The Florida agriculturist., 1906-03-28
Making Country Homes Attractive.

llcle WHICH we Hllu Ill tne SoutHerH
Planter. There are too many homes
where the surroundings are not
what they should be. \ little time and
trouble will make great difference
i'm the looks Of a home. Home ought
to be the most pleasant place in the
world to the children, a place that they
are sorry to leave and glad of any ex-
cuse for returning.
While sitting around the fireside
these long winter evenings. we farm
ers have much time for thought and
reflection. And as | sit thus musing,
my thoughts turn to that all import
ant subject to the farmer, how to
keep the young people on the farm
and make them satisfied with their
surroundings. SO | have jOtted down
Il few of my thoughts. hoping that
they may strike the key note of the
situation and may stimulate some
brother farmer to greater efforts in
this direction.
1t is Il lamentable fact that our boys
from the country crowd to the large
cities in search of employment, at
wages that hardly pay their expenses.
rather than stay on the farm
There must be a cause for this: do
we. as fathers and farmers. do all we
can to remedy this state of things?
Did you ever take a drive into the
country. in any state you may name
in this grand country of ours, and
stop at the house for drink of water?
You could not see the house till you
got quite to it, on account of the
weeds and briarS i'm the yards and
fence corners: and as you walked to
the house. you had to wade through
an immense chip yard, in imminent
danger of getting enough fleas to
keep you busy for a week to come
You notice several panes of glass out
of the windows (fOr ventilation. of
cOurse), and as you step to the door
to knock. you are i'm danger of falling
through the porch floor where there is
a board rOtted away.
1t is just dinner time, and as all
country people are hOspitable. you are
invited to sit down and eat. You ac-
cept While it is midsummer and
orchards are loaded with fruit and
the gardens are full of good things.
you did not have any at the meal,
which is composed of salt meat, bread.
and probably potatoes, and some wild
fruit the children have gathered i'm
the woods.
AS you pass into the front room
you notice two notices. given to these
people when they were married by
some kind old aunt who had more
time than money, and entertained
fond hopes that this home would be
a model one. One of these notices
reads "Home. Sweet HOme,' and the
other one is, "GOd Bless Our Home"
Could He bless such a home without
performing a miracle?
Some one says. But. you have over
drawn the average country home"
am glad to say | have, although I
have been in just such homes.
Are we doing all in our power to
make our homes attractive. and to in
terest our children in their rural
homes? If not. let us begin now to
do so. A man does not have to be
rich to have a beautiful home. Clean
up the fence corners and yards Paint
the house. inside and out. Let the
boys try their hand at it; they cam
not learn younger. Fix the girls
some flower beds; interest them i'm
the chickens and bees. What boy
does not hail with delight any i'm
prOvement in the live stock of the
farm. whether it be horse or a new
cow or pig. or even some thoroughbred