Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1916 — Page 3

Spreading the Gospel of Farm Beauty

by Wilhelm Miller

University of Illi- * nois is telling Rural People why trees and flowers and fine views add value .to property.

OBODY can afford to have bare and I ugly home grounds. It Is bad bus!ness. Of course we do not commonly take a business view of our homes; we think of home in terms of sentil ment. For we all want the best there is in life, and we know we can raise better children If they have beautiful surroundings. But, grunting that we all have the jgsr' > best sentiment in the world, we can- -* not escape the business side. For instance, we all have to consider the cost of making a lawn, of fertilizing and planting* Now, there are two ways of handling these practical matters, one of which gives little or no profit while the other gives very great profits. Of course you do not expect to make money out of your home—you expect to live- in it —but the day will come when you or your children will wish to sell part or all of your property. And the buyer will look at everything you have done from the cold, unsympathetic viewpoint of hard-cash' value. The man of wealth who indulges every personal whim, and makes an eccentric place, will lose a lot of money. On the other hand, if you leave your place bare, it may be absolutely unsalable when the time of need comes, or you will get less than it is worth. But, if your farm is sensibly planted, you can get a bigger profit for the money you put into trees and shrubs than for the same money spent on house, barn,-or hogs. Then, old trees, that cost you nothing to plant, may bring you a millionafre buyer. Ten dollars spent on shrubs and vines planted against the foundation of your house may add SIOO to its cash selling value. ... If you spend $lO In the ordinary way of "beautifying the farm" you will get back not one single cent. If you spend It in tba’llli-

ncis way,” you cannot heir- Increasing the cash value or salability of your farm, because permanent trees are worth, for beauty alone, |1 a square Inch in cross section of their trunk three feet above the ground, and they increase in value every year. — The common way of planting is to scatter flower beds over a lawn. It aims to make the biggest show for the money and get immediate results. That is why beginners make fancy beds of complicated design and fllj them with flowers which give great masses of strik'ng color for

three months or more. But next winter,those beds are vacant and ugly, and next spring the same work must be done, and every year there is a fresh outlay of money for the same thing. Soon the constant repetition of the work gets monotonous, and next we realize that the effect is gaudy, for our standards are constantly rising, and what we admired five years ago now seem In bad taste. / It dawns on us that any beginner can put flower beds in the middle of the lawn, and that every beginner will try to make each dollar stand up on edge where everyone can see it. Thus, we come to hate show, and to care more for privacy, permanence, dignity, peace, restfulness, outdoor living, winter comfort, views, a playground for the children, old tree, cut-flowers In the house all the time, and low cost of maintenance. Why lose money by planting now what you will tear out five yeprs hence, when you know better? Why not anticipate the growth of your own and everybody’s good taste, so that you will waste no precious years, and your place will grow lovelier and more valuable every year? The right way is to use permanent plants, instead of temporary ones; and to place them where they will meet every practical need of the family, instead of scattering them for shew. And the “Illinois way” is to meet all the outdoor needs of the family by having 90 per cent of the planting composed-of trees and shrubs that grow wild in Illinois. Why Illinois trees? Because they are hardy, and therefore economical to maintain. We do not have to test their hardiness, since nature has adapted them to our conditions by experiments covering tens of thousands of years. Moreover, we want Illinois to look different from all the rest of the world, and 'o have a noble character of its own! the highest ideal that any farmer can realize is to have a profitable farm with permanent buildings apd permanent planting, both of which are utterly different from those of Europe, and as full as possible of American and even of Btate character. European farm houses are so different that you can usually tell simply from a picture whether they are German, French, Dutch, Italian, or Spanish. The English farmer often lives in a house of brick or stone which has sheltered his family for generations. In front of it stands a pair of oaks that have defied the storms of 300 to 600 years." The house is covered with ivy or with rqses, which climb to the top of the red-tiled root. The yard is surrounded by a hedge of hawthorn or of holly. The Englishman boasts that he loves his home more than any other man living. and points to the fact that the English language is the only one that has separate words for “house" and "home." Brery old" state in America tends to have its ewn Btyie of building and planting. Massachusetts is famous for her colonial, or Georgian houses, like the one in which Longfellow lived, with cen-tury-old elms sheltering the stately roof like

