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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Jan u aby, 1916 



THE- TALK- OF- THE - OFFICE 



A Letter from the Editor, Outlining Plans to Serve 



GARDEN CITY, N. Y. 

 January 1, 1916. 



To The New Reader: 



In this issue of The Garden Magazine we have tried 

 to give you a feast of suggestion for the planning of 

 your garden activities during the coming year. Our 

 object has been to get you "started right." Of course 

 you cannot get out to do things during January, unless 

 you happen to be of that small, but envied, number 

 dwelling under the skies of the sunny South and to whom 

 winter is more a state of mind than a stern reality. But 

 even so, ideas have to be created and plans made. I 

 have tried to show you how nearly universal are our 

 general garden problems and how close neighbors we are. 



Each month's issue of this magazine is carefully 

 planned to have a seasonal and timely interest, so that 

 the succeeding numbers carry you on, step by step, to 

 the better development of your own ideas and improve- 

 ment of your gardens. 



If you would have Roses in June you must set out 

 plants in March or April, which means that you must 

 plan for them and where to put them in January and 

 February. And so indeed with everything else. It is to 

 these beginnings of things that this number is devoted. 



I am particularly gratified at being able to assure you 

 of the practical value of succeeding issues. The Febru- 

 ary number will take you one step further and tell, 

 among other things, about Starting Seeds in Heat, 

 Planting Evergreens in the South, Early Flowering 

 Shrubs, Sowing Annuals in the House. In March the 

 planting tables come — tables that will tell you just what 

 to plant, how much, and where, for the best efficiency of 

 your garden; and so on. 



Among the special features for 1916 are: a continuation 

 of Mr. Ernest H. Wilson's remarkable series of special 

 articles on ornamental trees and shrubs, etc.; Mr. 

 Adolph Kruhm's on better vegetables, things no amateur 

 can have time to find out for himself, and let me here urge 

 you to read carefully the article and concluding note on 

 pages 189 and 190; Mr. Fletcher Steele will write on the 

 development of the new home, from the standpoint of 

 what you can actually afford, rather than the old time 

 way of merely telling what you ought to do. Mr. Stephen 

 Hamblin will contribute a series of short one-page articles 

 on Easy Gardening in Difficult Places — on dry, wet, 

 heavy, light soils, under shade of trees, etc. In Pin- 

 money Crops, Mr. F. F. Rockwell, tells of ways and 

 means of making a small garden as a side issue pay real 

 money. Mr. W. C. McCollom will write about plants 

 and vegetables under glass. Mr. Mattern's popular 

 notes on fruits and berries are to be extended; he always 

 has the home viewpoint which is often directly in conflict 

 with commercial requirements. This is but a brief 

 sketchy outline. Of course there will be special articles 

 beautifully illustrated, on new flowers as well as old 

 favorites; on making color schemes for the hardy border; 



planting plans for shrubbery, and in fact all the usual 

 topics that we gardeners love to discuss. 



Will you turn at once to the Month's Reminder on 

 page 203 which is full of tabloid suggestions of what to 

 do now and how to prepare for the future? A veritable 

 multum in parvo, as so many hundreds of old readers 

 constantly assure us. 



It is quite impossible to put into the pages of any one 

 number of any magazine sufficient material to absolutely 

 satisfy all the special needs of all the people all the time. 

 The best any publication can do is to meet the general 

 requirements adequately. But The Garden Magazine 

 is prepared to go much further in its personal service to 

 the individual. Its "Readers' Service" department is 

 organized to be a very friend in need and help in time of 

 trouble. Through that department any reader can get 

 quick personal and direct advice by mail in reply to any 

 specific questions, as to how to do, where to buy, what 

 to use, in fact anything whatever excepting medical, 

 legal, religious questions, and matters of personal pro- 

 fessional service. 



Ten years ago, when this magazine was started the 

 average backyard was neglected, unbeautiful and indeed 

 somewhat of an eyesore. To-day, it is the exception to 

 find neglected surroundings to houses of refined people. 

 Indeed "Every garden means a home." A house may 

 be only a building, but beautiful surroundings quickly 

 convert the house into the home in its true sense. 



I wish that I could convey to you, my heartfelt meaning 

 and my sincere desire to help you enjoy the pleasure of 

 the garden. As I sit in my office at Garden City sur-> 

 rounded by gardens, I am impatient to see the first Snow- 

 drop herald in the early spring; and already of course, 

 even in the winter days before, some of the early flower- 

 ing shrubs — the Fragrant Honeysuckle and the brilliant. 

 Golden Bell have given spasmodic bursts of bloom. I 

 wish I could take you for a walk among the Tulips, the 

 Peonies, the Roses each in their season, and tell you 

 individually and personally of their charms and glories — 

 but of course I cannot. However, I can hope to serve 

 you, my message month by month is to help you if you 

 will let me, and if you will tell me of your needs. 



And perhaps we shall meet at the great flower shows 

 to be held in March and April in Philadelphia and in New 

 York and so make a personal acquaintance. I shall be 

 glad to meet you — or come to Garden City and have a 

 friendly chat over the things that grow. 

 Yours sincerly, 



Editor 



P. S. — The circulation man saw this letter, and says I missed an 

 important subject — New Readers may have the next nine issues 

 for $1.00 — Feb. to Oct., inclusive, (See advmrtisment in this is- 

 sue.) 



