Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-01-31

in meats and bounds a backyard,
and convenient birch tree, is neces-
sary. Shooting chickens and cleaning
up badly .. X. ed porch floor puts
woman's patience to severe test.
Conditions on many farms remind
me of the old Missourian, who had
looked over Iowa and reported, "A
fairly good kind of country, but will
always be hell ON bosses and women. J"
Well some of us are rather hard
masters on both. 1t might be we'll
enough to give women a more free
hand ON the farm, but let us draw
the line on her management of the
horse We have frequently met her
driving on the road. We now in
variably seek safety in fence corner
until she gets by.
But let us look to the front yard
and its possibilities. If it is only a
little patch of we'll kepG blue grass it
will suggest putting up a porch,
painting the house or some other
embellishments, just to make things
correspond. 1t is wonderful how
boys and girls forage around for pretty
things when they know they have a
nice secure place to plant them, and
then their efforts and arguments on
the art of lan3scapeing would discount
regularly ordained horticulturist.
But then the shrubs, peonies and
flower beds don't care; with good soil
and sunlight they will reward crude
and scientific efforts alike.
And now, just whisper to older
folks who have grown up boys and
girls; to you, 1 can heartily recommend
the pretty front lawn. Just brush up
with nice things. Set good hitching
post. Keep the kids in the background
and trust to luck. The hammock
used to be winner. and when the
wait is long and lonesome the girl is
apt to sleep and snore. 1t is now
consigned to the back porch for afte r
noon seistas.
The farmer and his family as rule
are the happiest people in the world.
They eat and digest well, sleep sound
and work hard. Their amusements
are without safety, energetic and whole
souled. But the chap known as
farmer corn tasselp' may be very
nice young fellow just home from
Ames or some other stuffing institu-
tion, in disposing of his load generally
drives around through the hack streets,
and while mas negotiating for
potatoes, cabbage, turnips and when
with all for Thanksgiving pumpkin
pies and things, he may be winking at
the girls, setting unsophisticated
hearts a-futter and drawing out
EXPLANATIONS of ooh, how do dearly
love the country out on the farm. !"
He sees lots of things, notwithstanding
he ''aint got gun, Sights that do
not compare favorably with his back
yard or barn yarn with their grunting
pigs aud cackling hens. The darkey
fruit vender aptly describes the
situation =" Sambo, why is it that all
your nice berries are on top of the
box and the little. nasty nubbins all
in the bottom?" Touching his hat re-
spectfully, Well, Missus, its about
dis way, all your fine rosey posies is
in de front yard and de tin cans, ash
piles and de slop barrels behind de
house where dey can't be SEEM"
An Iowa blizzard is bad at all times
ard then to see woman on wash day
Gas mad as usual hanging out cloths,
logged out in an old felt hat, husk-
ing jacket and mouthful of clothes
pins, nothing between her and Dawson
City, but corn stalks and wire
fences. An hour later enters big,
hungry lump of coarser humanity,
grabs her in his arms with a bear like
hug that would crush the ribs in on
anything not accustomed to tight
lacing, aud the dear little wife, ("
as he calls her, with her cup of bliss
overfowing, forgets to mention the
dreary and desolate condition of the
back yard. But if that fellow
is sitting in the audience here, she
won't need to say word. mhe clean
ing up will begin with the arrival of
the bluebirds: the hedge planned
the snowballs, Van Houti Spirea,
Hydrangeas, Lilacs and few cunning