48 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
A Model Highway. 
As a general fact, highways in this country are 
in the following condition : The road-track itself 
is indifferently made, and composed of the soft 
rich loam scraped up annually from the side gut¬ 
ters ; deep ditches are left on one or both sides, 
making it difficult to turn out; a few trees are 
planted here and there, near the fences, hut many 
of them have been badly gnawed by horses 
hitched to them, or thrown out of the perpendicu¬ 
lar by all sorts of street-going animals rubbing 
against them ; sheep, cows, and geese are roaming 
at large, or lying down in the carriage-way ; hogs 
are rooting up the ground on every side, and pre¬ 
paring it to grow a fine crop of weeds, for the bene¬ 
fit of neighboring fields and gardens ; and each one 
of these vagrant animals is looking out for every 
open gate, and every weak spot in the fences, to 
get into the gardens, door-yards, and cultivated 
fields, which adjoin the street. We need not fill 
out the picture more minutely—it is so familiar 
to everybody. 
But we rejoice to say, that signs of a better 
state of things are beginning to appear. In some 
towns, the barbarous custom of street pasturing 
has been voted a nuisance, and been voted out; 
the carnage track is neatly rounded over in the 
center, and covered with gravel; aslope is made 
on each side, just sufficient to turn off the water, 
and is covered with a firm and smooth carpet of 
grass. Trees are planted abundantly by the road¬ 
side, and they are cared for, and they live and 
grow. The grass on the margin of the track al¬ 
most rivals in luxuriance that of the neighboring 
fields, and both when growing and when newly 
mown, present a beautiful sight. 
We honestly affirm, that there are such roads, 
and we hold them up as examples of a Model 
Highway—examples worthy of imitation. 
A Simple Remedy for Barked Trees. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
In the Fah and Winter of 1856, I was obliged to 
keep a couple of goats for the sake of their milk, for 
an infant. During my absenge to the City one 
day in the Winter, the goats got loose and commit¬ 
ted depredations in my garden, by stripping the 
bark from several young Apple and Pear trees, 
and through a broken paling found their way into a 
neighbor’s garden, and subjected his Apple and 
Pear trees to the same treatment, gnawing the 
bark off as high as they could reach. I suppos¬ 
ed of course, the trees were all killed, and con¬ 
cluded to experiment on those in my own garden. 
I procured several newspapers, cut them into con¬ 
venient strips for handling, and covered them with 
good boiled flour paste, wrapping several thick¬ 
nesses around the wounded parts of the trees, thus 
forming an artificial bark. My trees were cover¬ 
ed with foliage during the Summer and Autumn, 
and I could not perceive any difference in them 
during the whole season. My neighbor did no¬ 
thing with his. In the Spring and early part of 
Summer, they looked promising, but as soon as 
the extreme heat of Summer touched them, they 
were withered and completely dried up, with 
an abundance of shoots from the lower part of the 
trunk below the wounds. All the trees are about 
six yeats old, and were transplanted from the 
nursery about three years since There were two 
young Elms on the front road that shared the 
same fate as my neighbor’s trees. Can it be that 
the covering protected the circulation of the sap 
and answered the same purpose as the natural 
bark 1 J. D. V. 
Westchester Co. N. Y. 
Fig. 1. 
Ornamental Work for tie Garden, 
Lawn, Buildings, &c—No. II. 
The readers of our last volume will recall some 
sketches and descriptions we then gave of orna¬ 
mental structures for the Garden. We now pro 
pose to resume that subject, our sketches of 
Southern Vegetation, commenced in the January 
number, not being sufficiently complete at present 
for the engraver. The illustrations, at this time, 
are copied, with one exception, from our own 
grounds or those of our stated contributors. There 
is room for a great variety in such ornamental 
ffilllSpipl ,V| . 
Fig. 2. 
work, and what is of consequence to the mnlti- 
tude, every one can consult his own taste and 
finances. An old tree, a wall, the side of a house 
or other building, may be the ground-work for a 
display of the beautiful. A few seeds, roots or | begins to betray some ambitious propensities, and 
cuttings, will often furnish the pooresi 
laborer with the means of embellishing 
his home, and making it to vie with the 
abode of wealth in attractiveness. 
We give in fig. I a classical vase which 
stands on a terrace in our lawn. It, is ol 
cast iron, and is painted white to repre¬ 
sent marble. It stands on a base of cm 
limestone, which rests on a foundation ol 
quarry-stone laid below frost. For one oi 
two Summers we filled it with soil and 
planted it with verbenas, petunias, peri¬ 
winkle, &c., but found that they required 
almost daily watering to keep them from 
perishing ; and even then they made a 
sorry appearance. At length, happening 
to meet with the trailing vine Moneywort. 
we lound it, on trial, preferable lor this 
purpose to all others within our knowl¬ 
edge. It resembles the common peri¬ 
winkle, somewhat, though the leaves arc 
more oval and a lighter green, and its 
flowers are yellow. It endures warm 
weather patiently, and it trails over the 
sides of a vase or rustic basket in a most 
beautiful manner. 
We beg leave to add here a word or two in 
favor of such ornaments as vases, sun-dials and 
tne like, for the pleasure-ground. All who have 
once seen them will bear testimony to the air o 
elegance and refinement which they confer upot 
a home scene. Many of these ornaments being 
made of cast-iron or terra-cotta, can now he had ai 
a cheap rate. Embellishments of this kind, vases 
especially, should be set near the house ; they are 
in keeping with the artificial forms of the archi 
tecture of the dwelling, and form a sort of con¬ 
necting link between the house and the cultivated 
grounds abom 
it. Mr. Down¬ 
ing says: “Ii 
is the archi¬ 
tectural idea 
carried a little 
beyond the 
house, and 
shows that 
the same feel 
ing of taste, 
and embel 
1 i s h m e n t 
reigns in both 
departments 
of the resi 
dence.” Rus- 
t l c work, 
whether bas¬ 
kets vases, 
seats, &c., 
may be set in 
remoier parts 
of the prem 
ises. 
Sketch No. 
2 represents 
the porch ot 
Prof. Edwaid 
North’s dw el- 
ling, in Clin¬ 
ton, N. Y.— 
The iron pil¬ 
lars and rail¬ 
ing are com¬ 
pletely covered with vines, and form beneath an 
impenetrable shade. The Chinese Wistaria, 
American Ivy, Clematis and Matrimony vine, all 
grow together in loving companionship. The Ivy 