gigantic umbrellas. Virginia is celebrated for the farmhouses built by Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and their friends —their hospitable roofs shaded by towering tulip trees or ancient liveoaks hung with moss. Long Island is noted for the homes of its cauliflower growers, with every room open to the ocean breeze, and the white, wide-shingled walls set off by feathery locust trees, loaded in June with wisterialike clusters of fragrant white flowers. Georgia is renowned for her houses in the Greek style, which are genuinely adapted to a hot climate by reason of their “galleries,” or second-story , porches, where the family can enjoy every passing breeze and feast their eyes upon the grandest subtropical tree in the world, Magnolia grandiflora. Connecticut has many a clapboarded farmhouse, shaded by white oaks that were here when the first white man came, while on the law* may be a rhododendron or mountain laurel, planted by the great-grandfa-thers of the present owner. In Pennsylvania you can often tell what county you are in by a single glance out of the car window. If you see everywhere missive farmhouses of local stone, laid up in Germantown style, it is a fair wager that you are In Bucks, Chester or Delaware county. If your eye meets ancient brick houses, with porches extending tho full length of each house, a dia-mond-shaped stone bearing the date of its erection, and odd little projections on the slate roof, to keep the snow from falling off in great chunks that may bury a person, it Is a safe guess that you are in Lancaster or some adjacent county. The great variety of majestic oaks that have brooded for a century or more over these venerable houses proclaims that eastern Pennsylvania is a paradise for trees designed by nature to last through the centuries. Even in the new state of Oregon, the up-to-date apple growers of Hood river are laying the foundations of a state style 6f architecture apd gardening with their low houses, screened porches and paths lined with great double garden roses blooming in a profusion that is Impossible in the East. Every state will eventually have its own style of farm architecture and gardening. Nothing can stop it. and we can profit by building and planting in the style that will become dominant as the centuries roll by. It is natural that we should like to have near us the trees we love best, but nearly all the most popular trees are unfit for framing a view of_ tne home. Take, for instance, those that have showy flowers, like the horsectestnut, the locust, and the empress tree, or they are forever making a litter and should be at a distance from tke house. So,too, wlththe quick-growers, like the box elder, the silver maple, and the Carolina or Lombardy poplar ; they go to wreck in storms and their branches fall on the house. Perhaps the most inappropriate is the Norway spruce. Many a house has suffered a depreciation of hundreds of dollars owing to dismal Norway spruces.

IHE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, INP.

for they often hasten the decay of a roof by giving too much shade and moisture, to say nothing of making a home look melancholy, instead" of Joyous. The sugar and Nosway maples are fine trees, but, like all round-headed trees, they tend to hide the view of a house mere quickly than is commonly realized.

The ideal tree for fnming the view of your house is one that will give enough sunlight and enough shade, enough shelter and enough cooling breeze, to keep a family healthy. The only tree that does all these things to perfection is the American elm —not the European. Moreover, a pair of elms will make a pointed or Gothic wrch, suggesting high-ioofed cathedrals and God s first temples. Unfortunately, the enemies of the elm are multiplying, and if you plant elms you must be willing to stand the expense of yearly spraying when the time comes. Be Bure to specify vase-form elms. They are the only ones that make the Gothic arch, and are more valuable than the other types or straggling kinds.

A pair of oaks will last longer than elms and cost less to maintain. The oaks excel all other trees in nestling close to a house and making it look snug and comfortable. The common idea that oaks are slow growers and hard to transplant is true only of the white oak. The pin, the scarlet, and the red oaks are easily moved, and will soon overtake maples and other trees that are quicker at the start. They will last for centuries after the quick-growers” are dead. Plant the trees that you know will make your property more valuable every year.

Soldiers Noisy Dreamers.

Landladies of London lodging houses near by the railroad terminals such as Victoria and Waterloo are becoming diffident about taking Jn soldiers Just back from the front, particularly those who have participated in the fighting around Loos. The landladies say the poor soldiers fight the terrible battles over again in their sleep and the shrieks and hysteria are enough to shake the strongest nerves. Many of the men who took part in the engagement are afflicted with the most horrible of dreams and somnambulistically slash and kill, to the terror of all the other lodgers. Figures are unobtainable, but the cases of nervous breakdowns during the last few weeks have reached a high figure. Eveir officers have been affected, and men who have stood up under the strain since the early days of the war say that the sights during the recent offensive are too terrible for mention.

