4:30 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
■would accomplish their object without heavy out¬ 
lay. Our best nurseries contain dwarf forms of 
many of the evergreens that ordinarily reach a very 
large size, besides species that are naturally of low 
growth, and by the study of a catalogue there is no 
difficulty in selecting trees appropriate to even the 
smallest places. Take for example that useful and 
popular tree, the Norway Spruce ( Abies excelsa), it 
has been raised so largely from seed that a great 
number of forms have been produced; some of 
these can not be called ornamental, but are mere 
monsters, curious as showing how uncouth a tree 
can be when it tries hard, while others have a neat 
and compact habit that commends them for plant¬ 
ing in small grounds.« The best among these dwarf 
forms are Clanbrasils’ Spruce ( Abies exceha, var. 
(Jlaribrasiliana) ; the Conical Spruce (var. conica ); 
Gregory’s Spruce (var. Gregoriana,) and the dwarf 
form known as diffusa. None of these are disposed 
to grow tall, and some will not reach over six feet 
in a lifetime. Among the pines are several that 
have a dwarf habit. There is a variety of our com¬ 
mon White Pine ( Pinus Sl?-obus) which is in the cat¬ 
alogues as pumila and nano,; it grows only about 8 
feet high, and has shorter foliage than the ordinary 
form. The Scotch Pine ( Pinus sylvestris), has pro¬ 
duced, among several forms, a dwarf one called pu¬ 
mila. The Mugho Pine ( Pinus Mugho), is a low- 
growing species, and there is a variety of it (var. 
pumila or nana) that is still more dwarf. 
There are several dwarf Junipers and Arbor Vi- 
tses, the names of which are given in the catalogues. 
The most beautiful of our native Evergreens, the 
Hemlocks, has produced several interesting forms; 
the Small-leaved Hemlock, (Abies Canadensis, var. 
microphylla), has very small foliage, while the 
Large-leaved (var. macrophyUa), runs to the oppo¬ 
site extreme; there are one or two very dwarf 
forms, but the most beautiful of all is the Weep¬ 
ing Hemlock (var. pendula), of which an engraving 
is here given. This variety has its branches posi¬ 
tively pendulous, even the leader bending over upon 
itself. This has been grafted upon tall stocks, but 
so treated it is not satisfactory, and the trees far 
inferior in beauty to those in which the branches 
start from the base. This form was discovered, if we 
mistake not, near Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, by Henry 
Winthrop Sargent, Esq., and is now in the hands of 
Samuel B. Parsons & Sons, at whose nursery, at 
Flushing, L. I., we saw some tine specimens, in¬ 
cluding that from which our engraving was taken. 
It is not yet known what size it will attain, but no 
tree bears cutting better than the Hemlock, and by 
judicious pruning, this may be kept at any desired 
hight; indeed the ordinary forms of Hemlock, Ar¬ 
bor Vitae, and Norway Spruce, are all tractable in 
hedges, and may be converted into artificial dwarfs 
by pruning. In mentioning some of the striking 
forms of common evergreens seen at the Kissena 
Nurseries, we do not forget that there are many 
other and rarer evergreens adapted to small places, 
hut we have referred to those likely to be popular, 
and within the reach of persons of moderate means. 
Blundering from European Practice. 
BY PETER HENDERSON. 
