28o 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



The Common Alders. 



Most of our readers from New England 

 northward far into British America, and 

 westward to Oregon, are well acquainted 

 with the Alder which clothes the margins 

 of streams and swamps with dense thicliets; 

 and have learned to look upon its bark as 

 containing great medicinal (blood purify- 

 ing ) properties. 



All the species of the genus Aluus, of 

 which there are about fifteen, halt of them 



Lawns and Their Management. 



M. B. FAXON, SUFFOLK CO., MASS. 



In the formation of a new lawn it would 

 be difficult to say which was the more 

 favoral)le time, spring or fall, as much de- 

 pends upon the character of the season. If 

 fall is selected, the earlier the sowing can 

 be done after the usual summer droughts 

 are past the better — say the very last of 

 August or early September. The first work 

 is to get the ground graded according to the 



FIG. 1. BLACK ALDER. 



FERN-LEAVED ALDER. 



CUT-LEAVED ALDER 



in North America, prefer rich damp soil, 

 and like Willow, are useful in consolidating 

 banks, and covering damp, low-lying lands 

 which would otherwise be almost treeless, 

 with a heavy growth of wood and leaf. 



The European Alder (Aliius ijluthioaa ) 

 is often cultivated in Kurope for its wood. 

 It usually does not attain more than 4(1 or .50 

 feet in height, but in good soil near water, 

 specimens are occasionally found 70 feet 

 high, and two or three feet in diameter. 



Woods and Forests speaks of the indus- 

 trial wants which the Alder supplies. The 

 wood which is white when alive, turns red 

 when cut, and afterwards a pale pink, the 

 latter color being permanently retained. It 

 is siiitable for a number of purposes for 

 which Poplar and other similar light woods 

 are used. Although lasting but a short 

 time when exposed to the weather. Alder 

 wood is e.xtremely durable under water, 

 and is largely used by engineers for founda- 

 tion piles. The celebrated bridge of Kialto, 

 at Venice, is said to be built on Alder piles. 

 Alderwood charcoal has the reputation of 

 making superior gunpowder. 



Some of the varieties are quite handsome 

 ornamental trees. In our engraving taken 

 from Woods and Forests, we present the 

 common form of Alnus glutinosa, (in fig.l.) 

 with male and female catkins ; leaves of the 

 Fern-leaved Alder {A (jintinosa impcrialti<) 

 in flg. 3, and those of the Cut-leaved Alder 

 {A. ij. laciniatu) in flg. 3. 



The Fern-leaved is a variety of seedling 

 origin, apparently quite as vigorous and 

 rapid grower as the common Alder ; and its 

 beautifully cut leaves and general habit 

 render it a valuable addition to any collec- 

 tion of trees. The edges of the leaves turn 

 upwards in more or less shell-shaped fashion. 



The Cut-leaved has flat cut leaves with 

 broader, shorter lobes than the preceeding ; 

 and is also a handsome variety of vigorous 

 growth. A flue specimen at Syon, England, 

 40 years ago, measured H3 feet in height, the 

 diameter of the trunk three feet, and of the 

 head H3 feet. The Cut-leaved is frequently 

 met with, same as the common Alder, in a 

 perfectly wild state. 



Among other interesting subvarieties of 

 the Black Alder ((ilutinnsa) we have the 

 Oak-leaved (A. ij. qHrrcifiAUt), a vigorous 

 grower and quite ornamental, and the 

 Hawthorn-leaved (A. <j. hicisii) with small 

 leaves resembling those of the Hawthorn. 



location, or the fancy of the owner. The 

 whole should be plowed well and evenly. 



If the subsoil is at all hard, let a subsoller 

 follow the surface plow. 



Harrow until the whole surface is smooth. 

 Use only the best and cleanest seed that a 

 reliable seedsman can sell you. A quart 

 will sow about 300 square feet, and from 

 five to seven bushels will be required tor an 

 acre. If possible never use stable manure 

 on a lawn, as there is always more or less 

 weed seed in it. The best possible fertilizer 

 to use in the begining is a heavy dressing of 

 ground bone say from one to one and one 

 half tons per acre. This will not only start 

 the new growth well, but will last for 

 several years. Ground Tobacco stems is the 

 best top dressing that can be given, and 

 used each season in connection with the 

 bone dust in the begining will insure a 

 strong even growth. 



