THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. 



Volume XVIIL 



NOVEMBER, 1876. 



Number 215. 



Mlower 



(^vO 



^ARDEN AND ijf LEASURE pfROUND. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



With the appearance of winter there will be 

 anxiety about the protection of tender trees; 

 and when we speak of tender trees we may as 

 well understand that the list of those things that 

 will stand exposure to keen winds is very small, 

 indeed. There are very few things that will 

 stand a severe winter when both roots and 

 branches are encased in frost, and the winds dry 

 out all the moisture. After the trees get large 

 and the roots push below the general frost line, 

 the list of " hardy " things is increased ; but even 

 this list may be doubled by protecting the tree 

 from severe wind. A large number of trees and 

 shrubs, thought rather tender, want nothing more 

 than shelter from wind. Even grass is better for 

 protection. 



Leaves are the natural protectors of grass; 

 clearing them from lawns has a tendency to 

 impoverish the vegetation. Mowing of course 

 also weakens a lawn. This makes an occasional 

 top dressing advisable, — any decaying matter 

 will do. This is the season to apply it. We 

 would not, however, use stable manure when 

 other can be had. It is so disagreeable in color 

 all winter, — and there are other objections be- 

 sides. Sometimes lawns, after frequent mowings, 

 become so weak, that not even manurings will 

 bring them up again ; for, as we have often 

 taught our readers, cutting off green herbage 

 weakens vitality. When this is the case, small 

 Veronicas and other minute weeds, which the 



scythe does not cut, grow strong enough to 

 crowd out the enfeebled grass. We have seen re- 

 sort made to weeding in such cases with little 

 beneficial results. The best plan is to break up the 

 lawn at this season, let it lie all winter, and seed 

 it again anew in spring. The Blue Grass of Ken- 

 tucky or Green Grass of Pennsylvania — botani- 

 cally Poa pratensis— is better than any " mixture " 

 for making a first-class American lawn. For 

 reasons we have given, lawns run out faster when 

 a mowing machine is used, than when scj'the cut, 

 but the advantages of a machine are so great, 

 that we wonder that they are not in more gen- 

 eral use. There are many good ones now, all 

 excellent for the purpose. 



As soon as the ground gets caked with the first 

 real frost, herbaceous plants should be protected. 

 Though hardy, they will repay this extra care, — 

 mostly natives of woods or grassy places in their 

 native state, they expect a covering of leaves or 

 dry grass. We find dry leaves the best material 

 for the purpose, a few inches is a sufficient 

 depth, — a little soil being thrown on to prevent 

 the leaves blowing away. Where such material 

 is not at hand, the common garden soil may be 

 draAvn over them, as before recommended in these 

 pages. 



There is some danger of Pampas Grass rotting 

 by moisture getting doAvn in the hollow of the 

 leaves into the heart of the stem. A friend tells 

 us he guards against this by burning off the old 

 leaves of the Pampas before j^utting the dry leaf 

 covering on. Last year we kept them remarka- 

 bly well by turning the whole plant over on its 



