i 3 o 



GARDENING. 



Jan. IS, 



and formal monument is the only fitting 

 mark for the graves of our dead. Monu- 

 ments whose materials are natural objects 

 have appeared, and Graceland cemetery is 

 not the least fortunate in them. One of 

 its most striking monuments is a noble 

 elm of great beauty and large size, moved 

 for some distance at considerable trouble 

 and expense, butthecostactually less and 

 the beauty greater than many of the pol- 

 ished and chilling granite monuments in 

 its vicinity, although beautiful indeed in 

 themselves. 



A natural monument of another char- 

 acter is a huge boulder of Waupaca gran- 

 ite overgrown with moss and lichens and 

 surrounded with shrubbery. Overshad- 

 owing it is a thorn, enriching the picture 

 with its character and giving it the 

 strength and elegance which only a tree 

 can. Most effective and that which com- 

 pletes the picture as a work of art is the 

 position of the rock itself. Like the tree 

 and adjacent shrubbery it seems a part of 

 the place, to have grown out of the 

 ground as its natural habitat, leaving 

 the geological novice to half guess it a 

 curious piece of glacial drift, and the 

 wholly unsophicated visitor to think it 

 had been there always, an old inhabitant 

 that had known no other home. 



Recently still another natural monu- 

 ment has found a place in Graceland. 

 Again it is a mass of Waupaca granite, 

 but so luxuriantly overgrown with lich- 

 ens, and lichens of such contrasting and 

 wholly different species as to be most at- 

 tractive for this feature alone. It reposes 

 underneath a mass of overhanging lilacs 

 which have prospered in their position long 

 enough to give a sense of overshadowing, 

 and to have outgrown the rock in the 

 way we find shrubs do in nature. Like 

 the" other, it seems a part of the ground 

 in which it is situated, and although the 

 picture is artificial in its makeup, it yet 

 remains the imitation of a natural effect. 

 As we see it in the illustration the picture 

 is still incomplete. The removal is very 

 recent, and a little planting still remains 

 to be done. Some portions of the rock 

 must be veiled and covered and the pic- 

 ture separated from the low headstone 

 which we see in the background. The 



small boulders at left are of the same 

 material as the rock and were placed in 

 their positions at the same time with it. 

 That, however, which makes a monu- 

 ment of this character most satisfactory 

 is the manner in which the whole picture 

 melts into the surrounding landscape, 

 and while it is a breaking-away from old 

 traditions, it is nevertheless, appropri- 

 ateness itself. It combines a distinctive 

 marking for the grave with a more artis- 

 tic effect. It is quiet and unobtrusive, 

 suggesting the repose most suitable to a 

 place like this, besides being lessexpensive 

 to procure, more economical to maintain, 

 and easier to care for. Moreover, it sug- 

 gests endurance and is enduring, a quality 

 which peculiarlv appeals to usinaplace of 

 burial. P. 



Trees and Shrubs. 



PRUNING YOUNG TREES. 



It is not saying too much that many 

 young trees are ruined by severe pruning, 

 and many more are much weakened by it. 

 A gentleman who had set out an avenue 

 of pin oaks a year ago recently inquired 

 if it would be a good time to cut away 

 some of the lower branches. The trees, 

 he said, were about seven feet high, and it 

 was his desire to have no branches lower 

 than five leet. 



Now I may say first that for a lawn 

 tree no branches should be cut away. 

 The prettiest specimens are those with 

 branches sweeping the ground. But in 

 the case of the one who was seeking 

 advice, there were good reasons for desir- 

 ing that the lower branches should not 

 be retained. My answer was that unless 

 the trees had more branches above five 

 feet than 1 should suppose, it would be 

 highly injudicious to cut away any of 

 them until the trees were stronger, and 

 I would repeat the advice to anyone seek- 

 ing it in similar circumstances. A young 

 tree well established and well branched 

 will grow a great deal faster if it s branches 

 are not taken away. I am sure that had 

 the party referred to tried an experiment. 



cutting away all branches below five feet 

 on the half of his trees and leaving the 

 others untouched, he would have been 

 abundantly satisfied of the correctness of 

 my advice. 



I have seen the mistake made many 

 times. Those who raise trees in a com- 

 mercial way are well aware of the danger 

 of cutting away the lower branches of 

 trees too soon. Trees intended for ave- 

 nue planting, which often have to be with 

 bare stems from six to seven feet high, 

 are not trimmed up to the required 

 height at once. They are let grow almost 

 at will for a few years, branching wherever 

 they will, and in this way form sturdy 

 trunks in less time than if they were 

 pruned up at once. A great deal the bet- 

 ter way, as I told the part3' inquiring, is 

 to cut away a few only every year, not 

 commencing at all until the trees are five 

 to six leet high, having oaks in mind. I 

 was explaining this to a friend one time 

 and he replied, "Well, but I see here some 

 youtig oaks which you have transplanted 

 trimmed up almost to a bare pole." I 

 acknowledged this, and explained that in 

 such cases it was a necessity to save the life 

 of the trees. Roots had been lost in trans 

 planting which had to be met by shorten- 

 the tops. I added that had the trees been 

 moved with all their roots intact; such as 

 would have been the easeif they had came 

 from out of pots, there would have been 

 no pruning necessary. 



Some years ago I witnessed the ruining 

 of several rows of Carolina poplars by 

 too close pruning. The trees were young 

 f.nd about eight feet high. The year 

 previous they had grown at will and 

 branches were in abundance nearly the 

 whole length of the stem. These were all 

 taken off save a few at the top. 

 There was great disappointment at the 

 end of the season at the very weak growth 

 they had made. It took fully a year to 

 have them of the height and branchiness 

 they should have been the season previous. 



I trust this experience will be useful to 

 those who are contemplating pruning at 

 this pruning season. J. 



A BOULDER MONUMENT. 



PREPARING FOR GRAFTING. 



To readers of Gardening residing in the 

 South it is not too early to suggest that 

 preparations should be made for grafting. 

 On almost all places there are trees which 

 could be properly gralted, and even where 

 there is no tree that seems to call for the 

 exercise of the grafter's art, it might be 

 practiced as an object lesson to many and 

 an interesting operation to every one con- 

 cerned. Because of the millions of fruit 

 trees which are raised annually by graft- 

 ing the operation is usually connected 

 with the propagation of these trees, but 

 it need not be, as there are very many orna- 

 mental trees on one's place which could 

 be improved by grafting. It often occurs 

 that fruit growers place cions of many 

 varieties of pears on a single tree, in order 

 to test the sorts or to say they are grow- 

 ing a certain number of sorts. Just the 

 same thing can be done with ornamental 

 trees. 



I have in mind an exam pie of this in the 

 case of a fine tree of the double-flowered 

 peach, which displayed branches of pink, 

 crimson and white flowers on different 

 parts of the tree. 4nd I have seen sterile 

 bushes of hollies grafted with seed bear- 

 ing ones, changing the character of the 

 tree, very much to its advantage. Many 

 trees and shrubs on one's place of which 

 there are other species will suggest them- 

 selves to those interested. As a rule the 

 two which it is desired to unite must be 

 of the same genera, though frequently, 



