1G4 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DECEMBER 



From the Genestf Farmer. 

 OIS PLAJfTEVG A PliO^VER GARDEST. 



Having in last week's Farmer offered a few re- 

 marks on the fonnatiou of a flower garden, it may 

 now be proper to give some directions for planting 

 the various compartments. The most efficacious 

 plan for accomplishing this, and making the thing 

 mtelligible to every one, would be by giving a plan 

 for a flower garden, with a list of plants, and 

 raferences to their proper site in every border, 

 chimp or parterre. Such it is in contcniplatiou to 

 publish in the Farmer at some future pciiod ; for 

 the present, a few general hints must suiSce. 

 There are two systems which may bo followed 

 according to taste or fancy — first, by planting the 

 border, &c. indiscriminately with various plants so 

 selected and distributed that they will regularly 

 succeed each other in tlieir time of flowering — 

 exhibit a variety of colors, and a difference m 

 height. The other method is by planting only 

 one kind or class of plants in each division. Which- 

 ever system is adopted, they may be so furnislied, 

 by a judicious selection and proper arrangeiueut, 

 as to display great beauty and taste. Whatever 

 may be the arrangement decided upon, the plants 

 geJierally selected for a flower garden are chosen 

 for the beauty of their ajjpearance, for beuig odorif- 

 erous, or for possessing some such distinguishing 

 characteristic. They are composed of perennial, 

 biennial, and annual plants. The former class are 

 ■plants generally of very easy cultivation and easily 

 propagated, which is done by dividing the root, by 

 suckers or shoots thrown up from the roots, and by 

 seed. Others are multiplied by cutliugs of stalks, 

 shoots, or roots, and by layers, hut the first mode 

 is applicable to nine-teuths of hardy herbaceous 

 plants. Biennials and annuals are generally 

 grown from .'iced, in the selecting of which, it 

 should be chosen from the flowers which exi)auded 

 first, tiiat seed always being the strongest. , 



If a mixt flower garden, border or clump, be the 

 object in view, particular attention nuist be given 

 to the selection of sizes, colors, and the dlftereut 

 times of flowering. In planting the difterent 

 clump?, a proportion of ornamental flowering 

 shrubs may, with propriety, be admitted.l The 

 herbaceous plants should be such as product large 

 heads or masses of flowers — an equal number of 

 every color, and so selected that some shall always 

 be in flower during spring, summer, and fall| whh 

 as near a proportion of the difl'erent colors ai pos- 

 sible. All this can be effected with a very few 

 flowers, so that none need be deterred from Arm- 

 ing a flower garden, or properly distributing the 

 various shades of color, under the impression that 

 many plants are absolutely requisite to efteot it. 

 Much more regularity, and greater harmon^ in 

 colors, may be effected by a select few, thai^ by 

 introducing a great number of sorts into one cluinp. 

 For then a less distinctive or marked character 

 would be the result. There should bo a proper 

 system decided upon before a suigle plant is 

 planted, which will prevent the border or clump 

 from appearing a heterogeneous mass, without 

 meaning, without taste or design. In planting 

 " the mingled Jlower garden," it is essential that the 

 separate parts should, in their appearance, con- 

 stitute a whole ; and whatever be the ground plan, 

 it wiir be no barrier, if proper attention be given 

 to the mode of arranging the plants. 



To plant a bed in the mingled style, suppose 

 alt the colors to be classed under four heads — red, 

 white, blue and yellow — and suppose the bed or 



border admits of four rows in width. The lowest 

 plants must be placed nearest the walk, or margin 

 of the border ; the tallest in the back row, and tl >e 

 other two rows of an intermediate size, which will 

 give the whole an imique and regular appearance . 

 Before planting is commenced, mark out the 

 border in four rows lengthwise, and as many rows 

 across as the length of the border will admit of, 

 which will givethe site of each plant exactly the 

 angle of a square, whose side may be eighteen 

 niches. Then determine on the order which they 

 will flower, and plant as follows : — 

 red, white, blue, yellow, red, white, 

 blue, yellow, red, white, blue, yellow, 

 red, white, blue, yellow, red, white, 

 blue, yellow, red, white, blue, yellow, 

 and so on ad iiifinitum, so that with four colors, 

 four sizes, and six times of flowering, requiring in 

 all ninty-six plants, a proper flower border can be 

 formed ; but when there are a greater number 

 of i)!aiits, it may be extended to any length, and 

 may include any nimiber of species ; the only 

 point is, that those admitted possess the desired 

 requisites of time, of flowering, height am! color, 

 in each compartment. Such is decidedly the best 

 plan for planting a border in the mixed stjle, if 

 the jdants are to be examined only from one side ; 

 but if a double border, with a walk on each side, 

 or a clump to be planted on a lawn, and varied on 

 all sides, then fix on the number of rows, keep 

 the lowest plants rouud the margin and the tallest 

 in the centre, adhering to the order of arrangement 

 as given above. 



