/CULTURii]l£ 
EXCELSIOR 
)g3.0O I*F,R YEAR, 
i Single X»., Eight Cents, 
NEW YORK CITY AN! ROCHESTER, N. Y, 
41 Park Row, iVew York, 
H2 RniTnlo St., Rochester. 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, APRIL 17, I860 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 186.0. by D. 1). T. Moore, In tho Clerk’s Office of the District Court of tho United States for the Southern District of New York.] 
biense, or having the flowers of these varie¬ 
ties fertilized by arboreum , pontiewm, Arc. 
Most of the varieties are hardy, but the old 
native Catawbiense and Maximum can always 
be depended upon, and should be. first se¬ 
lected. Of Kalinins the kit (folia and auffutti- 
folia are the best. 
l’lnn for llie Front Grounds ot n Suburban 
Villa Residence. 
In designing for the improvement and 
decoration of house grounds suited to the 
wants and means of a majority of those who 
wish for some taste and skill, some artistic 
arrangement of tree, shrub and flower, it is 
rare that the artist is permitted to follow his 
own impressions of the fitness of things, 
but is generally made to give place to some 
preconceived idea of the owner, and conse¬ 
quently has to make his work to fit as near 
as possible true taste and arrangement, com¬ 
bined with the imagined wants of the 
employer. It is almost universal in this 
country to desire the front grounds of the 
home to show as well as possible from the 
si reef—a good feature, ho far ns it makes up 
an increase of beauty open to all, but bad 
so far as any real private enjoyment can be 
had by the owners. 
In tho accompanying design, the two 
points, viz:—open to public view, and op¬ 
portunity forjthc enjoyment of the family 
unobserved from the street, have been con¬ 
sidered and partially preserved, without 
involving great, expenditure or elaborate¬ 
ness. The entrance road and footpath are 
on the side nearest the town, and from 
whence comes most of the travel. The 
house has a front main, and a side main 
entrance, avoiding the necessity of broad 
gravel directly in front, as the earring * land¬ 
ing comes at the side door and the turnway 
beyond. In the grade a nearly level line is 
kept, out from the house front near two hun¬ 
dred feet, and from thence to the public 
street the grade is rolling and descending. 
The outskirts are planted with masses of 
evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs; 
groups of trees are in front, while bordering 
the lawn proper are beds of flowers, and 
directly in front, at the point where the 
grade changes from nearly level to a rolling 
descent, are masses of shrubs, designed to 
and a rock fountain are designed, but they 
may be left out without detriment by merely 
increasing the size of the beds next the foot¬ 
path. 
HOME ADORNMENT 
BY F. It. ELLIOTT. 
Rhododendrons and Kalinins. 
In the decoration of home grounds by 
means of planting tree, shrub and flower, 
there are two of our native hardy evergreen 
shrubs that deserve aspecial and first position. 
Small indeed must be the garden wherein 
no appropriate place can be found in which 
to plant the Rhododendron andKalmia, and 
phlegmatic the temperament of any one 
who can look down tipon their magnificent 
flowers in June without uttering unqualified 
expressions of admiration. 
The popular impression that, Rhododen¬ 
drons and Kalmias must have shade and 
peculiar soil in order to grow them, is, in a 
measure, true, if perfection of foliage and 
flower is to be obtained; but if a shrub or 
plant is worth purchasing and planting, it 
surely is worth a little thought and arrange¬ 
ment for its position, aud a preparation of 
the soil, to eunble it to grow and fulfill in 
its order the object for which it is planted. 
The directions which have sometimes been 
written, that iu order to grow Rhododen¬ 
drons the soil must be prepared with a spe¬ 
cific amount of peat, mixed with another spe¬ 
cific quantity of a certain soil, to which add 
Band, &c., &c., turning and manipulating it 
a year or more before using, are all mere 
charlatanism, and no more correct, or re¬ 
quisite to success, than were the directions 
once given to form asparagus beds by placing 
two feet or more of old rags, bones, etc., be¬ 
neath the soil in which the plants are placed. 
Fortunately for the beauty of our gardens, 
the Rhododendron and the Kalmia require 
no more care to prepare soil for their grow th 
than does the Rose; but while one nourishes 
in a rich loamy clay, the other prefers to trail 
its delicate fibers in search of food through a 
light leaf mold—or peat—the component 
parts of which exist in sand, decayed leaves, 
turf, etc., within the reach and control of 
every one. A stiff, heavy clay is uncongenial, 
and any soil containing lime is positively 
disliked ; but a subsoil of clay is better than 
one of gravel, and any good loam by mixing 
decayed leaves, or thoroughly 
rotted cow r manure, and then 
mulching the surface after the 
plants are set with three inches |\ J-vt 
deep of any thoroughly decayed 
vegetable substances, will grow • 
these beautiful evergreen shrubs (\\l/~ 4 $ 
in great perfection. V 
In choosing the site for plant- V cf 
ing, any thing favoring coolness \ pgl 
and moisture should be secured ? 
if practicable, because a com- 
bination of shade and moisture 
are natural favorable conditions i ,/ j 
when obtained in moderation. \/f 
An excess of moisture or heat J Mi 
is objectionable; but the water i 
may be remedied by drainage W 
and the too great heat with IT 
liability to drouth can he pre- 
vented by mulching, or ming- \ 
ling small fancy stones, bould- 1 ^—Jfgi 
ers, etc., among the plants and -i ‘ 
near the surface. 
A position where, when the 
plants are in bloom, they can 
be looked down upon, should 
also, if possible, be selected. 
