1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



173 



Grape, Li,t;iiumvitii>. Caper, Lancewood, 

 Mahogany, Royal Palm, ami many other 

 well-known trees, all of which were un- 

 donbtedly colonized by the sen, and brought 

 up as seeds from Cuba or the Bahamas. 

 The vesietation along the shore, and especial- 

 ly on the Keys, is decidedly tropical in its 

 character. One might wander for days 

 among the islands of Florida reefs, and 

 never be able to tell by the vegetation that 

 he was not in theWestlndies or the Bahamas. 



Possibilities of a Small Garden. 



JOHN B. LAIl'LEY, M. D., FKANKUS CO., M.\SS. 



While riding about, I have for years made 

 observations of what farmers call a home 

 garden; a small, enclosed patch of ground 

 containing a good supply of late Sweet Corn, 

 two or three dozen poles and a row of brush 

 with a few late Beau and Pea vines cling- 

 ing to them, plenty of nice Rhubarb, and a 

 few bushes of grass-choked and worm-eaten 

 Currants. Aside from this little piece of 

 land, everything betokens the thrifty and 

 successful farmer. 



If I speak to the owner about his garden, 

 I invariably am told this story: "I set out, 

 last spring, to have a good garden this year; 

 but somehow I got behind in my work, so It 

 was late when I planted. Then the seed, 

 bought at the store, was poor, and failed to 

 come up; by this time the weeds had a good 

 start and I let them have possession, in fact, 

 it don't pay to fiiss with a garden, for you 

 can buy your vegetables of peddlers at the 

 door cheaper than you can raise them. " 



This answer led me to try and see how 

 much I could make my little garden of 18 

 square rods produce. The accompanying 

 diagram illustrates my plan. 



Along the front and at the gates are flow- 

 ering shrubs. A row of Currant bushes ex- 

 tend along the back; f is my Asparagus 

 bed; b Strawberries; e my wife's flower 

 garden; d Rhubarb; c cold-frames. 



Beside the walks at gg were planted 

 Hender.son's " First of All" Pea April 11th, 

 giving US first mess of Peas June 18th; 

 vines were removed July 3rd and 200 Celery 

 plants set in the same place. 



In the plot h I planted American "Wonder 

 Pea in rows 3J^ feet apart; with Early Rose 



Plat k was filled with Cucumbers, Summer 

 Squash, Corn, late Peas, pole Beans and 

 Tomatoes, etc. The Cucumbers, Squash 

 and Com can be replaced by Spinach, which 

 sells very readily in early spring. 



Plat 1 had Water and Musk Melons. 

 Vines were removed September .'ith, and 

 Spinach sowed in drills, which will be out 

 of the way next spring in time for planting 

 Melons again. 



The following is a statement of the profits, 

 viz: 1. All the nice fresh vegetables the 

 family needed. 2. Sold Peas .*3, Parsnips 

 .*3, Beets .*2, Carrots SI, Celery at 75 cents 

 per dozen— ?34, Lettuce -?10, Spinach $12; 

 a total of «.W. 



To make sure of success use plenty of fine 

 stable manure well mixed with the soil. 

 Keep down all weeds, and soil loose by fre- 

 quent hoeing. Last, but not least, buy your 

 seeds of a reliable seed firm, and carefully 

 firm the soil over the newly-sown seeds. 



emulate the proverbial green turf of England 

 and Ireland, it is necessary for us to con- 

 stantly apply top-dressing of some rich fer- 

 tilizer that will stimulate growth, and replace 

 in a manner the constant drain upon its 

 vitality caused by long-continued cutting. 



Frequent use of lawn mower encourages 

 growth for a greater or less period, but a re- 

 action will take place should the soil be 

 neglected. We cannot if we would, remove 

 every particle of cut grass from the lavvn^ 





^f 



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ii^^^Mi ii^^M*^^^ 



PLAN OF SMALL HOME GARDEN. 



Potatoes between the rows. Pea vines were 

 removed June 30th and 200 Celery plants set 

 out in their place. The Potatoes were dug, 

 for use in the family, during .July and Aug- 

 ust, leaving the ground cleared In readiness 

 for banking the Celery in September. 



In the plats i, I set out Boston Curled 

 Lettuce plants from my cold frames, which 

 ■were used and sold out of the way in time 

 to sow Parsnips, Carrots, Salsify and Beets. 

