1859 . 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
239 
twelve feet square, we counted thirteen varieties 
of the rose, and this is but typical of the general 
profusion. And all this belongs to and is the work 
of a mechanic, who toils as industriously as the 
best among us. And all these attractions by 
which his home is surrounded, are the result of 
Only four years’ labor. The grounds rcere laid out, 
cultivated, •planted and all the improvements made by 
his own hands, at such moments as he could snatch 
at morning, noon . and night, before the day's work 
was commenced or after it was ended. And who 
can doubt that the companionship with Nature, 
which he has thus enjoyed, has elevated and pu¬ 
rified him—that in contemplating the processes 
auxiliary to his efforts, by which a barren spot 
has been «aade to bloom like the rose, a happiness 
which he never knew before has flooded his heart, 
and constituted, as he told us, a constant reme¬ 
dy for weariness and care. 
This is what one man has done. Why should 
not others do it 1 Why should not all our me¬ 
chanics and w'orkingmen, by industry and econo¬ 
my, secure for themselves retreats like this 1 
Why should not every man get him a little patch 
of ground, prune and plant it, fringe its paths with 
flowers, line its borders with fruit trees, and make 
for himself a miniature Eden 1 Why is it that so 
many, who might easily do all this, prefer to 
spend their money at the gin-shop, the billiard 
saloon, and in the perilous associations of clubs 
of one sort and another ? Hundreds of men, in 
our city to day, spend every year on foolish 
pleasures, one twentieth of the entire cost of a 
place like that we have described, and of course 
are never benefitted in the least by their expendi¬ 
ture. Why not invest the money so wasted, in 
obtaining a home and improving its surroundings 1 
Why not surround themselves with flowers, and 
plant trees to shade and shelter and bless them 
with fruit, and cluster about the family altar 
charms and enticements which shall hold them 
firmly against %11 temptations, and make home 
what it always should be—the sanctuary of life’s 
holiest enjoyments—the vestibule of Paradise, 
with perfect peace smiling from all its niches 1 
Why, indeed 1 
The Newark Evening Journal copies the above, 
and adds, that it is from the genial pen of Fos¬ 
ter, and suspects the description applies to the 
homestead of Mr. J. H. Lendell. We believe the 
Journal to be not far from correct in its surmises ; 
we know at least that Mr. L., has been a long¬ 
time subscriber to the Agriculturist. The Journal 
says further : “ Our friend who labors ten hours 
a day in his shop, yet finds time to cultivate and 
work these beautiful grounds ; and he assures us 
that there is a great amount of real enjoyment as 
well as profit to be derived from its tillage. The 
garden has been under cultivation but four years, 
and consists (including the space occupied by the 
buildings,) of but six city lots, and is cultivated 
with a view to supply home wants, only the sur¬ 
plus being sold. The amount of profit would be 
considered small by many professional men who 
have large incomes, but it is an important item 
with our working friend, and the garden contrib¬ 
utes largely to the comforts of his household. In 
the item of health, he considers it pays, even if 
there was no pecuniary profit. His garden is his 
medicine chest, infinitely better than “ blue pills,” 
the discomforts of a ‘ sea voyage,’ or the hospi¬ 
talities of hotel keepers, on the continent. *#** 
* * We found in the gardens about forty vari¬ 
eties of roses, among which flourish very choice 
flowers. The Native Ohio was to us a new va¬ 
riety—it is a fine blush. The Prince Adelaide, 
Moss, arid the French and China tea roses, were 
out in great beauty. Honevsu-ckles, lilies, pinks 
and numerous other flowers are neatly and artis¬ 
tically arranged, rendering the view altogether 
pleasing to the vision. In the vegetable garden 
there is a little of everything. Early potatoes, 
cabbages, lettuce, radishes, beets, carrots, pars- 
neps, Lima beans, corn, squashes, melons, peppers, 
eggplants and peas, are all in flourishing growth. 
There are grape vines and fruit trees, embracing 
cherry, pear, apple, plum, and apricot; the peach 
trees are barren, in accordance with the rule, but 
the currants, gooseberries, and quinces are very 
thriving and prolific. Of strawberries there is a 
great abundance. The vines are heavily laden 
with the finest fruit that we have seen, and well 
may the proprietor-feel a pride in exhibiting such 
a strawberry bed. 
We can only hope, in conclusion, that a know¬ 
ledge of what one working man has accomplished, 
will stimulate others to make similar exertions 
for their own improvement and benefit.” 
-. m - 
Flowers in a School Yard. 
We have often recommended the culture of 
flowers around school buildings. Nothing will 
conduce more to make these buildings attractive, 
and beget a taste for the beautiful and the true, 
and lead away from vice. We are glad to note 
an instance where school floriculture is practiced. 
