1863 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
19 
Land on Slopes of Steep Hills. 
A subscriber of the American Agriculturist, in 
Pittsburg, Pa., inquires “what to do with a plot 
of ground on a hill side, above a stone quarry 
that prevents building a stone wall around it. 
It has a stiff clay subsoil, resting on a layer of 
red greasy clay. The surface soil is inclined to 
‘ slip,’ but if it can be improved it is valuable for 
a grapery.”-Probably bastard trenching, that 
is, digging it deeply but not inverting the soil, 
and placing under-drains and surface drains so 
as to carry off washing water, would put it in 
shape for tillage. The grape vine roots, after 
once filling the soil, would help keep it in place. 
In some favorite grape localities along the Rhine, 
where peculiar qualtties of wine are produced, 
but where the surface lies but a few degrees 
from a perpendicular, they even go so far as to 
place baskets of earth among the stones and 
rocks, and fill up between them with soil. The 
baskets hold the earth until the grape roots 
spread, and take their place as they decay. 
On the steep side hills around Stuttgart, in 
Wurtemberg, in many places along the Rhine, 
and among the hills between Lyons and Geneva, 
and in other places in Switzerland, France, and 
Germany, we examined vineyards upon the sides 
of hills that were naturally so steep that one 
could scarcely climb them. The usual method 
pursued is, to build stone walls along the hill, a 
few feet or rods above each other, and level off 
a plot of soil between the walls, making a suc¬ 
cession of terraces. Stone and bush drains are 
provided to convey currents of water that would 
Otherwise wash down the soil. On the steep, 
high hills over-shadowing Stuttgart on the south, 
the terrace wnlls are of almost regular solid 
masonry, with cut-stone gutters to convey the 
water. The cut-stone steps leading up through 
the plots are in many cases laid solid, aud hol¬ 
lowed out to serve as water courses during heavy 
rains. Large sums have been expended in thus 
making artificial soils, but the luxuriant crops 
of grapes, such as we saw growing, doubtless 
pay a good interest on the original outlay. These 
steep hill sides,, especially when the soil is work¬ 
ed deep, and thus thoroughly drained as it must 
necessarily be, seem to be just the places grapes 
most delight in. There are many such locali¬ 
ties in our country. Hill sides, now worthless, 
maybe fitted up for vines, with little more labor 
than it would pay to expend on any soil devoted 
to successful grape growing. Any suggestions 
on this topic, such as would help our Pittsburgh 
correspondent, and others similarly situated, 
will be acceptable. 
A Compliment from John Bull. 
In these days of trial, when England turns 
the cold shoulder to us, it is comforting to re¬ 
call the pleasant things she has said and done 
in former times. Here is a morsel: Several 
years ago, when Mr. Loudon was giving in¬ 
struction to a committee of gentlemen in refer¬ 
ence to the embellishment of a public park, he 
said: “In that portion of the Park where it is 
desirable that the greatest beauty and interest 
should be created, the trees of North America 
should be planted. To these may succeed the 
trees of Greece and Italy; next, those of France 
and Germany; then, the British trees; and 
lastly, those of the north of Russia, and of Swe¬ 
den aud Norway.” 
One would have thought that British trees 
would be placed high in the list; and that those 
of the classical lands of Rome and Greece, if 
not also those of France and Germany, would 
precede those of our OAvn wild, democratic 
country. But lo ! our trees are put at the head 
of the catalogue of all the nations!—How about 
our men and women raised on the soil that grows 
these trees ? 
--O- -*-«*3C -- 
For the American Agriculturist . 
On Fitting up a Home—Confessions of an 
Amateur. 
Every fruit grower and gardener has to edu¬ 
cate himself, and generally pays very dear for 
liis education. Multitudes get possession of the 
house, and a home lot, and the means to adorn 
it, before they get the knowledge requisite to lay 
out their money to good advantage. Many go- 
ahead without consulting architect, artist, or 
gardener—build, lay out grounds, plant trees— 
for it is the weakness of a Yankee to the manor 
born to think that he can do almost any thing 
as w r cll as if he had never done anything else. 
Such go-ahead improvers after a few years’ la¬ 
bor begin to get hold of the principles of land¬ 
scape gardening, especially if they travel much, 
and observing other well kept places, discover 
that they have made several blunders, if not 
more. The gate is in the wrong place, the car¬ 
riage drive has taken the wrong turn, the Nor¬ 
way spruces hide objects that ought to be seen, 
and a good deal is brought into view that were 
better hidden. He has at length educated his 
taste so that he can enjoy nothing that 'lie has 
done, and he has to “change his base” and begin 
again. The walks are moved, new hedges are 
planted, half grown trees are transplanted, some 
are cut down, fruit trees are thinned out, aud 
the work of years is destroyed in a day. Many 
can never summon resolution enough to make 
the change, aud go on cherishing the blunders 
of their early years. They have gained a good 
deal of knowledge by their experience, but it 
comes a little too late for them. 
