AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[June, 
Where there are long bands of different colors 
side by side, it is ribbon 'planting; when vari¬ 
ously shaped beds are cut in a lawn and each 
planted with one color, or a few colors, it is mo¬ 
saic or embroidery work, and it is sometimes 
carried to the refinement of using gravels of dif¬ 
ferent colors to heighten the effect of the flowers. 
Planting of this kind appears best when looked 
down upon, or from a point where the charac¬ 
ter of the individual 
plants is lost in the 
general effect. If 
asked which of the 
two styles of garden¬ 
ing we prefer, we un¬ 
hesitatingly choose 
the mixed border, as 
it is here that the true 
lover of flowers is 
gratified with the best 
development of each, 
and has constant en¬ 
joyment in the suc¬ 
cession of beauties 
which each day re¬ 
veals. Still we would 
not give up planting 
in masses altogether. 
Decorative beds in a 
lawn are always 
pleasing, and if not jn 
dulged in to the ex¬ 
clusion of the proper 
mixed borders, are to 
be commended. We 
do not get much show 
from the bedding 
plants until rather 
late in the season, and 
whoever depends up¬ 
on them entirely, is 
deprived of at least 
two months of floral 
enjoyment. Some¬ 
times a mixed bed is 
planted so as to give 
a great variety and 
sutccession of bloom 
and yet be effective 
as a whole. Breck, 
in his lately published 
New Book of Flow¬ 
ers, recommends the 
following disposition: 
For a large oval bed, 
sow Mignonette all 
around 18 inches from 
the edging; after the 
plants are through the ground, set all the va¬ 
rious colors of Portulacas alternately, one foot 
apart in the same row. In the second row, 3 
feet from the edging, plant all the fine colors of 
Phlox Drummondii, 8 inches apart. Sow a 
third row, four feet from the edging, with wdiite 
Candy-tuft, putting China Pinks 3 inches apart 
in the same row. Five feet within the edging, 
plant a row w'ith Purple Globe Amaranths, 8 
inches apart, alternating with German Ten 
Weeks Stocks. The fifth and next row is made 
up of the finest Double Asters, and the remain¬ 
ing space in the center of the bed is filled with 
Petunias, with bulbs of French Hybrid Gladio¬ 
lus set about one foot apart among the Petunias. 
The Centaurea Candidissima Hardy.— 
This ornamental leaved plant has usually been 
treated as tender, Last year we left out three 
plants in the worst possible exposure, where a 
part of the time they were flooded and frozen. 
This spring, we find, much to our surprise, that 
one of the plants is alive and is pushing a new 
growth. We have no doubt that in a favorable 
situation and with a moderate protection of 
straw, leaves, or evergreen boughs, this use¬ 
ful decorative plant will winter with safety. 
dwaru snowball.— (Fiftwrawm plicatum.) 
The Dwarf Snowball. — Viburnum plicatum. 
We are indebted to China, and the labors of 
Mr. Fortune for many beautiful plants, most of 
which, such as the Wiegela, Forsythia, and Di¬ 
centra, have become so generally distributed 
among cultivators that they are well known. 
But here is a most charming plant, introduced 
about the same time as the others, that is, in this 
country at least, still quite rare, for some reason 
that we do not know. It is not difficult to 
propagate, is perfectly hardy, and has every 
quality to render it popular. We give a figure 
and a notice, which will probably create such a 
demand for the plant that our nurserymen will 
see that it can no longer be called rare. The 
common Snowball, so long cultivated in our 
gardens is still prized as an ornamental shrub. 
This species is far more beautiful; it seldom 
grows more than six feet in hight, and has a 
very neat habit. Its foliage is very fine, being 
firm and of a rich dark green. It is marked by 
such strong veins as to give the leaf something 
of a plaited appearance, whence the name pli- 
catum. The flowers are of the purest white; 
indeed truly like balls of freshly fallen snow, 
and of a most agreeable, though not very strong 
fragrance. The figure shows a flower cluster of 
the natural size, but 
no engraving can re¬ 
present the purity of 
the whiteness of the 
petals. The plant 
readily grows from 
layers, and it may 
doubtless be raised 
from cuttings. Beauty 
and fragrance of flow¬ 
er, neatness of foliage, 
and hardiness and 
ease of propagation 
are not often all com¬ 
bined in one plant; 
so in behalf of the 
lovers of beautiful 
shrubs we beg the 
nurserymen to give 
us a supply of Vi¬ 
burnum plicatum. 
Tomato Training. 
We have given sev¬ 
eral plans for training 
the Tomato, by the 
use of trellises, sur¬ 
rounding the plant by 
a frame oft sticks and 
hoops,and the French 
method of growing to 
a single stem as given 
on page 173, last 
month. The follow¬ 
ing description is giv¬ 
en us by Mr. William 
Stewart, Oswego, N. 
Y., of a method of 
training that we have 
seen and with good 
results. “Tomatoes 
may be trained up to 
a wall or fence, or any 
outbuilding having a 
proper aspect for their 
ripening, if such posi¬ 
tions are not required 
for other purposes. 
_ _ I trained^ them dur¬ 
ing last season to fifteen feet in hight, on the 
southern side of the barn, and they had an orna¬ 
mental appearance and were much admired. 
I planted them at about four feet apart, and 
from time to time selected enough leaders to 
cover the entire available space, training them 
at about nine inches apart; the soil was rich 
and they grew rapidly, produced abundantly, 
were well flavored and — always clean. In 
training them, cut or pinch off all weak or use¬ 
less laterals, bearing in mind to leave enough of 
those having on a sufficiency of fruit, pinching 
off all points near the finite xcept those requir¬ 
ed for leaders. 
Tlie fruit, when it is beginning to ripen, may 
be exposed by cutting off such foliage as would 
be likely to shade it. The training requires to 
be attended to at least once a week, otherwise 
they quickly get into a state of disorder, and 
proper success is not attainable. It is astonish- 
