ORNAMENTAL AND PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



97 



half Kentucky blue-grass and red-top at the head of the 

 list. Taken separately, these differ considerably in 

 character, the blue-grass having fine narrow blades of a 

 rich dark green color and forming a very dense mass, 

 while the red-top is much coarser, of lighter tint, and 

 to that extent less handsome. Mixed half-and-half, the 

 former is prevented from forming that degree of dense- 

 ness which is objectionable in blue-grass alone, causing 

 some of the lower leaves to smother, while the red-top 

 is dwarfed by the combination to a degree that causes 

 the formation of a fine even lawn, without any signs of 

 coarseness, and so close that weeds or grass-seeds carried 

 in by the winds have no chance of gaining a foothold. 

 It is an ideal coat of grass for a lawn on clay soil that is 

 to receive ordinary attention from the mower. 



The quality of all of the ' ' mixtures " is not the same, 

 and this is the most serious point involved. Of the 

 various high-priced mixtures tested on our grounds, not 

 one is equal to the simple mixture we recommend, while 

 some are decidedly inferior. The seedsmen's mixtures 

 generally lack evenness as compared with our own, and 

 the reason is not hard to find if we may judge from one 

 such mixture, the analysis of which consisted of equal 

 parts of the following six kinds: red-top grass [Agrostis 

 vulgaris), Kentucky blue-grass {Poa fratensis), crested 

 dog's-tail (O"*"-^""" cristata), English rye-grass (Zt?//?/?;/ 

 perenne), timothy or herd-grass {Phleum pratensc), and a 

 fescue grass {Festitca duriitscitla). 



The result from seeding with this formula is a rough, 

 uneven coat of grass, inferior in every way to the growth 

 from our own combination. The trouble is that here 

 we have, as too often is the case with the high-priced 

 formulas, a mixture of kinds possessing widely different 

 characteristics which never will thrive together, as do 

 blue-grass and red-top. The crested dog's-tail, for one, 

 is a very fine grass exceeding the Kentucky blue in this 

 respect. On the other hand, timothy is of coarse 

 growth, and when scattered to the extent of about one- 

 sixth among the finer sorts, it forms large, coarse stalks 

 which soon displace the finer kinds in a measure. The 

 English rye-grass is another strong grower, with spread- 

 ing wiry stems, which presents a rough appearance as it 

 enlarges, While both of these coarse grasses make fair 

 lawnswhen sown alone very thickly to cause dwarfness, 

 they are, according to our taste, utterly unfit for mixing 

 with the fine-growing kinds named. 



It is not claimed that this is a fair example of all the 

 regular mixtures sown, but we do claim that the seeds- 

 men's formulas generally partake more or less of the 

 faults of the one cited, showing that some of the kinds 

 included do not thrive well with others. Neither would 

 we charge that our seedsmen have knowingly sold in- 

 feror mixtures at high prices. They themselves may 

 be ignorant of the mischief that lies in their own mixtures. 

 The higher price of the mixtures is easily accounted for, 

 if the one of which we have given an analysis is to any 

 extent a fair sample, by the fact that a single kind form- 

 ing one-sixth of the whole, namely the crested dog's- 

 tail, is quoted at $7.50 per bushel, or six times as high 



as the price of red-top and double the price of Kentucky 

 blue. One advantage of using red-top along with blue- 

 grass is this ; Blue-grass is a little slow to germinate, 

 and may sometimes miss where the other would not. 

 Red-top comes up easily and quickly, and in anything 

 like a fair season soon forms a good lawn. It thus serves 

 to make up in a sense for the slowness of blue-grass, 

 where it may act as a nurse for it at the start. "When 

 once established, no grass is more hardy and durable 

 than the blue-grass. 



When ordering seed for sowing, we prefer that the 

 different kinds should come separately ; then we mix 

 them as the sowing proceeds. This is easily done by 

 putting into the sowing-pan a handful of one and then 

 of the other alternately, and running the hand to and 

 fro a few times through the dish further to mix the 

 seeds. 



Some Fine New Celeries. — We have already told 

 our readers that the White Plume is our sole reliance 

 for summer and autumn celery. Indeed, if planted late, 

 it can be had until long into the winter, and although 

 dwarf, it will, under good culture and favorable condi- 

 tions, reach quite respectable dimensions. Mr. March, 

 known as a grower of cauliflower-seed of fine quality, 

 near Puget Sound, writes us that he markets White 

 Plume celery three feet tall, single plants of which weigh 

 from five and one-half to six pounds. 



But the White Plume, although very acceptable in 

 the absence of any other, and fairly good when well 

 grown, can not lay claim to the best quality. Many of 

 the ordinary standard sorts (chief among them Golden 

 Heart, now so generally grown by market-gardeners) 

 are much better in their season, and yet even these are 

 now surpassed in this respect by some newer introduc- 

 tions. If our friends desire to have the very best (and 

 in the family garden there is no need of having anything 

 short of that), let them try the New Rose and the Giant 

 Pascal. The blanched stalks of the former have a beau- 

 tiful pink tint, and the growth is vigorous. We had 

 them in prime condition right after the White Plume, 

 in October and November. 



The Giant Pascal is indeed a unique thing. The va- 

 riety is said to be a sport of the Golden Self-blanching. 

 In true nutty flavor, freedom from all bitterness and 

 width of the leafstalks, it has no equal that we are 

 aware of. It is brittle and entirely stringless. The 

 mammoth leafstalks, often two inches wide and half an 

 inch in thickness, are just as sweet, nutty and enjoyable 

 as the tender hearts of the ordinary kinds. We have 

 had what we thought to be excellent celery before, but 

 we have never enjoyed any quite so much as the Giant 

 Pascal. Besides all this it is dwarf, needing very little 

 earthing up, and it blanches easily and quickly. It will 

 be the leading sort for late use in our garden hereafter. 



The Newer Lettuces. — For some years we have an- 

 nually planted a great number of the newer varieties of 

 lettuce side by side. The list includes many excellent 

 sorts, but in the bewildering array, some of which differ 

 but slightly from others while many are good, we have 



