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GARDENING. 



April /s, 



digging the bed and preparing for plant- 

 ing, pulverize the soil finely, and if this 

 cannot be done to satisfaction or if the 

 design is complicated, surface it with 

 one-half inch of sifted soil in which to 

 draw; mark all the lines as you proceed 

 with white sand, sawdust, corn meal or 

 similar material to make the lines stand 

 clear and distinct ; this is especially advis- 

 able if the planting takes several days, 

 or if it is interrupted by showers, as it is 

 too much trouble to cover the beds except 

 the smaller ones. It is necessary to have 

 a iow bench of sufficient length to place 

 across the bed when designing, planting, 

 trimming, or a plank put on a couple of 

 blocks of wood will do. Occasionally 

 when designing or planting one can step 

 in with one or both feet, but this place 

 must then be worked well with the 

 trowel before planting, and it cannot be 

 done when the soil is damp. The design- 

 ing and planting, details of which will be 

 given later, must be done as true and 

 careful as possible; it is the making or the 

 spoiling of the bed, and the time spent in 

 getting it right is not wasted. 



The trimming is of equal importance for 

 further success and should be carefully 

 and accuratelj- done. It is, however, not 

 so difficult a matter when we only bear 

 in mind that each kind shall occupy its 

 own allotted space, no more and no less. 

 The main thing then is to keep the lines 

 true and to watch that the stronger 

 growing varieties do not press the smaller 

 ones. For this reason it is advisable that 

 one man does or superintends this impor- 

 tant work and especially one who has 

 helped to lay out and plant the design, as 

 he then has a better judgment of the 

 details. It is also well to have a sketch 

 of the design at hand for comparison. 

 First he trims all the lines, clipping side- 

 ways with the sheep shears, so that he 

 cuts all the shoots that grow across the 

 line from both sides; all points, small 

 curves and similar details should receive 

 special attention. After this is done, he 

 uses the shears flat on top, trimming nice 

 and even, either level or sloping as the 

 case requires; for instance, if a combina- 

 tion of alternanthera and coleus, then 

 the alternanthera should slope up to the 

 coleus, while these should be trimmed 

 bard at the junction to avoid breaks in 

 the surface. Occasionally certain parts 

 of the beds are raised over the surround- 

 ings, and they should then be trimmed 

 accordingly. It is not necessary to pick 

 up the trimmings, they wilt and fall to 



the bottom. This trimming is for alter- 

 nanthera, pilea, santolina and such small 

 plants. Coleus, achyranthes, acalypha, 

 etc., had better be pinched; it makes a 

 better looking job. 



Towards fall when the nights are colder 

 less trimming is needed, as the growth 

 then is slower. Just at this time of the 

 year, when the colors are most brilliant, 

 the beds are often spoiled by an early 

 frost. This can be avoided with a few 

 precautions, covering the beds at night 

 with old carpets, sheets or similar mate- 

 rial. The writer knows of a place near 

 Pittsburg where the lady of the house 

 every year has a couple of pretty design 

 beds and keeps them till quite late in fall 

 in the manner indicated, in fact so long 

 that their brilliancy almost looks out of 

 place in comparison with the surround- 

 ing sombre aspect of nature. 



While trimming the bed, the edges of 

 the grass also need attention; as a rule 

 trimming with the shears is sufficient, but 

 once in a while a sharp spade may be 

 used. This trimming often brings the edge 

 a little out of line one way or the other. 

 For this reason the beds should be gone 

 over each spring and corrected; to do this 

 job as eas) r as possible, I have found it 

 practical to mark all the main points 

 such as centers of circles, foci of ellipses 

 (ovals) corners of squares and diamonds 

 and centers or guide points in the lawn 

 used in outlining the beds with pieces of 

 one-quarter inch gas pipe twelve or eigh- 

 teen inches long, hammering them in even 

 with the surface — if I cannot mark the 

 center of a circle on account of setting an 

 agave or such plant there, I mark the 

 ends of a diameter. When the digging is 

 done a little carefully these pieces of gas 

 pipe do not interfere with any work, and 

 when small pegs are stuck in the pipes the 

 trimming of edges can be done quickly 

 and precisely, and they also come handy 

 for laying out the design, as they mark 

 the principal points. 



