Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-06-20
Waiting.

in every community, but it stands
out more conspicuously in the coun
try, because one can there take in
all the surroundings a, a glance
and the. least neglect or inattention
about farm or homestead is readll,
seen. There is no covering up, OF
hiding the effect of negligence, and
one may as well try to sink his farm
out of sight as to undertake to make
his fellow men believe he is q
thrifty farmer when all the sur.
roundings show exactly the oppo.
site. If the fences are down, the
out buildings dilapidated and 60
ing to decay, they are pretty sure
signs that their owners are in sim
liar condition.
1t is now spring, and every owner
of home should endeavor to i'm
itate nature in putting a new dress
on all his possessions, without wait
ing for some more convenient OF
leisure time. Next year you may
or may not be in better circnmstan
ces than now, and as rule every
season brings it's duties and imper.
alive necessities; consequently it is
folly to wait, Micwber-like, fol
something to turn up. We do not
refer to building new barns OF
houses or purchasing another OF
better farm, but to tho improving Of
what one already possesses. Repair
the outbuildings and fences if they
require it, not forgetting the house
which should hold a mans most
valuable treasures. A few dollars
expended in paint may change the
appearance from one of gloomy sol.
itudc to cheerful, busy life. Then
come those little adjuncts Of hap
Ply home known as fruits and flow.
ers; they may not be of the best OF
most costly kinds, but if neatly ar
ranged and carefully cultivated
they afford a certain amount o.
pleasure, and their refining and ell.
evating influence can scarcely be
oyerrated. An old clump of lilacs
or snowballs kept trimmed, will
the soil carefully spaded up and
cultivated about their roots, lool
far better than when neglected and
permitted to struggle for life in
some neglected fence corner, near
ly overtopped in summer by rank
weeds. Neighbors can often ex
change plants with each other,
which begets good feeling; and ii
one takes better care of what he
has than others do, it begets emula-
ton, and little strife in these mat
tiers will end in good to all. If a
neighbor has a better variety OF
fruit thay you have, ask for cut.
tings, scions or plants, and if oh.
tanned give them the best of care,
which will be proof that you appre.
ciate the gift. There is nothing
more discouraging to liberal man
VINO has valuable plants to spare,
and takes pleasure in distributing
them among his less fortunate neigh.
bors, than to find his liberality
abused neglect of his gifts.
We know men who have been
waiting all their lives for some
prospective fortune with which they
propose to elk up things about
their homes and make them attrac.
tive; while If the hours spent in
wishing and building air castles
had been employed in work, the
long and much desired improve
ments would have been made years
ago. If men were as prompt il
preparing the flower beds or plant
ing curraEts, raspberrles and Other
fruits as they are in answering The
dinner bell, the wife and daughter.
would seldom have cause to com
plain Of delays. The too common
excuse among farmers, that they
have no time to spend upon sucl
things, is very poor one, and gen
orally comes from those who have
plenty of time for hunting, fishing
or other idle sports. We have ye
to find a man who desired to maxi
the surroundings of his home beau
tiful who did not find means ant
time to do it. 1t is not necessar,
that one should expend much none,
on these things, for the world i
full of beautiful plants, that may b.
had for mere song, and the wood
and fields abound in choice speci
mems of both fruit and flowers whicl
only require transplanting and car
to add much to the comforts as wei
as beauty of our homes.
1t is a lamentable fact which
every man and woman with cult
waited tastes regrets, that the home
of our farmers, as general rule
are unnttractive and dreary in tn
extreme. All this comes of tina
wide spread and almost universe
habit of waiting" for somethin!
which will never come. This habi
has become hereditary in some com
munities, and there appears to b
no chance of eradicating the evi
except by awakening the dorman,
but it is to be hoped not quite ex
tinct natural pride of the procrasti
majors.
Of late we have heard much tall
about the sons of our farmers leav
ing the farm, and we believe ther
are good and sufficient reasons 70
it, among which the unattractivc
ness of home is the most prominen
and powerful. If a man waits unit
his sons and daughters grow up t.
be men and women before he al
tempts to teach them how to enjo,
life in the country and upon farm
he must expect to fail, for the twil
is bent long be fore this period al
rives, and the tree usual inclines t
go it's own way when mature. No,
there is no good reason why fal
mer's life should not be an attrac
tive one, and that it is, even to thou
sands who have no need of follow
ing it for a living, is shown in tn
farms owned and managed b
wealthy people who made thei
money in other occupations. Mar
kind are prone to love the place
IL IL