The Springfield herald., 1913-05-30
BACK YARD FARMER
Interesting Pointers on Garden
ing for the City Man or
Suburbanite.
WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN
Advice BY an Expert on Agricultural
Mattsrs-0sautIfyino the Fsness-
The Tswn cow-Hsdpes on
Small Lots.
BY PROF. JOHN WILLARD soLTE

by fHOt. JOnN VILLAIN oSe e
The time once was when no home
was complete without its surrounding
fence. or possibly hedge. The fence
idea is an inheritance from the an
cient days when each mans house was
his fort and his fence was likely to be
a threefoot stone wall. 20 feet high.
Times changed. and the battlement.
ed walls were no longer needed. grad
ually giving way to more decorative
and less expensive barriers. They
were just as necessary as during the
feudal times. however, because with
peace came Increasing crops and In
creasing cattle to molest them. The
cattle ran at will and were just a.
fond Of trespassing In . vegetable lot
as they now are.
For this reason every home was
fenced in, and the custom still pre-
walls universally in England and some
parts Of the continent. 1t is hardly
respectable not to be fenced in there.
This custom came to America, with
the first settlers, the Virginia colon
lists using white picket fences largely.
and the Puritans developing that most
charming of all fences, the New Eng
land stone wall.
Westward they moved. taking their
fences with them. Stone walls changed
to rails and pickets to upended stumps.
until the timberless. stoneless plains
were reached. Here fences were
needed most Of all because this was an
ideal cattle country and increasing
numbers forbade their roaming at will.
1t naturally was an American who In
vented the bafbed wire and woven
fencing. and today there are more
miles of fence In America than In all
the rest of the world combined.
OF late years we have begun to
awaken to the fact that there are ad-
vantages In not fencing in private
yards that are free from Objectionable
neighbors. We do not need fences to
protect our front lawns from cattle
in our cities and suburbs. and their
only value ID . sentimental one. By
removing the front yard fences from a
block of suburban residences. we Sc
cure the effect of street twice as
wide and much more spacious grounds
about each house.
II q front fence is desired. let It be
in keeping with the character Of the
house and grounds. While tall, or
namental iron fence il the ideal type
for a formal city mansion. it is decid-
edly out Of place in suburban set
ting. Nothing il prettier than a white
picket fence for colonial dwelling.
and q cut stone wall ID very attract
i've for large estates.
Fences for the city and country
yards are still very popular. and
properly SO. 1t is in the back yard
that the garden grows. the children
play and the clothes hang out to dry.
Here is the waste paper barrel. the
garbage can, the ash pile and the
chicken yard. Let Us have a little
privacy, place where we do not have
to be presentable. Let US put high
board fence or hedge or some other
screen around the back yard. and do
Just as we please out there.
We can plant vines and fruit trees
against the fence and hide 1t. beside
making 1t bear tribute. A si1-foot
board fence will serve the purpose. or
lower one with q clump of high
shrubs before 1t. Cement walls may
be made as thin ~ three inches and
as high as eight feet. II a more per
manent fence Is desired.