Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-02

, except the broad-leaved sorts. such Is
the rhododendrons. which love it.
With these few common-sense restric-
tions the home sprinkling artist can
turn on the hose full force, and sprinkle
as long as his energy and enthusiasm
hold out. Men, for all their bluster,
are not the best at this game.
It takes q woman's patience to
wrestle with the kinks Of hose, to
get the affair hitched up, and properly
held In gear with washers, and shut
OF again.
It takes such patience, we say, after
the fresh enthusiasm of the new season
has worn of, which 1t does with many
In remarkably quick order, unfor-
tunately.
Even children. who delight in water
ing concrete pavements, will WELD the
hose with gusto for the first few
sprinklings Of Springtime.
1t takes o veteran to keep 1t up.
\ X \
There will always be o sharp d.
vision Of opinion, we suppose, between
the advocates of sprinklers and the
adherents Of the nozzle.
The nozzle has the advantage, some
think, Of being susceptible Of various
and divers twists and turns, thus giving
the wielder the benefit Of variety,
WncEcdS Tic duCOLndtlC opEulk1cE, OIiCe
placed on the lawn, can do nothing
but go ahead. usually putting too
much water where it is not wanted,
and too little where 1t is.
The rapid change feature Of the
nozzle gives every gardener @ chance
to display his acumen. And as all the
average gardener wants Is the chance
to fiaunt his acumen, even more than
his plants. 1t can be realized that the
hose nozzle has several big advantages
What would the average home owner
do. for instance, II he could not feel
that in changing the force Of the water
now and then, he were directly benefit
ing certain flowers, and saving their
fragile petals from watery destruction?
Thus we get at the true secret charm
in sprinkling the lawn-it keeps the
gardener busy at q pleasant task. saving
him from doing the unpleasant tasks.
such as wedding, which he knows he
ought to do.
Often one will catch on the face Of
the confirmed garden sprinkler the same
dissatisfied smirk which so often
adorns the lineaments Of the automo-
bilists.
Hand busy on the wheel, eyes busy
| watching the road, mind busy co-ordi-
mating these two, even feet on instru-
ments, the motorist represents that en-
bodiment Of human felicity. the man
fully at work.
When this work Is Of such q nature
that 1t requires no particular physical
exertion, then man has reached the
peak Of his felicity, which is complete
occupation with something or other.
Sometimes 1t does not seem to make
much difference with human beings
what they are doing, just so they are
doing something.
One reads, one plays tennis, another
spins. another motors, another goes
into the air, and all are happy, because
each Is active.
In this list Of activities that CT the
garden sprinkler must be included.
Trivial. in the face of statecraft, per-
haps, 1t is vital to the flowers and grass,
completely pleasing to the man at the
nozzle.
We have never seen q person over
the age Of discretion at the nozzle OF
a garden hose without his face wear
ing that appearance of complete occu-
patton which marks him no less than
the man at the wheel.
Let each man sprinkle, then, who
can but, with all our sprinkling, let us
remember that Natures children can
be overfed with water as well as with
food and that the highest pitch OF the
sprinkling art comes In knowing when
not to sprinkle.