Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

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PIONEER HISTORY OF INGHAM COUNTY

the sunbeams liked to linger, the birds sang their sweetest songs
and the butterflies showed their multicolored wings to the drooning
hum of the busy bees. It was to my youthful fancy an ideal
garden. The house, with its gorgeous background, blended in
with shrubs, trees and flowers, my idea of a home.
Where was it located? It was located at the west end of
Franklin street bridge and on the north side of the street. It
extended west to Washington Avenue, north to Willow street and
the river was its eastern boundary, so you can see it was some size.
Mr. Yawger was the gardener, and he raised fruits, flowers and
vegetables. It was laid out in the old style English way with
gravel walks, different shaped beds and terraces. During the
growing season it was a great attraction to the passerby, for the
garden was below the level of Franklin street and the greater part
could be seen from the sidewalk. Mr. Yawger could be seen
spading or working, for he did not use horses.
In those days, when everybody had a garden, Mr. Yawger did
not receive much profit for his labor, but he showed by his work
what could be done in this city in the way of raising fruits, flowers,
and vegetables, also teaching the younger generation what an
ideal garden should be. Old fashioned? Yes, in this day of hot
house plants, but I have noticed in the past few years that even
the rich are tiring of tropical plants, for borders and groups, and
are using the native hardy plants for the same with better results.
The intense coloring, the large leaves and thick stems of the
tropical plants, that only thrive best under the intense heat of
their home, the tropics, look as much out of place in a blue grass
lawn as a trailing arbutus under a banana tree. Give the home
grown the same care and chance as the alien and you will be surprised at their usefulness and beauty.
THE COWLES PROPERTY.
The election last week-June 14th, 1917-closed the long drawn
out business transaction between this city and the heirs of the
Cowles estate and the city is the loser. In other words, the voting
taxpayers decided by a small majority that our rapidly growing