Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-01-31
A COMFORTABLE HOME ON THE FARM,
Papers Read Before the Recent Meeting
of the Winneshiek County Hor.
ticuItural Society.

The first consideration after the
house and barn should be an evergreen
grove extending around that portion
of the grounds most exposed. In fact
the buildings should be so located that
they can be made comfortable by a
valuable and beautiful protection for
family and stock. Look around you
and note the comforts and beauty en-
joyed by those who twenty years ago
were blessed with forethought
enough to establish such groves.
Through the fatiguing and oppressive
heat of summer months you will find
grandmother rocker out there. On
wash DAYS you will see the tubs
thereabouts. There is the children S
playhouse. The chickens run agape to
it. Old Towser takes up quarters
under it's grateful shade. 1t is dis
play and suggestive to the community
of thrift, peace, prosperity, comforts
and happiness. And, when cold,
bleak, icy gales of winter comes, it
lifts the discomforts and terror of the
storm from the earth and passes it
away above, while the home, in COM
parative quiet and security, listens to
its fierce and angry roar.
Bnt, then, there is lot of great,
big, warm hearted. honest callous-
listed, constitutional kickers, who will
say, ''Oh, give us rest % 1t takes
long time to grow such wind break
and life is too short to fool with it.
Well, yes, life is short and that is one
of the best reasons why we should
enjoy as many of its rational comforts
as we can while we "hustie along
awaiting the inevitable Plant the
wind break. Don't let time worry you,
only in so far that it is time the
grove was planted. There is probably
a kid in the baby jumper. 1t will
take long time for him to grow up
along with the grove, and then he
will need so much trimming, budding
and care, but lie will get there Well
grown-up boys and girls and groves
are valuable property and a wonderful
protection, and what makes their
value so priceless, they are product
of our love, toll and care; their pro-
lection, love and beauty will be of
value to us when wealth and fame are
of little interest
But, let us getsback to that grove
and see how it Should be planted. AS
a beginning, pillow strip about thirty
feet wide, the length and shade you
want the grove or wind-b break For
the inside row plant Scotch Pine or
White Pine, sixteen feet apart. Next
row ten feet distant, Norway Spruce
or White Spruce, and for the outside,
ten feet distant, plant Am. Arbor
Vitae or Red Cedar, having the trees
break spaces for each other. Enrich
well with Iotted manure and plant
potatoes or anything but small grain /;
tend it with the corn sulky until
trees are too big. then mulch from the
chat end OF the OLD straw pile, and
watch the trees make about two and a
half feet year. Be sure to call the
attention of the neighbors to the i'm
portant fact that good common sense
is the most valuable asset on we'll
regulated farm.
In the age of cheap wire fencing it
is not an expensive luxury TO enclose
a back and front yard. On about all
of Iowa's We'll regulated farms there
are from one to six young hopefuls,
and they together with their pets, such
as dogs, cats, rabbits. etc.. must be
considered and cared for as part of the
family, and, of course, monopolize
absolute possession Of the backyard
land about everything else in sight)
and in order Go keep this aggregation