1869.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
259 
sented. This reminds me to commend at this 
season, when many things are to he transplant¬ 
ed, what Peter Henderson calls “ firming.” In 
setting out cabbages and oilier plants, go over 
the row and press the soil down firmly about 
the root with the foot. I very rarely lose a 
plant, it' it has any life in it, if I set it myself. 
Dr. K. showed a choice lot of evergreens, 
and I remonstrated with him for putting such 
valuable things so close together. He explained 
that his object was to “plant out” his privy. 
It is very singular that this appendage to a 
house should, by some, be made conspicuous, 
even to the extent of having a roof of various¬ 
ly-colored tiles. How much better it is to hide 
this edifice, as Dr. K. has done, by a closely 
planted group of evergreens, than to make it 
striking by architectural embellishments. 
A wealthy man near here has a kitchen 
garden which is pleasant to look at. He 
has from two to six men constantly at work 
upon about two acres. Hot a weed is to be 
seen, and everything looks in holiday array. 
This will do for those who have the money to 
expend, and it is pleasing to see what can be 
done by one who is able. In contrast with this 
is another neighbor, who is reputed to be worth 
more than a million, who is trying to run a farm 
of sixty acres by the labor of one man ! The 
work of that one man makes a fine show, taken 
as one man’s work, but it is not just treatment 
of the land, or of this one man. This same 
proprietor has recently been trying to reclaim 
a swamp, so as to extend ins area of available 
land. How much better would it have been to 
have improved the acres already under the 
plow ! But this is farming, and not gardening. 
Rustic Pottery.— (See next Page.) 
Frequent illustrations have been given in 
these columns of “ rustic” work made of wood, 
bark, and the like. Messrs. B. K. Bliss & Son, 
the well-known seedsmen, have recently import¬ 
ed some samples of English rustic work in pot¬ 
tery, which seem to us particularly well adapted 
to the uses for which they are designed. Figure 
1 is an arch for an aquarium, lighter and more 
pleasing in appearance than any that can be 
built up of stone in the usual way. Figure 2 is 
a hanging bracket which has cavities to contain 
such plants as require but little soil. Figure 3 
is a standing “jardinet," which may be placed 
on a bracket or shelf, and which has several 
“pockets” to contain soil for plants. Some 
of the ferns, Isolepis gracilis , Tradescantia ze- 
brina, Moneywort, the Creeping Saxifrage (Sax- 
ifraga sarmentosa) and many similar things, 
would do admirably in such a receptacle. As 
the material, the same as that of which flower¬ 
pots are made, is very absorbent, they would, 
when once well soaked, retain water for a long 
time. We give but three, which will show the 
rustic beauty of about a dozen of these designs. 
Those who live near potteries can get the clay, 
fashion them themselves, and have them baked; 
and it would not be a bad idea if some of our 
potteries would take the hint and make them, 
as our people are ready enough to buy tasteful 
things if they can obtain them at a moderate 
price. From our knowledge of other work 
done in hydraulic cement mortar we have no 
doubt that similar things can be made in that 
material, and these need not be baked. As soon 
as the cement hardens, if it is of a good kind, 
it resists the action of water. Articles of this 
kind, whether made of baked clay or cement, 
will be destroyed if exposed to the action of 
frost while at all wet. 
[In the laying out of grounds, only general 
instructions can be given; unless in perfectly 
level land, the requirements of each acre will 
differ from those of the next, and while the 
same principles are applicable to all, the details 
will differ in each case. We gave, in February 
last, a plan by Mr. Eugene A. Baumann, Land¬ 
scape Gardener, of Rahway, N. J., for laying 
out a village lot, and we now present a design 
by the same gentleman for a much larger area. 
This plan is valuable for the suggestions it gives 
as to the general arrangement, and these are 
applicable to smaller as well as larger places. 
The following is his description.— Eds.] 