Souvenir Grenade Killed Boy.

A soldier had a tragic home coming at Boulogne-sur-Seine, France, recently. His grandson, five years old, was examining some souvenirs of the trenches which* he had brought with him, when a loud explosion occurred. The boy was killed and his grandmother sustained severe Injuries. The explosion was caused by a German, grenade.

Degrees of Insanity.

"What’s the difference between a futurist painter and a post-impressionist? “Not being an expert alienist, I can’t answer that question.”

How Can He?

Social Worker—Do you obey the Bible injunction to love your neighbor? Freshman—l try to, but she won’t let me.—Cornell Widow.

Eye to Utility.

“I want a pair of pants." “Something in rough goods or smooth?” “Rough, I reckon. I find it handier to scratch . matches on.” ... ——a—.< ———,

Isn’t Maud Mercenary?

Maud—Would you marry for money? Ethel—Not L I want brains." 4 Maud—Yon certainly do if you wouldn't marry for money. . . ' r V

Kin Hubbard Essays

“Next t’ a Persian Nut Sundae Ther Hain’t Nothin’ That Appeals Less t’ a Red Blooded Man Than a Militant Woman,”

With th’ passin* o’ th' ole fashioned home with its family circle, women an’ girls haye- become a most important factor In our professional an’ business life. As th’ earnin’ ability o’ th’ modern father ’ll no longer sustain a heme filled with full blown daughters, an’ as th’ supply o’ desirable male prospects is fer below th’ demand, th’ girls have been ruthlessly thrown on ther own resources. T’day woman is a formidable proposition In practically ever’ profession but hod carryin’ an’ structural iron work. From danglin ‘n pink fleshin’s from th’ dizzy heights o ’th’ circus tent t’ runnin’ a livery stable she is a success. T’day it is conceded on ever’* hand that woman excels at ever’ thing she tackles but selectin’ her husband’s hose an’ carryin’ a mattress. In th’ great department stores, on th’ stage, in th’ dice shakin’ cigar stands, on th’ newspapers, at th’ loom, with th’ circus, in th’ practice o’ law, dentistry an’ medicine, on th’ platform, with th’ needle, on th’ stock exchange, in th’ hammock an’ on th’ verandy woman excels. She plugs along without chewin’ an’ smoking’ or sneakin’ out t’ take a drink. Bright an’ early Monday she’s on th’ Job with bright eyes an’ a clear memory. Look at th’ women o’ Europe! With th’ firesides an’ farms an’ factories stripped of men they are pickin’ th’ hops an’ cuttin’ th’ oats an’ nursin’ th’ wounded an’ carin’ fer th’ thou-

Th’ Ole Silver Comet Band

If one is fortunate enough t s catch Prof. Clem Ilamer when he’s in one o’ his semi-annual good humors an’ proceeds with caution, a charmin’ half hour’s entertainment is assured him. Since' th’ ravages o’ time have disqualified th’ professor fer further activity in th' musical affairs o’ th’ town, he has grown sullen an’ (morose, only breakin’ th' silence at rare intervals t’ belittle some notable achievement o’ progress. “What has become o’ th’ ole time silver comet band, th 'ole time oom ta ta ‘Marchin’ Thro’ Georgy’ band that used t’ play on th’ slightest provocation?” I asked th' gnarled an’ grizzled veteran o’ many a hard fought band contest as he monopolized th’ only chair in front o’ th’ pust office. “Well, sir,” said be, eyein’ me closely, “th’ ole time musicians who used t’ play Jest t’ hear ’emselves have been dispersed t’ make room fer th’ modem blatant unionized an’ commercialized wind Jammers who only

"Joinin’-a Band Wuz th’ Hight o’ Ever' Lad’s Ambition in th’ Ole Days. It Wuz th’ Turnin’ Point in His Life. Belongin’ t' th’ Band Wuz th Bteppin Stone t’ th’ Purtiest Girl in Town."

