528 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



one kind of bay to fill a mow in one or two 

 days ; and should a wet day intervene, or if 

 you don't <j;et full Saturday niglit, you are all 

 ashore ; as it will not do to let a mow remain 

 over two days witliout filling. 



Once more, I wi.-^h some chemist would sub- 

 ject some of the bay to a chemical analysis 

 and tell us whether the starch and sugar 

 undergoes any change in going through tlie 

 sweating process. 



Thus, Mr. Editor, I have given, in my im- 

 perfect way, my views of this n'ew method of 

 curing gra.ss. If you think they are wortli 

 anything, use them ; if not, consign them to 

 the waste basket. J. L. Hubijaui>. 



Peabody, Mass., July 14, 1871. 



For the Kew England Farmer. 

 OUT-DOOR GARDENING. 



June played at "hide-and-seek'" with us, in 

 these northern latitudes, granting us only a 

 glimpse of her sunny skies and balmy airs, but 

 in these sunuuer months the sunshines, with an 

 almost overpowering warmth ; and all nature 

 rejoices in its rays. The "heated term" is a 

 necessity, if we would enjoy the rich and rare 

 tlowers and delicious vegetables of the sum- 

 mer months. 



Our roses have been perfectly exquisite ! 

 Never were roses seen so rich and rare in this 

 "north countree !" A moss rose stands over 

 8i.\ feet hi^li ; and as we write, is perfectly 

 covered wif h most lovely roses and buds. The 

 latter, with their mossy veil, are very beauti- 

 ful, and the full blown roses are not without 

 their charm. The plant had been cultivated 

 several years, but not until the "Grafton Min- 

 eral Fertilizer" was a])piled to its roots did it 

 make any headway ; then it grew wonderfully, 

 and in the last two years has grown four feet. 

 Every spring it is cut back from a foot to 

 eighteen iuchirs, and the puny branches tliinned 

 out ; tlien it gatliers up fresh strength, and 

 puts forth its buds and leaves in renewed 

 beauty. One hundred and twenty-five roses 

 have bloomed upon it this season. 



All lovers of roses should obtain sonje of 

 this mineral powder which gives renewed life 

 to all old rose bushes ; and increases the vigor 

 and strength of the new plants. Sixteen new 

 Hybrid Perpetual an'd Tea Hoses adorn our 

 garden this summer, and they will soon lilooni 

 again in beauty and glory. They were all cut 

 back aff.er blooming in June, and now their 

 promise is great. 



Hoses re(jiiire close pruning to blossom in 

 perfection ; it seems very hard to cut off the 

 tall branches — but the finest blossoms are al- 

 ways produced on the stalks thrown up freshly 

 from the roots. Look at yotu- pet roses, my 

 fair friends, and learn this truth, and profit by 

 it. 



Cut down the old wood within six or ten 

 inches of the ground, and see how they will 

 repay you for the sacrifice of their branches. 



Not a slug, or a rose bug, has dared to touch 

 a leaf or bud of one of our darlings. Early 

 in the season the mineral powder referred to 

 above, was plentifully scattered over all the 

 leaves. Two more applications were made 

 for fear the devastating foe might make its 

 appearance, and their foliage is as beautiful as 

 in the first dawn of creation. The culture of 

 the rose has been neglected of late, on account 

 of the ravages of tliis insect, but it can be suc- 

 cessfully removed with very little trouble ; be- 

 sides the use of the "Fertilizer" is very benefi- 

 cial to the grovvth of the plant. 



There is not a flower in the garden that 

 possesses more charms than the rose ; still, the 

 pink also commands much aduiiration. These 

 flowers were first brought into notice in 1270, 

 by Louis the Pious. He made a crusade to 

 Tunis, and was delighted with the delicious 

 fragrance of the pink. Some of the plants 

 were taken home and cultivated with great at- 

 tention. It was called Tunica at first, from 

 the spot where it was discovered, but on ac- 

 count of its spicy fragrance it was named 

 Caryophyllus. Since that the pink has become 

 domesticated in the south of France and Italy. 



King Rene of Anjou was a devoted admirer 

 of the flower, and he cultivated many varieties 

 of it; he considered it valuable as a medicine. 

 Not until 1597 was it grown in England, and 

 it was introduced then by the Poles. We are 

 indebted to^he Spaniards for its introduction 

 into this country. 



In 1700 the Dutch took It up and cultivated 

 it with such care that they produced over 300 

 varieties. A perfect flower must be a fine 

 color, with an unbroken calyx — if that bursts 

 open its beauty is greatly injured. Carnations 

 and Picotees are both indispensables. They 

 can be easily raised from cuttings or layers ; 

 and the soil which grows them to the best ad- 

 vantage, is a mixture of loam, black leaf 

 mould, well-decayed stable manure, and a lit- 

 tle sand. These flowers are often styled flor- 

 ists' flowers. This term is usually applied to 

 those plants that have been improved in form, 

 color, or size, or in all three combined. They 

 are, in truth, the productions of art, having 

 been raised by high cultivation and patient 

 care from Insignificant flowers. 



Any one who will compare a single and a 

 double pink, will be struck with the great dif- 

 ference between the same flower in a natural 

 and artificial state. Florists' flowers are one 

 of the greatest proofs of man's skill and Inge- 

 nuity which the vegetable kingdom can exhibit. 

 The taste for Florists' Flowers In England Is 

 supposed to have been brought over from 

 Flanders, when its citizens fled from the per- 

 secutions of their rulers. 



The Flemish weavers brought with them 

 roses, carnations and gilliflowers as early as 

 15G7, and the rare gardens In many parts of 

 England are Indebted for many of their gems 

 to these manufacturers. 



The French refugees introduced ihe fashion 



