1 886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



oiwGjfepPLe 



Fig, 1. Bricks as ar 

 ranged in buildittg. 



Treeclimber's Talks. 



NATURE AS A BUILDER. 



As soon in the spring as the sun drives the 

 frost out of the earth, a great stir begins to 

 take place under ground, for the plants stai-t to 

 grow. The subject of what plant growth is, 

 its various forms, and extent, ought to be a 

 very interesting one for all of my young 

 friends, as well as for older people, to consider 

 at this, its season of beginning. All about us, 

 now, there are endless millions of tiny seed- 

 lings and larger forms of plant life to be found 

 in weeds, grasses, useful plants, bushes, and on 

 up to the great trees of 

 our meadows and forests, 

 all starting into activity, 

 as if there was no time 

 to be lost in getting at 

 the work of making the 

 growth of the year. 



Great, indeed, will be 

 the change that a few 

 months will bring about, as the result of this 

 plant growth. At the time of this writing I 

 cannot yet see one new leaf on tree or plant : 

 in a short time there will be 



MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS 

 of them to be seen in all directions. Each 

 small seedling that survives will soon have 

 formed a plant of some size, each healthy 

 shrub and tree will have enlarged by many 

 new shoots. Besides this, every growing trunk 

 and branch will have gained in size, by the 

 taking-on of a layer of new wood over all its 

 parts, and crops of flowers and fruit will appear 

 liefore the season is ended. 



Now, let me aid my young readers in taking 

 a peep at the process by which all these mar- 

 velous changes, of the next half year, are to be 

 brought about. To go into all the knowTi de- 

 tails of this matter would be impossible here. 

 But I can at least introduce you to the great 

 fundamental factor in the case, namel}-, 



THE VEGETABLE CELL. 



that minute part, from which all plants are 

 built up in the process of gi-owth. Even as to 

 the vegetable cell, so much has been discovered 

 and written, that I cannot expect to treat of 

 more than some of its forms and its importance 

 here. To give an idea of the former, I show a 

 few, among many 

 forms, in the ac- 

 companying f i g- 

 ures, 2, 3 and 4. 

 But these engrav- 

 ings show the cells 

 magnified several 

 hundreds of times 

 i n diameter, for 

 ordinarily they 

 are much too min- 

 ute to be discerned 

 with the naked 

 unaided eye. 



To convey a con- 

 ception of the 

 relative nature of 

 the vegetable cell 

 in plant growth, 

 let me compare 

 plants to build- 

 ings, and the cells 

 of plants to the stone, brick or other materials, 

 that enter into the construction of buildings. 

 As buildings, by the work of masons and car- 

 penters, enlarge from small beginnings by the 



ADDITION OF BRICKS UPON BRICKS, 



stones upon stones, etc., (see figure 1), so plants 

 enlarge in all their pai'ts — roots, branches, 

 leaves and fruit, by the addition of cells upon 



Fig. 2. \'egt't<ihl<' L'cHa in the 

 stent of a Vetcli, magnified 

 about 300 times. 



Fig. 



cells, until the full development of parts or of 

 the whole is reached. 



Now, as the materials of different buildings 

 vary a great deal in size, shape and density, so 

 it may be said that vegetable cells also are far 

 from alike. When they begin to grow 

 they are usually spherical in form, but 

 in time many of them become curi- 

 ously changed by the pressure of one 

 upon another. Some become so much 

 elongat«l, that they may well be 

 likened to lath and boards in the walls 

 of buiklings. 



But there is a great difference, after 

 all, between plant cells and building 

 material, in one respect (not to speak 

 of the va-st difference in size). It is 

 that while the latter is dead inorganic matter, 

 which must be moved and put into place by 

 some outside power, as when we build, 



PLANT CELLS ARE LIVING ORGANISMS, 



which are produced in the growing plant itself, 

 by a kind of propagation, either through mul- 

 tiplication or division, and which is perpetually 

 going on in growth. In figure 3, showing the 

 cells of a plant, at A, is seen one of these in the 

 process of increasing to two cells, by division, 

 the dark line across it being where a complete 

 cell wall, as at B, is directly to appear. 



In this figure 2 is given a section of the stem 

 of a plant showing the cells magnified nearly 

 300 times. Figure 3 represents the outer layer 

 of cells on a small rootlet, some of the cells 

 being extended as root hairs. In figure 4 is 

 shovra what will interest especially many of 

 my young friends who have nice fiower beds, 

 namely, the highly magnified 



SURFACE OF A PANSY FLOWER 



showing the cells. Here, as may be seen, the 

 cells are more or less prolonged outward, giv- 

 ing rise to the rich velvety appearance of the 

 petals of this favorite blossom. Were we to 

 examine the beautiful texture of our other fine 

 flowers with a powerful microscope, it would 

 be found that they, in many instances, would 

 present quite a similar appearance. 



Now, as you see plants all about you enlai'g- 

 ing by growth, just remember that this process 

 is the increasing of the vegetable cells in these, 

 in all of their young parts. And as our towns 

 grow by adding brick to brick and timber to 

 timber, so all the plants and trees of the world 

 increase by the addition of cells to cells. Then 

 you maj' rightly comprehend not only how na- 

 ture builds, but also what a great builder she is. 

 Timothy Treeolimber. 



their tastes so warped by cultivation as to en- 

 joy the din, clatter and gaietj* of town life, but 

 to the person who is ojjcu to all the impres- 

 sions of nature as found in the country, the 

 change from living here to living in the city 



^fagnified Celts at t/ie sur- 

 face of a Mnpte rootlet, some e.r- 

 tending as mot hairs, tafterOray). 



