American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-12-06

WHEN man wants to sell his place one
of the first things he does is to fix up his
front dOOr-yard. Fence palings that had
fallen off are nailed on, broken hinges are
repaired, crooked walks Strengthened,
rubbish moved out of the way, and an
aspect of tidness, which, to the casual
observer, is an aspect of thrift, is given
to the place. His wife will see to it that
no cobwebs festoon the front porch or
curtain the windows, that the shades are
clean and not hung askew, and that the
house has a holiday look. Time spent in
this way is counted well invested and
certain to tell on the price for which the
owner can sell. But where the owner
proposes to retain his property, is there
any reason why it should not be put in
first-class order? why he should not re
joce in tasteful, pleasing, even picturesque
premises, around his house? why his chill
dren may not have fostered within them
by their surroundings a love for order and
neatncss and beauty which they shall
carry into homes of their own:
Within month we rode through an
agricultural region where the cOrn-fields
promised a noble harvest; where large
and well built barns, bursting with hay,
SPOKE of abundance, fat cattle lay in the
shade chewing the cud, and the whole
section wore all air of thrift and plenty.
But the door-yards they were numbered
up with old cart-wheels, broken down
tools, fence-rails and general rubbish,
the walks were overgrown, the
fences out of repair and the
fronts of the houses looked as
though they were never opened, even
on Sundays. In one yard, great
big rock reared its unsightly shape,
naked and bald and Jagged. why in the
world doesn't he plant il Clinton or Con
cord grapevine around that horrid
ledge ?" we exclaimed "or even Il trumpet
or woodbinc? 1t might be made a very
thing of beauty, the delight of every
passer- BY"
Another front yard was evidently the
trysting spot of the family hens. Now a
fat hen, not too old, is about as good eat
ing is served up to ordinary mortals
we are by no means insensible to the at
fractions OF dame Partlett, and eggs Ger.
tainly are not 10 be despised; but the ir-
revcrent fowl that would, after due warn
ing, insist on scratching up our front door
yard, would receive a summary invitation
to supper, not where she would eat, but
where she would be eaten. The fall is a
very proper time to put ones yard in
good order Trees may be set out, vines
transplanted, fences repaired, walks
Strengthened, and preliminary work all
done, so that in the spring little atten-
tIon will make everything beautiful. And
tiith tiiat IuuDiSn Htdp. Iscn llltl may
have impaired to it look of snugness
and thrift by cutting down all the weeds
about it, by turning into tirewood every
thing good for nothing else, by putting il
not into the corner of The front yard at
the kitchen door, but in some out-of.thc-
way place, where it will not be the first
thing that catches the eve of the passer-
by. If there is no such place for conceal
menf, set out two or three evergreens to
hide il.
The back dooryard, too, should receive
due attention, and it will if the mistress
OF the house is a neat woman. The order
and cleanliness that stops at the threshold
of the kitchen door stops too soon-it
should extend over the entire premises
under the especial Sway of feminine juris
diciioD, including the pig pen, the hen
house and the garden. There fs always
enough to be done in the house, but an
hour or two once or twice a week spent
by the housewife in the open air with her
children. picking up stones, clearing
/ resk Ne, 'v4nt up vines. Atrttrnaking thinssA
shine, is time probably passed. from
which will come ample returns in health