This is an ideal plan of a suburban place of 
about eight acres, planned more with respect to 
pleasure grounds than to vegetable garden, 
orchard, etc. It will be noticed that almost all 
the parts that require the frequent presence of 
the gardener or his assistant, as well as the sta¬ 
ble, coach-house, cow and hen-yard, gate lodge, 
drying ground, and turns, have been con¬ 
nected in the north-eastern end of the place, 
thus relieving the pleasure ground of all com¬ 
munications which do not belong to it, and 
making it the more private. The pleasure 
ground laying inside the lot is divided from the 
vegetable garden by a dense belt of trees, which 
may, in preference, consist of evergreens of 
medium bight, besides a hedge running in the 
rear of the same belt, from the gate lodge up to 
the entrance at X'. On the north-east there is 
a space suggested for an orchard, and on the 
south-east another space for a pasture ground, 
which, if desired, may be used for an additional 
vegetable ground for the coarser crops. These 
two fields are cut off from the pleasure ground 
by a wire fence, established all along X, X, X, 
which is built in a way to show as little as pos¬ 
sible. At A is the dwelling, fronting south-east 
and south-west, and with the carriage approach 
on the north-west side. Except the rear part, 
or kitchen, the entire building is surrounded by 
piazzas; but as the building is already of large 
size, it is intended to give it a wider base by 
establishing a terrace, A', on the two main 
fronts. Without altering the shape of the even 
ground on which the plan is supposed to lie, 
the earth, which may be on hand from the 
foundations and cellars, can be employed to 
grade this terrace, instead of following the very 
common and objectionable plan of employing 
that soil for a sort of sloping or terracing, which 
has no appearance of taste. Such a terrace, if 
well arranged and well drained, will always be 
a very convenient place for walks in moist 
weather, and as no carriage reaches it, it can 
be easily kept in good order, and remain pri¬ 
vate. In the summer season the terrace may 
be the place to exhibit fine specimens of show 
plants, cultivated in nicely painted boxes or 
vases, and even some statuary. A brick wall 
of the required liight, but not overreaching the 
top of the terrace, covered with a stone coping, 
aud then surmounted either with a fine cast- 
iron railing of two feet six inches to three 
feet, but not more, or a wire railing (wire net¬ 
ting), or even in case of a very large, heavy 
stone building, a well-designed stone balus¬ 
trade, will always produce a fine effect. A small 
border may be left outside of the railing for all 
sorts of flowering climbers, which will help 
to embellish the terminus of this terrace. 
At B it is suggested to locate a conservatory 
for a collection of fine specimens of plants, wh ich 
may assist in decorating the terrace around 
the house in summer, and halls and stair-case, 
etc., in the house during winter entertainments. 
At C is a shed, hidden by an arbor, for shel¬ 
tering under trellis-work during summer the 
plants of the conservatory which will require 
open air. D' is a graveled yard, giving access 
to the kitchen for traders, coal, w'ood, etc., etc., 
without employing the main approach or the 
front steps. D is intended for the well. E is a 
drying ground, entirely hidden by evergreens, 
and easily accessible from the kitchen or laun¬ 
dry. F is the coacb-liouse, with a yard in front 
sufficient for turning the vehicles. 
F' is a building (sheds) for a tool-house, and for 
wood, seeds, etc., mostly used by the gardener. 
G and II are cow-stable, barn, and cow¬ 
sheds, with a yard enclosed by a fence, subdi¬ 
viding it from the coach-yard and vegetable 
garden, as is the lien-yard, shown at I. At K 
there is a rear entrance, intended mostly for the 
use of the vegetable garden, and to approach 
the aforementioned farm buildings. L shows 
the green-house, grapery, and propagating 
house, surrounded by the liot-beds, represented 
at M. N is a vegetable garden, with two main 
fields laid out lengthwise, so as to make them 
accessible (if desired) to small plows. Two 
borders along a central walk are intended for 
dwarf pear and apple trees, currants, gooseber¬ 
ries, etc. X, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, are as many 
irregular pieces, intended for the cultivation 
of such articles as do not require yearly 
changes—for instance, strawberries, asparagus, 
rhubarb, horse-radish, raspberries, blackber¬ 
ries, etc. The border at X, 6, may be ad¬ 
vantageously employed for grape vines, espal¬ 
iers of peaches, apricots, etc. 0 and P 
represent a gate lodge, with yard, and outbuild¬ 
ing, and well. Q, the main gate, or approach 
to the house. R and R' (east of house), repre¬ 
sent a small flower garden, with basin, and jet 
of water, which is meant to be supplied from the 
roof of the dwelling. S represents a grape 
arbor, leading from the house to the,conserva¬ 
tory ; the structure is intended to be open on 
the lawn side, and closed in the rear. It is made 
in the style of an Italian pergola, supporting iq 
the rear grape vines to be trained on the top, 
■whilst the low railing aud columns, subdividing 
the openings in front (on the lawn side), may 
be employed fora display of flowering climbers. 
Such grape arbors, if of a good, chaste design, 
will always be a finp ornament in a pleasure 
ground, and, during the hot summer days, an 
agreeable retreat. There ought to be no stone 
or wooden floor in it, nor ought the floor to be 
simply graveled. Instead, I should suggest 
to have the floor made of asphaltum and sand 
mixed, so as to make walking soft and quiet. 
Suggesting arbors of a good style in new 
places frequently encounters opposition. Many 
persons suppose that something tasteful can 
not be made instead of the queer shaped arbors 
seen in most places, built up roughly by the 
first available carpenter or builder. It costs 
but little more to build a durable and tasteful 
arbor, which will be an ornament to a place, 
than to spoil it by an ugly structure. 
At T, in the turn, there is suggested a small 
basin, located just on the back road of the 
turn, thus affording a facility for watering- 
horses. At 17, an oval playground, surrounded 
by flowering shrubs, wide enough for the cro¬ 
quet game. At Y, a rustic, open summer-house, 
connected with a group of evergreens, as a 
resting-place for the players. At W, single 
Landscape Gardening. 
