July, 1913 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



620 



suit, looking along the border, was a 

 natural harmonising of the things, 

 and passing up the i)aths liidden beau- 

 tics and unexpected peeps were dis 

 covered. Then, with regard to the 

 foliage, especial care was taken to 

 well distribute plants of striking ap 

 pearance, so that a monotony of the 

 more ordinary type of leaf was avoid- 

 ed. Again, we were careful not to 

 make the patches too large of plants 

 whose appearance become unsightly 

 after flowering. 



Of these two borders the second 

 was considered to have the more nat- 

 ural appearance, and more admired, 

 so no color schemes for me. 



PATHS. 



This may not be such an interest- 

 ing subject as many operations, ye*^ 

 it is a very necessary one, for if there 

 is one thing that is absolutely requir- 

 ed, it is a well-made path. Every 

 bit of "laying out" that we may have 

 to do demands the outline and par- 

 tial completion of the paths first, both 

 as' a guide to work by and for con- 

 venience in carrying out other oper- 

 ations. There is no example in nature 

 to guide us, paths being a design of 

 man, for his convenience and com- 

 fort, on the same principle as roads 

 and railways. 



The inference to be drawn from 

 this is that a direct line should be 

 the aim, though we are not compell- 

 ed to be geohietrically correct, ex- 

 cept on a terrace. On the other hand, 

 an excess of curves is about the most 

 inartistic, exasperating muddle to be 

 found anywhere, especially when it 

 traverses a level area. 



Now, as to widtl^. It is a question 

 which will never be dicided, but "as 

 broad as possible" is the very best 

 advice that can be given. This holds 

 good even in small gardens, where 

 space is at a premium, as effective 

 outline cannot be achieved by narrow 

 tracks, and we should remember that 

 much of the beauty and dignity of 

 a garden is the result of ample and 

 proportionate walks. 



CLIMBING ROSES. 



It always makes for a beautiful ef- 

 fect to have in the garden a few more 

 climbing roses than the majority of 

 gardens display. Where they are. 

 as it were, a dominant feature, we 

 get the eye carried to color in well 

 massed stretches considerably above 

 the eye-level, and that is always good. 

 There are other things, too, besides 

 the mass of color — the necessary suo- 



porls, pillars, arches, etc., break up a 

 ilead level surface, and give that var- 

 iety of height that is invaluabl:. 

 Again, in the small garden climbing 

 roses will give an area of brilliant 

 color at the minimum of ground 

 space. 



Where it is at all possible roses 

 should be planted by themselves, 

 making a garden of roses of some 

 portion of the garden however small. 

 The climbing roses may sometimes 

 be planted at the back of other rosss 

 with advantage, and trained to stout 

 posts. Where we are dealing with a 

 really small garden a series of arches 

 down the length of the principal 

 walk has a thorougly artistic effect, 

 and if the arches are at sufficiently 

 close intervals, and are of good sub- 

 stantial appearance, the pergola ef- 

 fect is attained at a distant view. 



PROPERTIES OF WOOD ASHES. 



■ Wood ashes contain all the mineral 

 elements of plant food in varying 

 quantities according to the trees 

 which were burned. In other words, 

 they contain potash, phosphorus, 

 lime, magnesia, sulphur, and iron. 

 The most valuable ingredient, how- 

 ever, is potash, and the younge-, 

 the wood that is burned the richer 

 the ashes would be in this ingredi- 

 ent. There is no absolute weight or 

 quantity which may be applied, but 

 very few gardens ever had the oppor- 

 tunity of being overdone with wood 

 ashes. 



ROSES ON BANKS. 



For covering sloping banks in gar- 

 dens many of our modern roses are, 

 naturally, well adapted, and' more 

 particularly that comparatively n&w 

 race of creeping or trailing roses — 

 the wichuraianas. They can be plant- 

 ed either at the top of the slope -r 

 at the foot of it, in the one case to 

 trail downwards, and in the other to 

 be trained upwards and along the 

 face of it. Very little training is 

 necessary, as the growths extend 

 themselves along the banks, rooting 

 here and there as they go, like straw- 

 berries, and with very little guidance. 



The number of plants necessary to 

 cover any given space should be 

 carefully considered, for much will 

 depend upon the len,gth and depth 

 of the bank which they are required 

 to cover. The tendency will be to 

 idant to as many roses, forgetting that 

 the young plants give no idea of their 

 rambling capabilities when fully 

 grown. The fact is these wichurai- 

 anas are among our most rampant 



growers, and consequently when in- 

 serted in good soil, and plenly of it, 

 as they should be, they will cover 

 a much larger surface than would at 

 first appear possible. The best of 

 this class of rose is that when not in 

 llower the foliage alone makes a most 

 attractive covering to any bank down 

 or over which it is trained. When 

 well established these roses will re- 

 (|uire comparatively little attention. 

 In tlie spring the plants should be 

 looked over, and some of the older 

 branches cut out. 



WEEDS. 



. Weeds are now getting ready for 

 their annual attempt to take posses- 

 sion of the garden paths. There are 

 many weed destroyers obtainable 

 from seedsmen, and many homemade 

 remedies may be recommended, A 

 very common one is made by dissolv- 

 ing lb. of powdered arsenic in three 

 gallons of cold water, which is 

 brought to the boil, stirring the while, 

 then add 2 lb. of crushed soda, and 

 bring the mixture up to 10 gallons. 



Apply with a fine rosed watering- 

 can, on a dry day, and see that none 

 falls on the grass or other vegeta- 

 tion. Quite a moderate sprinkling will 

 .'icsfroy the weeds. Crushed rock or 

 other cheap salt is often used as a 

 destructive agent, • and carbolic acid 

 at the rate of 2 oz. to each gallon of 

 water is sometimes recommended 



SWEET PEAS. 



As the seedlings are growing much 

 good will be done by stirring the soil 

 between them twice a week, this al- 

 lowing air to freely enter and per- 

 meate the soil, and at the same time 

 destroying young weeds that are sure 

 to appear. Thinning must be attend- 

 ed to early, leaving the plants 4 

 inches apart at first, and when they 

 get three inches high pull out every 

 other one, so that finally they stand 

 8 inches apart at the very least. For 

 exhibition purposes twice this dis- 

 tance is none too much. As soon as 

 tendrils appear twiggy sticks ^2 

 inches or 15 inches high must be af- 

 forded the plants, leaving the main 

 sticks until the plants have nearly 

 reached the top of the smaller ones. 

 This may seem double labor, but it 

 is quite justified by results. If the 

 tall sticks are placed in position at 

 the outset the plants frequently be- 

 come attenuated, and weak, but by 

 using the smalle-r sticks first a sturdy 

 healthy fovmdataion is secured. 



(Continued on page 632). 



