Dec. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIVIER. 



67£ 



and very little honey, and are very incom- 

 moded by the crowd, would do well to pro- 

 vide for better accommodation for their ten- 

 ants, or fall behind progressive bee keepers. — 

 M. Quinhy, in Bee-Keeper's Journal. 



NEW^ PUBLICATIONS. 



Beadtitting Country Homes. A Handbook of 

 Laiidpcap*- Gardtning. Illustrated hy Plans ffPlacfs 

 already improved. By J. Wtidenmacn, Saperiii- 

 tendtijt <f the City Park, and of Cedar Hill Ceme 

 tery, of Hiriford, Conn. New York : O. Ju3d & Co. 

 1870. Boston : A. Williams & Co. Quarto, price $16. 



Castles in the air and gardens on paper may 

 look harmonious and attractive, but at the same 

 time be impracticable by the workers in wood and 

 stone cr by the diggers of the soil. We commend, 

 therefore, the principle adopted by the author of 

 this book of illustrating his theories and directions 

 by specimens of landscape gardening which have 

 been executed for occupants of country homes, 

 and of giving the location of places thus embel- 

 lished, with the names of the owners thereof, that 

 those who would beautify their own places may 

 bave an opportunity of seeing the effect of the 

 modes recommended, before they incur the ex- 

 pense of applying them to their own premises. 



In this volume we have twenty-four full-paged, 

 colored lithographic plates of improvements that 

 have been made on estates in the vicinity of Bos- 

 ton, New York, Hartford, Albany, Chicago, Cin- 

 cinnati, Philadelphia, &c. ; as well as a large 

 number of fine wood cuts illustrating the several 

 processes of fhe work of improvement. 



As our eye has never been entirely satisfied with 

 the results of the modern system -of Landscape 

 Gardening, we opened this beautifully executed, 

 elaborate and costly work with the hope that we 

 should here find a statement of the reasons on 

 which the system is based that would better sat- 

 isfy us of the correctness of those principles of 

 taste which are involved in the popular modes of 

 improving our grounds. But instead of this, we 

 meet in the introductory remarks the following an- 

 nouncement: — ''As it is necessary to be brief — [a 

 necessity not evidenced by the large number of 

 blank pages m the volume]— "we shall not giv'e 

 the arguments in favor of the methods recom- 

 mended here, but confine ourselves to such in- 

 structions as our own personal practice, as well as 

 the experience of the most eminent landscape ar- 

 chitects, bjth in this country and Europe, have 

 taught us to be the best." 



But "the best" teachings of these "eminent 

 landscape architects" differ very much at different 

 times. Some years ago their "experience and 

 practice" resulted in geometric squares, oblongs 

 and triangles. This "mode" was adhered to till 

 the eye was offended by mathematical stiffness. 

 To avoid this error, the modern landscape gar- 

 dener, it, appears to us, has gone to the other ex- 

 treme, and good taste is offended by the invariable 

 squirmand irregularity of outline. The old s^'stem 



of gardening has been criticised as a mere exten- 

 sion of the plan of the dwelling; but if the present 

 principle of beautifying country homes, were to 

 be applied to our residences, should we not find 

 ourselves burrowing like woodchucks ? 



Is it impossible to combine the good points of 

 each system into one harmonious and pleasing 

 whole ? May not the geometric and the "natural" 

 be united in landscape gardening, with a better 

 effect than is produced by a close adherence to 

 either ? 



But what is natural? Trees and shrubs may 

 grow in clumps, and brooks may run in winding 

 channels ; but in many of the various manifesta- 

 tions of Nature a wonderful sympathy with the 

 laws of "geometry" is displayed. The trunk of 

 our trees, the straw of O'jr grain, the crystals of 

 our salt and of our rocks; the lightning that 

 angles across a dark cloud; the architecture of 

 the honey bee and of the spider, are conformed to 

 mathematical laws, but are they any the less nat- 

 ural, or any the more offensive to cultivated taste ? 



KBLATIVE! VALUE OF DIFFERENT 

 ARTICLES OF FOOD. 



In reply to an Illinois farmer who asks which 

 is the cheapest feed for fattening sheep, corn at 

 69 cents per bushel, oats at 40c, barley (No. 2) at 

 75?, oil cake $35, or bran at $\5 per ton, Mr. J. 

 Harris says, in the Agriculturist, that assuming 

 the value of the manure from a ton of corn to be 

 worth six dollars, the following statement may be 

 made : — 



Price Value of Adual cost 



per ton, manure, . off od. 



Corn at 63cper bu., or $il 6i $ri 65 $li85 



Oil-cike 35 10 J9.72 15.28 



Bran i5.C0 14 ;9 41 



Oats 2x00 7 70 17.30 



Barley 31 fi6 6.32 25,34 



Mr. H. adds, "I do not think there is much dif- 

 ference in i\i& nutritive value oi & ion oi com, o\\- 

 cake, oats, or barley, and consequently, leaving 

 the manure out of the question, corn at the above 

 prices, is the cheapest food, and, with the excep- 

 tion of bran, it is also the cheapest article to feed, 

 even after deducting the valtte of the manure." 



Though this estimate is based on Illinois values, 

 it may afford New England farmers a test by 

 which to try their own experiments, and perhaps 

 induce some one to make a statement from the 

 teachings of his own experience. 



Societies, Clvbs, &c. — We have received a 

 very neatly printed pamphlet of forty-eight pages, 

 from the Agricultural Commissioner, piving a List 

 of thfi Agricultural, Horticultural, and Pomologi- 

 cal Societies, Farmers' Clubs, &c., on the Books 

 of the Department of Agriculture, July 1, 1870, to- 

 gether with the name of the President and Secre- 

 tary of each. By a rough estimate, we find that 

 about 1600 associations are included in the list. 

 It will be valuable for reference. The post-office 

 address of the secretaries is also given. 



