January, 1912 
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WITH THE NEW YEAR 
Soasmama | AY the New Year be a happy circlet of joy- 
Bee de|| ous days to bind the forthcoming months 
upon the future’s memory. It almost seems 
as though old earth has left the landscape 
bereft of Summer’s green things recurrently 
to teach us to hold gratitude in our hearts 
toward Mother Nature, when she shall come again to 
shower upon us from her bounty the flowers of Springtime, 
the foliage of Summer, and the fruits of Autumn. This 
month will see Yuletide past and the taking down of all the 
holiday greens that have decked our walls, following the 
old custom built upon the superstition that neither a bit of 
Holly nor of Mistletoe must be permitted to remain in the 
house after Twelfth Night. 
HERE is little to do in the actual garden in northern 
latitudes this month beyond pruning 
grapes, peach trees, currants, and some 
other small fruits. But indoors, one will 
find plenty of gardening things to keep 
his interest fresh in matters of this sort. 
There is next Summer’s garden to be 
thought about even now, when one has 
time to plan for it, and, having learned 
the valuable lessons the experience of 
the season past has taught, to profit by 
applying the garden knowledge he has 
attained toward a better garden the 
coming season. Indeed, being deter- 
mined to have the coming garden sur- 
pass the one that vanished with the ap- 
proach of Jack Frost is a resolution as 
commendable as any on the New Year’s 
list. One may walk over the frozen 
ground now and decide where the plant- 
ing shall be placed when the Spring 
months arrive. Furthermore, the gar- 
den planner can lay out his projected 
garden upon paper, and with the help 
of a careful study of the catalogues of 
seedsmen and nurserymen determine in 
advance just what sort of a garden he 
will come to have. Like everything else, 
a garden should be a matter for careful 
consideration, and if one takes the time 
to decide in January what he will begin 
to carry out in April and May, we may 
feel pretty certain that a garden so 
planned will prove much more attractive, 
more economic of time, and also more 
easily constructed than one devised upon 
the spur of the ever-fleeting moment. 
All queries will gladly be answered by the Editor. If a personal 
reply is desired by subscribers stamps should be enclosed therewith. 
A delightful garden seat and birdhouse co 
bined. Such features as this, one can now be 
planning for next Summer’s garden 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 33 
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Ayound the Garden 
A MONTHLY KALENDAR OF TIMELY GARDEN OPERA- 
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ABOUT THE HOME GARDEN AND 
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HEN some stormy night, when the Winter winds are 
almost shaking the house like the breath of invisible 
Titans, it will seem nice to settle down in some snug corner 
to read the things concerning the garden one has not had 
time to look up before. There will be the study of soils, 
fertilizers, fruit raising, hotbed arrangement— in fact, al- 
most a thousand and one things worth taking the time now 
to learn about if one would hope to have a beautiful garden 
in which to take pride and pleasure when the Goddess Flora 
once again deigns to visit the land of mortals. 
HE amateur gardener who has built himself a small 
greenhouse will be taking much interest in it at this time. 
He should not forget that Pansies, Petunias, Verbenas, 
Daisies, Forget-Me-Nots, and many other seeds may be 
started in the greenhouse at this time. In the old green- 
house, the shelves and plant-benches must be looked after, 
and if these are found to be rotting they must be sprayed 
with copper sulphate and whitewashed. 
N looking forth over the snow- 
covered lawn, the homemaker will 
find the eye resting with relief upon the 
brown stems of shrub and tree-like lacey 
patterns. [he home landscape would 
be dreary enough in Winter-time without 
just such contrasting notes to lend it 
color, and, bearing that in mind, one 
should resolve to plant Evergreens and 
shrubs for just such effects where now 
they are lacking, in order to make the 
prospect more interesting when another 
January shall have come around. 
THE CYCLAMEN 
HERE is scarcely a lovelier flower 
for indoors than the Cyclamen. 
Those who have traveled in foreign 
lands will recall the exquisitely fragrant 
and waxen-like blossoms of this dainty 
plant in its native haunts of the moun- 
tain lands of Greece, of Sicily, and its 
abundant growth on the mountainous 
island of Capri, in the Bay of Naples, 
forming one of the pleasantest memories 
of an Italian Springtime. In the Isle 
of Wight it is a favorite plant for in- 
doors, and in America we are coming to 
appreciate its beauty more and more 
every year and to give it a prominent 
place in our windows at mid-Winter. 
The various sorts of Cyclamen (Cycla- 
men persicum) are usually raised from 
seed sown in Autumn in a heated green- 
house to produce corms (as the roots 
are called) later. These corms may be 
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