44 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



July, 



the interior, which exceeds in beauty any of the missions of 

 the Pacific coast, possessing great arches, frescoed ceilings, 

 and walls covered with pictures of the saints? Some of the 

 work is, of course, barbaric, but the general effect appeals at 

 once to the eye and doubtless has an effect upon the Papagoes, 

 who are the principal worshipers. 



The general shape of the mission is that of a cross. As 

 the visitor passes from the dazzling sunshine of the Arizona 

 desert into the building the contrast is remarkable, and doubt- 

 less awe-inspiring to the Papagoes. A mass of gilt, fresco 

 and carving greets the eye altogether inconsistent with the 

 squalid appearance of the Papago town and the desert be- 

 yond. Such a structure in the natural order of events should 

 have a large subsidiary country to draw upon, but San Xavier 

 stands alone, the little Indian town having the most interest- 

 ing mission church in America. The arches of the church 

 are extremely beautiful, the bases bearing statues of the 

 twelve apostles. The principal altar — there are several — 

 is dedicated to San Xavier, and bears many ornaments and 

 small statues of saints, the Virgin, and representations of the 

 Holy Family. 



These quaint ruins are all that is left to tell the story of 

 successive French and Spanish invasions of Texas and Ari- 

 zona. They tell of the rise and fall of the Spaniards, but 

 also suggest the failure to sustain the series of supreme efforts 

 to conquer and civilize the natives of this vast region of 

 which the Apaches were the most dreaded. In 1729 or 

 1730, the latter, to the number of 500, appeared at San 

 Antonio and challenged the Spaniards to battle, but were 

 ultimately defeated; yet they continued their depredations, 

 and made life very uncertain. So aggressive were the natives 

 in 173 1 that the Friars moved the three missions — Francisco, 

 Concepcion and San Jose — near to the presidio of Beja, and 



at this time San Jose was changed to San Juan Sapistrano. 

 Many changes were made in the years to come, the Friars 

 always losing influence, and in 1743 the Comanches destroyed 

 the mission of San Sebastian Saba and massacred the Friars, 

 in retaliation of which the friends of the Friars gathered an 

 army and marched against the Comanches, but they were put 

 to flight. From now on the Spaniards and the missions be- 

 came the objective of all marauding Indians, and in 1767 

 the viceroy ordered the abandonment of the missions. Up to 

 this time the Crown had expended over six millions of dollars 

 in Texas, and in 1782 the vast domain, owing to the con- 

 tinued attacks of savages, could boast of but 2,600 whites, 

 mostly about the five missions in the vicinity of San Antonio. 

 This large sum, hundreds of lives and the strenuous labors 

 of scores of brilliant men through several centuries is repre- 

 sented to-day by these crumbling ruins in Texas. What they 

 accomplished it would be difficult to state, but that they paved 

 the way to a later civilization must be accepted. According 

 to B. Morfi, San Antonio Bejar was a ruin in 1785. It cost 

 $80,000. At San Antonio 1,972 natives were baptized down 

 to 1762. At this time the mission owned 1,200 cattle, 300 

 horses, 1,200 sheep, but in 1793 its population, its converts 

 and their descendants had dwindled to a pitiful 43. At Puri- 

 sima, about six miles from the present San Antonio, 792 

 natives were baptized, and in 1762 it owned 300 horses, 

 2,200 sheep; yet in 1793 its population amounted to but 51 

 souls. San Jose baptized 1,054; San Juan 847; population 

 in 1793, 34. San Francisco mission baptized 815; popula- 

 tion in 1782, 80; and so on the dreary story of degeneracy 

 might be told through all these missions, once rich with 

 large flocks. They had become, so far as their importance 

 was concerned, virtual ruins in the eighteenth century. 



The Garden 



The Garden Month by Month 



S soon as the shrubs have ceased flowering 

 they should be pruned. This not only tends 

 to keep them shapely, but it ensures a free 

 blooming next season. The shape of a shrub 

 is almost as important as its flowers, for 

 the flowering period of most of these plants 

 is comparatively short, though very beautiful; and through- 

 out most of the summer and fall, unless their period 

 of blooming is late, they present only branches and leaves. 

 It is obvious, therefore, that the shrubs should be trained in 

 graceful, agreeable shapes if they are to be continuous con- 

 tributions to the beauty of the garden. Rambling branches 

 of shrubs should always be cut off early in growth or the 

 plants will assume unsymmetrical forms. Lilac blooming 

 yearly will be promoted by cutting off the suckers and old 

 flower heads. Hedges should be clipped to encourage lateral 

 growth. 



And weeds should be eradicated daily. Too much effort 

 can not be spent in this direction. The garden lover who 

 tends her own garden will often find this work indescribably 

 tiresome, but the care spent in this direction will invariably 

 yield good results. One quickly learns to distinguish the 

 young weeds from the young plants of good flowers. It 

 need hardly be added that every full-grown weed is not only 

 a positive eyesore, but a real source of danger and harm to 

 the flowers and shrubs. 



Insect ravages must also be prevented with untiring care. 

 There is no golden rule for the extinction of insect pests; 



those that are prevalent one season may not be pronounced 

 another; only constant watching and unremitting application 

 of preventive measures will produce results. The aphis, 

 which attacks roses and asters, can be destroyed, and very 

 easily, by applications of tobacco tea, made from tobacco 

 stems, and showered on both sides of the leaves. Kerosene 

 emulsion and solutions of paris green will destroy all insects, 

 but these remedies are often too strong for the plants of the 

 flower garden. 



In dry seasons the soil should be loosened two or three 

 times a week, and the ground should be soaked with water at 

 least twice a week, and sometimes more frequently. The 

 soil of ferneries should be kept constantly damp; as they 

 stand in the shade they may be watered at any time of the 

 day. Such spots should be watered by running the hose under 

 the fern leaves and thus directly wetting the ground. 



This is the season of the year when one begins to realize 

 the results of earlier effort. Structurally the garden is in 

 shape; the work of construction has been completed; the 

 arduous daily labor with tools and machinery has been fin- 

 ished; the seeding has been done; the early cultivation has 

 been proceeded with. The garden lover is about to taste 

 the pleasure of results. Yet full grown as the flower garden 

 is by the first of July, full maturity has not yet been reached. 

 July and August are months of prolific flowering in the gar- 

 den, the latter the richest month of all. One should not, 

 therefore, look for final results as early as this. Nor should 

 one cease to be unremitting in the care given to the garden. 



