The Washington times., 1894-03-25

!! streets, its many reservations and parks, and
almost every house with its strip of grass and
its own door-yard. All sorts and conditions
of houses sit on lovely bits of terrace and front
reservation here, some kind of a porch or
high steps, SO that those who live in them can
sit out of doors after sundown in hot weather
and almost imagine themselves living in the
country. Just at this perticular time the
house mothers are beginning to think about
their yards and counting the cost. !,
With trowel in one hand and broom In
the other they go at it as though they really
meant business! A great big snowy house
can afford to sit in the midst of simple grass
plot with an ornamental stone or iron fence
all about it, for the people who live in it go
away to their country places as soon as It
grows little warm; but there are scores OF
other people who stay here right along
through the hot season, who never go any
where except on an outing or an excursion
for day. These are the people who think
much and ought to make much of their front
yards, and even of their back yards.
Now, may be old-fashioned, but l do think
1t pity to bring family of children up on
concrete pavement, as some are doing right
here. with that only for playground and no
grass or growing flower or shrub either front
or back of the house. just because the house ia
modern" Why, children naturally love and
need these green, growing things for their
mental as well as physical development. and
it is undoubtedly healthful to dig in the dirt
and roll on the grass. 1t is SIN against chill
drens rights to deprive them of this privilege
or to stick up in all our parks and reserva-
tions keep off the grass,' Grass was made
to be walked on, not simply looked at. People
with families ought to live where this outdoor
life can be had even if at some Inconvenience
to themselves.
The grass plot and back yard are good
places to begin the Spring cleaning. Hire
somebody to help if you can. If not. every
stick and stone or bit of paper should be
raked or swept up and burned and the little
flower beds cleaned by cutting away dead
wood from the rose-bushes and crysanthe-
NUNS coming up so fresh and green. Any
woman who likes gardening-as what woman
does not-can dig her beds up with a trowel,
if she cannot afford to hire "man" at ten
cents an hour to help her. and then as soon as
the days grow warmer she can set out her
dry or potted geranium stocks, her foliage
plants. .verbenas and other flowers sheis bound
to pick up when she goes to market. A vine
woodbine or ivy green can be trained over
n porch or window with but little trouble and
good effect, besides Offering its refreshing
shade.
The way to fix the back yard is to have it
cleared of all rubbish, and if the grass is worn
of have it spaded up and resodded or sown
with grass seed. A narrow fower-bed can
be set off with boards. bricks or oyster-shell
borders beside the line fence, and a few
climbers, placed so rs TO cover Its ugliness,
with vines grown and trained over it. rhe
beds should have hyacinths. tulips and jon
quis set out in them while in bloom. and
afterHard left to propagate themselves for
next season through growing new bulbs.
My idea OF backyard garden is to have
fine square of grass in the center and
fower-bed border running all round 1t, with
one opening to so through to hang
up the clothes on wash-days. The beds
in my ideal garden shall never have
any flowers in them that do not
smell sweetly as well as look pretty. Per-
fume TO the flower is like that essential thing
We call ''disposition" in the individual No
matter how beautiful one is that is not
enough; one must really be nice as well as
look nice. My flower garden shall have in
it a sweet-scented shrub bush. like the ones
still to be seen and enjoyed down in the Mt
Vernon gardens. and there shall be fragrant
violets blooming modestly, and sweet peas.
and pansies, and honeysuckle, and all those
choice. fragrant old-fashioned flowers.
There are exceptions TO all rules; hence l will
let my spirea bushes bloom in the border in
the springtime and my stately yucas hold up
their spikes Of creamy flowers in June, be-
cause they make so grand show and are
very old friends. indeed.
l do not believe in grass plots, front or back.
so good that little boys cannot roll on them
and kick up their heels. or the baby lie in
either Of warm evenings and crow. l would
even let my friends sit there in the rocking
chairs and do anything on it that could be
called enjoying it except using it for al general
spittoon. A nice woman takes such comfort
in caring for her terrace. or her strip of grass
it were pity to poilute it in any way like |
to see all the family sitting on the front stens
and iu the door yard on warm evenings. |
grandma and grandpa, mother and father. the |
grown-up daughter and her young man. and |
the children. They all seem to enjoy it so |
much. II is bit of semi-country life still |
within the city.
The way to do to keep the children from
digging up your flower garden is to set |
of a portion for them III the back yard |
and give them seeds TO plant. Then tell |
them to go ahead and make a little garden
all for themselves. only exacting that they
shall weed and water it, but they can do as
cures Little mischief"
Once / owned an interest in COSY little
house and ward in the citv. ard had lot of |
nice flowers in bloom. mostly choice roses
and geraniuus. when one day a friend OF
mine came to call, bring her two little girls
with her. told them they might go out into
the yard and play on the grass Presently
they came in with two little white pinafores
held up full OF my flowers They had gath
cred everyone, Their mamma felt awlully
but l was Just as pleased as
could be. for they looked so
innocent Their mother
was about to punish them for stealing"
but l interiered. for how should they know
it was naughty to take auntie's ''booful
flowers when no one had even told them
they must not touch them? i told my friend
to defer her lesson until she caught them in
.he sugar bowl or cake box. Why. children
and flowers were made to go together. Be-
sides. it was not sin for them to pluck
ny roses. as they knew nothing about the
Ten Commandments.
It often happens that parents punish chill
.ren for things they do innocently and which
mean nothing to the childish mind. bat only
to one who knows: and often
wonder ut what age it is best TO begin to teach
heee little ones to know the value of all
hings they are impeled to do. There is,
indeed, an analogy between training children
md cultivating flowers. One may kill either
" too much attention ms well as by too little.
IT even make either grow crooked /
wouldn't give cent for a yard full of
lowers too choice to be gathered, l
elieve in gathering one or more every
lay to put in a little glass bowl or
ase on the breakfast table. 1t was Leigh
Iunt, that most charming writer. who said
ny poor man could glorify his breakfast
able with cut flower iand make it as refined
meal as the morning repast of a king. In
his country he is king and she is queen who
WINS little home with grass in front and