FLOWERS ON THE FARM. 



731 



the garden fall into disorder and ruin. They forget 

 about the hundreds of plants that are capable of lend- 

 ing exquisite beauty to the surroundings of the humblest 

 cottage or the most kingly palace at comparatively trifling 

 cost ; they forget about the innumerable species of 

 hardy plants — fitted by nature for every conceivable 

 situation — that require but a small share of care and at- 

 tention in order to embellish our surroundings during 

 two-thirds of the year, and in one disappointment they 

 come to dislike the garden and the flowers with all their 

 pleasing associations. Ah ! ye disappointed ones, be 

 not so perverse ; do not shatter the happiness of the 

 home circle by breaking the ties of love and friendship 

 that the flowers wove in the summer's sun ; do not let 

 youthful minds, in darkened days of wintry blasts, fail 

 to realize that the sun will shine and flowers bloom 

 again in spring ; but in your perple.xity turn to the 

 proper source, and suitable advice will be gladly given ! 



A home garden should be a place where room can be 

 found for the favorite flowers of each member of the 

 family. As this cannot be easily done while carpet bed- 

 ding or ribbon borders prevail, it will be found ad- 



vantageous to adopt the more natural and less expensive 

 herbaceous garden. It is the real old-fashioned style of 

 flower-gardening, and there is nothing spasmodic or ex- 

 travagant about it. Every plant in such a garden has 

 its own distinct individuality, and all have a story to tell. 

 That great verbascum came from a friend in California ; 

 Mr. Smith, over the way, gave me that clump of soli- 

 dago ; those beautiful portulacas were raised from seeds 

 that were sent by Aunt Kate last spring ; I bought that 

 splendid anemone in the market one day for five cents, 

 etc., etc. It is our every-day garden where one always 

 finds something interesting. There is no sameness about 

 it, and it would be utterly impossible to see the whole 

 garden by looking at one corner or even at the half of 

 it. In the shade of the trees you will find a lot of rare 

 ferns and other plants that do not like the sun. The 

 alpine plants are quite at home in yonder mass of 

 rocks and debris. If you wish to see all the different 

 kinds of interesting and beautiful plants in the garden, 

 you must traverse every yard of it — something you 

 have not seen before will appear in every corner. 

 Mass. Gerald Hastings. 



FLOWERS ON THE FARM. 



How may we cultivate a small flower garden, 

 have it showy and attractive, and yet not 

 have it interfere with our regular home and 

 farm duties ? The barrenness of American 

 farm-house yards is proverbial, and yet it is not 

 through a lack of appreciation for beautiful things. 

 There is always so much hurry with the farm work, 

 and the household duties are generally so exacting, 

 that if a small vegetable garden is cultivated, no 

 time seems to be left for devotion to flowers. The 

 simple beauty of a blossom may not feed your body, 

 but the symmetry of its petals, and the fragrance 

 of its breath, may revive memories long since forgot- 

 ten, and bring you face to face with childhood days, 

 and the sweetness of a mother's voice. Yes, flow- 

 ers are always beautiful, always useful, and always 

 profitable to our mental and moral growth ; let us 

 labor to increase rather than to restrict their cul- 

 ture. 



If the plan of culture is rightly laid out it will be a 

 most pleasant recreation for resting moments. In the 

 first place, do not try to do too much ; do not attempt 

 to cultivate too large a space in flowers. If your yard 

 has previously been overrun with grass, and is liable to 

 be very weedy, do not isolate the beds one from another, 

 but confine them within one common space. You will 

 find this an indispensable precaution when it comes to 

 keeping foul growth subdued. 



The first essential is a rich friable seed-bed, without 

 which we can expect but poor returns either in the veg- 

 etable or flower line. Spade up your designated plat. 



and fertilize it according to the natural richness of the 

 soil, being sure that the mold is sufficiently enriched, as 

 on this depends in a large measure the proficiency and 

 beauty of the flowers. I have had no experience with 

 chemical fertilizers for the flower garden, but do not see 

 why their judicious use would not bring excellent results. 

 Bear in mind that when you have prepared a rich mel- 

 low bed, free from grass and weed seeds, three-fourths 

 of your labor on the flowers has been accomplished. 



If your time is limited, and you are trying the culture 

 of annuals as a mere experiment, it will be the part of 

 wisdom to select for propagation only those varieties 

 that are profuse bloomers, and of hardy constitution. 

 Suppose that you have a plat sixteen feet square, with a 

 southern or eastern exposure. Lay off a marginal walk 

 completely around it, and allow space for two inside 

 walks, to intercept each other at right angles in the cen- 

 ter. The walks should not be over sixteen inches in 

 width. This arrangement will leave you four beds, each 

 some seven feet square, or less. Assign the two beds 

 on either the north or west sides of the tract to flowers 

 of the highest growth, and devote the remaining space 

 in front to the smaller forms. 



On the side of your little garden farthest from the 

 sun a hedge of sweet peas would form a unique and 

 beautiful border. Dispense with the brush in this case, 

 and for a support for the vines use a row of stout stakes 

 interlaced with cord or wire. The pea vine hedge, with 

 its clusters of spicily perfumed bloom, will form a rich 

 and striking back-ground for the garden. Directly in 

 front of the peas, place on one side of the center path 

 a zone of zinnias, and on the other a belt of mixed pop- 

 pies. Divide the remaining space into zones at least 



