476 



HOKTICULTUEE 



March 28, 1914 



both. This will induce them to spread 

 their wings and lengthen their stems. 



Desirable Varieties. 



There are many new varieties com- 

 ing before us each year. We have 

 found the following twenty-five to do 

 well this year: Senator Spencer, Love- 

 ly Spencer, Tennant Spencer, Mrs. 

 Sankey Spencer, America Spencer, 

 Primrose Spencer, Mrs. Routzahn 

 Spencer, Duplex Spencer, Aurora 

 Spencer, Flora Norton Spencer, Apple- 

 blossom Spencer, George Herbert Spen- 

 cer, King Edward Spencer, Black 

 Knight Spencer, Mrs. Walter Wright 

 Spencer, Salopian, Florence Nighten- 

 gale, Miss Willmott, Queen Victoria, 

 Gladys XJnwin, White Wonder, Bolton's 

 Pink, Queen Alexandra, Helen Lewis, 

 Lady Grissel Hamilton. 



Many fine peas have been grown by 

 planting in pots or boxes in graperies 

 or frames. Those who do not have a 

 greenhouse can start them early in 

 frames, by planting in flower pots. A 

 good way to grow early peas is to have 

 boxes, six inches wide, six inches high 

 and three feet long, with a movable 

 side; plant seeds in these boxes Feb. 

 1st and keep in a cool house with 

 plenty of air and sunshine, to have 

 them grow strong and healthy. Plant 

 out in spring as soon as weather will 

 permit, and support them as soon as 

 possible. They can then be treated in 

 the same manner as those planted in 

 the autumn. 



A good way to grow peas, for one 

 who wants cut flowers with little 

 trouble, is to select a warm spot in the 

 garden in autumn and dig in a little 

 lime and cow manure. When prepared, 

 cover this space with eight inches of 

 leaves, after the first severe frost. 

 About March 1st, some fine day, re- 

 move the leaves and dig once more, 

 after which plant the seed four inches 

 deep. As the seed is very slow to 

 start, they will be coming through the 

 ground after all danger of frost is 

 over, and will have a chance to grow 

 strong while the cool weather is with 

 us. As we all know, the extreme heat 

 we have to contend with during the 

 summer months is very injurious to 

 sweet peas. It has been the cause of 

 many failures. 



THE MAKING OF A COUNTRY 



HOME 



PERSONAL. 



L. J. MuUer has accepted a position 

 as gardener to Mr. Howard Phipps, 

 Westbury, N. Y., from April 1, 1914. 



Thos. Windram, Cincinnati, has re- 

 turned after an extended stay at the 

 Lake Shore Ferneries at Leesburg, 

 Fla. 



James McHutchison of New York 

 atartsf on March 28 on a trip to New 

 South Wales and South Africa. Will 

 be away about seven months. 



Arthur Kowalski of Slattery & 

 Beyers, Buffalo, was operated on for 

 appendicitis on Monday last and word 

 has been received that the operation 

 was successful and he is doing nicely. 



A vicious bulldog was strangled to 

 death, last Monday by George Metz, a 

 florist of Corona, L. L Metz saw the 

 dog attack a woman on Lincoln street 

 and went to her aid. He was attacked 

 by the animal, but got a good grip on 

 the dog's throat and choked the an- 

 imal to death. 



The following paper was read before the 

 Horticultural Club of Boston about three 

 years ago by the late J. A. Pettigrew, su- 

 perintendent of the Public Parks of Bos- 

 ton. In the recent meeting of the S. A. F. 

 Executive Committee in Boston, Mr. Petti- 

 grew's name was frequently mentioned in 

 connection with the plans for cooperation 

 by the Park Department with the S. A. F. 

 for an outdoor garden display next August. 

 For this reason and because the time for 

 garden planting is at hand, and especially 

 because anything that Mr. Pettigrew had 

 to say was always sound and inspiring, 

 we give place here at this time to his words 

 of wisdom, lielieving that many of our 

 readers will find it interesting and profit- 

 .ible. 



Among people of wealth and leisure 

 a widespread interest is being felt in 

 the subject of country life, and the 

 founding of country homes. On every 

 hand homes can be seen already es- 

 tablished or in process of development 

 by those whom the love of country has 

 induced to enjoy its advantages and 

 delightful associations as an alterna- 

 tive to residences among walls of 

 brick and mortar which so loudly echo 

 the turmoil and strife of city life. The 

 busy man so immersed in business 

 that he can spare but little thought to 

 the subject, or who feels that the time 

 has not arrived for its consideration, 

 these notes will not interest. There 

 are those, however, having partial or 

 abundant leisure and to whom country 

 life appeals who would welcome the 

 idea of engaging personally in the 

 work of making a country home. It is 

 for such that these notes are com- 

 piled. 



