﻿April, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  i33 
  

  

  were 
  gradually 
  thrown 
  open 
  to 
  the 
  highway, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  

   was 
  planted 
  with 
  shrubbery 
  or 
  trees, 
  like 
  private 
  grounds. 
  

   The 
  drift 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  is 
  so 
  strong 
  to-day 
  that 
  our 
  high- 
  

   ways 
  bid 
  fair 
  to 
  become 
  continuous 
  parks 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  con- 
  

   tinent. 
  The 
  grouping 
  of 
  lawn 
  trees 
  frequently 
  runs 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  public 
  driveway 
  ; 
  in 
  other 
  cases 
  the 
  orchard 
  or 
  small 
  fruit 
  

   garden 
  takes 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  street, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  traveler 
  

   rinds 
  himself 
  walking 
  or 
  driving 
  through 
  private 
  grounds 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  public. 
  

  

  The 
  hedge 
  era 
  naturally 
  brought 
  in 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  of 
  the 
  

   grotesque. 
  There 
  was 
  an 
  effort, 
  not 
  got 
  rid 
  of 
  before 
  the 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  century, 
  to 
  shear 
  these 
  hedges 
  into 
  fantastic 
  

   forms, 
  with 
  animals 
  sitting 
  on 
  top. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  arbor 
  vitaes 
  and 
  hemlocks 
  and 
  box 
  trees 
  were 
  compelled 
  

   to 
  exhibit 
  themselves 
  as 
  flat-topped, 
  or 
  square 
  as 
  a 
  dry 
  goods 
  

   box, 
  or 
  ridged 
  up 
  like 
  roofs, 
  or 
  terraced 
  into 
  pagodas. 
  This 
  

   reign 
  of 
  false 
  taste, 
  running 
  from 
  i860 
  to 
  1890, 
  was 
  quite 
  

   long 
  enough, 
  for 
  it 
  spoiled 
  many 
  yards, 
  and 
  mutilated 
  many 
  

   hedges. 
  A 
  simpler 
  taste 
  came 
  in 
  with 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  Nature 
  

   study. 
  The 
  evergreen 
  is 
  now 
  expected 
  to 
  sit 
  flat 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  while 
  hedges 
  are 
  used 
  mainly 
  to 
  divide 
  our 
  grounds 
  

   into 
  lawns, 
  gardens, 
  and 
  retreats. 
  The 
  windbreak 
  is 
  grow- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  popularity, 
  and 
  is 
  certainly 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  needs 
  of 
  an 
  

   ornamental 
  or 
  fruit-bearing 
  homestead. 
  Shears 
  should 
  touch 
  

   a 
  hedge 
  only 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  thicker 
  and 
  firmer. 
  

  

  The 
  era 
  of 
  fantastic 
  hedges 
  coincided 
  with 
  the 
  era 
  of 
  geo- 
  

   metric 
  gardening. 
  The 
  achyranthes 
  was 
  introduced 
  about 
  

   i860; 
  and 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  beautiful 
  coleus 
  was, 
  unfortunately, 
  

   discovered 
  — 
  or 
  created. 
  Folk 
  must 
  have 
  great 
  masses 
  of 
  

   color; 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  lawns 
  were 
  spattered 
  over 
  with 
  moons 
  

   and 
  stars 
  in 
  yellow, 
  red, 
  and 
  blue. 
  Knolls 
  were 
  leveled 
  to 
  

   make 
  this 
  carpet 
  gardening 
  more 
  conspicuous. 
  Wealth 
  ex- 
  

   ploited 
  itself 
  on 
  showy 
  grounds 
  — 
  without 
  taste. 
  This 
  craze 
  

   was 
  fortunately 
  brief. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  stock 
  law 
  had 
  driven 
  cattle 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  street, 
  

   trees 
  were 
  often 
  mutilated. 
  As 
  a 
  consequence, 
  people 
  some- 
  

   times 
  planted 
  the 
  three-thorned 
  gleditschia, 
  which 
  was 
  capa- 
  

   ble 
  of 
  defending 
  itself, 
  while 
  others 
  set 
  avenues 
  of 
  Lom- 
  

   bardy 
  poplar. 
  This 
  tree 
  was 
  introduced 
  by 
  Jefferson, 
  about 
  