This will be found in many 
small gardens immediately be¬ 
neath the principal windows, or 
by the side of the porch, Single specimens 
are beautiful in small gardens or grass plots, 
but where there is anv considerable extent 
ntrustrinl 
In No. 099 of the Rural yon ask, and say 
you wish to know, wlmt will be the style in 
1809. I will state what will be my style, 
and W’ouhl heartily wish that some part, at 
least, mighl lie brought in general use. First 
then, and of all importance, I intend to keep 
an accurate record of all farm operations; 
and as I wish to make this style somewhat 
attractive and not difficult, to follow, I pro¬ 
pose to use a, diary such as can be bought at 
any country store. I should adopt in its 
stead hook farming, hut. there seems to he 
an aversion to this style, and ns 1 can get 
nearly all the benefits from this I shall take 
the diary style. My order of recording w ill 
he the daily transactions upon the farm, 
anything of a remarkable nature that may 
occur, &c. And lastly the income for the 
day and its outgoes; and ns all diaries have 
a page for each month to balance Incomes 
and outgoes, I shall know at the end of the 
year exactly the condition of my finances. 
I am very exact hi describing this stylo, ns I 
never knew a person who followed it for 
one year who gave it, up; and, furthermore, 
never knew a person who kept a record of 
income and outgo but would try to increase 
the income and lessen the outgo. 
Y he next iu style will he what Beecher 
calls ventilation. Old fogies cull it ditching, 
and say it will not pay, hut I tell you that, a 
wet, cold, heavy piece of land that has not 
produced a tenth of what it should for the 
past twenty yearn needs to be ventilated. 
The two past crops on a piece similarly treat¬ 
ed I find have paid all expenses, with a 
prospect of being my best paying land in the 
future. And while ventilation shall be my 
style, it, will be we" 
Pruning is as essential to the Rhododen¬ 
dron and Kalmia as to any other variety of 
evergreen shrub. If not pruned they are 
liable to become bare of foliage and un¬ 
sightly. The pruning should bo done irame- 
involves too much care and watchfulness to 
be practiced, except by professional growers, 
or an occasional enthusiastic amateur-, but 
varieties may be increased by layering-—a 
slow but sure process, and within the control 
and practice of all. The best time for this 
is when the new growth is hardening. The 
following instructions tor the operation, writ¬ 
ten yearn ago, are good: 
“ Take a shoot in the left hand, cutting off 
the leaves close to the stem, commencing a 
few inches from the growing point, and pro¬ 
ceed downwards until you obtain sufficient, 
length of clear stem to insert, three inches 
Kacath the soil. With a sharp knife in the 
right hand, commence cutting on the upper 
or under side of this shoot, as may be most 
convenient, at the precise point where the 
bark is observed changing color. Tho knife 
should pass easily from the surface of the 
shoot until half way through; then in a 
straight line upwards till the piece set free is 
from an Inch and a half to two inches in 
length. Wtth a fiat trowel in the right hand, 
make an opening in the soil, twist the shoot 
slightly, that the tongue, set free, may not 
again cohere to the shoot, press the shoot 
under the soil, and fasten it, there with a 
small wooden peg. The soil is now pressed 
firmly over the inserted shoot, and all is 
finished. Watering should be attended to 
throughout the remainder of summer and 
spring following. Sometimes the layers may 
be taken off about twelve months from the 
time they are made, but, often they require 
to remain ou the parent plant for two years.” 
It, is easy to determine when the layers 
will answer to he separated by removing a 
little of the soil to see if they are rooted. 
There are many varieties of the Rhodo¬ 
dendron bearing white, pink, rose, scarlet 
and purple flowers, that have been grown 
from seeds direct from Maximum or Cutaic- 
11 , perhaps, to say that I 
intend to have that place of all others the 
dearest, ventilated, so that not only the free 
air and sunlight, of Heaven 
^ | rosy have entrance, but 
-JK- m j that the rays of intellectual 
/ shall have the gratt- 
cht 
i% Here I would stop, and 
% not endeavor to introduce 
N to ° 01110,1 nt once, were it 
not for your last and sig- 
gL-\ \ .vffij pay to lengthen the life of 
' g5§\ wJm t,ic farmer’s wife, &c. I 
gtfr vA H Apl can only reply, Yes, with 
tv tea ikia slight consideration— 
•fj? If she should prefer Ma- 
1 ■■ I V 1 I - I \ V 
jjwfc, ~ 1 Jgj and follow that, regardless 
isga of ability to meet expenses, 
J ijfclj I cannot promise anything 
■ " ; iHf! ver Y encouraging for the 
-j future. But if she will en- 
dome my style, and go 
_ f on tin! broad platform of 
J’? “ eoon °roy, retrenchment, 
i / au(1 paying the debts,” I 
•/ ^gfg t will promise the means at 
J least ot releasing herself 
j from care and labor, and 
' ; i ;i - ciianoc: for “ adorning 
iSSlpli k er8e, f and family by men- 
tal culture and csthetlcal 
_Sharon Center, »V. Y. 
rban villa. ^ ( * ,1,ce ^y^ 0 in any¬ 
thing, especially if it is the 
best style. We care less about stylishness, as 
it is called. But we like to see the farm and 
the home tell a story of system, taste, tact, 
and illustrate the fact that a thread of well 
considered design connects all operations. 
KALMIA LATIFOLIA. 
diatcly after they have done flowering; and, 
at the same time, the soil should be forked 
over lightly, and if there is any apparent 
lack of vigor, this is a good time to apply 
a dressing of restorative food, in the shape 
of any well-rotted vegetable matter. 
New- varieties are raised from seed; but it 
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