DEcEMBER, 1906 
mon sense; one pair of hands doing every- 
thing both inside and out. 
When you hear the dimensions you will 
wonder what time could be needed more 
than the fugitive minutes most homemakers 
have. The actual planting space, enclosed 
by a paling fence is in two plots; one 
6x8 ft., the other 4x5 ft., which a paved 
path divides at right angles, skirting the 
fence at one side. A gate at the end leads to 
a turfed yard, used in common with other 
tenants. I pilfered a few inches of this yard, 
just outside my fence, as you will hear later. 
First of all the clearing, and such a task— 
where ashes were not, tough grass and weeds 
of many seasons’ growth had to be dislodged, 
the paving stones nearly came up too in my 
enthusiasm. Little by little I brought good 
soil from nearby lots; as the land was clayey, 
sand was invited to take part and make it 
friable. 
As it was to be a garden in miniature it 
was planned with exactness and with an eye 
to the harmony of the various blooms I 
elected to have. I had often read of, and 
seen grass paths. I longed for one; so eleven 
inches were marked off the full length of the 
6-foot plot, leaving a bed eighteen inches wide 
on one side. The larger space on the other 
side was sub-divided, for easier handling, by a 
curved path of oyster shells ten inches wide. 
The making of this grassy way was toil 
indeed, but not regretted. The grass I dug 
from nearby lots in the fall and I chose that 
which grew near trees, in small patches rather 
than the larger sods I had not strength to 
handle. Many of the pieces were only a few 
inches square. ‘The fairy path was finished 
by the first week in November also a narrow 
grass border for the plots. All this must be 
constantly clipped and kept within bounds. 
Then I put in plants, roots, etc, which 
would stand the winter and be established by 
spring. They were placed with an eye to 
fitness and coloring, the exposure being 
southwestern. At the sides and corners of 
the 6 x 8 ft. plot I had a white chrysanthe- 
mum, a root from an elder bush, a day lily, 
some yellow iris and a coreopsis. Along 
the end fence, a Crimson Rambler rose, a 
clematis, and several runners of honey-suckle. 
On the other side of the fence (the pilfered 
inches) a lilac shoot at the corner, one golden 
glow, and a root each of pink, white, and 
yellow chrysanthemums and a hollyhock of 
aristocratic lineage. Finally a few dozen 
assorted bulbs for spring blooming were 
planted deep, and when the ground was frozen 
stable litter and manure were strewn over the 
ground. 
When promising spring ceased flirting so 
that the covering could be raked off it was a 
joy to see everything growing and the grass 
in good condition. 
The middle spaces were prepared for seed, 
keeping one portion for annuals. There 
were no abnormal blooms, but flowers of 
some kind were plentiful all summer and 
autumn for table decoration and giving away. 
The poppy bed, 2x4 ft., was a marvel of 
beauty. Beyond, a square foot of California 
poppies flanked by a maroon scabiosa and 
two or three each of phlox, asters, and wall- 
THE GARDEN 
MAGAZINE 
50x85 ft. yielded 15 bushels of good tubers in seven 
weeks. The earliest record for that section of New 
York State (Lake George) 
flowers. A border of dwarf sweet alyssum 
with a salvia at each end was a study in 
scarlet and white. There was no crowding 
except among some of the annuals, it being a 
garden of units, bringing a single plant to 
perfection rather than a row or group of 
mediocre blossoms. 
The 4x5 ft. plot forms part of the area 
facing the kitchen door and window, through 
which the sun streams nearly all day 
Morning glories were trained over the 
window to make a natural awning. 
Trailing nasturtiums of all shades rioted 
over the dividing fence. A castor bean 
plant in one corner of the bed was given all 
the care and room it needed, growing, with 
tropical effect, seven feet tall with a spread 
of eight feet. In the other corner on the 
same side was one Golden Glow that was 
a giant shower bouquet. 
Overhanging and partly covering the 
bricked-up portion which holds that part of 
the garden in place, was a portiere four feet 
long, reaching to the ground, of creeping 
Charlie (Lysimachia nummularia). In that 
229 
same plot is a rose, a bush of lavender, a 
bleeding heart, a wall-flower, a corner of 
mint, and some bulbs. 
Two gaunt clothes line posts just outside 
the fence were converted by morning glories 
planted and strung so that the poles were 
completely covered, also festooning the space 
between. 
Two or three feet beyond is a silver leaf 
maple sapling from a mountain side miles 
away. 
For fertilizing I discarded all the book talk 
and had recourse to the homely dish water, 
also rinsing water, slightly ammoniated, from 
the wash tubs every week. My compost 
heap is confined in a butter tub with holes 
bored near the bottom. With the cover on 
it is sightly and unsuspected. Stable litter 
I get by the barrel from a huckster. 
Potatoes in Seven Weeks 
J. J. Witson, N. Y. 
OTATOES in eight weeks, said the 
GARDEN MacGazine for last March. 
Impossible, I thought, but still, as I had 
some tubers of Eureka in the cellar an ex- 
periment was started. Result: potatoes in 
seven weeks! I brought up a bushel of tubers 
that had sprouts half an inch to an inch long 
and placed them on trays in a light room 
where the temperature ranged from 40° to 
65°. The sprouts and surface of the po- 
tatoes gradually turned to a bronze green. 
The sprouts became stocky and had small, 
scaly leaves but did not increase in length. 
On the r8th of April they were planted in 
a light sandy loam in a garden 50x 85 ft., 
having a slight grade to the east and south. 
For fertilizer I used half a pint each of wood 
ashes and hen manure to a hill. The seed 
was handled with care so as not to injure 
the sprouts and planted in rows four feet 
apart and about fourteen inches between 
the sets. 
A woman's 6x8 ft. garden that gave a constant supply of cut flowers from spring until frost 