For what is termed the " select floxver garden," 

 a uifierent stvle of planting is adopted — planting 

 only one species of plant in each bed, such as 

 tulips, hyacinths, dahlias, ranunculus, auemonies, 

 pinks, &c. &c. This mode of planting is very 

 sini])lc, all that is requisite being only to plant them 

 in beds of carefully prepared soil, and mix the 

 colors as far as possible. 



Autunm, after the plant has done flowering, or 

 spring, when it begins to grow, are the proper 

 seasons for planting and transplanting. The gen- 

 eral culture is stirring the soil, enriching it, divid- 

 ing overgrown plants, and filling up vacancies, 

 keeping them in neat and proper order durmg the 

 growing and flowering sea.son. 



Annuals are sown either in the springer fall, 

 generally at the former season ; they are sown in 

 rings or patches in the borders or clumps, covering 

 the seeds from an eighth to an inch, according to 

 their size. Thin them out when they are about an 

 inch high, and stir the soil occasionally. Stake 

 and tie any that need support, which is all the 

 culture they require. 



From the American Farme 

 SAW DUST FOR HOGS. 



We bespeak the gravity of our readers on read- 

 ing the following ; they must not laugh at us for 

 our easy credulity, nA- reject the proposition on 

 account of its seeming improbability. For our- 

 selves, we have no doubt of the truth of the facts 

 stated, nor of the soundness of the principles upon 

 which the experiments were based. But to the 

 subject. 



A few weeks since, two of the members of the 

 United Society of Shakers, at Lebanon, N. Y. 

 were at our ofiice. They informed us, that they 

 had tried an experiment in feeding hogs with the 

 saw dust produced in their button and other 

 wooden ware factory, by mixing with tlie usual 



food, in the proportion of one tliird ; that is two 

 parts of the usual food, and one part of the saw 

 dust ; and that the hogs throve fully as well as 

 when fed in the usual way. From their experi- 

 m^pts they are satisfied that the saw dust was 

 digested by the animals, was nutritious, and an- 

 swered in all respects the purposes of the usual 

 fqod. They had endeavored to ascertain the least 

 quantity of the usual food necessary to the thrifty 

 ;?Ki^vth of their liogs, and then used saw dust as a 

 substitute for one-third of it ; so that the objection 

 for the two-thirds of the usual food was probably 

 sufficient, cannot be raised. They have not com- 

 pleted their experiments, but are extending them to 

 ascertain whel her a still greater proportion of saw 

 dust may not be used, and how much more. We 

 believe they intend also to tiy experiments with 

 other animals. 



These facts) may be relied on as strictly correct. 

 The people who tried the experiment, and those 

 wlio related them to us, are not given to visionary 

 projects -iior to marvellous story teUing. They 

 are generally scientific men; one of them that 

 visited us was one of the best botanists we ever 

 met with. It seems no way improbable that wood 

 shoidd contain a large quantity of nutritive matter. 

 ^Vhen decomposed by fire the proportion of inso- 

 luble matter is very small, not greater than that ot' 

 any kind of farinaceous fruit or grain atYcr the water 

 has been evaporated. There is a large quantity 

 ofi saccharine matter hi most wood, or at least in 

 thi juices and v/e think it no way improbable that 

 both gluten and farinaceous matter, as well as 

 sugar, may enter largely into the composition of 

 the strluble parts of wood — even what is called by 

 chemists woody — -fibres and that these parts of 

 wooj when pulverised, may be digested and be- 

 come nutritious matter in the stomachs of animals. 

 We arc not sure that we recollect perfectly the 

 kind of wood used by the Shakers in their experi- 

 iiient, but believe it was what is commonly called 

 si>ft maple, acer ruhrum. They have promised us 

 a detailed account of the result of tlieir experi- 

 ments as soon as they shall have completed them. 



From the Vir^jda Farmer.. 

 MANURE. 



Spring Hills, Oct. nth, 1832. 



Mt. Editor, — I intend now to make a few 

 remarks upon my mode of cari-ying out my ma- 

 nure, by way of concluding my article on the sub- 

 ject (f manures, as published in the 12th No. of 

 the Virginia Farmer. 



As soon as the winter stock of manure, or any 

 part •f it, is ready to cart out, I start my manure 

 carts (unless the ground is wet) to carrying on the 

 laud intended for corn, and get as much out as I 

 can, before I plough the land ; which is s])read 

 and jbughed under the sod. If I have any of 

 the previous summer manure left on hand, I pre- 

 fer tc spread that upon the fresh ploughed land, 

 and iarrow or lightly plough in, on account of its 

 beinf better rotted. As to manuring corn in the 

 hill, I do not practice it, as I always go for the 

 futue good condition of the laud, more tlian any 

 one irop. 



I generally have a bit of ground to sow to oats 

 in tie spring, iqion which I carry out my early 

 sumicer manure after hai-vest, and then fallow the 

 same [or wheat. 



WJen my corn land is ready for seeding, {which 

 neve/is, luitil I have gotten the corn and stalks 

 oft' tie ground) ray carts begm to carry out such 



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