The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-20
MY GRANDMOrHER's GARDEN
40 ~ az EHzEzcEI

The following paper was read last
Saturday at the meeting of the Farm
ers Club, by Mrs. Irwin Kelsey.
This subject was chosen with
view to describing type-a type
that has passed-lbut with which
many of us were familiar in our
childhood.
Have you ever thought what a
wonderful thing it is to be able to
step from the present back through
all the intervening years to some
particular part of our past as easily
as stepping from one room into an
other?
/ 1t is a wonderful privilege and
shall ask you to avail yourselves of
1t this afternoon and to step back
and walk with me in my grandmoth-
ers garden.
We shall enter through the gate
nearest the house. The garden is. as
you see, large square plot of
ground enclosed by a neat paling
fence. Running parallel with the
four sides of the fence at distance
of about three feet from it is path.
The space between the path and the
fence being used for herbs, hardy
shrubs and bushes. and bordered
with flowers. The first is thyme, and
this-it is sage. Every we'll regulat-
ed garden had it's bed of sage. 1t was
not only useful incidentally but at
butchering time was used in the
making of sausage. And there is
pennyroyal. peppermint, catnip and
garlic. We turn with the path and
note the space along this division of
the fence contains gooseberry and
currant bushes and is flower-bor-
dered as the other. Here, near where
we make our second turn with the
path is the gate leading into the
barnyard, but as our visit does not
include that part Of the farm we
will not open the gate. AS you walk
along you note the interior space is
divided by two intersecting paths in
to four large beds. In these beds are
grown vegetables for table use.
EARLY in the spring there were
onions, radishes and lettuce, fol-
lowed later by peas, beans, tomatoes,
carrots and parsnlps. These cross
paths are bordered with May pinks.
1t has been many long day since we
have seen May pink with its de-
llightful spicy odor. AS we can look
over this center space from where
we stand, we will not leave the outer
path but will continue along 1t. We
, make the second turn and here in
the corner is an asparagus bed, and
next long row of rhubarb. We make
the third turn with the path which
brings us to the last bed along the
fence and here, nearest the fence are
raspberry bushes and a hop vine. The
latter growing over a frame work
built for it and reaching few feet
: higher than the fence, and here, too
: are the flowers. From early spring
: with the tupils which were glory
of color on through the spring and
summer flower time till after frosl
in the fall for the chrysanthemums
defied the lighter frosts then as now
These were not the large featherS
chrysanthemums seen nowadays a.
the chrysanthemum shows. but ths
old-fashioned variety with their lit
: tie button like blossoms, but thes
were quite as hardy and fully a.
! vile smelling as are their descend
! ants of crysanthemum show fame
4 There is no waste space in this gar
l den. the dominant characteristics o
which are cleanliness and orderlines
!. and as Cleanliness is next to God
J liness'' and "order is heavens hrs
law" you can form a good concep
: ton of the garden.
. we have now reached the gat
n through which we entered, the wood
1 en- latch of which we lift and pas
out as quietly as she who loved an
q tended the garden long since passe
> out.