146 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



[August, 



arden. 



LITTLE EOSB, 



She comes with fairy footsteps — 



Softly their echoes fall — 

 And her shadow plays like summer shade 



Across the garden wall. 

 The golden light is dancing bright 



'Mid the mazes of her hair, 

 And her fair young locks are waving free 



To the wooing of her hair. 



Like a sportful fawn she bouudeth 



So gleefully along; 

 As a wild young bird she caroleth 



The burden of a song. 

 The summer flowers are clustering thick 



Around her dancing feet, 

 And on her cheeks the summer breeze 



Is breathing soft and sweet. 



The very sunbeams seem to linger 



Around the holy head, 

 And the wild flowers at her coming 



Their richest fragrance shed. 

 And oh ! how lovely light and fragrance 



Mingle in the life within ; 

 Oh ! how fondly do they nestle 



Eound the soul that knows no sin. 



She comes— the spirit of our childhood — 



A thing of mortal birth, 

 Yet bearing still the breath of heaven 



To redeem her from the earth. 

 She comes in bright-robed innocence, 



Unsoiled by blot or blight, 

 And passeth by our wayward path, 



A gleam of angel light. 



Oh! blessed things are children — 



The gifts of heavenly love ; 

 They stand betwixt our world-hearts 



Aud better thiugs above ; 

 They link us with the spirit-world 



Of purity and truth, 

 And keep our hearts still fresh and young 



With the presence of their youth. 



— Blackivooil's Mayazine. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Watering Plants. — Many persons water 

 their flower-beds in the manner city venders 

 expose their fruits to the view of the public. 

 The inviting barrels of Apples and Pears we 

 see at their stands are rarely full, but consist 

 simply of an empty barrel, with a layer of 

 selected fruits neatly arranged on the top of 

 it. These specimens are re-arranged and 

 polished every day, so that the stock looks 

 always fresh and replenished. For the looks 

 of it, this may do well enough, but for use 

 one would prefer a full barrel, even if it were 

 not so nicely topped off. 



Now, the sprinkling of a little water over 

 the surface of a flower-bed, onee or twice 

 a day, to give it the appearance of being 

 watered, does the plants about as much good 

 as that sham apple barrel would to a 

 hungry crowd. Not as much, in fact, as 

 none of the water thus applied reaches the 

 feeding roots of the plants. 



Water, to be of any benefit in a dry sea- 

 son, must be given in quantities sufficient to 

 saturate the entire soil to the depth the roots 

 descend. Such a soaking, given once or 

 twice a week, is sufficient for most flowering 

 plants ; and where water is not easily obtain- 

 able, frequent stirring and loosening of the 

 soil is preferable to frequent sprinklings. 



Sub-tropical Plants, to produce a rich effect, 

 must be well fed, and nothing is more relished 

 by them than frequent applications of liquid 



WHAT E0SE3 TO BLANT. 



A common error committed by beginners 

 in Rose culture is attempting to grow varie- 

 ties that are of delicate habit; attracted by 

 great beauty of flower, or fragrance, they do 

 not consider, or do not understand, that vigor 

 of growth, perpetuity of bloom, perfect hardi- 

 ness are very seldom combined with the 

 qualities which have alluved them. 



The most popular Roses are the Hybrid 

 Remontants ; these are moderately hardy, 

 and produce flowers of the highest finish. 

 Among them none are more desirable for 

 tyros than Alfred Colomb, John Hopper, and 

 General Jacqueminot. These three varieties 

 probably absorls more of the desirable feat- 

 ures that go toward making the perfect Rose 

 than do any others which could be named ; 

 they blend well, and are very effective 

 planted in a bed together or separately. 



A pleasing departure from the usual 

 method of growing Roses is found in the 

 pegging-down system. In this way the long 

 shoots are carefully bent down, and fastened 

 to the ground by means of hooked sticks or 

 pegs. As a result of this system, an immense 

 quantity of blooms is produced. True, the 

 individual flowers are not of equal finish to 

 those grown in the ordinary way, but we get 

 a mass of color, a striking effect, that is not 



in: 1 1 1 1 u < ■ . 



IPOWCEA HEDERACEA. 



otherwise to be had. I do not advocate this 

 method to the exclusion of the other, but its 

 occasional use will certainly be satisfactory. 



