Horticulture. 



102 



[Feb. 1907. 



ov pine needles. I have in mind two such simple structures, illustrations of which 

 I will now show you. This one I had the interesting experience of constructing 

 unaided on my place in Belmont, and I think I learned more about carpentering 

 during the time it was being erected than I could have in years of study in theory* 

 Surely if bruised hands and hammered thumbs count for anything I accomplished 

 great things. This summer-house is unique because it is thatched with pine needles. 

 This thatch is a simple one to make and was suggested to me by the falling of the 

 dead needles from the pine trees under which the summer-house is built. The roof 

 was first covered with heavy tarred roofing paper and upon this was spread a thick 

 coating of coal-tar. While the tar was still warm, brown pine needles were spread 

 on by the bushel basket full and the whole was raked smooth until the needles lay 

 quite flat. The house is absolutely rain-proof, and the yearly supply of dead needles 

 from the trees over head makes up for the loss of those that decay in the process of 

 weathering. Of course, it is an ideal structure for vine and climbers, and these help 

 its appearance by giving it an air of repose and dignity. When we consider the many 

 uses that a summer-house may afford we wonder that there are not more of them. 



O tiler accessories that give a shady retreat in a garden are pergolas, arbors, 

 trellises, and bowers. These might all be classed as cousins in the garden family, 

 or even closer relations, so much do they resemble one another, both in form and 

 purpose, namely ; the covering of pathways with vines and greenery, letting in 

 just enough light and air to produce comfort, and to make vistas through the 

 glimmering light and shade. Flowering vines never appear to better advantage 

 than when trained on the posts and cross-beams of a pergola, making an airy 

 tunnel of greenery and bright color. 



But the raising of vines and climbers is not alone excuse enough for building 

 a pergola. Such a structure should lead to something, to a garden seat or a summer- 

 house, or it should connect one part of a garden with another. The pergola may be 

 an elaborate affair of stone columns supporting heavy oak beams, interlaced over- 

 head like those in Italy, or it may be made entirely of wood with simple upright 

 posts and cross-beams with the bark left on. Many of the attractive arbors of 

 lattice work seen in some of our old Colonial gardens are modified pergolas, and 

 they are often used for the purpose of raising grapes. 



Another feature that is not introduced enough in our gardens and one that 

 always produces a magical effect when properly used, is water as a fountain, or in 

 a simple pool where one may raise water plants. The very sound and appearance of 

 water in a garden produces a cooling effect, and aside from the enjoyment derived 

 from the musical splashing of a little fountain, the reflection of sky and flowers 

 will give a charm to a garden never to be forgotten. 



The only objections that I have ever heard to this kind of garden accessory 

 are that it is expensive to supply the water, and that mosquitoes will breed in these 

 miniature ponds. As for the cost of supplying water, I know this to be very small 

 even in the city of Boston, for I had a fountain and pool constructed for the Garden 

 Studio last summer and the charge is but ten dollars a year for a continuous supply 

 through three-eighth inch jet. One need not fear of mosquitoes breeding if there 

 are a few fish in the water, for it is well known that mosquito larvae will be eaten 

 by them as fast as the mosquitoes' eggs are hatched. The most serviceable 

 material for building fountains and water basins is composition stone, made of 

 cement, and it produces a simple and artistic effect that is vastly different from 

 the hideous appearance of most of the iron work of this nature. I venture to say 

 that many of our gardens have not enough of the air of seclusion which is generally 

 so necessary for the successful introduction of fountains or pools. It is the restful 

 kind of garden surrounded by hedges or trees that invites this sort of accessory. 