The American Agriculturist possesses one advan¬ 
tage over most of its contemporaries, from the fact 
that the “ man at the helm ” has the necessary 
practical knowledge to prevent its correspondents 
from leading its readers into error, often times of 
such a grave character as to be ruinous. The other 
day, in looking over the columns of a contempora¬ 
ry journal, a correspondent—giving instructions on 
the cultivation of celery, advises to “ sow the seed 
in a hot-bed about the first of April.”—This is the 
stereotyped English practice, perfectly proper 
there, where the temperature during the growing 
season is probably ten degrees lower than with us, 
but if it is done here, the chances are more than 
equal that one-half of the crop would run to seed, 
especially with some varieties. There is no neces¬ 
sity, whatever, to do this here, even in the most 
Northerly States of the Union, for our temperature 
is high enough to grow the plants of sufficient size 
before the planting season in July, if sown in the 
open ground, any time before the first of May. We 
prefer to sow celery by the first or the middle of 
April, if the ground is sufficiently dry, but in no 
case, and under no circumstances, anywhere other 
than in the open field. One of the greatest hin¬ 
drances to horticultural progress in the United 
States, is the fact that, as yet, the great majority of 
gardeners are from Europe ; they come here brimful 
of importance with the knowledge they think they 
possess, and it takes years to convince them that 
the experience acquired there is not only useless, 
but actually disastrous in its results when applied 
here. Notwithstanding this, we see, again and 
again, our magazines quoting, without qualification, 
from foreign agricultural and horticultural papers, 
articles describing methods of culture, that must 
mislead the uninitiated reader. The cultivator is 
governed in his 6eed-sowing, transplanting, and 
other garden operations, by particular dates or sea¬ 
sons ; but if his practice has been limited to the cli¬ 
mate of England, with its cloudy, moist atmos¬ 
phere, and low summer temperature, unless he is 
sensible enough to adapt himself to the changed 
conditions which he finds here, he will make many 
miserable failures. 
I could name instances by the dozen, where blun¬ 
ders have been made, by slavishly following Eng¬ 
lish rules in our American climate, blunders that 
have brought scores to failure when they attempt¬ 
ed gardening here, with no other knowledge or in¬ 
struction than derived from their English training. 
In fact, I never knew an instance where an English, 
Irish, or Scotchman, who began business either as 
a nurseryman, market gardener, or florist, immedi¬ 
ately on his arrival in this country, that ever made 
a success in either pursuit. There may be some 
who have succeeded, but I know of none, while I 
have known of many who have so begun and failed. 
Hotes from tlie Pines. 
Last month’s “ Notes ” closed with some men¬ 
tion of the grounds of Prof. Charles S. Sargent, 
Brookline, Mass. It is, not my purpose to give a 
I detailed description of these interesting private 
grounds, but to point out a few of the striking fea¬ 
tures, especially such as offer suggestions to others. 
Of this kind is an example of the 
Utilization of Common Things. 
In one place where it is desirable to shut out the 
view, it is done by a plantation of various “ sub¬ 
tropical ” plants, especially the Cannas with dark- 
colored foliage. A wall of these purple or maroon- 
colored Cannas would be too sombre, and the ef¬ 
fect of these was lightened with—what do you 
suppose ’—common Sunflowers ! But few would 
have the courage to try this experiment, for the 
Sunflower is everywhere an associate of poverty, 
and suggests unhung gates, leading to houses, 
with broken windows mended with the crowns of 
venerable hats. Tet here the despised Sunflowers 
lighted up the dark foliage like so many torches, 
and instead of making the rest look common, they 
were exalted by being in good company. While 
this is not regarded as one of the “ show places ” 
around Boston, the grounds being characterized by 
their broad landscape effects, rather than by elabor¬ 
ate ornamentation, it presents one example in the 
modem style of gardening, far superior to any I 
have seen elsewhere. It is what may be termed 
A Mosaic lied, 
in which such formal plants as the echeverias, or 
cotyledons, sempervivums, and other succulents, 
are used for working out a design that is in itself 
highly pleasing, and which, regarded as a display 
of vegetation of peculiar forms, is really wonderful. 
