Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-03-31
Let u. Beautify our Homes.

Editor EreniDy Stdr:-Being an ar0ent a1mtrel
OF horticulture In general / peruSed your arti.
Gle of last week calling on the District of Co
lumbia Horticultural Society to favor the public
with exhibitions of fruits, filowers &c, with in
terest. The lethargy which has so long pos
sessed US of the District In these matters is now
being thrown of, and spirit of improvement
Is rapidly gaining ground Ia our mid st, and hor.
ticuituTe, and all Its kindred arts, so long neg
lecfed, are beginning to receive that considera-
ton which they so justly deserve. Deeply i'm
pressed with the great Influence which hort.
culture and Its aff1ltateS must exercise In In
creastng the happiness as well as the prosperity
OF man, / gratefully tender you my humble
tr1Dute OF thanks for your valuable efforts in
their behalf and trust that you Will not relax
them until the object is attained
IL the members Of this worthy society carry
out the Object OF their formation, we shall Wit.
ness more refined taste excited, which Will
exhibit itself In attachment to contented homes
and moral habits; In discriminating between
beautiful plants and ordinary weeds; between
choice fruits and the meaner sorts: between
ugly shade trees and those OF be iutiful forms
and Clearly habits; between dwellings OF mere
bricks and mortar, bleak and deSolate,-the
numerous parterre DOW SOdieSS and In many
cases the recepIacleS OF the debris OF the house
nOld, and those which show ar once that they
are the abOdeS Of the refined and che happy
They VIII thus contribute TO the uitim ite
beauty. health, and happiness OF our city, Oy
the cultivation OF the front reservations OF our
bones; by inducing taste for rural archltec-
ture ard decoration: by tmoroving our markets.
and even the public cemeteries, instead OF
being merely the cold, repulsive and deserted
sspathS OF pieasautneSS and peace where sweet
memories OF the departed shall be mingled
with the songs Of birds and the perfumes OF
flowers G.
The above comes from gentleman who has
done much to promote taste for horticulture
in this District, and who has been instrumental
In introducing here many choice varieties OF
flowers and plants. His remarks upon the de-
STABILITY OF encouraging refined taste that
shall result In making the city homes beautiful
and the city streets attractive, are to the point
No other city In the country has such oppor-
tunitieS for tasteful adornments in the way
OF lawns, strawberries, plants and flowers.
Through the parking system of our streets,
every man has the use, free of cost, of abund-
ant ground In front of his house for these orna-
mental purposes. At the same time as this
ground thus literally allotted to him Is public
property. 1t should be utilized for the adorn-
melt OF the city as we'll as the individual
homes. The parking commission, or who
ever has the authority, should therefore
exercise a supervision to ensure this taste
full treatment Of the parking, In way not
TO mar the general appearance OF the street.
In general way something like uniformity
should be required. That Is to say, on all ex-
cept business streets, the sOddng and the fence
line should be extended uniformly to the side
walk There should be no ragged edge, with
the parking In front Of some of the lots on
square sodded, and elsewhere paved; and there
should be no unseemly gaps In the line of fenc-
Ing upon the parking. OF course, 1t Is not re-
quisfte that the fencing should be all of one
pattern or cost, but whether elaborate or plain
costly or inexpensive, it should be carried along
the parking front with continuity; and the sod
ding should be extended to the fence. The same
rule should be applied to the trees upon the
streets. The old and ugly trees, and trees out
or line on the sidewalks should be removed
without delay, and thrifty young ones of suita-
DIE kinds be planted. 1t Is a mistake, anyway,
to undertake to preserve old scrawny trees
merely because they have attained some size.
1t has been demonstrated all over the city that
the healthy young trees planted by the parking
commission will In wonderfully little time over.
take the feeble decripit old trees In growth, and
mmeasurably surpass them In beauty and
shade capacity. These remarks are specially
applicable to NJ street, which Is now being paved
and parked. This street, running along the
ridge in the upper part of the city supplies al
ready favortte drive, and If the parking Is
tastefuly utilized and all the old snags Of trees
are replaced by lines of handsome and thrifty
young ones, the vista down it viii be one of ex-
ceeding beauty