64 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



J ANU AKV, 



not an ideal shape, it is yet a very common 



one, and so far from being really faulty, we 



think it possesses several good points. 

 One gain to be secured is the lengthy 



garden vista— really nothing short of mag- 

 nificent, which may be had within the limits 



of but three-fourths of an acre of land. We 



refer to the view lengthwise back through 



the lot, as seen from the verandas, walks, elc, 



to the right of the house. Such an extended 



lawn skirted by beautiful trees, shrubs and 



flowers, is entirely 



out of the question 



in a similar area 



more nearly square. 



Catching a view 



like this from near 



the street entrance, 



a visitor would de- 

 sire to explore the 



garden to its end, 



for inspecting the 



charms in detail. 



Or if this could not 



be done, that single 



glance should give 



a very exalted idea 



of the grandeur 



of this three-fourth 



acre plat. 

 But while our 



reader thus can 



gain a real benefit 



from the forced 



narrowness of his 



lot, as compared 



with its length, he 



can further and 



easily treat the 



street end of his 



grounds, for reliev- 

 ing any impression 



that the lot is too 



narrow for good 



looks, as seen from 



the outside. Ninety 



feet front is a very 



fair width for a 



town lot. "What 



here is wanted 



more than anything 



else, is to create to 



the greatest possi- 

 ble degree an air of breatith crOKSvisc. 



Can this be done by adhering to the straight 

 walk through the center of the grounds to 

 the street? Admitting that from some 

 standpoints the general lack of breadth as 

 compared with length, may not be the best 

 recommend for this lot; yet let it be noticed 

 that the front walk could not possibly be 

 worse located for emphasizing this very 

 narrowness. This because by running the 

 path through the middle of the plat, not 

 only is the general strength and dignity 

 of this part vitally impaired, but it actually 

 breaks up what otherwise could be a broad 

 grass area, into two narrow halves, lying in 

 the same direction as the longest distance 

 of the lot, thus in effect adding to the general 

 narrowness. 



The simple, convenient arrangement of 

 the right-hand plan shows how we can plan 

 advantageously here. By carrying the walk 

 with a graceful, easy curve considerably to 

 one side of the center, the house is as directly 

 reached from the street as by the old plan, 

 and we secure the important quality of an 

 ample lawn area unbroken in its center. 

 This may be still further strengthened by 

 arranging the trees, shrubs and flowers 

 more or less irregularly in masses, but all 

 towards the margin of the plat, thus impart- 

 ing an air of breadth just where it counts 

 the very most. Another gain is the im- 

 proved appearance of the handsome dwel- 

 ling as seen from the highway. It shows to 

 much finer advantage beyond a beautiful 

 unbroken stretch of green sward than when 



appearing as a sort of terminal object to a 



straight walk, as in the left-hand plan. 

 The great gains, therefore, brought to 



view by such a plan, are, first, the vista ex- 

 1 tending to the further end of the lot, creating 



an appearance of ijnat luiuth in thatdirec- 

 I tion, second, adding in appearances greatly 

 ] to the breadth of the grounds as seen from 



the front, and all accomplished by means 

 1 in harmony with good taste. It is one of 



those cases, not as rare as might be supposed. 



ANJOU PEAR, anil SiJixiiiicii ill linsui' iMyier for UMpplng. tYom Life. See preceditig page . 



in which a fraction of an acre may be 

 treated to look several times its real size, 

 with the actual number of feet to be covered 

 by the lawn mower, spade and rake not at 

 all Increased. Needless to say this is the 

 height of good garden management. 



To speak of features somewhat in detail, 

 the pleasant footpath approach to the house 

 from the street, through irregular masses 

 of flowering shrubs, many of fragrant bloom, 

 and the free use of this class of material 

 throughout is most commendable. The 

 bringing in of numerous shade and other 

 ornamental trees to the right of and near 

 to the house, serves, with the building, as a 

 kind of division between the front and back 

 portions of the grounds with good efl'ect. 