   1 
  8 
  10. 
  The 
  roots 
  ran 
  fifty 
  to 
  seventy-five 
  feet 
  through 
  the 
  

   soil, 
  spoiling 
  not 
  only 
  dooryards 
  but 
  cornfields; 
  and 
  if 
  

   scratched 
  they 
  threw 
  up 
  suckers 
  innumerable. 
  By 
  1 
  830 
  farm- 
  

   ers 
  had 
  made 
  a 
  wiser 
  choice 
  of 
  the 
  sugar 
  maple 
  and 
  the 
  

   white 
  ash. 
  These 
  began 
  to 
  line 
  our 
  street 
  sides, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  

   had 
  been 
  dealt 
  with 
  honorably, 
  would 
  still 
  be 
  the 
  glory 
  of 
  

   American 
  streets. 
  The 
  maple 
  is 
  very 
  sensitive 
  to 
  wounds, 
  

   and 
  if 
  trimmed 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  sun 
  strike 
  the 
  bark, 
  it 
  will 
  

   blister. 
  Worms 
  follow, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  days 
  of 
  such 
  trees 
  are 
  

   unsightly. 
  We 
  have 
  unfortunately 
  few 
  good 
  maple 
  avenues 
  

   left 
  in 
  the 
  country. 
  The 
  ash 
  and 
  the 
  basswood 
  heal 
  over 
  

   more 
  readily, 
  and 
  make 
  better 
  street 
  trees. 
  The 
  ash 
  is 
  de- 
  

   sirable 
  because 
  it 
  puts 
  out 
  its 
  leaves 
  late 
  and 
  drops 
  them 
  early 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  fall; 
  and 
  the 
  basswood 
  is 
  very 
  desirable 
  because 
  its 
  

   flowers 
  yield 
  such 
  quantities 
  of 
  honey. 
  While 
  the 
  farmers 
  

   were 
  throwing 
  out 
  the 
  poplar 
  and 
  similar 
  trees, 
  the 
  cities 
  

   were 
  getting 
  rid 
  of 
  the 
  ailanthus, 
  and 
  adopting 
  the 
  elm. 
  At 
  

   present 
  the 
  Norway 
  maple 
  and 
  catalpa 
  and 
  basswood 
  con- 
  

   stitute 
  a 
  trio 
  of 
  sweet 
  trees 
  pre-eminently 
  excellent 
  — 
  rapid 
  in 
  

   growth, 
  beautiful 
  in 
  foliage, 
  and 
  not 
  infested 
  by 
  worms. 
  

  

  Modern 
  home 
  grounds 
  are 
  laid 
  out 
  largely 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  

   economy. 
  The 
  shrubs 
  form 
  a 
  "shrubbery," 
  or 
  are 
  scattered 
  in 
  

   groups 
  to 
  brighten 
  the 
  whole 
  place. 
  We 
  have 
  so 
  many 
  va- 
  

   rieties 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  blossoming 
  in 
  succession, 
  through 
  the 
  

   whole 
  season; 
  while 
  in 
  winter 
  the 
  grounds 
  are 
  made 
  bright 
  

   with 
  the 
  berries 
  of 
  the 
  high-bush 
  cranberry, 
  euonymus, 
  and 
  

   barberry. 
  We 
  find 
  it 
  desirable 
  to 
  plant 
  our 
  roses 
  and 
  most 
  

   of 
  our 
  flowers 
  in 
  rows 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  cultivated 
  by 
  horse 
  power. 
  

   The 
  apiary 
  should 
  be 
  in 
  close 
  relation 
  to 
  a 
  basswood 
  grove, 
  

   with 
  the 
  apple 
  orchard 
  not 
  far 
  away. 
  We 
  know 
  that 
  we 
  

   can 
  not 
  have 
  success 
  with 
  fruit 
  without 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  the 
  bees. 
  

