Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-03
Spring in the Suburbs.

From the Philadelphia Times.
1t is great fun for people who live in the sub
urbs at this time of the year to watch the new
comers. They all have to go through the same
experience, and there is no pleasure in life
equal to that OF watching our neighbors strlg.
Cling along a path which we ourselves have
already passed. The first thing done by the
family that has just moved in next door is to
make garden. Fiat was the great attraction
in coming to the country. and they are hardly
settled in the house before operations begin
gardener is sent for who digs number of
nice little flower beds in the grass plat He
doesn't think it worth while to bother himself
about the character of the earth. for he knows
It Will not make much difference. Then the
father of the family brings from the florists a
box OF assorted flower seeds twenty -four choice
varieties, each in a nice ltth. paper package
The names Oh the labels are rather overwheim-
ing. but the florists catalogue. free by NAL
gives such glorious description Of the great
heads of flowers that are to be expected from
every seed that Imagination at once transforms
the little side lot into vision Of delight.
The beds are all nicely marked out into divi-
sions. and the seeds carefully eown according to
directions. At the head of each division the
empty paper with its label is stuck up on little
stick like arOw OF little tombstOnes, designating
the names of the seeds inferred there Then the
family await developments. 1t Is not long be-
fore the aower-bed begins to show signs of life
Tiny green things make their way through the
soft earth, and after q few warm rains the bed
begins to look quite green. There is eonsidcra-
bic similarity noticed in the appearance Of the
plants, even when the Latin names suggests no
resemblance, hut then NEST plants like most
people, look a good deal alike when very Young
The drectionssay that the bed should be kept free
from weeds but here the question arises which
are the weeds and which the flowers? The fam
lily can but wait and see. trusting to the great
natural law ofthe survival of the fttest.
Morning and night the father and the mother
and the children are observed watching the pro-
gress OF the garden. 1t Is really quite q touch
ing sight and there is q little mingling Of tender
sympathy in the interest with which the neigtl-
bors look on at these first experiments in gar
dening. They know what the end will be- In
the course Of the summer the bed will contain
three stalks of rather sickly-fOoking lady-slip-
peTs-enly the label did not cali them by that
naIne-and four hourishing specimens of purs-
lane. Indigenous. For the rest every package
Of seeds. irrespective of the Latin on the labels
has apparently produced nothing but chick
weed.
A little chickweed IL good for eanaries. but
much OF 1t Ia unnteresting. So in June the
seeding ANNALS will te abandoned and some
petted verbenas and other ready-grown plants
will be procured and set out. The gardener
says they will grow very rapidly and will soon
cover the whole bed. but when the summer is
ended they have not begun to grow although
they have ceased to bloom. Next season. II the
suburban experiment be not abandoned alto
getber, the garden beds will be sodded over and
the horticultural energies Of the family will be
devoted to the cultivation Of grass.