February 9, :871. ] 



JOURNAL OP EOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



105 



shining leaves, looks best at night ; suitable sprigs are tied 

 upon wire bent to the design iixed upon, and are quiekly laid 

 upon the table, care being taken to turn upwards as many of 

 the leaves as cin be done, and if the figtire is of a pleasing 

 character its efleet is good. Of course, a knowledge of the 

 position of the important objects on the table is necessary in 

 order to work out the design to scale, which is not a difficult 

 matter, as provision can easily be made for having some of the 

 parts longer or shorter as required. With this object in view, 

 it is advisable that the design should be in a great number of 

 pieces, none of them more than 3 feet long following the curves, 

 and few that length. We use galvanised wire that has become 

 dulled by exposure, as most nearly approaching the colour of 

 the stems of the evergreens, and no stouter than will merely 

 bear handling and carrying about ; twigs of evergreens are 

 neatly tied to it with some dark coloured string, beginning 

 at one end and making the top of one sprig overlap the butt 

 end of the other, in the ordinary way of garland-making. 

 Figures so made will last quite fresh a fortnight or more if 

 kept in a cool moist place. We lay ours out of doors where 

 they will not be dirtied, but will be exposed to all the rain and 

 snow that falls. 



Figuring of this kind, as will be seen, can be made to intersect 

 the table in any fanciful form, like so much embroidery, and 

 the deep green foliage stands out well upon the clean white 

 tablecloth. Curves of, say, about one-third of a circle, may 

 cross each other at their ends and form a continuous chain- 

 work of elliptical links and lozenge-shaped ones alternately, 

 which may each enclose something required on the table. This 

 chain includes the ends as well as the sides, leaving the space 

 of 14 inches next the outer edge quite clear for the plates, &e., 

 the same as in the trough system ; in fact, in all cases this 

 space must be left untouched. The curves may also be formed 

 into other designs. A little alteration from the above will 

 allow of their being formed into what gardeners call the 

 Florentine chain, which is a continuation of portions of the 

 letter S overlapping each other ; a still farther alteration, but 

 at the same time requiring a separate set of wire forms will 



make scrollwork, which, partly encircling the base of each 

 dessert dish, looks very well, the whole being connected by the 

 serpentine line ; or the scrolls may be made to exhibit them- 

 selves on the open spaces of the tablecloth, but there is seldom 

 room for this, and, as I have before observed, I am averse to 

 any mutilation of leaves to form very fine work, which I have 

 never found answer. There are many other modes in which 

 this kind of evergreen embroidery in a curved or serpentine 

 form can be wrought into agreeable forms, and I will now pass 

 on to another class, which is straight work ; here, again, there 

 is great diversity. 



Many years ago the writers on landscape gardening found 

 great fault with straight lines, and avenues so planted were 

 to them an abomination, consequently there are but few such 

 at the present day of thirty or forty years' growth, but more 

 recently their claims to importance have been recognised, fresh 

 ones are being planted, and straight lines after all have been 

 thought to have their merits ; for the purpose at present under 

 consideration I am not certain but they will be thought more 

 ornamental and eli'ective than curved lines, while their intro- 

 duction alternately with these produces an agreeable change. 

 In our case we use the same materials as with the curves, or 

 rather use one of them ; if the curves be of Cypress we make 

 the next piece of Box, or of something else, on a wire 

 frame, and mostly in short straight lengths. Sometimes it is 

 advisable to have pieces like the letter L ; and for a sort of 

 Grecian pattern that will be described below, pieces bent so 

 as to form three sides of a square are found very useful. 

 One mode of using these straight pieces is to form a border 

 all round the table, and to let other pieces cross each other 

 in the centre diagonally, dividing it into a number of lo- 

 zenges and triangles, a short piece uniting their points with 

 the outer bordering in the manner of lead-oasemented windows. 

 Of course each square and triangle is expected to contain some- 

 thing wanted on the table. 



There are also modes in which the straight lines can be 

 called into requisition, and which will easily occur to the de- 

 corator ; but that which has been generally most admired here? 



r 



Dinner table, with twenty-four dishes of dessert, sis candles, as represented by the crosses, and five stands for 

 flowers. If there be a central object, as a piece of plate, only four stands will be wanted, and these, if necessary, 

 may be in pairs, the two end ones being alike. 



is a simple form of what I believe in architecture is called the 

 Grecian fret, and which is represented in the accompanying 

 engraving. A number of wire forme are bent into the shape 

 of three sides of a square ; the two angles, being right angles, 

 are dressed in the manner described, and assuming the sides to 

 be each from a foot to 15 inches in length, as may be required, 

 one such piece is laid round the base of each dessert dish, with 

 its points towards the central line of the table, and just as 

 many single straight pieces of the same length as each side of 

 the others will be wanted to unite the three-sided pieces to- 



gether, the whole forming a design round the table, with everv 

 turning at right angles. Of course care must be taken to have 

 the lines correct both longitudinally and crossways, and when 

 neatly done, the agreeable simplicity of the design has generally 

 found a greater number of admirers than more elaborate 

 devices. Perhaps it may be incorrect to call this the Grecian 

 pattern, as it contains so few turnings, and the battlements 

 of some old towers exhibit all the angles. The design may 

 be extended to any length of table, or made shorter at will. — 



J. EOESON. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



The state of tl e weither prevents much being done in the 

 open ground ; but all tools may be sharpened and made ready 

 for use. Cut Pea sticks, and prepare dnng for forcing; shake 

 it well to pieces when turned, and if it should be dry water it. 

 If a constant succession of Asparagus is required, a bed should 

 be made every fortnight till tne end of March or beginning of 

 April ; a slight heat only is necessary. Keep the frames close, 

 and cover up well till the shoots make their appearance, when 

 they should have light and air. Seeds of the various sorts of 

 Capsicums should now be sown in pots, which should be placed 

 in a hotbed. If ajsowing of Carrots has not yet been made it 

 may now be put in onja slight 1 otbed, and covered with hoops 



and mats, or a frame, which may be removed in a month or 

 fix weeks if wanted for other purposes. If it is not convenient 

 to prepare beds for Potatoes immediately, plant in small pots, 

 and place them in any corner of the forcing house, where they 

 can remain until they have made their appearance above 

 ground ; they should then be planted out, or be placed in a 

 situation where they can receive sufficient light. I strongly 

 urge the necessity of thoroughly turning up ground in which, 

 vegetable seeds are to be sown, and those who have allowed 

 vacant ground to remain untouched should lose no opportunity 

 of turning up the soil as deeply as possible, to expose it to the 

 pulverising influence of frost; but while advising deep cul- 

 tivation, 1 woiild not recommend bringing up the bottom if it 



