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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  August, 
  1907 
  

  

  Hampshire 
  makes 
  it 
  a 
  sketching 
  

   ground 
  for 
  her 
  work 
  in 
  water 
  colors. 
  

  

  Some 
  forty 
  years 
  ago 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  D. 
  

   Sturtevant 
  settled 
  in 
  Bordentown, 
  

   N. 
  J., 
  and 
  remained 
  there 
  until 
  1889, 
  

   when 
  he 
  removed 
  to 
  Holly 
  Wood, 
  

   California. 
  Mr. 
  Sturtevant 
  was 
  a 
  

   florist, 
  much 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  growth 
  

   of 
  aquatics, 
  and 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  father 
  

   of 
  water-garden 
  culture. 
  He 
  rented 
  

   a 
  pond 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  propagating 
  

   the 
  Egyptian 
  lotus 
  for 
  sale, 
  also 
  to 
  

   prove 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  hardy 
  in 
  this 
  cli- 
  

   mate. 
  He 
  was 
  successful, 
  far 
  beyond 
  

   his 
  expectations, 
  until 
  the 
  mill 
  was 
  

   burned 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  drawn 
  off, 
  when 
  

   the 
  plants 
  perished. 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  florist's 
  yard 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   the 
  town, 
  Mr. 
  Sturtevant 
  had 
  an 
  arti- 
  

   ficial 
  tank 
  for 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  Vic- 
  

   toria 
  regia. 
  I 
  visited 
  this 
  in 
  1882, 
  

   with 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  young 
  people 
  from 
  the 
  

   Bordentown 
  Female 
  College. 
  We 
  

   viewed 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  (when 
  it 
  was 
  

   a 
  doubly 
  fascinating 
  sight, 
  height- 
  

   ened 
  by 
  the 
  shadows 
  cast 
  by 
  an 
  old- 
  

   fashioned 
  lantern), 
  the 
  magnificent 
  

   blooms 
  rearing 
  their 
  white 
  waxen 
  

  

  heads 
  above 
  the 
  water. 
  This 
  garden 
  has 
  been 
  removed 
  to 
  

   California. 
  

  

  The 
  water 
  gardens 
  noted 
  in 
  this 
  article 
  are 
  but 
  types, 
  and 
  

   very 
  interesting 
  and 
  beautiful 
  types 
  of 
  many 
  such 
  gardens 
  

   that 
  have 
  been 
  successfully 
  cultivated 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  

   America. 
  They 
  show 
  not 
  only 
  how 
  highly 
  interesting 
  such 
  

   plants 
  are, 
  but 
  how 
  readily 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  cultivated 
  and 
  

   brought 
  to 
  full 
  perfection 
  of 
  maturity. 
  Why 
  a 
  water 
  garden 
  

   should, 
  at 
  any 
  time, 
  have 
  been 
  thought 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  difficulty, 
  

  

  The 
  Egyptian 
  Lotus 
  May 
  Be 
  Readily 
  

   Grown 
  in 
  a 
  Tub 
  

  

  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  mysteries 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  

   art 
  of 
  gardening. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  easier 
  

   than 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  a 
  suitable 
  pond 
  or 
  

   basin, 
  if 
  one's 
  grounds 
  has 
  no 
  natural 
  

   stream, 
  and 
  nothing 
  is 
  easier 
  than 
  to 
  

   grow 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  basin 
  the 
  most 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  of 
  water 
  plants, 
  giving 
  rich 
  and 
  

   splendid 
  effects 
  with 
  blooms 
  that 
  are 
  

   equaled 
  by 
  few 
  earth 
  plants. 
  

  

  No 
  garden 
  of 
  any 
  sort 
  is 
  produced 
  

   without 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  trouble 
  and 
  labor. 
  

   1 
  he 
  beautiful 
  garden 
  implies 
  and 
  re- 
  

   quires 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  attention. 
  Even 
  

   if 
  it 
  be 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  one, 
  there 
  must 
  

   be 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  personal 
  labor 
  be- 
  

   stowed 
  upon 
  it. 
  And 
  this 
  labor 
  must 
  

   be 
  constant 
  and 
  unremittantly 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  year 
  after 
  year. 
  It 
  is 
  work 
  that 
  

   is 
  never 
  done, 
  albeit 
  it 
  yields 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  varied 
  delight 
  and 
  interest. 
  

   Doubtless 
  the 
  water 
  garden 
  seems, 
  to 
  

   many, 
  to 
  add 
  another 
  quota 
  of 
  labor 
  

   to 
  the 
  many 
  details 
  most 
  gardens 
  re- 
  

   quire; 
  it 
  seems, 
  moreover, 
  to 
  require 
  

   the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  strange 
  and 
  exotic 
  

   plants, 
  whose 
  methods 
  of 
  growth 
  are 
  

   unfamiliar 
  and 
  whose 
  successful 
  de- 
  

   velopment 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  problemati- 
  

   cal. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  neither 
  of 
  these 
  propositions 
  is 
  

   true. 
  The 
  labor 
  involved 
  in 
  making 
  and 
  caring 
  for 
  a 
  water 
  

   garden 
  is 
  distinctly 
  less 
  than 
  that 
  needed 
  for 
  the 
  cultivation 
  

   of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  garden, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  conspicuously 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  

   cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  plants 
  has 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  to 
  be 
  

   easy 
  and 
  complete. 
  The 
  water 
  garden 
  may 
  thus 
  add 
  a 
  new 
  

   charm 
  to 
  our 
  rural 
  grounds, 
  with 
  quite 
  a 
  minimum 
  of 
  labor 
  

   and 
  a 
  maximum 
  of 
  effect. 
  These 
  are 
  two 
  ends 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  

   overlooked 
  in 
  the 
  arrangements 
  of 
  country 
  grounds. 
  

