of Rural Art and Taste. 



187 



the citrons, the roses, the camellias, the uni- 

 versal undergrowth or carpet of Parma violets, 

 are what charm the many. In the neighbor- 

 hood of Nice, one of the most charming of 

 orange groves is the Villa Bermond, where 

 the fruit is sold fresh from the tree, and where 

 jilunts of 5 or 6 feet high can be bought for 

 ten francs, and carefully packed for eight 

 francs per each package of four trees. I was 

 there on the day that the Prince of Wales or- 

 dered some of them, and I note this for the 

 benefit of owners of orangeries in England. 



Perhaps the finest orange grove is at the 

 Jardin des Hesperides, near Cannes, which 

 is, I suppose, some ten or twelve acres in ex- 

 tent, and all large orange trees, some 12 feet 

 high, and with round heads, loaded, at the 

 time I saw them, with ripe oranges as fully 

 as any apple tree is with apples in our orchards. 

 It is crossed by broad, well-kept gravel walks, 

 dividing it into square plots, and there are 

 seats in which visitors can sit and eat as many 

 oranges as they choose to buy for a few sous. 

 As the fruit was thus ripened, the trees were 

 bursting out into full flower again. 



11 



Ornamental Planting near 

 Railroad Stations. 



|R. H. W. S. CLEVELAND, of Chi- 

 cago, by a forcible address on the ad- 

 vantages of ornamenting railroad grounds has 

 stirred up a very lively interest on this topic, 

 and it is believed there will be some good 

 results springing out of it. In the course of 

 his address, he gives a few useful hints 

 which we quote : Hemlock, pines and other 

 evergreens are inappropriate, as a general 

 thing, for such a situation. It is essential to 

 the full development of their beauty that they 

 should preserve their branches from the 

 ground up, so as to present a full mass of 

 foliage, and there is rarely room enough near 

 a station to admit of such development. If, 

 however, as is often the case, there is a deep 

 cut in near proximity, an exceedingly pictur- 

 esque effect may be secured by planting the 

 embankments with evergreens, and mingling 

 with them an occasional clump of birches ; 



and, after they are well grown, plant also Vir- 

 ginia creeper and bitter-sweet here and there 

 and let them run at random over the trees. 



For the rest, make no attempt to produce 

 a fine efi'ect, in which you will certainly fail, 

 but study only convenience and comfort and 

 you will probably secure results of beauty 

 which will surprise you. Devote as much 

 room to roads and paths about the station as 

 the necessities of the public can possibly re- 

 quire, and have it nicely gravelled and kept 

 watered. All the rest of the land at your 

 disposal should be planted with trees and 

 shrubs, or kept in grass. Plant such varieties 

 of trees as grow most vigorously and beauti- 

 fully in the adjacent country, and plant them 

 where they will do most good, either by giv- 

 ing shade where it is needed, or by concealing 

 out-buildings or unsightly objects. But when- 

 ever and wherever you plant a tree, be sure 

 and do it as though you loved it, and give it 

 abundance of rich earth and space enough to 

 grow it. Flowering shrubs and vines may be 

 used in many places where there is not room 

 for trees, and will go far to relieve the bare and 

 cheerless look which is the usual characteristic 

 of such places. The ground around the trees 

 and shrubs should be kept loose and clear of 

 grass and weeds for a year or two, but all the 

 rest of the area, except what it devoted to 

 roads and paths, should be kept in grass and 

 cut to a close, fine sward, and in time of 

 drought should be carefully watered, which 

 can easily be done at most railroad stations. 

 The refreshing efi'ect of a bit of rich green 

 sward is especially grateful at a time when 

 nature wears a universally parched and sun- 

 burnt look, and railroad companies or real 

 estate proprietors in the vicinity of railroad 

 stations would promote their own interests by 

 taking the first steps toward an improvement 

 which is so much needed. 



To revive wilted cuttings. Hearth and Home 

 says : Mix three or four drops of spirits of cam- 

 phor with an ounce of water and keep their 

 stems in this fluid for half a day or more, in a 

 dark place, till they have entirely recovered. 



