The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-12-30
AGRICULTURAL.
The Value of the Home Garden.


market gardening generally profitable.
A few can follow it with profit, but if
many go into it, the n arket is swamped,
and the profits are nil But the home
gard pays immtns dividends,
whe her devoted to vegetables, flowers,
or ruils. A good gard n is source
of ! assure. Who does not love to see
plan grow up from the ii y seed-leaf
to maturity. aDw the ca lien, and
older ONES, too, watch for the first let
tuce, peas, radishes, aud other table
luxurles, for that is just what they are.
CITY people, coop, d up in ocks, flats,
and wing perhaps Tor months almost
out of sight CT the green grass, have no
such Injuries. The vegetables tn, y get
from the ty markets have given them
no such pleasure in planting, caring
and watching. They don't know the
del ght of watching the development of
some new plant, or the result of some
experiment in cultivation.
Aud then, there are the prof of
gardening. A good garden on a farm
saves large amount of store bills and
expenses. Almost every day, for nearly
the whole year, something can be had
either from the garden or from it's
stored produ It's. Thy make a pleas
ing variety when well cooked, are far
healthier than the wretched fare of
xpl.i nh
mar farmers tables. A garden makes
for health in any ways. Sometimes
there are farm folks living back and
not seeing many people, or having
much change from day to day in their
lives, but nature brings change, and
watching the things growing in the
garden does such shut-n people good.
A woman should do no hard work in
the garden, but for one staying indoors
most of the time, little time spent
each day in the garden enjoy ing the
growing plants, doing little to kee p it
looking neat, if she feels like it, will be
a blessing to many tired house wife.
1t would be well, very well, to have a
corner for flowers. How any man can
object to them, we do not see. OF
course no such I liant as paint brush
should be tolerated, but sweet peas,
phl' X, pansies, and many others bring
much of rest and cheer. They are
Gods gifts, and we hahn ourselves,
when we despise any of his gifts. How
flowers brighten up yard or room.
They cost little, and do great amount
of good.
The cultivation of lowers and vegeta-
bles needs knowledge and gives
knowledge. 1t does boys and girls in
the farm home good 10 learn to care
for the different kinds of garden plants.
There are directions for culture in the
catalogues of the seedsmen, and some
thing in nearly all of the farm papers
on horticulture. But the best help in
gardening, whether for the home or
market, is the weekly paper, american
Gardening 1t has sixteen pages, is
finely illustrated, and costs only 81 a
year, or less if you take some of the
farm papers which club with it, as sew
eral do. The address is American
Gardening, P. o. Box 697, New York
City. Send Tor sample number and
see if you do not think it would pay
you well to have the reading of such a
paper.
The average farmer in these days,
hereabouts at least, is man who does
not have much money to handle, and
when he does get dollar, be finds a
dozen ways of using it.. But it does not
cost much to make farm home beau
tiful with flowers, and to have beau
tiful home lessons the hard grind of the
life of the average farmer. There is
plenty of manure to put on the vegeta-
BILE garden, little fertilizer can be
spared for the flowers, and the seeds
do not cost much. Have some morn
ing glories or other climbers for piazza
posts and other suitable places. Have
the spot near the house where the
kitchen door opens, beautiful with
Towering plants. The soap suds can
perhaps be utilized to make fertility for
flowers and vegetables. Get the child
rem interested in gardening. Perhaps
they may find an outlet for some OF
their products in the village or among
the summer visitors from the cities
In 80 doing they will learn to grow
crops and to do business, also will find
out something of the cost of money
So you see the garden may be of great
use in farm home.
HOw's This?