202 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
father and the mother see that a thoroughly clean house, carefully 
attended cattle, and well cultivated fields are theirs, let the daugh¬ 
ters take the surroundings of the house in charge, and rebel at un¬ 
painted fences, and unhinged gates, with tools, utensils, and wood 
piles just where they should not be. Let them call the little 
brothers and sisters to their aid, find a place for everything, and 
see that it is kept in its place. Let them claim a piece of ground 
as their own special property, and have it well dug. To lay out 
the beds, and plant the seeds is no harder work than to play a game 
of croquet, or do a piece of fancy work. Lettuce, spinach, radishes, 
cresses, all may be planted early, and add a relish to the plainest 
food. Buy the seed, and sell enough of the vegetables to pay for 
^hem. If you have but little room, plant flower seeds in boxes. 
They can be growing until you can place them in the garden. A 
good way is to make little cones of brown paper, set them in boxes 
filled with earth — fill the cones with a little sandier soil, drop three 
seeds into each, when they have well started leave the strongest 
one, setting out the others elsewhere. When you wish to trans¬ 
plant, take up the cone carefully, and the roots will not be dis¬ 
turbed. 
If four friends purchase together, twenty kinds of seeds can be 
procured for one dollar, and divided, giving a large supply to each 
one. We would recommend to beginners to select Candytuft, Pe¬ 
tunia, Phlox-Drummondii, Mignionette, Pinks, Pansies and Asters, 
as giving the best satisfaction at trifling expense; these will bloom 
early and until frost, well repaying the time, interest and patience 
expended on them. If you have old kegs, pails and pans, set them 
around the ground in front of the house, cover them with bark from 
the wood pile, old grape vines and moss, fill them with earth. You 
need not buy plants; from God’s nursery in the woods, you may 
obtain them without money, and without price.” I sometimes 
think He put the most lovely there, that those who cultivate the 
taste for the beautiful, which He has placed in their hearts, need be 
at no loss for its gratification. There too you may find vines; bit¬ 
ter sweet, woodbines, perennial peas, and many a one unnamed 
save in Indian lore. Gather them in with ferns and grasses, and 
you will have what many in the cities pay large prices for, and their 
beauty must make your home pleasant. Give some of them a place 
inside also, and let the sun shine on a green spot in your sitting 
