178 



The Horticulturist and Journal 



is its defensive character. When properly 

 trimmed, it will thicken up so that a chicken 

 cannot pass through, and even the depredating 

 fruit thieves find some difiiculty in effecting an 

 entrance. 



Stuall Trees are a necessity in small 

 yards, and I know of nothing better in this 

 way than the Red Bud or Judas Tree, White 

 Fringe, Yellow Wood or Virgilia, Laburnum, 

 White Dogwood, Magnolias of sorts, Double- 

 flowering Peaches (in a group), Purple Mist, 

 and the various thorns (where they will suc- 

 ceed). The recognized rules of all right- 

 minded landscape gardeners forbid scattering 

 these at regular distances all over the lawn, 

 but, on the contrary, enjoin it upon us to set 

 them in groups and masses, with an occasional 

 specimen having some marked character stand- 

 ing alone. 



Unsiyhtly Beds of hardy herbaceous 

 plants may be converted into attractive objects 

 by attending to their needs. When their 

 bloom is past, and the rather homely seed- 

 vessels and decaying leaves become the reverse 

 of ornamental, cut them away, and introduce 

 in their near vicinity some flowering plants, 

 such as geraniums, heliotrope, etc. ; or we may 

 scatter a few seeds of brightly colored annuals 

 over the bed, to succeed the early blooming 

 plants that are showy but once in the season. 



Succulent I'lants for hanging baskets 

 are far more interesting than most people give 

 them credit for. For instance, a fine center 

 plant would be an Echeveria metallica, sur- 

 rounded by other species and varieties of the 

 same genus, and edged with the new Othonna 

 crassifolia and Sedum Sieboldii variegata. 

 There are numerous forms of the cactus which 

 always look well as basket plants, and the 

 sedums are especially appropriate for edgings. 

 So much for the experience of an old gardener. 



Duratiou of the Gernihiatim/ Poiver 



of Seeds. — A correspondent of the Remie 

 Horticole, who has had ample opportunity to 

 make observations, says the following are 

 trustworthy estimates, as ascertained from his 

 own experience. They represent the periods 

 of time after which the various seeds men- 



tioned have been found perfectly good, and 

 will be found of some service to gardeners who 

 are uncertain whether to throw away packets 

 of seeds or not. 



Seeds. Yrs. 



Artichoke (Globe) lasts 



good for a 



Asparagus 4 



Basella 3 



Basil 6 



Beans (Garden) 6 



Beans (Frencli) 2 to 3 



Beet 5 



Burnet 2 



Cabbage 5 



Cardoon 7 



Carrot 7 



Cauliflower 5 



Celery 7 



Chervil 2 



Chicory 8 



Corn Salad 4 



Cress (Garden) 5 



Cress (Water) 4 



Cucumber 5 



Dandelion 1 



Egg Plant 7 



Endive 8 



Fennel 6 



Gourds 6 



Leeks 2 



Seeds. Yrs. 



Maize 2 



Melon 6 



Mustard .5 



Nasturtium 5 



Onions 2 to 3 



Onions (Welsh) 2 



Orache 1 



Parsnip 1 



Parsley 3 



Peas 4 to 5 



Pepper (long) 4 



Potatoes. 3 



Penslane 8 



Radish 5 



Kampion 5 



Rhubarb 3 



Salsify 2 



Savory 3 



Scarzonera 2 



Sorrel 2 



Spinach 5 



Spinach (New Zealand). . 5 



Strawberry 8 



Thyme 2 to 3 



Toinato 5 



Turnip 5 



Lettuce 5 



Trophf/ Tomato. — W. F. Massey, of 

 Chester town, Md., says : 



We have grown this every year since 

 we paid a quarter of a dollar for each seed 

 of twenty in a packet, and every year wc 

 grow more and more convinced that it is the 

 tomato for our market. One mistake is 

 usually made with the Trophy — that is, too 

 heavy manuring. Our lands here are natur- 

 ally much better than the soil about New York 

 and Newport, and if manured as the northern 

 writers recommend for all garden crops, the 

 Trophy tomato, in our soil, will grow rough 

 and burst, and never ripen thoroughly about 

 the stem. Last season we grew about seven 

 acres of Trophy tomatoes, and the contrast be- 

 tween a portion well manured in the hill and 

 those in land that had not been manured for 

 years was very mark^ed. On the manured 

 land one-third of the crop was unmarketable 

 from bursting of the skin, decay and knots ; 

 while on the unmanured part we grew smooth 

 and beautiful fruit that would average nearly 

 a pound apiece. For the Trophy we would 

 select good land that would bring 40 to 50 

 bushels corn per acre, and apply no manure. 

 Future cultivation may make the Trophy more 

 uniformly perfect in shape, but we do not see 

 that we need any better variety for main and 

 late crop. 



