The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-04-26
Matters Long Delayed.

a
ton of the country are a long time IL
surrounding themselves with what
pass for the comforts of life. This de-
lay is often Occasioned by lack Of suita-
bic means. The new settlers have to
provide themselves with homes before
| they can adOFn themselves. They must
have the necessities of life before they
can pay much attention to its comforts
and cOnveniences. They have land to
pay for and improve, fences to make,
houses and oUtbuildings to erect and
farm machinery to purchase. While
they are accomplishing all these things
they have their families to support and
their children to educate. They there
fore try to make themselves cOntented
with poor homes and ordinary fare.
They dress plainly, and everything about
their places presents a very plain APP
pearance. Having fallen into the habit
of getting along with few things that
pertain to comfort, convenience and
beauty, they continue in the habit long
after they are in a condition to obtain
them. In some sections of the country
the work of adjoining and making com
Portable country homes is DELAYED till
the second generation. The children
of the persons who settle in a new re-
giOn have more time and money, and
they are likely to travel in parts of the
country where there are fine and COM
modious buildings, good orchards, vine
yards and plantations of small fruits,
shade and ornamental trees, vegetable
and flower gardens, well-kept lawns,
and other evidences Of taste and refine
ment. They return home, and imme-
diately commence to improve the places
which present so many opportunities for
improvements of various kinds. They
plant flowers and shrubs as well as corn
and potatoes; they have regard for
beauty as well as utility.
1t is certainly very desirable to COM
mence to improve country homes as
soon as they become homes. People
who live On farms have few means Of
enjoyment outside the land they own
and occupy. Their living is chiefly
confined to the articles of food they pro
duce on their own places. Observation
shows that in many cases it consists
largely of ''hog and hOminy.'' Now,
it is comparatively easy to provide
many articles of food that in excellence
may pass for lUXuries. A very small
sum of money and little time will en-
able new settlers to obtain many table
comforts. If the seed of water-cress be
sOWn on the banks Of a stream or spring
brook lasting supply of one of the
finest relishes may be secured. As a
condiment it has no superior 1t is ex-
cellent for eating with meat and fish,
and even with bread and butter. 1t re
quires no preparation for the table, and
needs no addition but salt. Asparagus
occupies leading place among table
luxuries, and plot of land planted to
this delicious vegetable viii furnish
more food than if planted to anything
else. A bed once prepared will con-
tinue to be productive for twenty years.
The roots are somewhat expensive if
ordered from a nUrseryman and sent a
long distance by express. But farmer
can raise the roots from seed as well as
a professional nUrseryman. A paper of
seed costing ten cents will produce
plants enough to afford all the aspara-
gus a family will consume An ounce
of seed will produce about two hundred
plants. The seed should be sowed in
rows about a foot apart, and the young
plants carefully cultivated during the
first. season. If attended to faithfully
they will be large enough to place in
permanent bed or row the following
spring. Some stalks can be used the
first season, and the roots will bear
close cutting every season afterward.
Grapes, currants, gOOseberries and
Other small fruits that are prOpagated
by cuttings can be started at the ex-
pense Of a very little time and money.
The cuttings can generally be obtained
of persons who have old vines and
bushes at a nominal expense. They
can generally be obtained from old
friends living at a distance without cost,
and can be forwarded by freight for
small sum. An excellent substitute for
small fruits is furnished by rhubarb or
pie plant. This can be propagated from
seed as easily as asparagus and in sub
stanially the same way. Lilacs, snosv-
balls, syringias, honeysuckles and vari-
Gus other towering and other ornament
al shrubs can be propagated by cut
tings as easily as currant and gooseber-
ry bushes. Ornamental shrubs will live
as long as trees, afford material for null
tplying the species, and will give very
little trouble. Most of them are hardy
and very productive of flowers and foil
age. There are few places, even in the
''treeless portions of the far west, that
are very remote from situations where
wild vines, bushes and shrubs grow
Some of them are very beautiful when
pruned and cultivated.
Most varieties of forest trees are very
easily raised from. seed. With an ounce
Of seed Of each variety one wishes to
raise a nursery can be started that will,
in a few years, afford all the trees that
will be needed to afford shade and or
nament on a farm of ordinary size.
Seeds Of trees that do not produce nuts
can be sent by mail. and acorns and
other nuts can be transported as freight
at small expense. BY the iudicious use
of trees and vines a prairie farm may
be rendered very beautiful, and the cost
of them may be rendered trifiing Good
taste in planting will accomplish more
than a large amount of money spent in
the purchase of expensive nursery stock. !
. CHICAGO Times.