PARK AND CEMETERY. 
366 
that on the left is the juvenile form; 
both were taken from a mature speci- 
men of our ordinary Juniperiis Vir- 
giniana (Red Cedar). 
Another very interesting- illustration 
of this leaf variation is to be seen in 
the ChamKcyparis squarrosa. I have 
seen on a single specimen of this plant 
three widely differing types' of foliage , 
namely, the juvenile form of leaves, the 
Pisifera type of leaves, and the regular 
true Squarrosa type. Thus in some 
cases we should not be governed as to 
the naming of a species from a single 
sample of foliage, if we do not know 
that such is the type which is true to 
that species and predominates. 
No popular lines of distinction can 
be drawn among these genera of the 
opposite leaved group of Conifers; and 
when we consider the juvenile forms 
IN DEFENSE OF 
What is known as carpet bedding, 
that is, the method of arranging plants 
in a bed to work out some conven- 
tional design, has experienced alternate 
periods of popularity and neglect for 
many decades. In times of favor it was 
practiced in large and small g'ardens, 
lx)th public and private. In the desire 
to excel, many absurd things were done 
in the manner of designs. And it was 
just this riot and revel of absurdities 
that regularly caused the oversurfeited 
public to withdraw its favor and allow 
the work of carpet bedding to fall into 
a much merited neglect. After a period 
of quiet it would gradually come again 
into favor. This has been its history 
for almost a hundred years but through 
the violent extremes the work has al- 
ways been practiced by many, in a sane 
and tasteful way. 
Just what constitutes good taste in 
this work is, and has been, a much dis- 
cussed question, but the unfortunate 
part of the discussion is that it has been 
productive of but poor results and that 
none would tend towards a majority 
opinion either for, or against, the sub- 
ject. Opinions are apparently influenced 
by the point of view, geographical posi- 
tion and even the condition of one's 
digestive apparatus. As an example, 
-Americans in Europe go into ecstasies 
over carpet bedding. The degree of 
elation is dependent on the location of 
the example. If it is on the estate of 
Lord Folderol it is viewed through will- 
ing eyes and pronounced marvelous : 
ditto, if the scene is equally aristocratic 
and the nationality Italian, French, 
Dutch, etc. 
of the many different species and varie- 
ties which are cultivated in the nur- 
series, we can readily see how 
some confusion might arise in the prop- 
er naming of nursery stock. Of course 
at maturity the fruit is a satisfactory 
clue to the genera. The Juniper bears 
.a berry; the Thuya has a cone with 
flat scales; and the Chamjecyparis bears 
a cone with peltate scales. One need 
never confuse the juvenile forms of 
these genera with the mature forms of 
the Communis type of Juniper, for the 
reason that in the latter the leaves are 
hinged at the base, while in the former, 
they are not. 
, It can therefore be readily seen that 
there is a very marked difference be- 
tween the two great groups known as 
Spruces and Firs ; as there also exists 
a sharp line between the juvenile forms 
CARPET BEDDING IN BOSTON PUB- 
LIC GARDEN. 
A dinkey little bed outside an Eng- 
lish, French, or German road house, 
viewed through the bottom of a glass 
will be readily thought admirable, and it 
sometimes seems that each successive 
look increases the excellence of the 
work. The foreign glasses have un- 
usual optical qualities when used in this 
way. 
Now these same Americans on their 
return home, should they happen to see 
any examples of carpet ^bedding, good 
or bad, in private or public garden, 
would immediately have • three or four 
varieties of nervous convulsions and 
might even resort to calling in the 
police. 
This is not fiction, but fact. Just 
why this style of gardening should be 
judged more leniently in Europe than 
it is in America is a problem not difficult 
to solve. 
of the species in the opposite leaved 
group and the Communis type. For the 
benefit of the landscape gardener's pro- 
fession, the nurserymen should have a 
committee on nomenclature, if such 
does not alreacl}- exist, whose duty it 
should be to decide just how closely 
they shall adhere to the present general 
rules of nomenclature, and to set some 
arl>itrary standard of nomenclature in 
nursery stock to which all first class 
nurserymen shall adhere. Then in place 
of the present great number of synonyms 
and antiquated specific names, we would 
have a consistent, up-to-date system 
which would be intelligible at first sight 
to the client, and would certainly result 
in less uncertainty in the material ob- 
tained, and a more profitable business 
for the nurserymen. .A Taylor. 
Cornell University. 
CARPET BEDDING 
They show some beautiful e.xamples 
of this work abroad, yet nothing finer 
than what is done here, l)ut the geo- 
graphical position is what determines 
the degree of approval. 
That some hair raising sins have 
been committeed in the name of carpet 
bedding there is no chance to deny, but 
this should not be sufficient reason to 
condemn the work in toto for the in- 
discretions of a few. When a supposed 
ly sane man makes a locomotive in 
plants with the engineer and fireman 
performing their duties and the smoke 
pouring out of the stack, it is time to 
have this sane man judged as to the 
quality and quantity of the cerebral 
wheels. But on the other hatid, should 
one border a bed with the usual plants 
used for this purpose, making a prettily 
colored border surely there is nothing 
to offend. Should one I)e even led to 
trace the name of some home or loca- 
tion in the same plants, surrounding it 
with a scroll that would be appropriate; 
or even to go further and build up ’some 
conventional design, there should be no 
cause of condemnation, A'et people are 
criticised for such work. 
Carpet bedding fits, and appropriately 
in such modest attempts and is legiti- 
mate gardening expressed in an un- 
common way. 
'I'lic severest criticism has come from 
those who, in their own gardens have 
practiced this style of bedding on one 
or more of its forms. 1 hey m;iy not 
liave used the very small pb'ints, Inif ef- 
fects were ])rofIucc(l by hnrdcring and 
massing willi coloi'vd foliage and llow- 
(Cf)ntimu'd on |)agc X(l) 
