1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
363 
Hardy Bordering Plant. 
B. M., Wayne Co., Mich .—What hardy plant 
could I use to border a lily bed ? Something with 
handsome leaves, that would look well when not 
in flower, would be preferred. 
Ans—A very suitable plant for this 
purpose is the Plantain lily (Funkia). 
The longitudinally-ribbed leaves are 
similar in shape to those of Lily-of-the- 
Valley, but a lighter green, and with a 
tendency to droop, making the plant a 
mound of luxuriant foliage. This habit 
makes it excellent for edging a bed of 
tall herbaceous plants, or a shrubbery 
border. Some of the varieties are very 
handsomely variegated with white or 
yellow, and the drooping flowers, pro¬ 
duced in graceful spikes, vary from 
white to purple. Funkia ccerulea is a 
familiar variety, having glossy, deep 
green foliage and light, lilac-blue 
flowers; it grows to a height of about 
one foot. For your purpose, F. For- 
tuneii maculata, which forms a very 
neat plant six to nine inches high, 
would be most suitable ; the leaves are 
showily marked with golden yellow. 
F. Sieboldiana, which has silver gray 
foliage and light lavender flowers, is 
distinct and pretty. F. Japonica is 
larger, growing to a height of two feet, 
and there is a variety of it having the 
leaves margined with a band of white. 
This variety is too tall for a bordering 
plant, but a bed of it, edged with one of 
the dwarfer sorts is pretty at all seasons. 
F. undulata media picta is one of the 
best for edging; it has variegated leaves 
and pale purple flowers. These Funkias 
are all hardy, natives of Japan, and 
closely allied to the Day lilies ; they 
require a sandy loam, and prefer a 
rather dry situation, with good drainage. 
A Neglected Lawn. 
Just now, when the lawn should be 
smooth and green, we note any deficien¬ 
cies in it caused by carelessness or im¬ 
proper treatment. Establishing a new 
lawn seems a simple matter, if one has 
patience to wait for the grass to grow ; 
but an old, irregular, lumpy and shabby 
lawn seems a difficult case to treat. 
No matter how carefully it is trimmed, 
it never looks neat, and is a subject for 
heroic treatment. It is now too late to 
restore it for this summer; it should sim¬ 
ply be kept clear of all rubbish, sticks, 
stones, etc., and no weeds should be 
allowed to seed. Dandelions, plantains, 
sorrel, etc., should be dug out as far as 
possible. Sorrel cannot be eradicated 
so long as any creeping roots are left ; 
it will be noticed that a colony is soon 
established, just as young strawberry 
plants are connected with their parent. 
In the autumn, active operations are 
begun by rendering the surface of the 
lawn quite level. Holes are filled 
up with soil, which is pounded down 
so as to be solid; humpy places are 
skinned off. The entire surface is 
then scratched thoroughly with a sharp- 
toothed harrow, first drawn length¬ 
wise and then across the plot to re¬ 
move the weeds. After this, all rough 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs. Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup ” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
scraps are raked off with a wooden¬ 
toothed rake, and the lawn is ready for 
a top-dressing. This may consist either 
of good loam and well-rotted manure, 
mixed in equal proportions, or loam en¬ 
riched with a lawn dressing prepared by 
one of the fertilizer manufacturers. 
The great advantage about a chemical 
lawn fertilizer is its freedom from weed 
seeds, usually present in stable and 
barnyard manures, and for this reason 
the commercial fertilizers are increas¬ 
ing in use among park and cemetery 
superintendents, who have large lawn 
areas in charge. This dressing is spread 
over the entire surface to a depth of 
about two inches. It will not smother 
the strongest grass underneath it, and 
will give a good surface for seeding. 
The seed should be sown in March or 
April. Proper care having been taken, 
the result should be a smooth, firm turf. 
Old lawns usually contain a great many 
weeds, especially Mouse-ear chickweed. 
Yarrow, sorrel and dandelion, and much 
care is needed to eradicate them. The 
chickweed is especially annoying, and 
nothing but constant scratching out 
seems to affect it. The other weeds can 
be kept in check, to some extent, by 
constant mowing, though dandelions 
and plantain should be dug out with a 
stout knife. The Ox-eye daisy, which is 
such a nuisance in neglected fields, is 
always kept in check in the lawn if it is 
properly cut. 
