Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-04-18
BEAUTY IN THE YARD
How Back Premises May Be I'M
proved at Small Expense.
FEW SEEDS WORK WONDERS
UnsightIy Barns and Sheds May Easily
Be Covered With Morning GIories.
Some Advice Regarding the Best
Flowers to PIant-children Can Help.

There is a progressive little town in
Indiana that has been greatly i'm
proved during the past three years by
the work of it's woman's improvement
association. Each week this society
holds a meeting at some members res
idence, and plans are discussed for the
betterment of the town. Just now
there is a crusade against back yards
that are not properly cared for, and
this is a matter that every society
working for town Improvement should
take up. At Il meeting of the Indiana
association recently a speaker offered
some suggestions for the improvement
Of back yards that should be of value
to other communities. She said:
$50 far we have accomplished Won
ders, but we must make our citizens
realize more fully that they must all
bear a hand in the work of town bet
torment, especially giving more atten-
ton to home adornment. 1t is an easy
matter to b%eautify a street if all the
residents would take a little interest in
the work. In many places shrubs and
vines may be placed in courtyards;
bare walls may be covered with creep
ing vines, flowers and foliage; plants in
boxes and pots may be set on p~iazzas,
stoops and window stills.
"While most Of the front yards in
this town are we'll cared for since our
agitation of the matter last year, the
back yards are a disgrace, no care
| whatever being given them. If we
wish to impress visitors with the fact
that there is no better or cleaner town
to locate in than ours. then we want
to wake up and insist that the citizens
bear a hand in this matter. Most back
| yards are used as a convenient place
for storing refuse. The owners simply
ignore them. It's queer that so many
can't or won't realize that the back
yards can be made very pleasant spots.
With just a little adornment one
could be made q mighty comfortable
place for the family to spend it's even
ings, and think how it would improve
the appearance of the town!
Gwen a small back yard can be
beautifed at small expense and trou-
BILE, and if you can interest the chill
dren in this healthful work they will
accomplish wonders after a good start
is made. If there is an old barn or
shed that is an eyesore, it a be made
prepossessing by vines. Morning glo-
ries grow thick and fast, and If these
are planted beside the barn they will
eventually envelop it and hide it's IN
s%ightliness.
Gin identifying the back yard you
can't pay too much attention to the
proper preparation of the soil. Dig
the garden deeply and break all the
large Jumps. If the ground is sandy
of otherwise poor, put in a good coat
Of we'll rotted n and make the
surface smooth and A garden
should not be attempted with the idea
of planting the ordinary ANIMALS if the
yard is much shaded by adjoining
buildings and trees. But many plants
are fit for shady places. For instance,
in the border SOW asters, nasturtiums,
petunias, mignonettes, candytuft, zin-
MAS, coreopsis, gaillardias, sweet peas.
eff your space permits, introduce a
few of the following, scattered along
in clumps of six or more-blue lark
spur, peonies. phloS. German iris,
columbine, ageratums, geraniums, yer.
benas, heliotrope. dahlias, gladioluses
and cannas.
"The solomon seal, canterbury bells,
may apple, spiderwort, bleeding heart,
violets and columbines are among the
best wild flowers. Then the ferns may
be relied upon as good shade loving
plants. Native maidenhair does well
in thoroughly drained places. And
there are cultivated flowers that like
best the places where they are protect.
ed from the suns rays. Forgetmenots
little lobelias Compact bushes six
inches high and the improved varie,
ties of the cardinal flower, the Queen
Victoria. are among them. Be sure
to have the shady places we'll drained
and have plenty of light, rich SOIL"