covered, insect-proof porch was dining-room in the daytime, and sleeping- 
porch at night 
shaded with wild cucumbers and morning-glory vines, the east 
with stray Virginia creepers, and banked with red hollyhocks, red 
dahlias and geraniums. 
Many a day the house resounds with the fun of a picnic party. 
They used to say, “you will be so lonely,” and now they say, 
“how you must love it!” 
Everything was so new for the boys. They were told they 
could not go away from our premises, nor do they wish to go. 
They found ground-hog holes and saw the real fellow, so ferocious 
to look at, but really so harmless. They scared each other about 
him and enjoyed the thrills. Every morning a meadow lark 
perched himself on the tip top of the telephone pole and the chil¬ 
dren grew to listen for his song. They learned all about the vari¬ 
ous birds and knew their calls. Little David called, “O mudder, 
what’s this bird?” when his tiny brother answered with 
much disgust, “That’s no bird, David, that’s a sparrow." 
They had their little gardens because we were gar¬ 
dening. Of course they grew weeds as well as flowers, 
but they learned their names; they studied the bees, or 
“stinging bugs,” as they called them; they found their 
baskets where they carried the pollen for their babies’ 
bread. They learned the various bugs and worms and 
what plants some of them harmed; and soon they 
learned the remedies for the pests. 
Meanwhile we surrounded ourselves with magazines, 
landscape books and various catalogues. Each new idea 
that appeared to us we cut out or wrote down, and then 
with pencil and paper, we started our plans for our own 
house and garden. 
My husband was familiar with the varieties of fruits 
and vegetables, for as a boy he had lived on a fruit farm. 
Ele bought from reliable firms and received the best. Tie 
set out all his fruits himself early in May, using much 
care with every plant, giving the roots plenty of room, 
compost and water. Every little bud that came into leaf was 
heralded throughout the house. Everything grew finely in his 
garden. Tie used the dry farming method, for we lacked water, 
so he planted in long rows, running north and south, that he 
might keep the soil constantly cultivated, and he used that good 
servant, the wheel-hoe. Later in May he planted the other vege¬ 
tables and I set out roses, mostly perpetual hybrids. I sowed 
many seeds, but few came up; the ground was cold and after 
heavy rains it baked, so I had a very patchy garden until I 
learned how to keep the soil loose with the rake. 
We never used a light except when there were guests. We 
went to bed at dusk, too tired and sleepy to stay awake after a 
day of endless digging and weeding. The relaxation is 
complete, and one is asleep as he touches the pillow, to 
wake only when the birds command him to do so. 
Fall came, and we went down to the town. The same 
old story: my children anxious to be anywhere but in 
their own yard, to quarrel with each other, and to desire 
other children’s company. They begged to go back to 
the farm, and again we sat with our magazines around 
11s planning our permanent gardens and completing the 
plans for our house. We planned it for sunlight and 
air, we built spacious windows for our views, and we 
set apart for the boys, downstairs, a room with sand 
table and blackboard. 
We planned trees for beauty, shade and protection 
from the winter’s winds. We put the cedars, pines, 
spruces and birch in one attractive group to shield us 
from the northeast winds, and the elms we used for 
shade. Our shrubs we planned for various seasons, not 
singly but in groups of ten or twelve of one variety. 
Our hedge caused us much concern, but we finally de¬ 
cided on the white rugosa rose, which grows thriftily, 
compactly, and bears much bloom of delicate fragrance. In the 
fall its seed berries are large and brilliant. 
My husband dug his trees from a nearby nursery, saving much 
expense, and he was assured of their growth. 
Then in April we came up in the mist and rain to set our pe¬ 
rennial phlox and iris. Our pansies were peeping out of their 
straw to greet us, and the air was pure and good to breathe. 
In May we came to stay. The boys were hilarious, and all 
the first evening when we might be settling, we poked around 
looking for tilings that were coming up. 
The next week we planted many more roses, most of them 
against the asparagus. All the perennials that I had raised in 
the coldframe I now transplanted to their various corners speci¬ 
fied in my chart. All my gardens were bordered with low flow¬ 
ers, and the tallest were planted in the middle. I tried to plant as 
I would arrange a bouquet. Much space was given to various 
shades of pink together with much white and a little yellow. 
A startling garden was composed of huge clumps of Oriental 
poppies, shasta daisies, cornflowers, larkspur and gaillardias. I 
planted my gladioli among my iris, making use of the iris foliage 
late in the season. From three packages each of Canterbury bells 
and foxgloves I have hundreds of stocky plants. 
This second year our vegetable garden was a grand success. 
We had peas and beans by the bushel, early and late, and all other 
vegetables in quantity. 
(Continued on page 60) 
The temporary barn home served for two summers and now that the house is 
built its location permits it being turned to its proper uses 