Seasonable Work. 
A few flower seeds may be sown now 
in a nursery bed, ready for transplant¬ 
ing, if necessary, when there are gaps 
in the regular flower beds. Zinnias, 
marigolds, coreopsis, or petunias will 
start along nicely if not too dry, and 
will give flowers late in the season. If 
very dry and warm, a mulch of excelsior 
might be placed over the bed until the 
seeds sprout. Excelsior is an excellent 
mulch for seed-beds, g i v i n g shade 
enough to keep the ground cool without 
clogging the surface. The same sub¬ 
stance is also used sometimes as drain¬ 
age in small flower pots, a wad of excel¬ 
sior being placed in the bottom of the 
pot in place of stones or potsherds. A 
nursery bed, from which plants may be 
taken when needed, is always useful 
where a good show of bloom is expected, 
giving material to fill vacancies, or for 
cut flowers. 
The tulips in early flowering beds are 
all out of the way now. When flower¬ 
ing is over, these bulbs are left for a 
little while, until the leaves begin to 
yellow, then dug up, thoroughly dried 
off in an airy place, the withered leaves 
removed, and the bulb stored away until 
fall. The beds areithen filled with sum¬ 
mer flowering plants. It is the general 
experience that tulips are all the better 
for being lifted and properly dried off, 
instead of remaining in the ground. 
Narcissus, however, are not disturbed 
oftener than every three or four years, 
when it may be necessary to divide the 
clumps; an annual disturbance is re¬ 
sented, and they make the finest show 
when left to establish themselves. Natur¬ 
alized in the edges of the lawn or in a 
shrubbery border, they have a beautiful 
effect. The same may be said of Lily- 
of-the-Valley, which should only be 
disturbed when the clumps become too 
thick. In addition to the common Lily- 
of-the-Valley with deep green leaves, 
there is a variety with very prettily 
striped foliage, making it additionally 
ornamental when not in flower. 
Among shrubs which were attractive 
during May, Spiraea (Exochorda) grandi- 
flora made an especially good impres¬ 
sion. The complaint is often made that 
this is quite uninteresting when out of 
bloom, and always thin and straggly in 
habit. The first complaint may be made 
of many spiraeas. The straggling habit 
is not noticed when the sprays are 
covered with the snowy flowers which 
give the shrub its popular name of 
Pearl bush, but it might be corrected, to 
some extent, by trimming into shape 
while the bush is small. Whatever 
pruning is done must be attended to im¬ 
mediately after flowering, as in the case 
of other early blooming shrubs. This 
shrub is not easy to propagate, conse¬ 
quently is not likely to be common. 
A Book about Landscape Gardening. 
American works on landscape garden¬ 
ing are not very numerous as yet, and 
Lawnsand Gardens, by N. Jonsson-Rose, 
just issued, is sure of an appreciative 
audience. This is a large, handsomely 
bound and beautifully printed volume, 
finely illustrated from drawings by the 
author. The subject is treated from 
the beginning, grading, lawn and road¬ 
making, the modification of natural 
water courses, and the making of arti¬ 
ficial ponds all coming under discussion. 
The planting directions are full and 
varied, and much enhanced in value by 
the illustrations, which give an idea in 
treatment, either for groups or isolated 
specimens. The copious list of trees, 
shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants, 
with descriptive comment, is another 
valuable feature. Any one interested 
in ornamental gardening, whether the 
owner of a tiny home plot or a stately 
country place, will find something of 
interest in Lawns and Gardens. The 
price of the book is $3.50. 
The best lamp - chimney 
word in the world is “ Mac¬ 
beth,” whether English or 
French or blemish or Dutch. 
But get the shape that is 
made for your lamp, “pearl 
top” or “pearl glass.” Let 
us send you the Index. 
Geo A Macbeth Co 
Pittsburgh Pa 
VICTORIES.^*- 
FOUR MEDALS—3 Gold and 1 Silver, World’s Centennial 
Co tton E x position, N ew Orleans, 1884. 
HIGHE ST AWARDS—Neb raska Agricultural Fair, 1887. 
DIPLOMA—Alabama Agr’l Society, Montgomery, 1888. 
I AWARD—Chattahoochie Valley Exposition, Colum¬ 
bus, Ga., 1888. 