The presence of several groups of Ever- 

 greens towards the barn, as seen from the 

 front, answers for secluding that building 

 in a measure, while providing a strong touch 

 of coniferous tree beauty .such as is always 

 desirable on a place of this size, not only for 

 the effect in winter, but the year round. 



The use of scores of hardy shrubs besides 

 plants, Koses, etc., throughout the rear 

 grounds, should afford a perfect panorama 

 of floral and leafy beauty all through the 

 season, and differing almost daily. The 

 beds of summer flowers, indicated by 9, in 

 this part as well as elsewhere, would add to 

 the aggregate of loveliness. It is very 

 proper to arrange for a garden seat at 10, in 

 order that the visitor may here rest, and 

 at leisure draw in the beauty of this part of 

 I the garden. 



In planning the fruit area across the ex- 

 treme end, the advantage of having the trees 

 thus placed to serve in some measure as a, 

 background, was not lost sight of. The 

 nearness of the vegetable garden to the 

 stable, with its manure supply, was also "had 

 in mind. Together it was aimed to provide 

 a general balance in the embellishments, for 

 a garden that seems scantily furnished in. 

 some parts and overdone in materials in 

 others, can never be wholly satisfactory. 



Besides the letter 

 printed in the be- 

 ginning of this ar- 

 ticle, the following 

 concerning the ar- 

 ranging of a Rose 

 bed, was received at 

 the Popular Gar- 

 dening office, and 

 will be used as a 

 text for some re- 

 marks, the plans 

 being shown on 

 page 70: 



Ontario, Canada. 

 Dear .Sir: 



As a regular read- 

 er, I thought I would 

 write you concerning 

 a Hose bed about to 

 be made and asldng 

 you for suggestions 

 in laying it out. Size 

 42 by .50 feet. I enclose 

 a sketch [upper one 

 page 70] of the plan 

 arrived at, but is it 

 not too stiff and angu- 

 lar for the best effect'/ 

 The idea is to put out 

 about 3.50 plants. 



To which we 

 answer that our 

 views quite coincide 

 with those intima- 

 ted concerning 

 stiffness of design, 

 hence several sub- 

 stitutes are offered 

 in which this fault 

 IS overcome. Of 

 our plans suggest- 

 ed, one is regular, 

 the other irregular 

 in arrangement. In both the design is 

 simply to have the beds cut into the sward, 

 the walks between and around them being 

 of grass. While either plan should prove 

 satisfactory, our choice would be for the 

 irregular one to the left, for the reason that 

 the eye tires sooner of nicely- balanced feat- 

 ures than of the reverse. A chief charm of 

 all natural scenery is its irregularity. When 

 the same quality can be carried into our 

 gardens, let it by all means be done. 



Notes from the Popular Gardening- 

 Grounds at La Salle, N. Y. 



Early Market Tomatoes. The A'liii; nf the 

 Earlics has heretofore had the whole field almost 

 to itself as a variety for very earliest market. 

 A prominent New Jersey market gardener 

 writes us that this sort has again proved more 

 protitable with him than any other sort on his 

 grounds. We tind it so poor a fruit that would 

 not tolerate it on our premises, if it were not for 

 the extreme earliness of the bulk of the crop. 

 Herein it has heretofore exceeded any variety 

 suitable for early market. During June and 

 July, and sometimes part of August, the market 

 is by no means exacting as to quality and size of 

 Tomatoes. The stuff shipped in from the south 

 is not very good in any respect, and almost any 

 kind of home-grown Tomato will stand a good 

 chance in competing with the southern product. 

 Consequently growers Iiave found money in the 

 King of the Earlies, notwithstanding the facts 

 that it is of hardly medium size, has a tendency 

 to grow ribbed or lobed, and that its seed cavi- 

 ties are few and very large. 



Seed of a similar variety, probably a selection 

 of King of the Earlies, was sent us from New 

 Jersey under the name "W. C. No. 1." This 