I do not come altogether under this latter 
category, for I have already changed many of 
my blunders, but a few, alas! must remain for 
another generation. I am willing to put some 
of these blunders upon record for the benefit of 
those who are just building new homes or be¬ 
ginning to improve them. First, then, is the 
neglect of the architect and the landscape gar¬ 
dener. There is a wide spread prejudice against 
these characters, probably from the fact that 
both professions have their unworthy repre¬ 
sentatives, miserable pretenders who do not un¬ 
derstand the first principles of their business. 
But Downing has his worthy successors, and 
the man who wishes to avail himself of their aid, 
can easily find them. Two or three hundred 
dollars seems a large outlay for the plan of a 
house and outbuildings, but in an expenditure 
of fifteen or twenty thousand dollars, or even 
half that sum, it is of trifling importance. The 
plan determines the character of the house, and 
the comfort of the household for their whole 
lives. A door in the wrong place, or the w 7 ant 
of one in the right place, is matter of daily an¬ 
noyance. Bad arrangements in the kitchen and 
dining room make a great deal of unnecessary 
labor for which you have to pay. The lodging 
room and nursery upon the second or third 
story, instead of the first, make a multitude of 
weary footsteps for the wife and mother already 
overtaxed. The continued health of a wife and 
well being of children may depend upon so small 
a matter as the right location of a bedroom. 
No rewards are better earned, none are cheap¬ 
er to the purchaser, than those of the architect 
who plans a house to meet the wants of your 
condition in life and your family. The problem 
to be solved varies with almost every family. 
It is the business of the architect to study these 
wants and to meet them in the most economi¬ 
cal manner. Many, more than save the price of 
their services in the increased economy which 
they secure in building, and in the future labor 
in the household. Some houses are so badly 
arranged that it requires three servants to do the 
work which two would easily perform in another. 
The arrangement of the grounds around the 
dwelling is another, of less importance indeed, 
but still not to be overlooked. Every gem Avants 
its appropriate setting, and a tasteful house may 
be half spoiled by its surroundings. We want 
the apples of gold in pictures of silver. Trees 
and shrubs may be so planted as to highten the 
charms of the dwelling, and to give it addition¬ 
al shelter and warmth in Winter. They may 
be so arranged as to command the most beau¬ 
tiful objects in the distance, or to obstruct the 
view. One of my neighbors has entirely buried 
himself up in his trees. His home stands on an 
eminence commanding a beautiful view of the 
distant sea and its islands, but he can not see a 
sail from the window of the sitting room, where 
the family spend most of their leisure hours. 
The windows look out pleasantly upon a lawn 
of four or five acres. But a large clump of ever¬ 
greens completely obstructs the view. He is 
sheltered indeed, but he has cut off the cheerful 
light of the sun, and the pleasing aspects of na¬ 
ture around him. He might have bid defiance 
to the winds, and at the same time have Avooed 
the sunlight. He is surrounded Avith green fields 
but he can hardly get a glimpse of them. 
This may seem to be a small matter to people 
without taste, but it has a good deal to do with 
the happiness of the family. We ride miles to 
get a pretty view from the summit of a hill, and 
enjoy the Avliitening sails of the sea, or the steam¬ 
ers that leave behind them their long trails of 
smoke. Such a vieAA 7 , or any other pleasing 
prospect, would seem to be worth preserving 
at home. I am a little old-fashioned in my 
tastes, but really, I prefer to have these pictures 
out of doors, rather than their imitations upon 
the Avails of the parlor. 
Twenty years ago, I planted a clump of ev- 
ergreens, mostly Norway spruces and hemlocks, 
to hide a neighbor’s barn across the way. They 
have grown Avondrously, and more than accom¬ 
plished their object, for they have hidden a 
glimpse of a sheet of Avater that lies at the foot 
of a hill a mile away. The trees are too beau¬ 
tiful to be cut away, it would be sacrilege to 
trim them, and I am in a quandary to knoAV 
what to do with them. In tree planting, one 
needs to look ahead a little, and see what a tree 
will become when it is well developed.- Small¬ 
er evergreens w'ould have hidden my eyesore, 
and saved my lake. Henry Herbert. 
- -- 
Culture of the Pansy. 
Fcav flowering plants give greater satisfaction 
than the Pansy. Less brilliant and showy than 
the verbena, petunia, scarlet geranium, and the 
like, it yet has excellences to Avhich they can 
lay no claim. It is easily- cultivated, requires 
little or no protection in Winter, commences 
blooming early in Spring, and with a slight 
check in the heat of mid-summer, continues in 
floAver all the season, and furnishes an almost 
endless variety of colors, shades and markings. 
In answer to many inquiries about the prepa- 