The only way to get rid of the trouble- 

 some weeds is to cut them off below the 

 surface as fast as they appear. 



The renovating of an old lawn that has 

 been worn out by neglect or other cause is 

 generally unsatisfactory work unless the 

 whole is torn up and treated as if new. But 

 if this cannot be conveniently done, old lawn 

 may be much improved by running over 

 with a light harrow or rake, stirring the 

 soil as much as possible without injuring 

 the roots. Then about half the quantity of 

 seed recommended for new lawns should 

 be sown and the surface again lightly stirred 

 and thoroughly rolled. 



Mowing should be commenced as soon as 

 the grass has made a growth of two or three 

 inches in the spring and continued every 

 week or ten days until growth stops in the 

 fall. When mowed often there will be no 

 need of raking off the cut grass but if a 

 rake is used it should be with blunt teeth 

 so as not to injure the roots. It is a good 

 plan in any case to roll a lawn each spring, 

 as this firms the soil when the frost has 

 loosened it, and leaves the surface smooth. 



A Home-Made Hygrometer. 



L. L. ESENHOWEB, BERKS CO., PA. 



JMost means by which the weather is fore- 

 cast are visionary and unreliable. Seldom, 

 indeed, do we find any positive guide by 

 which the temperature of the future may 

 be known to a certainty. I herewith 

 present an engraving of Hygrometer, home- 



made, and so cheap and simple is its 

 construction, that there is no necessity for 

 being caught by frost any longer. It is so 

 unfailing in its action, that we can tell to a 

 nicety in the latter part of the day or even- 

 ing what the lowest temperature will be 

 the ensuing night. 



It consists first of a large glass bottle A, 

 and a thermometer C inside of it. In the 

 cork D are inserted two glass tubes E and F, 

 one, E.simply communicating with the outer 

 air; the other, F, reaching from the 

 bottom of the instrument to the out- 

 side and ending at a right angle. 

 The tube can be bent very esisily by 

 holding it in a gas flame, and giving 

 it an easy bend. A small rubber 

 hose G, ending in a mouthpiece, is 

 attached to the end. The bottle con- 

 tains a quantity of ether, which, 

 however, must not reach the bulb 

 of the thermometer. 



When we wish to know the tem- 

 perature of the coming night, we 

 simply blow into the mouthpiece 

 attached to the end of our hose, in 

 consequence of which the air vapor- 

 izes a quantity of the ether, which 

 in its turn will absorb an immense 

 amount of heat. Keep on blowing 

 for a moment or two, and you 

 will find moisture deposit on the 

 outside of your bottle; then quickly 

 read your thermometer on the inside, and 

 you have the lowest temperature of the en- 

 suing night. This point is called the dew 

 "point," and when that is reached, the 

 temperature will not go any lower. 



Now a word with regard to the philosophy 

 of this valuable little instrument. Dew 

 forms in con.sequence of warm air coming 

 in contact with colder earth and plants, 

 thus being forced to part with its latent (or 

 insensible) heat. In so doing, however, it 

 must precipitate, or free, the moisture it 

 held in suspension. Now when you blow 

 into the ether contained in your hygrometer, 

 a quantity of it, becoming vaporized, ab- 

 stracts a great amount of heat from the in- 

 side of the instrument. The result is, the 

 warm air coming in contact with the cold 



HOME-MADE HYGROMETER. 



glass, parts with its latent heat, leaving the 

 moisture it contained deposited on the out^ 

 side of the glass in the shape of dew. The 

 reason why the temperature in nature never 

 sinks lower than the dew point is plain. The 

 air coming in contact with the cold earth 

 and plants, parts with its moisture. This 

 changes from the vapour form into the liquid 

 dew, which change I'esults in freeing the 

 latent heat contained in the vapor. Dew is 