The fascination of the work is so 

 great that a little sustained attention 

 to it soon develops into a strong in- 

 terest. A more intimate acquaintance 

 with nature results, and with it a 

 broader appreciation of her wonderful 

 ways. 



The advanced state in which horti- 

 culture is to be found in the British 

 Isles today, and the charm, beauty, 

 and dignity of so many of the old homes 

 to be found there, are due largely, no 

 doubt, to the intense personal inter- 

 est taken in their growth and develop- 

 ment by the owners. This interest 

 frequently expands into a close tech- 

 nical study of plant life. Not only 

 among the proprietors of old estates 

 which are clothed with centuries of 

 horticultural traditions is the love of 

 the home and garden rife. It extends 

 to the farmer and cottager. The far- 

 mer with pride will call your attention 

 to the fine oaks or maples in his hedge- 

 rows, while the cottager will be hard 

 pinched indeed if he does not find the 

 opportunity to clothe the walls of his 

 cottage with climbing vines, or his 

 windows with boxes of flowering 

 plants. It is the love for gardening, 

 so deeply implanted in the heart of 

 the Britisher, which gives to England 

 one of her greatest charms. 



New England is so wonderfully en- 

 dowed with the beauty that Nature has 



implanted that the choice of a home 

 site, it might be said, need only be 

 governed by geographical considera- 

 tions or convenience of location in its 

 relation to transportation. Land, too, 

 suitable for country estates is plenti- 

 ful and cheap. 



The character of the flora is distinct- 

 ly and charmingly interesting. Wooded 

 hills and valleys abound, while the 

 soil is so well adapted to plant life 

 that it is easily possible with good cul- 

 tivation, to produce a growth of hard 

 wood trees, 30 feet in height, in a dozen 

 years. Pines also, 20 or 25 feet high, 

 may be grown in the same space of 

 time; so that if the prospective home- 

 maker is not able to secure a fair pro- 

 portion of natural woodland as a part 

 of his estate, he need not be discour- 

 aged. He may take comfort in the fact 

 that he can plant where he will and 

 create his own woodland, which often 

 results more satisfactorily than the ef- 

 fort to bring into harmony with his 

 design a piece of existing woodland 

 which uncontrolled nature has dis- 

 torted or marred or that may not be 

 so located as to permit of blending 

 it into natural harmony with the sur- 

 roundings. 



The ground for the country home 

 having been selected, be it ten acres 

 or be it three hundred acres in extent, 

 fidelity to nature should be the key- 

 note governing its development. The 

 motive impelling the creation of the 

 home is a wish to be associated with 

 nature, therefore have the home ex- 

 press nature faithfully. Presumably 

 the builder of a country estate is one 

 of artistic taste or instincts who is 

 qualified to plan the lines of the neces- 

 sary walks and roads so that they may 

 be convenient for their purpose yet 

 unobtrusive, so that there shall not be 

 one linear foot in excess of absolute 

 requirements and so that they shall 

 be designed as much as possible to lie 

 within the borders of the woodlands 

 or intended plantations of trees and 

 shrubbery; for walks and drives do not 

 in themselves enter into the landscape 

 design excepting as useful agents 

 which may be masked by planting. If 

 the home-builder will in addition lo- 

 cate his home in its proper relation to 

 convenience, to the command of pleas- 

 ing views, and to its setting, existing 

 or to be made, he may, with the help 

 of a copy of Downing and a practical, 

 intelligent gardener as superintendent 

 of the work, and the occasional ser- 

 vices of an engineer where exact lines 

 and grades are necessary, have the en- 

 joyment and pride of being the creator 

 of his own home. An alternative 

 could be the employment of a compe- 

 tent, well-experienced landscape gar- 

 dener to make a design for the estate, 

 when with the staff before enumerated 

 the owner can enter upon the work of 

 construction. 



In planning home grounds it is a 

 good thing to remember that the mov- 

 ing of earth is one of the most ex- 

 pensive of works, a fact that is too of- 

 ten overlooked and much unnecessary 

 expense is thereby incurred. The plan 

 in its topographical features should 

 be bent to fit the ground as closely as 