The bed referred to is some IS feet long, and 5 feet 
wide, with a gracefully flowing outline ; the plants 
are set at three distinct elevations, and figures arc 
worked in its surface by the use of plants of differ¬ 
ent shades of color, forms, and habit of growth. The 
bed in question must contain thousands of plants, 
which are so closely set that the 6oil is nowhere 
visible. The plants most largely used, the echeve¬ 
rias, or cotyledons, while they vary in tint, have 
yet something of sameness in their color, and this, 
in the example in question, is judiciously relieved 
by the use of the variegated Mesembryanihemum eor- 
difolium, alternantheras, etc., and the effect of the 
whole in contrast with the surrounding carpet of 
grass, is very striking. I am not much in sympathy 
with this style of gardening, but there is nothing 
so takes the popular eye, and a bed of this kind 
will excite the admiration of those who will pass 
by, unnoticed, fine specimen plants that have cost 
years of careful culture to produce. One bed, no¬ 
ticed here, presents a 
Novel Combination. 
It is a large circular bed, thickly planted with 
that most beautiful late-blooming Anemone, known 
as “ Honorine Jobert,” and this surrounded by an 
ample margin of Sedum spectabile, a late species, 
which is known in some gardens by the incorrect 
name of Sedum Fabarium. The abundant flowers 
of the Anemone form a sheet of the purest white, 
bordered by the lively rose-color of the Sedums, 
and the effect is that of spring rather than autumn. 
This bed pleased me for several reasons: it is com¬ 
posed of plants that are not especially costly to 
purchase, and which may be propagated with great 
ease; they are both quite hardy, and if desired, the 
bed may be kept the same for several years, with 
but little care, and it provides for a mass of cheer¬ 
ful bloom, at the very end of the season when flow¬ 
ers are not abundant, and the few that we have are 
autumnal in tints_Mr. Sargent makes use of 
Young Coniferous Evergreens 
in a most sensible manner. Instead of dotting them 
here and there about the grounds while small, or 
consigning them to formal nursery rows, to be un¬ 
seen until large enough for their final planting, 
they are made use of in something the manner of 
bedding plants, large borders being filled with them, 
not more closely planted than they would be in the 
nursery, but set in such a manner as to show the 
young trees most effectively. The charming golden 
Retinisporaplumosa aurea, shows finely against the 
dark foliage of Lawson’s Cypress, and the feathery 
character of both is brought out by contrast with 
such formal subjects as Podocarpus, Umbrella Pine 
of Japan, ('Sciadopitys), and others. By this treat¬ 
ment the trees contribute greatly to the ornamenta¬ 
tion of the grounds, and their early phases, often 
the most interesting, can be observed until, having 
become too large for the border, they are set out in 
their final stations.Not far from Mr. Sargents’ 
is the garden of Francis Parkman, Esq., known to 
many as the most charming narrator of early Amer¬ 
ican History, and to many others as the author of 
a standard work on the Rose, and as the 
President of tlie Massachusetts Horticultur¬ 
al Society. 
I visit his garden with more pleasure, than I do 
most others, because it is more like my own ; 
the plants are grown for themselves alone, and 
without reference to their general effect. One is 
always sure of seeing here some specialty. This year 
the Perennial Garden Phloxes are the most promi¬ 
nent plants, and are special favorites of mine. Mr. 
Parkman has for some time occupied himself with 
raising seedlings, and his beds, containing hundreds 
in full bloom, presented a gay appearance. These 
phloxes have in late years received the attention of 
several specialists, and few garden plants have 
shown greater improvement. The colors, seifs and 
various combinations, present such a variety that 
it would seem almost impossible to produce a new 
tint or marking. Indeed, Mr. Parkman is not work¬ 
ing so much for new colors, as for a dwarfer and 
more compact habit, and an improvement in the 
form of the clusters, and the quality and substance 
of the individual flowers. Some of his seedlings 
present curious forms of foliage, and out of the 
many hundreds that be has raised, we have no doubt 
that his labor will be rewarded by finding that some 
of .liis new seedlings are of sufficient merit to be 
added to the already long list of choice named 
sorts. Mr. P. has long and patiently worked at 
Hybridizing and Crossing Uilics, 
and his results present features of great interest to 
those fond of this department of horticulture. One 
of his hybrids, between Lilium auratum and L. spe- 
