April, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



133 



because of its decorative seed pods. The 

 foliage is not so showy as the Pallida, as the 

 dark green leaves have narrow variegations 

 of white; and the pale lilac flowers are rather 

 inconspicuous, but the seed pods remain on 

 the plants all winter, and are especially 

 showy after they burst open and display their 

 rows of orange-red berries. This variety is 

 known botanically as Foetidissima variegata. 



A portion of the Morris stream, where 

 there is a steep slope to the ground, ha. been 

 rather severely treated, as the dashing flow 

 of water after heavy storms would not admit 

 of plant growth at the stream's edge. In 

 its rugged, rocky beauty, however, the treat- 

 ment is quite as pleasing and appropriate as 

 that of the sheltered and planted shores just 

 beyond. A plain, strong wooden bridge 

 spans the stream on heavy girders supported 

 by high stone walls. Tall, stately clumps of 

 bamboo planted near the bridge on the upper 

 slope form a characteristic decoration pe- 

 culiarly pleasing, while the stone-walled 

 banks of the stream have as their only deco- 

 ration native water plants with floating 

 branches, that are not easily injured by 

 rapidly flowing water. To increase the 

 rugged beauty of this narrow waterway little 

 shallow dams have been formed at regular 

 intervals all along the sloping section, and 

 even when the stream is comparatively quiet, 

 in times of drought, there is always the flow 

 and gurgle of shallow waterfalls — increased 

 to wild dancing cascades in times of storm. 



Where the Harrison estate slopes down 

 to the Old Church Road a shallow stream 

 has been attractively bridged across the pub- 

 lic roadway. Here, where the county al- 

 lowed only the plainest of serviceable 

 bridges, private means have been expended 

 for the public good, and a handsome stone 

 bridge, arched above the stream, extends its 

 stonework in an attractive curve to a mam- 

 moth stone gatepost; while just beyond, this 

 same stream has been dammed to form a gar- 

 den pond, while the roadway bridge passing 

 over the shallow portion is decorated by a 

 rustic railing. Clumps of hardy flowering 

 shrubbery dot the grounds leading down to 

 the stream, while growing along its edge 

 and reaching down into the water are vines 

 of the hardy vinca or trailing myrtle, and 

 on the edge of the stream below the bridge 

 there flourishes the Marsilia, or water- 

 clover, with its odd fern-like leaves shaped 

 somewhat like a four-leaved clover. This 

 plant is appropriate either for growing di- 

 rectly in the water, at the shallow edge of 

 the stream, in the soil along the bank, or in 

 a bog-garden formed by the overflow of 

 a natural garden stream — the leaf stalks 

 stand erect three or four inches high when 

 grown out of the water ; when planted in the 

 stream the curious decorative leaves float 

 upon the water. It is difficult to destroy the 

 plant, for even when torn from the soil by an 

 extra rush of water, the torn and bruised 

 portions will quickly take fresh roothold and 

 continue to flourish. 



:>•>■',-. 



Bridge Roadway with Rustic Railing 



Entrance Bridge Across a Public Highway 



Bridge to an Old Mill at Ogontz 



