New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-02-12
Ornalnenhng Farms.

in his prosecution of methods tending
to the development of what is useful.
In his dress he is supposed to be plain
and practical; in furnishing his house
he must, of course, avoid all ornaments
that have no use in the economy of the
business of which he is the head. This
We have said as coming from people
who look at farmers but are not in sym
patty with them.
Still with this idea so prevalent, as
one travels and takes note of the farm
house surroundings, it is q rare excep-
ton to find q single farm on which
something has not been done toward
the ornamenting of the premises. And
in the aggregate there is an immense
expenditure upon farms that has no
other object than the adornment of the
premises. In some cases we see the
tendency Out-crOpping in the planting
of large lines of trees in the dOOryard;
in others, shrubs, eyergreens and flow
ers are scattered about in profusion.
and often the disposition shows itself
in house covered with ivy. while
again the only ornamental exhibit may
consist of weather-vanes upon the barn,
house and gate-post.
THERE'S, Notwithstanding the thought
that farmers are merely practical,
q desire for securing something about
the premises for adornment, in almost
every farmer. This we are thankful
for. 1t shows an appreciation of some
thing higher than the qualification of
the stomach and securing q good bank
account.
But in gratifying this desire there is
SO great q waste Of time, and money,
and material, and SO little that is val
liable for the outlay made, that we feel
there should be a good deal Of effort
made in the education of taste in these
matters OF home adornment. We GER
tainly have great possibilities in the
development of beautiful country,
because there is 80 wide range Of
plants, and shrubs, and trees that can
be employed; our landscape naturally
is quite beautiful also, and all that is
needed to make our country as beauti-
full as any in the world is the exhibi-
ton of proper taste in developing or.
namental farms. We do not care to
discuss the money value of tasteful sur
roundings. tits enough to know that
there is an innate desire among people
to beautify their homes for the sake of
having the beauty as their own, no
matter how much or how little it may
enhance the selling value of the prem
ises.
1t is not new thing to hear of ''vil-
.lage Improvement societies." where
uniform measures are adopted by
whole villages to makethe towns beau
tiful and attractive. There is q great
er need for such societies in the coun-
try where the best taste can be brought
to bear upon q grander scale, and with
much greater possibilities, There is
nothing in the realm of landscape art
that possesses the grand beauty that
can be put into fine farm and its sur
roundings. And again, there is no
place where good taste and artistic
skill can be carried out with SO little
expense. What we need is education
u practical matters connected with
the development of tasty farmhouse
surroundings, so that every dollar or
days work expended shall 20 for all it
is worth. ~
= AA0 SuSf9vStAOn COueS W uS tuat loo
often the exhihitio of the desire to or
snament is confined to small patch of
ground in front of the house, which is
in strange discordance with the re-
mainder Of the place. We call to mind
, few premises which through simple
arrangement of trees, delightful
green lawn, good choice in paint, for
the house, well-kept fences, and an APP
propriate distribution of groups of
trees over the farm, with wood pas
ture not far away from the house, make
mp . delightful arrangement, which
gives character to a whole neighbor-
hood. all at almost no expense beyond
what would naturally come into the
prosecution of business farming.
We do not expect every farmer 10
become an expert landscape gardener,
but we may readily expect from care
full discussion in farm gatherings OF
topics concerning farm adornment, the
development of greater skill in the ex-
penditure Of time and money in beau
tifying country premises. Detroit Free
Press.