By Mrs. Fab Newkirk, Duplin Home Demonstration Club Member and home beautification winner, as published on page 3 of the Raleigh News & Observer, Sept. 2, 1935.
Two years ago my large yard was uneven and it was not at all encouraging to even think of turning it into a place of beauty. On the lawn near two trees shown in the picture, stood a long row of bee-hives. When the home agent visited our place to encourage us in this new undertaking, she stood on the bee-hive platform and took the first “before” picture. I don’t know why she did this unless she was making every effort to help us see that here inherent beauty lay dormant, and could be visualized more clearly if those rows of bee-hives were not included in that developed photograph. Those pictures were a revelation and work was begun in early March of 1934.
I had rooted from cuttings about 50 shrubs in my garden which I immediately transplanted. This, of course, was done after the outbuildings were rearranged, and the lawn improved.
This is such an old place with ancient trees and great roots everywhere, we had to have three undesirable trees taken up which entailed hours of hard labor. In order to run the lawn mower over the lawn loads and loads of roots had to be dug up and hauled off. After this work was complete the soil was put into shape and grass seeds planted.
While the grass was growing and shrubs were taking root my husband made, from a load of strips given him by the Casket Factory at Rose Hill, a lattice fence to divide the back yard from the front on the west side of the house, and a trellis which stands near the 200-year-old chimney. In looking around we found some discarded lawn furniture, and with additional material on hand the furniture, as well as a summer house back of the lily pool, was built. The cost was almost nothing as we only had to purchase nails and a small amount of paint.
The story of how he made our lily pool covers days of work: such as the day we spent making trips to inspect other pools; the day Mr. Newkirk with fear and trembling poured the corn meal on the ground which outlines the design of the pool wall and which was followed by digging a two-foot trench three inches wide into which mortar was poured. This simple method cannot be followed in every locality, but our soil was very hard clay at this particular spot. The rest is easily imagined. After the mortar had hardened, the soil on the inside of this cement wall was removed, except for a small island which was left for flowers.
Our home does not face the highway. The end of the house where the big chimney stands is almost parallel with the highway, which is something like 400 feet away.
We have an abundance of cut flowers in the garden just back of the home, but one of the prettiest spots, Mr. Newkirk thinks, is the rose-covered fence down on the slope of the lawn near the intersection of the field and lawn. He is always anxious that this fence be covered with roses in full bloom the second and fourth Sundays in June. These are the days of the month our minister visits us and we hope against hope that the roses will be at their best for him.
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