Amiual Meeting at St. Joseph. 179 



Another illustration of how not to do it, is furnished by a 

 thrifty German, of Fulton, who, in the lack of abetter place, 

 spaded ^x\) his front yard and planted peas, cabbage, onions and 

 other such ornamental plants. He, like our friend of the sculp- 

 tured cedars, succeeded m drawing the public gaze. Perhaps it 

 was the best he could do. 



Better use your front yard to grow fruits and vegetables than 

 do without them, or go in debt to buy them. Indeed the Crabs, 

 the Wild Goose plum, and even the Red June or the Ben. Davis 

 apple are as ornamental as many trees that bear no fruit. Even 

 our German friend was not wholly given up to utilitarianism. 

 He had a few flowers along his walks. 



It would be worse than useless to try to give specific directions 

 for ornamental planting. Each must plant according to the special 

 conditions of ground, his climate, his means and his taste. Of 

 course this is not written for those who can consult an expert land- 

 scape gardener. 



Young planters sometimes, in their enthusiasm to decorate 

 their grounds, attempt too much. They divide their plot into many 

 shaped beds and thus destroy the breadth of effect given by a 

 simpler plan. Secure a fine grassy lawn as the basis or foundation 

 for all future advancement. A few fine trees, shrubs and beds of 

 flowers set in such a lawn will make any place beautiful. 



OENAMENTAL. 



BY Z. S. RAGAIST, OF INDEPEXBENCE, MO. 



It having fallen to my lot to be placed on the committee of 

 Ornamentals, and inasmuch as Mrs. Dr. A. Goslin has led off with a 

 very spicy and beautiful essay on Home Adornments, followed by 

 the Hon. C. AV. Murtfeldt with a valuable production on Orna- 

 mental Tree Planting, it will devolve upon me to touch upon some 

 of the aesthetic. Still, horticulturally speaking, this subject is one 

 not confined to narrow limits, but volumes may be said and written 

 without exhausting the merits of the subject. 



If I may be indulged I will touch upon landscape gardening 

 in rather an extended way, by calling attention to ornamentation 

 of public grounds, parks, boulevards and highways. A taste for 



