The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-21
The Beauty and Value of a Garden

u'iNSi ms anu upnoldlnS all OInerS. -
Charles l. Flint.
The Beauty and Value of a Garden.
Gardening is an interesting subject to
many thousands of people, men and wo-
men, and everything of practical value
written on the subject is read with in
terest by the large majority of persons
who read at all. I know how it is my
self For thirty years I have been an
enthusiastic gardener and 1 read with as
much interest now articles upon garden
topics as l did twenty-five years ago. 1
found long ago that what Lord Bacon as
serted in regard to the garden was true.
He said: "A garden is the purest of hui
man pleasures; it is the greatest refresh
ment TO the spirit of man" The most
Jealous and enthusiastic gardeners in any
community will be found among the most
intelligent-the preachers, the doctors, the
lawyers, the editors, the educated and
refined women. AS the time approaches
for renewal of gardening work increas ed
interest is manifested in it by all who
have ever gardened before.
AS bleak winter passes away thoughts
turn to the garden The catalogues be-
gin to come. We begin a rough mapping
out of the work of the spring; consider
desirable changes to the mode one way
or another; changing the location perhaps
or increasing its area. All are anxious to
get at the work in earnest.
Such seeds as we have not saved at
home we check out to order from the
scotsman. who has pleased us heretofore.
An inventory of tools is made and new
additions made. The subject of manure
is considered. For the long winter even
ings the prospective garden is an inter
discussion. TO the intelligent gardener
there is much of genuine pleasure in the
anticipation of the new years work.
Between the trucker or large market
gardener who grows hundreds of acres
of vegetables and the small home or anna
| teur gardener whose garden comprises
less than an acre of ground there is
wide difference. The former considers
only the money-making features of the
work and there is little or no regard for
| appearances in any of 1t. The
| latter grows very nearly every
vegetable that is catalogued probably,
| and in such way usually as to give the
| garden a very artistic appearance later
when in full bloom, a garden in fact such
as our Lord Bacon had in mind when, re-
| ferring to its pleasure-giving capacities,
he asserted it to be the purest of human
| pleasures.
Our ideal garden is one of about an
| acre a larger portion of which allows of
| being prepared with the horse-plow with
most of the after work to be done with
| the hoes and garden pillow. Most OF the
walks, of which there should not be
many, should be of temporary char
acter, changing them somewhat from
year to year if needs be.
Whether the acre be square or obEong
! the plot for cabbage, potatoes. onions,
sweet corn, beans, etc. should extend
! Gear across the acre, so that these can
be cultivated with the hOrse-plow If so
| desired. A part of the garden may be
laid off into small beds for the celery
strawberries, elephants, pepper herbs and
the like, the cultivation of which can be
done perfectly with hand implements
! These beds are well broken up with horse
! implements at the beginning of the year.
! subsoiling If necessary and relaid off to
suit the needs of the case each year.
! Where it is designed to border the
several beds useful plants like parsley
| spinach, strawberries or barley may be
| used. Something more ornamental may
be had in some of the many beautiful an
nual flowers, thus combining the beauti-
full with the practical, which will in
| crease the pleasure of the women and
! children. The merely practical indvid-
ual who places money value upon every
stroke made in the garden will not be
| expected 10 concern himself with consid-
| erations of mere ornament or beauty, but
! there are many, very many, who do not
regard these considerations of beauty as
| unworthy of esteem.
A garden as it appears or should APP
! pear in full bloom, in May, June or July,
| as latitude may govern, is along with
! all It's practical utility a thing of great
! pleasure and usefulness and to the aver
! age family of the country is worth sew
! eral hundreds of dollars. A large, well
! arranged, we'll cultivated garden should
be an important feature of every home,
| the rural home in particular.
! It's intrinsic value should aggregate as
much as ten acres of the staple crop of
any locality.