A CARNATION BED. 



203 



er, forms a compact head, has a fine dark 

 foliage, and will be larg-ely planted wherever 

 it is known. Colorado blue spruce is simi- 

 lar in g-rowth, and its average colors are 

 much finer than Norway spruce. Occa- 

 sional samples possess what we call a x^ry 

 bright blue tint and are sold at higher prices. 



The young growth of Douglas spruce is 

 very pretty, and when established the trees 

 are rampant growers. Concolor spruce is 

 unique in appearance, its foliage looks strong 

 but has a soft feel. 



Colorado Blue, Concolor and Douglas 

 spruces are hardy rocky mountain evergreens 

 that have a bright future. Until recently 

 they were high priced. At present they are 

 quite within the reach of any one who has 

 room for a few hardy novel and beautiful 

 evergreens. A short wind-break of Douglas 

 spruce should be a rapid growing novelty in 

 most neighborhoods. The half hardy and 

 rare evergreens are not noticed here. 



For lawn purposes the sharp pyramidal 



growth of the Irish and Swedish Juniper 

 marks them as very ornamental. The Irish 

 Juniper has a blue green tint in summer but 

 turns brownish in winter. The Swedish 

 Juniper has a peculiar light pea green tint 

 which does not disappear in winter. When 

 the rare beauty of this Juniper becomes 

 known few persons who have room will be 

 without it. The dwarf mountain pine forms 

 a low spreading lawn tree ; its foliage is 

 dense, short and pretty. 



All of the evergreens mentioned are hardy 

 here. Some of them are somewhat scorched 

 upon their windward sides during cold 

 winters. 



Shrubs and evergreens in the lawn as w^ell 

 as the cattle at the barns and the people in 

 the houses will come through in better shape 

 if wind-breaks are provided. Evergreens 

 should be cultivated for a few years, — after 

 that, if the limbs are all allowed to remain, 

 they will commonly care for themselves. 



Niagara Falls South. E. Mordex. 



A CARNATION BED. 



' • Take the fond heart from its home and its hearth. 

 It will sing of the loved to the ends of the earth." 



VERY poor old lady, living in an 

 out-of-the-way corner of the world 

 all by herself, not long since was 

 found tending her carnations for companion- 

 ship and memorial of happier days in the far 

 off fader-land. The cottage was old and 

 dilapidated, but her bed of carnations was a 

 rare sight. An old lady, bent and shrunken 

 with age, hobbled to the gate near where 

 these lovely flowers of every shade were joy- 

 ously blooming. 



*' Yo lofes de pinks, ma'am ? " she asked. 

 " I never saw such beauties before," was 

 my honest answer. ** I lofes you for sayin' 

 so, gute lady. De pinks are all old Gritchen 

 hafe to make her happy now. She bese all 

 alone, an' works out all de sor'ow of her 



heart in de bed of lofly pinks. I gets hoon- 

 gry to see them in winter. I puts straw an' 

 carpet heavy to keep the roots warm troo 

 de deep snow. In the spring dey be green 

 and blooming soon, and make my heart 

 glad until frost come again. Dey mind 

 me of de fader-land, when old Gritchen 

 was young, and gather the sweet carnation 

 an' clove pink to fold in a clean handker- 

 chief to carry to church with Wilhelm; now 

 he be dead, and de gute frein of de fader- 

 land say dey keep carnation on his grave. 

 But in dis strange land nobody will put dem 

 on Gritchen's grave." She gathered me a 

 fine bunch, and I was loath to leave the 

 poor old creature in her lonely exile. But I 

 rejoiced that the sweet flower was filling its 

 mission, in a sad and desolate heart. Let 

 us do likewise if sad. M. A. H. 