show ’emselves on a guarantee. In th’ old days a brass band wuz a social organization. T’day it’s a cold blooded business proposition. Twenty bar rests are a thing o’ th’ past an| ever’ sour note is protected by th’ union. Th’ ole 38-pound red felt uniform, with helmet an’ plume, too, has passed away ferever.” "You’ve had many years’ experience as a band player, have you not? I ventured, at th’ same time placin’ a pale grocery se-gar in th’ tremblin' hand o* th’ ole bandmaster. “Forty-three years th’ last time Bryan showed here. It wuz a sour note that put me in th’ business. I’d been thrown in daily contact with a yaller clarinet when a child an’ at th’ age o’ fourteen, after I had it about two-thirds mastered, I run < away with a circus as a canvas hand. One night durin’ a performance while th’ band wuz playin' ‘ln th’ Sweet Bye an’ Bye’ th’ clarinetist dropped a sour note closely resemblin’ th’ terrifyin’ cry o’ a panther an’ th’ audience stampeded *n’Trine people wuz killed. Th’ clarinetpiayerwux discharged an’ I took his place. I traveled many years with circuses with Yar?&* success. Once j walked home from Tombstone, Arizony, at another time I wuz poisoned on canned corn at Hurley, Wisconsin, an’ carried t' th’ nearest white settle-

SEX ANTAGONISM

By KIN HUBBARD.

sands o’ fatherless children. Ther’s no discount on woman an' most o’ us would like t’ see her vote. But with our changed home life an’ self sustainin’ daughters ther'has developed among women an’ overweenin’ sense o’ sinjeriority o’er man that is bein’ nourished an’ boosted by a detachment o’ stout, florid,, unhappily mated an’ over zealous man haters. No sensible person denies that woman should have th’ right t’ vote an’ try t’ regulate th’ conditions under which she works, or t’ have some voice in th’ course of a sewer or th’ tariff on pearl buttons, but she’ll never git that right as long as th’ robust agitators who have failed at th’ marriage altar inject sex antagonism in th’ suffrage question. I would like t' see th’ woman who started th’ movement t’ have th’ word “obey” stricken from th’ marriage contract. Th* effort t’ create th’ impression among women an’ girls that love is short lived sentimental twaddle, that marriage is a cold blooded business proposition an’ that all men are fer th’ double standard o’ morality regardless o’ ther views on th’ currency question will o’ course fall. Any movement, either scattered or organized, t’ put Dan Cupid out o’ business is doomed t’ ignominious defeat at th’ polls or in th’ parlor. Next t’ a Persian nut Sundae ther halnt nothin’ that appeals less t’ a redblooded man than a militant woman.

ment. From th’ front left hand comer o’ a gold an’ green combination bandwagon an’ hyena cage I had a fine location from which t* gather my imnressions.o’ America. But circus life has its drawbacks like ever’thing else but loafin’. Th’ hours wuz long, th* Bleepin' quarters cramped, breakfast alius five hours late an’ bathin’ a lost art." “After you took up th’ comet what wuz your favorite solo?” I made bold t’ ask th’ aged virtuoso, profferin' a second se-gar as a guarantee o’ good faith. “Th’ Levey Polka, a triple tongue solo that wuz very pop’lar durin’ th' ole Duprez and Benedick era, but rarely attempted t’day by even th’ most darin’ an’ reckless cometists.” Havin’ received enough se-gars th’ wrinkled leader continued without further urgin'. “Joinin’ a band wuz th’ hight o’ ever’ lad’s ambition in th’ ole days. It wuz th’ turnin’ point in his life. Belongin’ t’ th’ band wuz th’ steppin’

stone V th’ purtiest. girl in town. Epaulets an’ a plume were great beau catchers an’ when they were backed up by th' soft mellow notes o’ a slip horn or a second alto they wuz well nigh Irresistible. But tb’ hardest thing about belongin’ t’ a band in the ole days wuz loafin’ around waitin’ to be called out.” (Protected by Adams Newspaper Service.)

Siamese Port Handicapped.

In southern Slam, Bangkok, the cap* ital, is the principal port, and had at v ‘ the last enumeration a population of 540,679, of which a large proportion I* Chinese. The city of Bangkok is sit* uated on both sides of the River Me* nam Chao Phya, about twenty-five miles upstream from the bar ~t its mouth. This bar forms a great obstacle to shipping, allowing only vessels to cross at high tide drawing from 12 feet 6 inches to 14 feet 6 inches, according to the season of the year. Vessels of greater depth, however, find a safe anchorage at Kohsichang, an. island about twenty-five miles from the month Qt tho rlsat*— >

Naturally Not

The man who raises the price of coal has no deslire to know what the people of this country are saying at their firesides.—Atlanta Constitution,