Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-05-29
GI)e farmer.
Farmers, Gardens.

We clip the following from an article in
the Southern Farmer Of April II. We
commend its sentiment to our reader -
"Nature has implanted in every man the
love of the beautiful, and every man should
cultivate the taste which nature has given
him, and it will become to him source OF
pleasure and enjoyment. Every man cannot
paint, but every man can make u picture.
The farmer has not time. or the cultivated
taste necessary to success in painting. But
the farmer can make beautiful garden, aud
what more beautiful picture can anywhere
be found, than a well arranged, well cultiva-
ted garden The cultivater can make gar
den anywhere among the rocks, upon the
steep declivity he can form terrace; by
the side of the brook, around the pond, or a
long the borders of the marsh, he can make
beautiful flowers spring up. He can plant
towering shrubs or climbing vines, or fruit
bearing trees. He can form beds Of rich
vegetable and borders of roses or pinks and
verbenas. He can arrange them in straight
lines, or curved lines. He can form them in
to parallelograms or squares, into circles or
ellipses, into trianges or hexagons, into any
forms that may please his fancy, or best suit
the nature of the ground. He may so ar
range the vegetable forms that spring from
the soil, that which are beautiful in them
selves, and so combine their shades and hues
as to increase and brighten theprospect of the
whole. And he can set the picture in beau
tiful frame. He can surround his garden
with trees-evergree forest trees, and fruit
trees, so arranged as to give shade to those
plants that require it and to protect all from
tina cold winds. BY doing little at a time,
by adding one Improvement after another,
and one beauty after another, every farmer
may in fow years create beautiful scene
around him, that will amply reward all his
pains.
A garden thus formed by degrees, is much
better than one produced at once, and by a
large outlay of labor and money. The pleas
ure of creating it is prolonged, and the ex-
penditure being but little at a time, is not
felt, and in this way, new flowers, and voge-
tables, and fruit arc added from time to time,
that yield new pleasure and new beauty to
it. A beautiful garden is source OF pleas
ure to the family. The wife and children can
here indulge their taste. aud study the beau
tiful forms and wonderful instincts of nature.
1t is one of the most fruitful sources of in
struoton. The farmer can here bring his
children around him, and speak to them Of
the wisdom and skill and benevolenee of the
Creator. He can dissect flowers, and plants,
aud seeds, and show their curious structure
and how wonderfully nature has provided for
their preservation.
This is that one of the fine arts which the
farmer can cultivate. 1t is the one that is
suited to his condition and circumstances, and
by the cultivation of it, can crafty the love
of beauty that nature has given him; and
while he is improving his intellect and his
heart, the mere allusion to this part of the
subject will suggest multitude Of pleasant
thoughts to the mind.
The cultivation of garden is source Of
recreation to the farmer. His strength and
time are severely taxed in cutivating the
staple products Of the field. Like all men he
needs relaxation and recreation. Where can
he find it SO we'll as in his garden? 1t will
make him fond of his home. Ii will keep
him from temptation. Instead of s, eling pleas
ure in the store and tavern, he will find it in
his own home. How many young farmer
had he early commenced the cultivation of a
beautiful garden. would have been saved
from ruin"