GARDEN WRITINGS JN AMERICA 87 



A tremendous transformation has overtaken the character of 

 garden writings in periodicals during the last twenty years, but more 

 especially within the last decade. We have seen the birth and 

 growth of a certain group described popularly as the "country 

 life" class. The individuals to whom this group caters have been 

 imbued with that now almost universal desire of the American 

 people to ally themselves with everything that has to do with the 

 greater outdoors, spreading out from the cities and living more and 

 more in the country and on the land, not off the land. These 

 periodicals, indeed, are but an expression of that movement, which 

 again illustrates that the people are the final editors. Country 

 living has called for better homes, better houses, better grounds, 

 better gardens, and this has called for a new kind of garden writing, 

 which has largely been met. In catering to, and stimulating this 

 sense of appreciation of the beautiful, the periodicals have assumed 

 a sumptuousness of presentation and appeal and an appropriate 

 correlation of methods and ideals. 



The periodical writer is not only the reflector of present day con- 

 ditions but he is also one of the most potent influences in shaping 

 coming events, and in our gardening papers of wide circulation 

 today, we discern the all consuming eagerness of the people for 

 gardens of greater intrinsic interest and greater variety. We 

 want more writers of ability acquainted with plant materials and 

 their possible uses, forward looking, who can discern the needs of 

 the American home and suggest appropriate methods of meeting 

 them. They must have knowledge and imagination combined. 

 Where are we to find such? 



The nurseryman, wrapped up in the methods and intrinsic 

 interests of his products, seeing them at very close range, usually 

 lacks appreciation of the needs of the uninitiated. 



The suburban amateur, on the other hand, can hardly formulate 

 his needs; he is groping in the dark and crying for light, which the 

 professional should be able to give. 



The trained investigator and teacher is usually too much con- 

 cerned with the data and laboratory methods to be able to tell 

 convincingly and entertainingly the very things he wishes to im- 

 part; he cannot see the woods on account of the trees. 



The commercial florist has a viewpoint too narrow and different 

 from those who are developing the great outdoors. 



