River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-04-06
FLOWERS ON THE FARM.
A Suggestion for Beautifying the
Grounds About the Farm House
in Summer.

While the raising of flowers is not re-
garded as branch OF agriculture, 1t IS
somehow inseparable from it. and to a
limited extent always finds place on any
farm. while it can easily be made one
of the delights of country life. From
my earliest recollection ! always had
passion for flowers, and am now able
to testify to the very material enlarge
ment OF my world by the culture and
study of them. such as | could not pos
sibly have obtained in any other way.
But the farmer is usually.so overworked
in the growing season that he mas, or
imagines he finds, little or no time Ior
anything that he looks on as a mere
establishment, and SO misses one OF tne
pleasures that he is surely entitled TO,
if anyone is.
1t is not, after all, so much the ques-
ton of time as of taste that determines
the matter, for there are host OF the bet
ter flowers that will fairly take care or
themselves when once established.
could name probably hundred species,
most of them well known and all deslr-
able, that need no more care than gooo
mulch OF coarse manure once year W
keep down the grass, and possibly
fringe of wire screening set about them
to keep fowls from disturbing it. OF
course do not mean roses or other flow
ering plants that are subject to insect
ravages, though some of them will -four
ish in spite of their enemies with III
tie help
Then we have so many attractive flow
ering shrubs and trees that 1t seems
too bad to find so many farm houses
standing out bleak and bare to the
weather, constant invitation to the
younger portion of the family or the
community to depart for more congenlai
chimes.
I am going to mention first the late
success have had with tuberous-rooted
begonias, which were said to be going
to drive out the geranlum Wnen Iney
first came out but which proved TOO
delicate and exacting quite to do that.
The plan that works with me is simple
enough, and it produces a flower that
is beyond all others in the elegance OF
a bloom that will be just as rampant IN
October as in May, ii a little care is
taken to shield them from the early
frosts. If early blooming is thought
worth a special effort, start the bulbs
indoors in March. They will transplant
readily at any time, even in full flower,
as they have very little root. A rich
soil and plenty of water will carry them
through the summer, glory to all eyes.
If one should desire to save few at the
last. they transplant into box perfect
ly. and will bloom some time indoors.
Then take all to some dry place. sale
from freezing, soil and all, and let them
stand till spring, those not treated as
winter boomers being taken up with
some soil and left in it. The begonia
has no insect enemies.
The dahlia is still mostly failure
with us. not in late years being vigorous
enough, with an occasional exception,
to blossom in warm weather. My col
lection stood still all summer after get
ting a fair growth early, and produced
it's first flowers in October, says New
York correspondent of Country Gentle
man. MY site Is not of the best, but find
professional florists quite often without
flowers in quantity The development"
of this desirable flower has weakened it
very much, as it has some Of our vege-
tables also.
Of late we are getting to the introduce
ton of tall woody plants tGat produce
yellow flowers in the early fall, the
Golden Glow Rudbeckia leading the
host. For the most part they take up
very little room, and they need but lit
tie care, unless it be to tie them up
against bad winds and rain storms.
They are all quite closely related botan-
ically, and include the sunfower in the
group. 1t is hard to keep floral corner
attractive all the season, as it requires
a variety of spring bulbs to begin with,
early perennials next, ANIMALS and sum-
mer-fowering bulbs after that, and the
late tall, yellow-fiowering plants at the
end. The tuberous-rooted begonia goes
far toward solving the problem.