Besides planting Roses in beds, we should 

 scatter 'them through the borders of our gar- 

 dens, giving the more favored positions to the 

 delicate kinds. Among these we find Eu- 

 genie Verdier, the most beautiful of the Victor 

 Verdier type, a Rose of very delicate tint, — 

 deep silvery, — pink tinged with salmon; 

 lovely in the bud and in the open flower; 

 attractive as maid or matron. Not only the 

 flowers, but the foliage of this variety is most 

 pleasing. Another variety which is beautiful 

 in both flower and leaf is Charles Lefebvre. 

 This has the thick texture of petal, and some- 

 thing of the same form as Eugenie Verdier, 

 but the color is that of General Jacqueminot, 

 deepened by a shade of satiny-purple. 



Among the somewhat neglected Roses are 

 Marguerite de St. Amande, a deep pink, beau- 

 tiful in the bud state, and flow r ering through 

 the summer and autumn months. Baroness 

 Rothschild, a blush-pink, with exquisite cup- 

 shaped flowers ; single blooms of this kind, 

 during December and January, sell in New- 

 York for one dollar, and even two dollars 

 each. It has always been a great favorite 

 with exhibitors. Francois Michelon is a 

 striking variety, intermediate in character 

 between its parent La Peine and General Jac- 



queminot ; it has large, deep rose-colored 

 flowers varied with lilac, of splendid globular 

 form. A valuable feature is its late blooming, 

 the flowers not developing until most others 

 of the same class are past their prime. Elise 

 Boelle is perhaps the finest white Rose that 

 we have ; it blooms profusely all through the 

 summer ; has full globular flowers, of the 

 most perfect form ; the center is generally 

 tinged with blush. It is not possible to im- 

 agine a flower of greater beauty. 



Moss Roses have long been favorites in 

 our gardens, but it is wonderful how many 

 inferior varieties are grown ; sorts are dis- 

 seminated that are not mossy, are not beau- 

 tiful. None of the Moss Roses will compare 

 with those of other classes as regards the 

 open flowers. It is the fine buds that make 

 them so attractive, and if a Moss Rose has 

 not a well-formed bud it is worthless. The 

 best of the Mosses are Gracilis, Crested, and 

 Common, a triad whose crested loveliness has 

 a common grace. 



Not one of the least of the qualities we 

 desire in a Rose is fragrance. In this regard 

 all classes must do homage to La France, the 

 sweetest of all Roses. Compelled to choose 

 one variety, this should be ours. To be sure 

 it is rather tender, but it can easily be pro- 

 tected, and so winter safely. It does not 

 always open well, but it is a simple matter 

 to assist, — an operation not practicable with 

 most varieties that do not open perfectly. 

 If La France does not develop well, by 

 pressing gently with the fingers the point of 

 bloom, and then blowing into the center, the 

 flower will almost invariably expand, the 

 pent-up fragrance escape, and almost in- 

 toxicate with delight our sense of smell. 



Not enough attention is giv^n to the Tea 

 Rcses and Bourbons. The Hybrid Remon- 

 tants justly claim our first attention when 

 they are in their perfection ; but after their 

 first blooming is over, throughout July, Aug- 

 ust, and September, they are much less at- 

 tractive than many monthly Roses. Varieties 

 like Bougin, Gerard Dubois, Homer, Sombreuil, 

 Madame de Vatry, Marie Van Houttc, Madame 

 Caroline Euster, will give a continuous supply 

 of flowers throughout the summer and autumn. 



The fact of Tea Roses being tender should 

 not debar us from their culture ; the truth 

 is, they have in this matter been abused. 

 The sorts I have named are in reality but 

 little more tender than La France, the Hy- 

 brid Noisettes, and all the Victor Verdier race 

 of Hybrid Remontants. If earth be hilled 

 up about the plants, and then a slight cover- 

 ing of some loose material, like branches of 

 evergreens, be given, the hardier sorts of 

 monthly Roses will winter in safety. There 

 is sometimes a loss of plants, but the per- 

 centage is light, very little more than hap- 

 pens to the so-called Hardy Roses. 



In giving this protection, care must be 

 observed not to smother the plants by en- 

 tirely excluding the air ; this never occurs 

 from the use of evergreen branches, but 

 when straw or litter is taken, sticks or boards 

 shoidd be used to prevent the material mat- 

 ting together. This is one of the cases where 

 it is possible to kill by mistaken kindness. If 

 it be objected that this covering of the Roses 

 is troublesome, then we must reply to the 

 objector, — you are no true lover, you are but 

 a false knight : you cannot have beautiful 

 Roses in your garden, because you have not 

 them in your heart. — H. B. Ellwanger, before 

 the Western X. T. Horticultural Society. 



