The Wilmington morning star., 1940-02-05
RURAL FAMILIES
IMPROVE GROUNDS
Home Identification Reaches
New Peak In Interest
And Accomplishment

Home grounds identification
reached a new peak in interest and
accomplishment during the past
year, with at least 39,777 farm
families making some sort of i'm
provement in their lawns, walks and
drives, and foundation paintings.
These are cold figures collected by
John H. Harris, landscape special
list Of State college or the results
of his extension program in 1889.
They show progress, in that So,l2o
farm families reported home
grounds Identification in 1898, the
first year the project was officially
included in the extension program.
"But in listing the concrete &C.
complishments in home beautlflca'
tion," Harris said, "only one side OF
the story is told. If n could look
deeper and note the constructive
changes that have taken place with
in the individual, they would be
just as striking as the changes in
his home grounds.
There may be some argument as
to the dividends paid in cash for
work done on the home grounds,
but there can never be any argu-
ment as to dividends paid in con-
tentment, happiness, i~nner-satisfac-
ton, and as a means of migrating
ones personality"
Has Been Busy
That the landscape specialist has
been busy during the past year is
indicated by his statistical report,
which shows that he drew 447
sketches for the improvement of
home grounds, and visited 1852 farms
in North Carolina, either making
plans or giving suggestions. He
conducted 120 leaders trai nj n g
school and group meetings with a
total attendance of 1888 persons.
Using colored slides to illustrate
his advice, Harris stresses the fun
damentals of home grounds beauti-
fication - seeding lawns, care of
shrubs, flowers, and trees: UNDER
pinning houses; foundation pant
ings, proper arrangement of walks
and drives.
Guilford county is one of the
most progressive in the state in this
work. Harris tells of t transfer.
house, remodeled from a two.room
schoolhouse, into a place of beauty
by Mrs. Charles T. Lambeth of
that county. With the aid of her
two small children and available
labor on the farm, she cut down a
large black gum tree, its trunk
filled with nails and in many places
devoid Of bark; built a rock wall
and made a border planting of
flowers in a front yard badly
washed and barren of grass; seeded
a fine lawn; relocated the drive.
way; beau.ified the garage and out
building, and made many other
improvements, all at a cost of S17.0S
in cash.
In Richmond county outstanding
home grounds Identification work
was done by Mrs. j. P. Chopin of
Rockingham, route 4; Mrs. Sadie
Lowery and Mrs. Cole Nichols, both
of Rockingham, route l; Mrs. D. N.
Currie, of Mt. Gilead, route 1; Mrs.
A. H. Mccall of Ellerbe, route l;
Mrs. Ralph Covington of Rocking
ham, route g; and Mrs. Will Pear.
son of Ellerbe.
In Edgecombe county much prog
ress has been made on a COM
munity basis, including the pur-
chase of $4,000 fall and spring
bulbs in a cooperative order at a
saving of s120 to the club women.
In her statistical report, the home
demonstration agent in Edgecombe
says 107 farm ONE made founda.
ton paintings for the first time in
1893, while CT planted and cared for
a lawn, Sc planted trees, 80 laid out
walks, and 26 built new drives.
In outlining goals for 1910, Har-
ris said he hopes to train 1900
adult local leaders to carry OH the
work in the counties with the help
of the county agents. He also ex.
poets to have time to draw Clans
for at Jeact am bnr. o- ,,L,;.