DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE. 157 



early autumn if not dry, sow, without any wheat or oats, three or four 

 bushels to the aero of June grass or red top, either one or a mixture of both 

 in any proportion. 



W. J. BEAL, 

 AaiiicuLTUiiAL College, Mich., ) Professor of Botany and Forestry. 

 March 10, 188G. \ 



NO. 12.— DEPARTMENT OF HORTIOULTUllE AND LANDSCAPE 



GARDENING. 



1,— HINTS ON RURAL ADORNMENT, WITH LISTS OF HARDY ORNAMENTAL 



PLANTS. 



The adornment of rural homes should be considered a necessity rather 

 than a luxury. As the country becomes older and natural windbreaks are 

 destroyed, it is imperative that we plant for protection. The attractions of 

 farm life for our sons and daughters is largely determined by the character 

 of the arrangement and exterior adornment of the home and farm premises. 

 Our climate is a rigorous one, however, and it brings serious discourage- 

 ments to those who would ornament their premises. But it should be re- 

 membered that the beauty of a home does not depend so much upon the 

 number and variety of species of plants as upon the taste of the planter. The 

 elements of attraction in landscape gardening are comparatively few and 

 simple. A tasty and thoughtful disposition of a half dozen kinds of ordi- 

 nary trees and shrubs is far preferable to a thoughtless mixing of twenty 

 rare and more beautiful kinds. So far as practicable, trees and shrubs 

 should be j^lanted in groujjs, especially at some distance from the house. In 

 this way a greater variety is secured. These groups should be so disposed as 

 to hide from the common points of view, especially from the windows of the 

 residence, all undesirable objects and to afford glimpses of all attractive 

 objects and landscapes. It is a serious mistake to pack the front yard full 

 of bushes and flowers. The first requisite to an attractive place — a good 

 lawn — has been discussed in bulletin No. 11, just issued by the Botanical 

 Department. 



As over half our year is practically winter, it is important that we should 

 plant for winter effect as much as for summer effect. It is surprising that 

 BO few people see any attraction in leafless trees. The aspects of deciduous 

 trees in winter are singular and characteristic for each species. When one 

 begins to study them he soon comes to appreciate their importance in winter 

 landscapes. Among deciduous trees I like best the winter aspect of the 

 pepperidge or sour gum, Nyssa multiflora. The peculiar tortuous short 

 horizontal branches designate the tree from its companions. The beech, 

 when grown singly, approaches the pepjjeridge in character, but never equals 

 it. The second best tree for winter effect is probably the swamp white oak, 

 Quercus bicolor. Then follow the burr-oak, white oak, especially slow- 

 growing specimens, beech, the exotic weeping white birch, buttonwood, and 