SG/>L 
cope £f, q, 
backI 
(water 
LSgttox 
HIGHEST AWARDS—St. Louis Agricultural and 
M echanical Association, 1889. _ 
1 GOLD MEDALS and 6 DIPLOMAS—World’s Colum¬ 
bian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. 
HIGHEST AWARDS—Western Fair Association, Lon¬ 
don, Cana da, 18 93. 
| SIX GOLD ME DALS and D i plomas—California Midwint er Fair ’94 
i SILVER MEDAL —Industrial Expos i tion, Toronto. Canada, 1895. 
1 345,584 Home Comfort Ranges Sold to Jan. l.st,'}»7 
ITi?“Range illustrated sold throughout the United States and 
{ the Canadas at a uniform price from our own wagons. 
Made of open hearth, cold rolled steel-plate and malleable 
I iron —will last a life-time with ordinary care. 
WROUGHT IRON RANGE CO., 
Founded 1864. Paid-up Capital $1,000,000. 
Factories, Salesrooms and Offices: ST. I.OITIS, MO., and TORONTO, CANADA. 
Western Salesrooms and offices: DENVER COCO, 
manufacture and carry a complete stock of Hotel Ranges and Kitchen goods. also the 
unequaled HOME COMFORT STEEL FURNACES. Write for catalogue and prices. 
fliameliite 
f( £f\amelir?e k 
1 «- FRESCO! t 8, c* W 
Lv. >. MW VI.I-H’N I o , , W 
x*L£iamelin£,. 
The Modern 
STOVE POLISH 
DUSTLESS, ODORLESS, 
BRILLIANT, LABOR SAVING. 
Try it on your Cycle Chain. 
1 . L. PRESCOTT & CO., New York. 
FULLtf' 
health 
Every ingredient in 
Hires Rootbeer is health 1 
giving. The blood is] 
improved, the nerves I 
soothed, the stomach 
1 benefited by this delicious^ 
beverage. 
HIRES 
Rootbeer 
Quenches the thirst, tickles 
the palate ; full of snap, sparkle 
and effervescence. A temper¬ 
ance drink for everybody. 
Made only by The Charles E. Hires Co., Philadelphia. 
A package makes five gallons. 
BUY RIGHT 
Buggies, Carriages, Wa-/ 
gons and Harness at/ 
E rices one-third to one-l 
alf below regular prices* 
All goods guaranteed. 
8 th year In business. Highest references. 
Freight paid. Illustrated Buyers’ Guide FREE. 
MIAMI JU'U. CO., 104 We«t 4th Street, CINCINNATI, OHIO, 
EARN A BICYCLE 
600 Second Hand Wheel*. All 
Makes. Good as new. $5 to 
$15. New High Grade ’80 
models, fully guaranteed $17 
to $25. Special Clear¬ 
ing Sale. Shipped any¬ 
where on approval. 
We will give a responsible agt. 
in each town free nse of aample 
wheel to introduce them Our 
reputation is well known through¬ 
out the country. Write at once for our special offer 
N. L. MKAD CYCLE CO., Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill. 
Wanted-fln Idea 
Who can think 
of some simple 
thing to patent? 
Protect your Ideas; thoy may bring you wealth. 
Write JOHN WEDDEKBURN & CO., Patent Attor¬ 
neys, Washington, D. C„ for their $1,800 prize oflar 
and new list of one thousand Inventions wanted. 
Fruit Packages. 
A description of the current styles of baskets 
boxes, crates and barrels used In marketing 
fruits in all parts of the country. How to 
grade and pack fruit. Illustrated. Paper, 
20 cents. 
Fertilizers and Fruits. 
H. W. Collingwood. How the Hudson River 
fruit growers cultivate and market their 
crops, and especially shows how these skill¬ 
ful men are feeding their vines and trees. 
Paper. 20 
Fruit Culture. 
W. C. Strong. Laying out and management 
of a country home. Illustrated. Each kind of 
fruit treated separately. Injurious insects 
described. How to light them. Cloth.$1 
Spraying Crops. 
Prof. Clarence M. Weed. Why, When and How 
to Do It. Illustrated. Covers the whole field 
of the insect and fungous enemies of crops for 
which the spray Is used. Paper.25 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New Yoke. 