Fig. i. Prolonged 

 celts on the petal 

 of a Pa nfiy flower. 



The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 



No doubt the young gardeners who read 

 this paper, have heard of those famous gardens 

 of ancient times, which were reckoned among 

 the wonders of the world. Perhaps you have 

 been troubled to know whether they were really 

 gardens suspended in mid-air, something after 

 the fashion of our popular hanging baskets. 

 While they did not exactly hang in a similai' 

 manner, as these miniature affairs of ours do, 

 yet they were held far up in space, by means of 

 strong pillars and arches, and were literally 

 grand gardens in mid-air. One of the descrip- 

 tions of these gardens is as follows : 



They formed a square, with an area of uearly 

 four acres; Init rising in terraces curiously con- 

 structed with stone pillars, across which were i>Iaced 

 fiat stones of large size, covered witli cement, brick- 

 work and lead, to prevent the leaking riown of 

 moisture, and finally with a sufficient layer of earth 

 to support trees, shrulis and plants. 



The upper terrace was elevated three hunilred 

 feet above the base, so that, with the intervening 

 ones, at a distance, the whole presented the appear- 

 ance of a pyramidal w^joded hill. A lar-ge reservoir 

 for watei-. witli which to irrigate the gardens, 

 and to sup|»ly the many foiuUaihs. was at the top. 



Fountains and banqueting rooms were distributed 

 throughout the immerous terraces. Lawns and 

 avenues of large trees, as well as parterres of flow- 

 ers, <liversified the scene. 



Country and Town. 

 " Man made the city but ttod made the coun- 

 try" goes the old saying, and it is a very prop- 

 er way to look at things. People may have 



is a grievous one to be endured. Most, if not 

 all of the great men of the world, are lovers of 

 the country, and have lived here. The men 

 who are our most successful merchants, lawyers, 

 manufacturers, and even presidents, were, in 

 nine cases out of ten perhaps, country urchins 

 in their da}-. These things indicate what whole- 

 some surroundings those who live in the country 

 have, as compared with livers in towns. 



Take a country boy for the first time to see the 

 wonders of the town : he is bewildered, then amused : 

 at last wearied, and then he wants to go home. But 

 bring out your city boy into the green fields. Let 

 him romp upon the broad lawn, run up and down 

 among the flower-beds, or by the stream: does he 

 want to go home? Not a bit of it. And what is 

 more— you can let him take his fill of such enjoy- 

 ments, for you are certain it will never vitiate his 

 tastes, nor corrupt his heart, nor injure his mental, 

 moral or physical health. — Nature. 



PET BIRDS, ANIMALS, ETC 



Metal perches produce cramps. 



Provide lukewarm water for the bird bath. 



Canary hirds have been taught to speak words. 



To split a parrot's tongue, that it may learn to 

 talk, is as foolish as it is cruel. Never do it. 



You will always find a wide difference between 

 the condition of a dog that gets much e-xercise, and 

 one that does not. 



Hatching hirds are liable to become infested 

 with lice: a slight dusting of insect powder about 

 the nest will prevent this. 



Do not leave matches within the reach of mock- 

 ing birds or parrots— they may be poisoned by peck- 

 ing the phosphorous end. 



Water for Gold Fish. River water is best, and 

 filtered water the worst, for the fish. Do not use 

 rain water in towns, nor any that is not compara- 

 tively fresh. With river or pond water no feeding 

 is necessarj-. Small insects should be given at times, 

 and hard biscuit, when very pure water is used. 

 The water should be changed every other day, 

 drawing the old by the use of a siphon of light rub- 

 ber hose, or by baling. 



Raise Your Own Bird Seeds. The heaps of paper 

 boxes in the stores show an immense trade in bird 

 .seeds. Such seeds are no better.for passing through 

 the hands of jobbers, wholesale dealers and retail- 

 ers, each exacting a high profit. So why not 

 grow them ourselves: it is nice, light work for the 

 children, to raise crops of food for their feathered 

 pets. A Mr. E. S. Gilbert, in the Xeu- Yorl; Trilmne. 

 gives some good instructions in this matter, as fol- 

 lows: Canary gra.ss. rape, and hemp seed make 

 sufficient variety. A bed ten feet square will pro- 

 vide for at least one bird, if soil and culture are 

 good. Canary grass is an annual from Central Asia, 

 as easily raised as oats. Sow in drills a foot apart 

 and thin to three inches. Cut off the heads as thes' 

 ripen— there will be a succession until frost, if not 

 too dry— and hang them in a dry place. Rape, 

 which is a turnip, e.vcept that it has no edible root 

 and nms up to seed the first year, may be drilled, 

 and thinned to eight inches. Pidl the plants when 

 ripe and dry them. Hemp ma3- be in hills. 2x2 feet. 

 The male and female rtowers are on sei>arate plants 

 — one or two male plants will be enough to fertilize 

 the females, which are known by their thick leaf 

 spikes: pull the rest of the males soon as they show 

 their flowers. Do not sow imtil danger from frost 

 is past, and hoe often. In addition, let us tell of a 

 trick of the bird-seed men. Most bird mixtures 

 contain millet, which is seldom eaten; the packages 

 might as well be weighted with sand instead, and $« 

 a bushel is pretty high for seed that is mostly 

 wa-sted. The scientific accuracy of the mtxers, 

 which printed labels insist upon, amounts to noth- 

 ing, since each brand differs from all others. 



