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Show j , , I j& Pleasures In Back Yards j& I i TROM all parts of the country, i from big cities to small towns, comes the cry of "Beautify tho I Back Yard." No longer aro tin I cams and garbage palls considered the ;only fit occupants of back yards, for flour tlir. fr r m r lu f-nl irplv Hon, nnrav jwlth. and the latter hidden behind, trailing vines of beauty. Nothing has I ; been so surprising In its results as this slogan of Ihe lost few years, and pho-1 'tographs taken before and after are sufficient to put courage into the heart1 of any woman, no matter how skop- I tlcal she has been before. In tho j place of a perfectly useless piece of ; ground, only fit as a habitation for j stray cats and perhaps rats, these small areas are fast developing Into I ; miniature parks, and not only give the greatest delight to tho owners, bqt are (an education and a vita! lesson to I , every passerby. Thero are many very simple and equally inexpensive ways of accom-pUshlng accom-pUshlng this, and perhaps a few suggestions sug-gestions may not come amiss. Of course there aro many others, and more expensive ways, as woll as moro elaborate ones, but these given hero havo been tested, and found most sat- j Isfactory for tho uses to which these j yards were to be put There was a j maximum of pleasure at a minimum' of cost. Where Children are In the home tho yard should be primarily for them and their pleasure, so most of the space ; must be kept as intact as possible for playground, and flowers and small ; fruits and vegetables relegated to the edge. One way this may be accom-! accom-! pllshed was in a lot not moro than thirty-five feet wide by sixty-odd feet long. A wire fence only was usod to separate it from its neighbors, j which allowed all tho sunlight possible, possi-ble, and in this yard seemed to be found everything that is usually found In much larger spaces, but here none had been wasted, and the most made of every inch. Around the entire fence had been made a deep bed for planting. This bed was three feet wide. It was dug i very deep and filled with well rotted manure and rich enrth. Here wore ! tho simpler vegetables that grew well In city lots tomato plants, lettuce, i radishes, onions, even dwarf peas and beans had been planted. Not very many of each, to be sure, but enough to save many a penny, and Improve many a meal. Borders of parsley and i mint added to the beauty of the beds, ai well as to tho use. Every now and then the vegetable "garden" would be broken by the use of flowers, cut-and-come-agaln sunflowers, nasturtiums, zinneas, heliotrope and daisies. Nothing Noth-ing hard to grow, or requiring any special attention. Banking the back porch, In place of lis done, it is best to have no flower ; beds at tho side, for every inch of space counts in this case. Have the lawn sodded, and when the net Is not In use, benches and chairs can be put , out, and tea served on the lawn. A A Back Yard Combining Beauty And Utility. tho usual ornamental shrubs, had been placed ono each of raspberry, goose- borry and currant bushes, which served the doublo purpose of shrub' and fruit In tho part of the open space left free of planting, and where the r.ouso cast a shade all morning a sand box had been sunk Into tho ground. This box had hinged doors, so It could be ' closed when not In use or as a pro- tcctlon in rainy weather. These doors were not In the least conspicuous, as' they were painted green. Just the; shade of the prasa A rope swing, parallel bars, and the children found , ample to entertain and occupy them-elVM them-elVM with without begging to go on the streets. A small home-made trel-I lis. open at the side and top. made an attractive shield for the garbage can. I and over this trellis was trained a grape vine. Where there are no children other uses are often wanted, and in many cases the lot is sufficiently deep to ac- , commodate a tennis court. When this piece of chicken net fastened at the top of the fence makes it perfectly safe for random balls, and with very littlo trouble vines can be trained over them and your privacy is complete Where flowers are preferred above all other things, the result can be made as fancy dictates. Japanese gardens, gar-dens, with their miniature walks and pools and bridges can bo of unending enjoyment and occupation, and this fad has made It possible to buy at a very small price all the little accessories acces-sories needed to complete them. Rose gardens with trellises and a small summer house for afternoon tea, or even an old-fashion garden with all the flowers remembered in our grandmother's grand-mother's garden, all this can be made from what was once a tin canned, ash covered piece of useless ground, and when tho time has been taken to do It, you feel that for once at least. In your life, you know what It means to bo a producer of a profitable piece of work. LOUISE GOODLOE FALCONER. |