Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-08-27
IN THE OPEN AIR.
How L Was Cured of Taking
Care of a Garden.

How L Was Cured of Taking
Care of q Garden.
Ipassed vegetable garden recently
which elected my admiration. Every
bed was laid out with mathematical
precision, every drill was straight and
well defined, and the young plants were
of uniform growth, and neither scat
tered nor crowded. Not a weed was
visible. The whole was as attractive as
such garden could be. In ludicrous
comparison comes before my vision my
own garden. 1t is planted on long
land between two rows of trees in our
orchard. First come the radishes; they
do pretty well; then the lettuce, which
has more than supplied our table. But
the onionsi Some of the rows are so
near together that can not get the hoe
between them, and for several inches
there may not be one plant, while in
others they are so thick that they can
not grow large. The beans are in hills,
but how they ever came up here and
there as they are coming is strange.
The peas Sc m trying to conform to all
known lines of direction. However,
they are thrifty and promising.
will not say much about the weeds,
for owing to- the wet season l do not
think it has been a fair trial / have
not given up the contest neither have
the weeds; but think j have rather the
best of the battle.
Like many another woman, my du-
ties are mostly inside the house. and
when the leisure hour comes, it is spent
indoors. For over year have not
been able to sleep well. Only those
who have suffered from this can realize
the torture of lying for hours wide
awake-tossing. turning, longing, pray
ing for sleep. blessed sleep, and at the
last have only short, fitful maps. The
remedy came to me unexpectedly. Dur
ing the early spring circumstances re-
quired me to take walk Of a mile and
back each day for month. Toward
the close OF that month ] found that ]
slept like top, and directly discov.
cred the remedy-physical exercise in
the open air.
AS the best means of forcing myself
out daily for exercise, decided to at
tend to the garden. l knew that if it
did finally become overgrown with
weeds, it was worth the trial. In car
rying out this purpose, my reward
meets me day by day. find the earl,
part of the day the best time to Kill
weeds. but the latter part the most
agreeable to work, and with q big
kitchen apron, a suu-bonnet and pair
of buckskin gloves. bid defiance to
dirt and sun. Sometimes it is very
tiresome work-hoeing until it seems
ss if your muscles would give out, but
they do not, and have grown to love
the work. like to see the tiny leaves
peeping up through the hard ground,
then stretch up and grow, as if they
had purpose in this world, and meant
to accomplish it.
These two things / know about gar
iening: 1t has fund of pleasure in the
work itself: but far more, it has in it q
fund of health to us indoor workers
which we will do well to seek after.
Why I suggest taking care a gar
den is SO that you will feel obliged 10
go out into the open air-not to ride in
carriage, whose fine!y-balanced
springs ease every mot: on, but to do
something which will give bodily exer-
else in the fresh air and Sunshine. Any
man would, with his strong physical
powers, become feeble If shut week
after week and month after month
within the four walls of house, only
seeing or knowing what goes on therein.
l suppose you viii think that you
can not find time. Do not Try to find
time; take time. Get one or two girls
half dozen if you need them-to
help in the house, and arrange some
plan which viii necessitste your get
ing out of doors . part of each day.
You viii feel fully repaid in the buoy
ant life which flows into every nerve
and muscle. do not wonder that We
American women are old at forty
E K CkGsaI = Country GeHtlenas.