348 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[November, 



abundant. Lynchburg especially seems to be a 

 very thriving; place. The number of new houses,of 

 what might be called the wealthier class, was 

 greater than I noticed in any other place we 

 visited, showing the city to be remarkably pros- 

 perous. The grounds around these newer 

 houses all showed the owners' disposition to 

 have something nice. In regard to the trees, 

 shrubs and flowers, the many numerous and 

 beautiful introductions of late years were 

 almost wanting. Some few Cedars of Leb- 

 anon, Deodars, and similar things that were 

 popular in their introduction years ago, and 

 now about thirty years old, showed that 

 progress in these lines had measurably stood 

 still. The cheap mowing machines, which 

 make our little places look so beautiful, 

 and which we now find in our smallest hamlets, 

 were very much missed. The sickle and the 

 scythe still did duty as the lawn worker. I have 

 no doubt there are some about, though it was 

 not my good luck to meet with them, and the 

 number of places where they were not, shows 

 at least that they are not in general use. But 

 the number of places which exhibited a genuine 

 love for flowers was very gratifying to see. If 

 there were few new kinds, the old fashioned 

 fiowers, family heirlooms, were well cared for. 

 In many of the country districts houses would 

 be fairly embowered in flowers, though not a 

 flower pot could be seen. I do not remember 

 seeing a flower pot throughout the whole moun- 

 tain district between the Shenandoah and the 

 Cumberland. The plants were grown in starch 

 boxes, old kettles, tomato cans, shells or any 

 thing that would hold a little earth. Some of 

 these plants were wonderfully well grown in 

 this primitive way. I saw Fuchsias three or 

 four feet high, with hundreds of flowers from 

 top to the box, and perfect in every respect that 

 would easily take some of the twenty dollar 

 premiums at our horticultural fairs. 



In regard to vegetable growing the mountain 

 region referred to offers remarkable advantages 

 for what is known as the cool-country vegeta- 

 bles, such as peas, cabbage, parsnips, lettuce, 

 celery and such like. Of course as to the matter of 

 early vegetables the warmer seaboard States will 

 have the run ; but throughout the whole sum- 

 mer season these vegetables would grow here 

 to perfection, and while there would be a fair 

 trade in many of them, for seed raising purposes 

 they would offer rich reward. At one tolerably 

 fair hotel in the mountains we had rarely any 



other vegetables but potatoes, and I pointed out 

 to the proprietor the great capabilities he had 

 for these summer luxuries, but he insisted I was 

 mistaken, " for," said he, " I brought salad plants 

 from Chattanooga and set them out last spring, 

 and they all went to seed." But every intelligent 

 gardener would know that such plants would "go 

 to seed." At the White Sulphur Springs, the 

 supply of vegetables was remarkably meagre, 

 and this was explained, that they had all to be 

 brought chiefly from Richmond or other large 

 sea-board centre. It has been said that the 

 whole of the enormous interest on the English 

 national debt is paid by her turnip crop. These 

 feed sheep in winter — the wool supplies the man- 

 ufacturers — and so it goes on to the end. But 

 the mountain region of North Carolina and 

 Virginia is capable of raising turnips and main- 

 taining sheep to an extent that would surprise 

 old England. At present the great difficulty in 

 the way of extending root or vegetable growing 

 here is the ease with which cattle can be kept 

 here after a fashion, and the distance anything 

 raised has to be sent to market. Cattle roam 

 the hills winter and summer, and hence there is 

 no barn-yard manure, as the colder regions 

 afford, where cattle must be housed the long 

 winter. With no manure there can be few vege- 

 tables. The chief dependence through here is 

 on artificial fertilizers, which have a tremendous 

 sale. Then the markets are too far off. A good 

 fellow in North Carolina told me that he raised 

 100 bushels to the acre of turnips, and cabbage 

 as large as the top of a flour barrel, but the only 

 way to dispose of them was in trade to the gro- 

 cery man. His cabbages were valued at two 

 dollars per one hundred, while the " prents " he 

 had to take in pay for his cabbage were estimated 

 as worth sixteen cents a yard. The opportunity, 

 however, for building up a local trade for garden 

 products is remarkably good. Hundreds of 

 streams of water run in every direction and the 

 water power might be employed for machinery 

 for all sorts of industrial enterprises,and the oper- 

 atives be good customers to the gardener or farm- 

 er. But the power goes to waste. A few grist mills 

 and saw mills appear once in a while, and this 

 is about all. No one seems to think of building 

 up home markets for their garden crops. Cotton 

 and tobacco for Europe, early fruits and vegeta- 

 bles for the North, or hogs and cattle for the 

 larger cities, with perhaps hotels for the accom- 

 modation of travellers seem to be the great ob- 

 jects of ambition. It seems to me that if I were 