 Along the walks, d d. were planted Snap 

 Beans, which in turn were replaced by 200 

 Celery plants. 



Principles of Lawn Planting and 



Management. 

 Nature never fails to be pleasing in her 

 informal ways and arrangements, and to 

 attract the eye in her endless variations. 

 Where her suggestions are followed in the 

 laying out of the home grounds, the effects 

 must always be more satisfactory than 

 where the artificial touches are too plainly 

 visible. The more natural and simple a 

 lawn, large or small, says Josiah Hoopes. 

 in Weekly Tribune, the more attractive to 

 refined taste. The grading should not be 

 regular and formal, unless the area is very 

 contracted. An undulating surface pleases 

 the eye, recalling the natural scenery of 

 fields and woods. In addition, it imparts an 

 air of greater extent to the inclosure than if 

 the surface be dead level, or uniform even 

 slope. Permit a portion of the lawTi to re- 

 main open; nothing can be prettier than an 

 expanse of rich-green, close-shaven turf. I 

 The grouping system is always more j 

 pleasing than the hap-hazard manner of dot- j 

 ting trees and shrubs all over the place. , 

 Around the outer boundary, and especially \ 

 fronting north, is generally a good position 

 for forming belts of mixed trees, but should 

 these obstruct a cherished view, an opening 

 may be made for a glimpse of 

 the desired object. These belts or j 

 clumps should present an easy 

 flowing outline, similar to many 

 outer edges of our woods, and all 

 pretence of formality in arrange- 

 ment must be scrupulously 

 avoided. Even the few trees 

 placed for shade in reasonable 

 distances of the dwelling may be 

 so disposed as to assume a natural 

 aspect. A little group of two or 

 three specimens will frequently 

 break up the monotony of an un- 

 artistic disposition of the trees. 

 Have few walks, the fewer the 

 better; they are expensive to con- 

 struct properly, are not handsome 

 at best, and require constant at- 

 tentionto keep in condition. 



Above all, avoid the vases and 

 statues that some people place 

 over their grounds. The idea of 

 mixing such artificial appliances 

 with pure natural ob.iects like beautiful trees 

 and shrubs must be repugnant to any person 

 of discernment in home surroundings. 

 When this mania for pottery of a low degree 

 shall die out, and the unadorned, attractive 

 garden spots, as of old, regain their popu- 

 larity, a great point will have been reached 

 in American gardening; not until then will 

 our work prove creditable. 



The face of the lawn is of paramount im- 

 portance. No matter how handsome our 

 trees and walks, neglect of the turf spoils 

 the general effect. To reach perfection, and 



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[Houte- 



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THE SHRUBBY CINQUEFOIL. 



and so there is always a small portion re. 

 maining which acts as protection to the 

 roots. It is slovenly practice to permit all 

 the clippings to lay on the surface, and it 

 proves injurious to the turf, so that the work 

 of the improved lawn-rake is both useful 

 and ornamental. 



The Shrubby Cinquefoil. 



The genus Potentilla embraces about a 

 dozen species of native plants, most of 

 which are natives of the northern states and 

 British America. They are of the great 

 Rose family which embraces most of our 

 cultivated fruits, as well as the Queen of 

 Flowers and some other favorites of the 

 flower garden. Unlike the blossoms of most 

 members of the Rosacea" those of the Po- 

 tentilla or Cinquefoil are yellow without 

 exception nearly. The beauty of the class 

 is not of the highest order and yet there 

 are several species and varieties that are 

 well worthy of a place in all large plant 

 collections. 



The Shrubby Cinquefoil, the bloom of 

 which is illustrated herewith, is an interest- 

 ing member of the genus, and the only one 

 of a shrubby nature. It is a low bushy 

 grower and bears many bright yellow 

 flowers one inch across, from June to Aug. 

 With respect to color it is a rarity at this 

 season for we have no other yellow-flower- 

 ing shrub coming in at that time. In hardi- 

 ness it is unexcelled being a native of a few 

 localities in the northern parts of the United 

 States and the British possessions. It is 

 also found in northern Europe. 



A good course to pursue in cultivating 

 this shrub is to mass it on a knoll or the 

 lawTi, or to make it the terminal clump in a 

 shrub border. It prefers a dry spot. We 

 find the plant is not generally quoted in 

 American catalogues, that of Parsons & 

 Sons Co., Flushing, N. Y., being the only 

 one at our command as we write in which 

 it is mentioned. 



