The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-25
THE JOY OF A GARDEN.



w. B. Thornton in Golfers Weekly
1t happened that need of a drayman led
me one warm June evening of last year
to the home of a Jehu, whom 1 had often
seen around the wharves. He was burly
fellow, a big muscular Scot, strong of
feature and rough of manner. / found
modest frame dwelling with a tiny plot of
green in front-one could hardly call it a
lawn. On one side of the door a crimson
rambler, carefully trained to the second
story, frightened the whole dingy street
with its dash of vivid color. And the sweet
breath of honeysuckle climbing up the
other side mingled with the fragrance of a
window box of mignonette
''Yir IL be findin' him WI the fiooers.
I'm thinkin'," said Mrs. Macpherson, as
she led me through the house.
Rarely have 1 encountered so delightful
surprise as afforded me with the
first glimpse of that diminutive backyard.
Every square inch of that little fenced-in
surface was under cultivation. On one side
fresh, crisp, green heads of lettuce, rad
ishes, beets, tomatoes and cucumbers were
growing thriftily. On the other, bright
faced flower folk nodded greeting. On
his knees. transplanting pansies and hum
ming to himself softly the while, was Mac
Pherson. 1t seemed incredible that his
handle the tender seedlings. But the touch
OF love was there, and the look of il was
in his face as he turned TO greet me with:
green things growin?"
Thus l came TO know Macpherson, the
gardener the other man who was, yet was
not, MACPHERSON the drayman.
What were life without the green things
indeedi L always filled with pity for
the man who cannot understand the love of
garden and who sees no sense in putter-
ing over plants. Pity him, for he is not of
the brotherhood and is but ignorant. 1t is
safe to say that he never has had a garden.
Every one should have a garden-that is,
every home should contain plant life, es-
pecially in the summer months if no more
than window box filled with nasturtiums.
A house without flowers is like house
without understanding of the best of
| life is missing. Flowers in the home, par
| ticularly growing flowers, exert a wonderful
influence in the household. They possess
an indefinable quality which touches the
hardest nature. Their presence changes the
| whole aspect of a room. So L say that
| every home should have garden.
Apart from the pleasure which the flow
| erS give In themselves, their beauty and
| fragrance, there is an even greater delight
! for those who watch them grow, who work
| over them and nurse them and lend such
/ aid as may be to good Dame Nature. This
| Is as true of the vegetable as of the posy
| beds. Who has never prepared seed bed
| and then watched the tiny green plants
pushing up through the brown soil, wonder
ing which are weeds and which the sprout-
/ ing seeds, has missed something of life. In
most of us is an inherent desire to get close
TO mother earth once in a while. A garden
| affords the opportunity.
| Granting that certain amount of labor is
| involved In the care of a garden, ii is labor
| with both immediate and future compensa-
| ton Its immediate returns are threefold-
| recreation, health and mental stimulus by
/ contact with elemental forces. Its future
| gains are-the harvest.
| The true recreation is, after all. but a
| change of occupation, not a surcease from
| all activity. And what more complete OF
| delightful a change than throwing aside the
| cares, the worries and perplexing problems
| or the days routine, TO get down close to
| things growing. All, there in truth is rec
| reation! tiny tender bit of plant life
| pushes up through the brown mould, anC
| 10! even as we watch il from day to day
| a type of life is recreated. And ministerins
| to its needs, something of its own tranquil
| persistent uplifting enters the tired brain
the troubles b vanish and the peace of the
| breath of the pure blessed out-of-door all
| is doing its splendid work of repair and
building up of wasted tissues. Verify, here
| is recreation. So again / say everyone
| should have a garden
And for you who have no place for senti
| ment, / also say, Have a garden" Why
| Let me serve you up this cool, fresh Girls,
| wilted, leathery travesty on freshness from
the market. This is my answer. You have no
eaten radishes who have not pulled then
| from hotbed or window-box or from tn
| open garden, and, washed and shinin,
! brightly, had them served on your tabl
within the five minutes. So TO you practi
cal folks say, because you can have bette
| vegetables, because you can have NOR
vegetables, because your vegetables will
cost you less, because you are practical am
hard-headed, by all means have garden.
No flower lover will ask me why. TIL
humblest home is made beautiful by tn
presence of flowers, and where they are I
be found something of the brightness of lif
cannot fail to enter in.
Who has not grown flowers knows then
not, and who knows them not cannot 4
truth love them
| So everyone should have a garden, for Il
one form another IL is within the mean
of all. Plan IL now. Experience the dc
light of porting over the catalogues. of send
ing for things your neighbors haven't got
of getting the first greetings of the sprn
in the delicate green of the window boxes