Miscellaneous. 221 



and not the ground temperature that causes the buds to swell. A large 

 limb of a peach tree was passed through the window of a hothouse in 

 the winter when the ground outside was frozen. The opening was stopped 

 with cloths. The limb projecting in the warm air bloomed luxuriantly. 

 The blooms died in a few days of starvation after using up the limited 

 supply of reserve plant food in the limb, no sap coming to their aid because 

 the roots and trunk were dormant. This ought to teach a valuable 

 lesson. In excuse for the expense of this method I would ask any one 

 who has found a way to raise fruit without expense to be kind enough 

 to put me on. 



SHADE WITHOUT TREES. 



(Maude Sutton.) 



An idea from sunny Italy can, with some modifications, be adapted 

 to the farm home with delightful results where shade is wanted. This 

 is the picturesque pergola. It is frequently seen in America in expensive 

 form on elaborate country estates, but lends itself just as readily to 

 more homely scenes and a variety of materials. 



The uprights should be heavy, to give dignity to the structure. In 

 greatest harmony with an ordinary plainly built farmhouse is one built 

 of logs and poles from which the bark has been stripped, an easy matter 

 if cut in the spring, and allowed to weather in natural grays and browns. 

 Choice of material will, however, depend entirely upon the situation, as 

 what would be economical at one place might cost too much in either 

 money or labor at another. The main thing is to build a support for the 

 vines, and be it ever so roughly constructed, they will soon transform it 

 into a thing of beauty. 



Build out over the doors and windows so that the air can get in 

 while the sun is kept out. Build a shelter over the path to the well, 

 if it be near the house, or from a door to a driveway, if this be convenient. 

 An out-of-door dining room will be a joy to the housewife in hot weather, 

 not only when the family is alone, but especially during the periodical 

 invasions of harvesters and threshers. The men wall enjoy eating at a 

 distance from the kitchen stove, and the carrying of viands will be more 

 than made up for by the saving in other directions. 



Use sand or gravel or flat stones if either can be obtained for the 

 floor, but the soil, unless extremely light, will soon become trampled 

 hard if it is swept frequently. 



As to the vines, wild cucumber and hops will make shade the first two 



