1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
279 
Village and Neighborhood Cemeteries. 
In the matter of burial places our country- 
shows some marked contrasts. In no part of 
the world are there cemeteries to be com¬ 
pared in beauty to those near some of our 
large cities, in which the art of gardening is 
often carried to great perfection. On the 
other hand, nothing can be more desolate 
than some of the small burial places in the 
older parts of the country. In a 
journey we occasionally make, one 
of these is passed, which is an ex¬ 
ample of the style of burial-place 
too often met with. The locality 
selected is a bleak, exposed hill, or 
large knoll, where the forbidding 
outlines are drawn sharply against 
the sky. This is more or less en¬ 
closed by a rail fence and in part 
by one of boards. Between the 
rails, one can see that there were 
once fences • around the private 
lots, as the remains of the enclos¬ 
ures are visible. Gravestones of 
various sizes stand at various 
angles, while a few stiff cedars, 
probably chance seedlings, add to 
the general desolate appearance. 
Such graveyards are a blot upon 
the landscape, and a sad comment 
upon our civilization. The prospect 
of being laid away in such a spot 
is an added terror to death, for the 
living will never visit so deso¬ 
late a place, unless it be to witness a burial. 
Every community, no matter if a small one, 
should have, and can have, a rural ceme¬ 
tery—a resting-place of the dead—that shall 
be in keeping with the dwellings of the liv¬ 
ing; a place to be visited, and not avoided, 
or even to be passed without a shudder. 
Such a cemetery is possible, if there is just 
one man to start it. Let one of well-known 
public spirit and executive ability make and 
present his scheme, and it must be a dull 
community if he does not at once find will¬ 
ing helpers. Whether an entirely new cem¬ 
etery shall be laid out, or the old one en¬ 
larged and improved, will depend upon local 
circumstances. In either case, land enough 
should be secured to meet all probable future 
requirements. It will be advisable, and the 
cheapest in the end, to engage the services of 
a landscape architect to prepare a plan of the 
grounds, which, when adopted, should be 
strictly carried out, whether the whole area, 
frig. 2.—A DESIGN FOR A SMALL CEMETERY. 
or only a portion, is to be improved at once. 
We cannot give in detail the regulations for 
the management of a cemetery, but, in gen¬ 
eral terms, a Board of Control should be 
elected by the lot-holders, and given full 
powers. A few points ought to be insisted 
upon. All fences, hedges, or other enclo¬ 
sures to individual lots, should be rigidly ex¬ 
cluded. The boundaries of the lots may be 
permanently marked by stones set in the 
ground at the comers, with their surfaces 
not above the general level of the turf. The 
planting of trees, shrubs, etc., should be in 
conformity with the original plan, and not 
according to the fancy of the owners of the 
lots. Only the needed drives, etc., should be 
graveled, grass-covered foot-paths, all save 
the main ones, being far preferable. The 
lots, of various sizes, are sold, and the in¬ 
come of the fund will provide for the care 
and keeping of the whole. We give, in fig. 
1, a design by Elias Long, landscape gar¬ 
dener, of Buffalo, N. Y., as an illustration of 
the manner in which a rural cemetery of fif¬ 
teen acres may be laid out. This was de¬ 
signed for a gently-rolling surface, and a lo¬ 
cality so fortunate as to allow of a small 
lake. Figure 2 is a design by the same for 
the treatment of a much smaller area. The 
proper time to start in such an improve¬ 
ment of our cemeteries is now, when the 
neglected burial-places are seen at their 
worst, and over-run with weeds. 
Cooling Off and Ventilating. 
The amount of vegetables and fruits raised 
in Southern localities and sent to Northern 
markets is rapidly increasing, and growers 
are learning causes of failure not before 
suspected. Wherever strawberries and toma¬ 
toes will ripen in the open air, the weather is 
that of mid-summer. When the shipments 
of perishable products from the South was in 
its infancy, there were losses that could not 
be accounted for. Articles packed in excel¬ 
lent condition, after a short period in transit, 
reached the seller in a state of decay. This 
was soon found to be due to packing tbe 
articles, while still heated by the mid-day 
sun, in close boxes or other packages. The 
commission merchants sent word to the 
growers to cool off their products and take 
care to ventilate their packages, and the 
trouble soon ceased. While this is a matter 
of more importance at the South than the 
North, because the articles are longer in 
transit, it should not be overlooked, especially 
by Northern fruit-growers. With straw¬ 
berries, picking cannot begin until the dew 
has dried off, and the bulk of the fruit must 
be picked while it is heated by the sun. In¬ 
stead of packing the baskets or cups in the 
crates as soon as they come in from the field, 
they should remain in the shade of the pack¬ 
ing-shed until the excess of heat has passed 
off before packing. In Southern localities 
tomatoes and cucumbers will carry better if 
allowed to part with the sun-heat before 
packing them. The crates used at present 
provide for ventilation, but if they are placed 
in au air-tight car the fruit will suffer. Ship¬ 
pers sending fruit to a distance should insist 
on having ventilated cars. Barrels for such 
coarse articles as beets and cabbages, need 
ventilating; this is done by boring holes in, 
or by cutting slits in the sides with a sharp 
hatchet between two staves. Covering with 
course bagging, instead of using the heads, 
not only allows more to be put in a barrel, 
but it greatly favors proper ventilation. 
Pasturing Poultry. 
BY PICKET. 
The farmer whose acres are broad can en¬ 
close his garden with a fence, and let the 
poultry run at will, but villagers and su¬ 
burban residents, living on small lots, must 
enclose their chickens if they desire to culti¬ 
vate either a garden or the good-will of their 
neighbors. During the spring and summer 
months it is necessary that chickens have a 
supply of fresh, tender green food, if kept in 
a healthy, growing condition. They cannot 
eat grass when it is tall enough to mow, and 
the refuse of the garden is little better than 
husks. A good plan is to pasture the chick¬ 
ens. Make a wire cage as shown in the en¬ 
graving, put it on wheels having flanges, lay 
a track for the wheels to run on, and sow 
oats between. The frame is three feet high, 
six feet wide, and eight long. The upper part 
is 2 by 2-inch pine; the base 2 by 4 inches. 
The wheels are sawed from 2-incli oak plank, 
and turn on one inch bolts. The flanges are 
one inch stuff, nailed to the wheels. The 
track is 2 by 2-inch stuff laid on brick, stones, 
or small slabs. Wire half the thickness of 
fence wire is strong enough. The soil be¬ 
tween the rails should be worked over, and 
sown with oats early in the spring. When an 
inch high it will do to pasture. Have a 
small door in the poultry yard to match the 
one in the cage. Half an hour’s pasturing 
each day will do the chickens more good 
than any amount of green stuff thrown to 
them. When the crop seems exhausted, let 
the fowls scratch it over; then sow again. 
I had tried several remedies against the 
Harlequin Cabbage Bugs without success, 
until last season, when a stock of chickens 
running in the garden, picked up and ate the 
bugs like so much corn, and saved my cabbage 
patch from destruction. I would recommend 
all who may be troubled with this insect, to 
put their chickens among the cabbages. I 
give this as my own experience, and hope- 
others may be benefited by it. R. E. 