After these preliminary remarks when 

 we turn our attention to the designing 

 and laying out of carpet beds, I will say 

 that it is a misconception commonly met 

 that the design should contain lots of 

 scrolls and small details; such a bed is 

 hard to lay out and plant, and as a rule 

 does not give satisfaction for the amount 

 of work spent on it. A neat design, where 

 each color has enough space to assert 

 itself and to show the others to good 

 advantage, no two shades of the same 



color together, and with the design in 

 proportion to the size of the bed, is much 

 more pleasant to look at. 



The implements necessary for laying out 

 the design are tape line, twine, some 

 wooden pegs about the size and length 

 of a lead pencil, and a few stouter ones 

 for the more important points. Besides 

 these we have, of course, the working 

 sketch on which all the measures neces- 

 sary for construction are marked; then 

 select a handy man for your helper, and 

 you are ready for the task. 



In the next issue I will explain how to 

 proceed and give a few easy examples. 

 H. Hansen. 



CONSERVATORIES OF BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 



BOTANY AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY, 

 ITflflCfl. N.Y. 



The department of botany was organ- 

 ized at the opening of the university in 

 October, 1S68. Professor Albert N. Pren- 

 tiss, of the Michigan Agricultural College, 

 was chosen professor of botany. The 

 facilities for research and the space 

 afforded for the botanical department at 

 the opening of the university were very 

 meagre, and continued so for several 

 years. Nevertheless a large number of 

 students were engaged in botanical study 

 under the inspiration of Professor Pren- 

 tiss. Considerable attention was given 

 to the study of the flora in the vicinity, 

 and a numberof the enthusiastic students 

 of the early period now occupy promin- 

 ent positions in various institutions. In 

 1870-71, Professor Prentiss accompanied 

 the Cornell Exploring Expedition to 

 Brazil and made large collections. In 

 1875 Mr. W. R. Dudley, a graduate of 

 the university, and who had been for 

 for several years assistant for short 

 periods, was appointed instructor, and at 

 the beginning of the following year he 

 was appointed assistant professor, a 

 position which he held until 1892, when 

 he was appointed professor of botany in 

 Leland Stanford University. Opportun- 

 ities for special work were improving, 

 and the scope of the instruction was in- 

 creased, especially in the direction of the 

 study of the lower plants. 



In 1875 the department moved to its 

 permanent quarters in the south wing of 

 Sage College, the foundations of which 

 were laid in 1873, and built from funds 

 given by the munificence of the Hon. 

 Henry W.Sage. In 1881 the department 

 had outgrown the rooms provided for it, 

 and through the generosity of Mr. Sage 

 an addition was built. At this time the 

 present conservatory was erected adjoin- 

 ing the rooms of the department. The 

 conservatory consists of five connected 

 glass structures of different heights and 

 adapted to different temperatures, the 

 whole range being in extreme dimensions 

 50x152 feet. These improvements com- 

 pleted, they were formally opened by 

 appropriateexercisesheld in the botanical 

 lecture room on the evening of June 15, 

 1882. Brief addresses were made by 

 President White and others. In the fall 

 of 1882 Mr. Robert Shore was appointed 

 head gardener, and placed in charge of the 

 conservatories, a position which he has 

 filled with eminent success, and which he 

 still holds. 



In the fall of 1888 Mr. W. W. Rowlee, 

 a graduate of the university, was 

 appointed instructor, and in 1893 was 

 promoted to assistant professor. At the 

 beginning of the year 1892, Professor 

 Geo. F. Atkinson was appointed assist- 

 ant professor of botany in place of Pro- 

 fessor Dudley, who resigned to accept the 

 chair of botany in Leland Stanford Uni- 

 versity, Professor Atkinson graduated 