   A 
  windbreak 
  of 
  shrubs, 
  such 
  as 
  Tartarian 
  honeysuckle, 
  is 
  both 
  

   delightful 
  and 
  useful. 
  The 
  front 
  yard 
  is 
  entirely 
  dispensed 
  

   with, 
  and 
  nearly 
  all 
  fences. 
  The 
  aim 
  is 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  whole 
  

   grounds 
  about 
  equally 
  beautiful, 
  while 
  not 
  detracting 
  from 
  

   the 
  useful. 
  Removing 
  the 
  street 
  fences 
  and 
  planting 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  ditch 
  has 
  eliminated 
  weeds 
  and 
  thistles, 
  while 
  the 
  trees 
  

   no 
  longer 
  need 
  boxing, 
  and 
  the 
  sidewalks 
  are 
  kept 
  clean. 
  

  

  One 
  thing 
  we 
  are 
  now 
  making 
  sure 
  of, 
  that 
  our 
  house 
  

   grounds 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  are 
  not 
  a 
  modification 
  of 
  city 
  grounds, 
  

   but 
  are 
  unadulterated 
  country 
  in 
  their 
  makeup 
  ; 
  something 
  

   that 
  one 
  may 
  always 
  look 
  at 
  and 
  say, 
  This 
  place 
  has 
  grown 
  

   naturally, 
  and 
  man 
  has 
  not 
  interfered, 
  but 
  helped. 
  We 
  have 
  

   fortunately 
  outlived 
  the 
  artificial; 
  only 
  that 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  

   we 
  run 
  upon 
  a 
  pretty 
  little 
  lawn 
  run 
  over 
  diurnally 
  with 
  a 
  

   rattling 
  grass 
  clipper. 
  If 
  anything 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  

   appropriately 
  it 
  is 
  grass. 
  A 
  lawn 
  cut 
  just 
  often 
  enough 
  to 
  

   have 
  a 
  good 
  cushion 
  of 
  clover 
  is 
  all 
  right. 
  Do 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  

   scythe. 
  

  

  I 
  can 
  not 
  but 
  feel 
  that 
  flowers 
  are 
  less 
  beautiful 
  where 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  love, 
  and 
  the 
  love 
  must 
  include 
  the 
  flowers. 
  The 
  

   old-time 
  mothers 
  identified 
  every 
  flower 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  for 
  its 
  

   relation 
  of 
  some 
  sort 
  to 
  the 
  family. 
  The 
  herbs 
  were 
  essential 
  

   parts 
  of 
  family 
  health; 
  nasturtiums 
  were 
  good 
  for 
  pickles; 
  

   love-lies-bleeding 
  told 
  a 
  pathetic 
  story 
  to 
  the 
  kindly 
  heart. 
  "I 
  

   declare," 
  said 
  Mother 
  Williams, 
  "but 
  this 
  grape 
  hyacinth 
  

   smells 
  like 
  a 
  new-born 
  baby." 
  Spring 
  can 
  be 
  identified 
  by 
  the 
  

   smell 
  of 
  cherry 
  blossoms. 
  Our 
  mothers 
  had 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  but 
  

   that 
  they 
  could 
  study 
  and 
  love 
  each 
  thing; 
  living 
  their 
  lives 
  

   over 
  again 
  in 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  flowers 
  of 
  their 
  grounds. 
  The 
  

   children 
  grew 
  up 
  to 
  know 
  everything 
  by 
  such 
  companionable 
  

   names 
  as 
  heart'sease, 
  baby's 
  head, 
  wakerobin, 
  wallflower, 
  

   maid 
  in 
  the 
  mist, 
  sweet-william, 
  Jacob's 
  ladder, 
  and 
  were 
  

   expected 
  always 
  to 
  ask 
  for 
  flowers 
  before 
  taking 
  them- 
  

   to 
  the 
  well-loved 
  schoolmistress. 
  

  

  -even 
  

  

  