SECRETAKY'S PORTFOLIO. 403 



art with plant life. I have seen some very good gardens in Germany, but their 

 floral decorations, especially as illustrated in some of their books, are simply 

 terrible. Ultra delight in poor Mosaic gardening, brazen women and brazen 

 bulls with rings and wreaths, mixed up with fair flowers, showy pedestals, 

 contorted trellises, rustic work in impossible and paralytic positions, a delight 

 in anything but the plants — poor sticky rubbish ; little palms stuck in pots and 

 vases decorated like a hideous coffin." 



THE ALTERNANTHERA AS A LAWN PLANT. 



A carpet-like effect may be produced with the alternanthera on a smooth 

 lawn in the following manner: Cut strips or figures out of the turf of any 

 shape determined on, from three to four inches deep, and in width considerably 

 narrower than the width of the ordinary mowing machine. The object of 

 restricting the width of the shallow pits is, that after they are occupied by the 

 proposed plant the hand mower may be forced over the lines or figures without 

 falling into the sunken space and crushing its contents. The plants should be 

 of good size when set in the ground, that the narrow space allotted them may 

 soon be filled up, and, in order to maintain a distinct outline, the alternanthera 

 should be planted near the sides of the pit, thus preventing encroachments 

 from the grass and at the same time admitting of free growth upward and 

 inward toward its center. The earth in the pits, if of too close a character, 

 should be removed to a depth of from six to twelve inches and replaced with a 

 more open soil, otherwise the plants might be liable to injury by water remain- 

 ing around them after heavy rains. 



The lawn run all over with tortuous lines but a single plant in width would 

 furnish an attractive arrangement, or the decoration might be of spots and 

 figures of small size, each figure or spot requiring from one to as many as six 

 or eight plants. 



In a general way, the alternanthera varies considerable in color, and this 

 variation may be made use of to greatly increased effects. 



With some planning there may be several suitable styles of ornamental treat- 

 ment. I have some drawings exhibiting the alternanthera in the pits and the 

 grass on either side trimmed down by the machine to an equal height. Still 

 another section shows a band of alternanthera on the lawn, and a second band 

 forming one of a series of ribbons of foliage plants, this latter starting from 

 the grass line and being rounded upwards until it touches the adjoining ribbon. 

 These suggestions are, of course for the amateur ; the professional gardener 

 will follow his own fancy. — M. Digram, in Gardeners' Monthly. 



THE SCHOOL GARDEN. 



We wish that teachers and school officers would read and put in practice the 

 hints given in the following capital description of a school garden, given by T. 

 H., in Vick's Magazine : 



The grounds comprise two acres. Three-quarters of the area is occupied by 

 building and play-ground, the remainder being given up to flowers. A simple 

 wire separates the flower-garden from the play-ground, as a boundary line ; this 



