The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1906-01-18
THE REAL COUNTRY.
A Pretty Old Time Picture.

lv settled realm of forest and mountain.
1 refer to those quiet, substantial, we'll
ordered elghborhoods where the real
farmers live, where there are old, un-
pretentious houses and big, well-flled
barns, rich meadows and long establish
ed pastures, fields of corn and wheat
and clover, venerable orchards and
quaint, old-time gardens, where the
COWS are still driven down the lane in
the evening and the grass along the
roadside fences is deep and scft with
the growth of many years.
Here one will find the men an6
women who love the soil and appre.
cate Its possibilities, who have a fond
ness born OF long association for the
homo and all its surroundings. They
may haye played when children in and
under the big apple trees about the
houee, gathering the golden fruit or
listening to the bees overhead in the
blossoms. The holly yhocks and flags
have grown in the same places for no
one knows how many years. Each
held has its wealth OF memories and
association and hill and stream and
wood and have become friends as well!
as possessions.
Are these people provincial, then.
and narrow? Not necessarily. o.
ten they are educated, refined with
worldwide sympath!es and instincts
While they have a fond regard fcl
old-times and old methods, they may
be thoroughly up-tC-date ; and many
pitying critics might be more puzzled
than enlightened by their easy talk
about such things as phosphate com
pounds and soil incubation.
A farmer is not necessarily a man
whose mind is allowed to stagnate or
who has no interests outside OF big
corn crops and tat cattle.
II he il coed farmer bis cattlf
will, of course, be fat, and he vii
take personal interest in each one
of them. He will likely have horses,
too, that know almost as much abOuF
blowing as he does. There may be
one fat, lazy, gentle, Independent, who
has served too long ard we'll to be
made to do any more hard work and
who lets the children ride and driye
and whip and pet her without being
at all disturbed by their notions and
caprices. Pigs ard sheep also know
the master and respond to his call ;and
the mistress of the household will
have her own pets in flock OF
soclable chickens which take great de
light in staying on the kitchen porch
or getting into the garden.
This garden is the most fertile spot
on the farm and is yearly mado richer,
tor has not every farmer just pride in
raising the earliest or the biggest vege.
tables? There may be a walk through
the garden, and If there is there are
sure to be beds OF phICX and sweet
williams, pansies and sweet, old-fasb-
ioned pnks. AS for the larkspur and
marigolds, they have run wild and
grow everywhere. Other flowers, too,
grow in the garden, and gooseberries
and currants and sage and thyme and
lavender and dozen other herbs,
A big grapevine likely clings about tt e
smokehouse or over the kitchen,
though there may be instead honey
snckle or Baltimore belle" OF
course, there are roses In the yard and
lilies and lllacs.
The man of the house gives these
scant attention. They are not his
work ; and he may even pretend to
care little for them. But that Is only
pretense he has known them so long
he could not help loving them even il
he would. As tor you and me, we Will
make no pretense of not loving them
and when we get a glimpse or a scent
of one of these fragrant old gardens we
will make the most OF 1t. Yes, and OF
all the country round. For they do
not know the country who have not
been In one of these long settled, rich
valIeyed, rural communities when the
apple trees bloom in the spring, when
the smoke from these scattered chin
neys rises in the soft air OF the summer
evenings, when the woods and lanes
and fence-rows glow with the purple
and yellow and red of autumn, ard
even in the winter when all the fields
are white and silent and the activity
of the farm centers around the big
cheerful, health-giving fireplace.
Such neighborhoods are by no mes ms
so numerous as they should be; but
still they may be found by all who are
willing to look for them, and once
found Will likely pay for the search.
E. E. MILLER,
Hamblen Co, Tenn.