  

  A 
  Vacation 
  Problem 
  Easily 
  Solved 
  

  

  By 
  Phebe 
  Westcott 
  Humphreys 
  

  

  ,HEN 
  outing 
  funds 
  are 
  low 
  and 
  health 
  or 
  

   business 
  demands 
  an 
  expensive 
  vacation 
  trip 
  

   for 
  the 
  older 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family, 
  the 
  

   satisfactory 
  disposal 
  of 
  the 
  growing 
  boy 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  a 
  serious 
  problem 
  for 
  the 
  mother. 
  

   The 
  one 
  great 
  desire 
  of 
  his 
  heart 
  — 
  "camp- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  fellows" 
  — 
  offers 
  many 
  ad- 
  

   vantages; 
  good 
  health 
  from 
  outdoor 
  life, 
  active 
  and 
  delight- 
  

   ful 
  exercise, 
  a 
  closer 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  instructive 
  nature; 
  

   but 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  it 
  fills 
  the 
  mother 
  heart 
  with 
  dread 
  of 
  

   possible 
  harm 
  when 
  gunning, 
  deep-water 
  fishing, 
  swimming, 
  

   and 
  unchaperoned 
  freedom 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  program 
  of 
  daily 
  

   camp 
  life. 
  

  

  And 
  what 
  boy 
  would 
  knowingly 
  tolerate 
  a 
  chaperon? 
  

   Here 
  lies 
  the 
  secret 
  of 
  successfully 
  solving 
  the 
  problem. 
  Let 
  

   the 
  father 
  or 
  the 
  mother 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  persistent 
  would-be 
  

   camper 
  sanction 
  the 
  movement, 
  allow 
  him 
  to 
  choose 
  his 
  

   camping 
  companions, 
  and 
  then 
  make 
  arrangements 
  with 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  each 
  household 
  from 
  which 
  a 
  boy 
  has 
  been 
  chosen, 
  

   to 
  rent 
  the 
  camp 
  site 
  and 
  supplies 
  on 
  the 
  co-operative 
  plan, 
  

   and 
  engage 
  a 
  secret 
  chaperon. 
  The 
  expense 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  

   will 
  be 
  very 
  slight 
  when 
  divided 
  among 
  several 
  families. 
  

  

  The 
  camp 
  site 
  should 
  be 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  or 
  in 
  

   some 
  quiet 
  farming 
  section, 
  near 
  famous 
  boating 
  and 
  fishing 
  

  

  grounds; 
  and 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  little 
  difficulty 
  in 
  finding 
  a 
  man 
  

   from 
  a 
  nearby 
  hotel 
  or 
  farmhouse 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  visiting 
  chaperon 
  

   — 
  to 
  devote 
  only 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  his 
  time 
  each 
  day 
  to 
  the 
  boys, 
  

   while 
  keeping 
  a 
  general 
  supervision 
  over 
  the 
  campers' 
  pas- 
  

   times 
  and 
  provisions. 
  

  

  The 
  secret 
  service 
  idea 
  should 
  be 
  carefully 
  guarded. 
  Let 
  

   the 
  caretaker 
  first 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  scene 
  as 
  a 
  chance 
  visitor, 
  

   after 
  tents 
  are 
  pitched, 
  and 
  arouse 
  the 
  enthusiasm 
  of 
  the 
  

   boys 
  in 
  relating 
  early 
  camping 
  experiences 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   vantages 
  of 
  their 
  surroundings. 
  And 
  while 
  putting 
  up 
  at 
  a 
  

   hotel 
  or 
  farmhouse 
  let 
  him 
  watch 
  over 
  camp 
  and 
  campers 
  

   from 
  a 
  distance, 
  appearing 
  to 
  the 
  boys 
  simply 
  as 
  a 
  good 
  

   chum, 
  who 
  may 
  be 
  depended 
  upon 
  to 
  increase 
  their 
  pleasure 
  

   in 
  each 
  day's 
  sport. 
  Let 
  him 
  also 
  send 
  regular 
  letters 
  to 
  the 
  

   parents 
  of 
  the 
  boys 
  that 
  will 
  allay 
  all 
  anxieties 
  that 
  might 
  

   arise 
  from 
  letters 
  of 
  boyish 
  enthusiasm. 
  Then 
  the 
  parents 
  

   may 
  travel, 
  or 
  spend 
  their 
  time 
  at 
  a 
  fashionable 
  hotel 
  if 
  

   desired 
  (where 
  the 
  boys 
  would 
  find 
  it 
  irksome 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   expensive), 
  knowing 
  that 
  their 
  boys 
  are 
  cultivating 
  meth- 
  

   odical 
  ideas 
  in 
  attending 
  to 
  their 
  own 
  camp 
  cooking 
  and 
  

   housekeeping 
  and 
  independence 
  in 
  providing 
  daily 
  table 
  sup- 
  

   plies; 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  are 
  having 
  a 
  royal 
  good 
  time 
  in 
  

   fulfilling 
  the 
  cherished 
  desire 
  of 
  their 
  hearts. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   agreeable 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  vacation 
  problem 
  for 
  boys. 
  

  

  