WINTER MEETING. 153^ 



'•O, foola, and blind," cried an old-ticne prophet, and we must often echo the 

 cry, for blind indeed is he who hears not the music and sees not the wonderful 

 and ever harmonious pictures made by the mysterious touch of a Divine hand. 

 But we must return to our garden, which is not forgotten even while we are be- 

 wailing an almost universal blindness to the beauties of nature. 



I carry in memory the picture of a garden I saw last summer, a garden which 

 was designed by a woman, a composite garden, containing fruits, flowers and 

 vegetables. In the center was a mound where were planted first two rows of cos- 

 mos, whose feathery fronds made a fine back-ground for rows of carnations and 

 balsams. Edging this mound were severarrows of pansies. Between the rows of 

 apple, peach and pear trees were planted strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, 

 currants, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, beets, radishes, onions, carrots, parsnips and 

 celery. The rows of cabbage alternated with those of potatoes in this manner : 

 first four rows of potatoes, then four rows of cabbage, of equal width and length. 

 The onion rows alternated with beets ; the lettuce was started early in cold frames 

 and was of two varieties, the dark red and the creamy yellow, and was transplanted 

 in alternate heads of each, in rows. Ihe carrots and parsnips alternated, and the 

 beautiful fern-like leave? of the carrot made a pleasing contrast to the heavier and 

 more inartistic green of the parsnip. The celery was of the self-bleaching golden 

 variety, and was planted with an outline border of turnips. 



In this garden were beds of zinnas, rows of sweet paas, hedges of dahlias 

 and rows of gladiolus, also beds of tuberoses and many varieties of annual flowers, 

 such as Chinese pinks, nasturtiums. Marguerites, carnations, etc. The garden con- 

 tained about half an acre of ground, and it was much more admired than the regu- 

 lar flowergarden designed silely for admiratioi. People stopped their carriages to 

 gaze on the perfect picture this garden presented ; and one market gardener fre- 

 quently paused for a long while to study it and said, "Ltisthe moat beautiful 

 garden I ever saw in my life." 



You may think the flowers could have been dispensed with and the garden 

 still remain fiae ; this is true, bat the flowers added just the touches of coljr and 

 forms of grace reqaired to render the garden artistic. 



I have not mentioned the rhubarb, the horse-radish nor the sage, thyme and 

 other herbs, because they were mostly side issues and did not seem to belong to 

 the garden proper. 



To enter this garden you passed under an arch heavy with clematis vines, and 

 between two large bushes, one a white syringa. and the other a purple lilac. Lilies, 

 yucca ;and roses were along the borders, and yet from just twenty -one rows of 

 potat03S, after using from them from the time they were big enongh to eat until 

 gathering time, there were stored away for winter use twenty-five bushels, and 

 they were very fine potatoes too. They were chiefly of the Early Rose and Early 

 Ohio varieties. The cabbage yielded a grand crop, some of which was sold, some 

 made into sauer-kraut, and much consumed during the summer. 



The tomatoes in this garden were given space to themselves, and allowed to 

 straggle about at will, but were so arranged as not to mar the general eff'ect ; indeed 

 they were hidden by a screen of evergreen sweet corn. Beans were arranged as 

 borders for other vegetables, and only the bush varieties were planted. 



This garden yielded a living for a family of six persons, in combination with 

 a poultry yard and two excellent Jersey cows. The only outlay, even to the present 

 time, has been for beef, flour, meal, and the groceries, such as sugar, coflee, tea, 

 spices, and such things as are necessary in all households. 



