Page:What to do for Uncle Sam; a first book of citizenship (IA whattodoforuncle00bail).pdf/154

150 straw that wrapped the rose bushes all winter, and dried leaves that covered the flower beds.

Here is your chance to surprise Uncle Sam, who says that a beautiful town is that one in which every family makes its own home beautiful. Get out your tool box and your paint pot, and mend the pickets in the fence and put new screws into the gate hinge. Paint the fences, too. Go out into your part of the alley and fill an old box with all the scattered rubbish that you find there. The garbage man will take it if you leave it by your back gate, and it is quite likely that the boy next door will clean up his alley way when he sees what you have done.

Rake up the straw and leaves in front of the house and tie these up in papers or an old sack for burning. Perhaps you can put a fresh coat of paint on the window boxes outside of the living room, and get rich earth for them in which nasturtiums or pansies will thrive and blossom all summer. Rake the gravel walk that leads from the gate to the front door, and sweep the sidewalk in front of your house every day.

When you have finished doing this, look carefully at the trunks and the lower branches of the trees that line your sidewalk. It may be that some kind of grub pest is attacking them and eating the leaf buds. You may find small worms