Our old friend and school mate, Wm. Poole, Esq., 
Ed. of the Niagara Falls Gazette, in his issue of 
June 29, after acknowledging the receipt of a 
splendid bouquet from the class in Botany, in the 
Senior Department of the Public School, very 
justly remarks : “ This is deserving of more than 
ordinary notice, from the fact that it is made up 
of flowers fiom the school yard. We know, from 
observation, that there are few—very few— 
school yards where flowers are cultivated, and 
we would like to see the school yard in Western 
New-York, where they are more carefully cared 
for than on the grounds of school-house No. 2. 
The teachers are deserving of credit; so also is 
the Board of Education, and especially its leading 
spirit, Mr. Trott. 
This matter of cultivating flowers and shade 
trees, in and around our school grounds, may ap¬ 
pear to some, very unimportant, useless, foolish 
even—according to the tastes of people who ex¬ 
press such opinions—but we envy not those per¬ 
sons’ taste. Who would not prefer to have his 
children attend school where some little attention 
is given to the cultivation of a taste for the good 
and beautiful, rather than where dilapidated fix¬ 
tures and disgustingly dirty grounds are the most 
prominent features 1 Our citizens feel a just 
pride in our public schools—and we all know 
they are the subject of complimentary comment 
abroad.” 
Clear up the Hedge and Fence Rows. 
They disfigure the farm, and reduce its market 
value much more than enough to pay for rooting 
them out. They are moreover the strongholds 
from which vile weeds send out new recruits 
every year, to battle with the crops for possession 
of the fields. Destroy these fortresses, and the 
plow and hoe will easily subdue the remainder. 
Now that the hay and harvest fields are cleared, 
they stand out boldly, as if challenging an attack, 
and there is a season of comparative leisure 
which may well be devoted to their extermina¬ 
tion. If they are perennials, merely cutting them 
down at this season will avail but little, for the 
stalk and leaf have nearly performed their func¬ 
tions, and the roots, strengthened by the Summer’s 
growth, will scarcely feel the loss. 
In many fields the plowing has been done on 
one plan, year after year—the*first furrow turned 
against the fence, and the other “ lands ” laid out 
parallel with it, and thus there is a bank formed 
against each fence, making just the place for suc¬ 
cessful weed culture. After the fence has been 
moved, and the hedge-row demolished, let these 
banks be reduced to their proper level by back- 
furrowing ; and care should be taken in the after- 
cultivation that the field is not disfigured by them 
again. 
•-— -- — 
A Tasteful Gateway. 
In a former number of the Agriculturist (vol. 
XVI, p. 184), we described minutely the pro¬ 
cess of in-arching, or causing branches to grow 
together by paring off a portion of each and 
tying the pared surfaces one against the other. 
Mr. T. R. Brown, Carroll County Ohio, sends 
us a unique and pretty application of this mode 
of joining the branches of trees. Two maples 
standing on the opposite sides of a gateway 
spread their branches over until they met. These 
were grafted or in-arched together and by prop¬ 
erly trimming he secured an arch which pro¬ 
duced a very pleasing effect. This may be 
quite easily done with almost every variety of 
trees, and an ornamental gateway or other arch¬ 
ed passage be readily obtained. 
--——-» <--- «- 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Agricultural Premiums not Properly Dis¬ 
tributed. 
The end which should be sought in offering 
agricultural premiums is, undoubtedly, to stimu¬ 
late effort for improvement in the results of hus¬ 
bandry. It can not be questioned that much good 
has resulted from the encouragement thus afford¬ 
ed by State and County associations ; for aside 
from the mere pecuniary value of prizes the spirit 
of active emulation is thereby awakened. In 
looking over the premium lists of various socie¬ 
ties this year, it will be observed that a large share 
of the more valuable prizes are offered for the 
mere results of culture, while the means by which 
those results may be attained are comparatively 
neglected. Thus : liberal premiums have been of¬ 
fered for the best specimens of grain and vegeta¬ 
bles, without regard to the manner of their culti¬ 
vation. The sight of a mammoth pumpkin or 
beet, a baskefiof superb potatoes, or a display of 
luscious grapes, is very gratifying, but of little 
practical use, unless we may know how they were 
produced. It sometimes happens that the exhib¬ 
itor can give no particular reason for his success ; 
he found a large chance specimen in his gar¬ 
den or field and ‘‘brought it to the show.” But 
this proves nothing, and improves no one. A 
specimen of much less size, brought to superior 
excellence by a well conducted plan, with a des¬ 
cription of it accompanying the article ex¬ 
hibited, would be much more worthy of the award. 
Some societies very properly require such infor¬ 
mation to be furnished by exhibitors as will be 
available to others desirous of attaining the same 
excellence. 
Again, agricultural implements have been as¬ 
signed a rank far below their actual worth. Much 
of success in farming operations is due to the use 
of improved implements. Take from the culti¬ 
vators of this country their improved plows and 
we should at once be set back fifty years in agri¬ 
cultural development. Blooded stock, however 
high bred, or horses, of whatever strain, would 
avail but little in countries where tilling imple¬ 
ments are rude and defective. Yet in the several 
