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RECONSTRUCTION IN IOWA. 
Rather an ambitions sounding title; but then my 
garden, shut in on every side by forest trees, is a little 
world to me, and its affairs of great importance, so I’ll 
let it stand. 
Expecting to remove to a distant part of the State, 
my leisure, last autumn, was spent in laying waste 
my loved flower-garden, and scattering the treasures I 
had been seven years in gathering. At the last mo¬ 
ment everything was reversed, but my flower-beds 
were, mainly, a series of excavations, and a few com¬ 
mon shrubs and perennials, and a few choice ones 
preserved in a neighbor’s garden, were all that re¬ 
mained. 
However, kind friends promised contributions, and I 
determined to thoroughly renovate and remake, with 
the experience of past years to guide me. First of all, 
I had all the beds spaded early in the spring, and 
raked them well every few days, to destroy weed- 
germs and mellow the soil. Each had received a good 
dressing of ashes at first, and, just before planting, of 
leaf-mould from the woods. 
To save space and labor in tending paths, I made 
the beds quite large. The road is at the east of the 
house, and the ground is level, but so poor and clayey 
that I have only had a narrow border on that side. 
This spring, however, this border proved the most 
mellow of all, owing partly, I think, to the action of 
plant-roots, and partly to a yearly dressing of 
ashes 
I used this bed for a seed-bed, and such Pansies as 
I had, and nice plants of many kinds—some which 
had failed in other years and localities—such as Car¬ 
dinal Flower, Fox Glove, Lythrum, and Perennial 
Pea. The drying winds of Iowa make sad havoc 
with tender seedlings, but, shaded by the house and a 
beautiful young oak, from all but the morning sun, this 
had kept mellow and moist. 
South of the house is a sunny slope of good ground, 
just the place for flowers. A path goes southward, 
and on each side of it, lying east and west, are two 
beds, about 4x25 feet. The two nearest the house are 
appropriated to the showiest and longest-blooming 
perennials, excepting a group of shrubs at the ends 
farthest from the house, and a square next the path, 
lilled some years with Verbenas; this, with Gladioli, 
and other summer bulbs. 
The two other large beds are for annuals. I have 
thought of dividing them into squares or compartments, 
with cross-rows of some low-growing flower, filling 
these squares either with one flower alone, as Phloxes, 
Verbenas, &c., or with combinations of different kinds. 
One of mine had a splendid Ricinus, with a carpet of 
Sweet Alyssum at its feet. I think some bright flower 
might have looked better, however. My cross-rows 
were of Mignonette and Sweet Basil, but the former 
occupied too much space and the latter dried up too 
soon. I think Sweet Alyssum, or Gilia, would look 
better. The central square of one bed was occupied 
by a pyramid of Ipomeas, the other by a similar pyra¬ 
mid of Cypress Vine. 
For several years I have planted my dwarf peas 
next to the flower-beds, making long, narrow beds, 
just wide enough for two rows, and, when these are 
in bloom, set between them my plants of Asters and 
Balsams. When the peas are ripe I pull carefully, 
dress up the beds nicely, give them a coating of leaf- 
mould or manure, and set Portulaca. on both edges, 
to brighten up the space until the Asters bloom. The 
roots, too, bind the edges of the beds, and keep them 
from crumbling or washing. 
If ever a flower deserved the name of “useful” I 
think it is the Portulaca. Gay, yet delicate, such a 
free and persistent bloomer, and so tenacious of life. I 
like best, however, our pretty western name, “ Rose 
Moss ”—that is, when people don’t call it “Moss Rose,” 
as many do. I had a few plants last year of double, 
scarlet, and yellow ; I used to shake the pollen from 
them over my single ones, and this year I think nearly 
a third were double, and of many beautiful shades, 
some finely striped. 
The summer has been so dry, that all newly-set 
But, alas for the fallacy of human hopes ! The pil¬ 
lar to the porch is such a nice ladder for pretty Kitty 
to climb to the chamber window by ; and no amount 
of argument has ever made her believe that those 
flower-pots were not put there expressly to accommo¬ 
date her dainty feet in ascending and descending ; and 
many a fine plant and pot has been sacrificed to this 
hallucination of hers. 
My next, and perhaps greatest trouble, has been 
the soil. I have read all the advice I could find by all 
accessible authorities, and have faithfully endeavored 
to follow it. But, always, something was lacking, 
until, in sheer despair, I went to a practical florist, and 
plants needed mulching. I used, chiefly, half-decayed I obtained from him such simple and definite iustruc- 
leaves from the woods. My bulb-beds received, first, tions, added to the why and wherefore thereof, that, 
a coat of manure, and then of leaves, and, thus pro- from gratitude, I determined to impart the same to any 
tected from baking in the scorching sun, I drenched readers of the Cabinet who, like myself, might need 
them twice a week with suds. I never saw such 1 them. 
Gladioli and Tigridias, and my little Atamasce Lilies I took to him a basketful of choice plants, which 
bloomed three or four times each. ^ j had grown very little all summer, owing, evidently, to 
All unoccupied bits of ground I sieze upon as “ waifs uncongenial soil. He removed them gently, one by 
and strays.” In this way I have become the possessor ! one, from the pots, telling me that the pots ought to 
of a strip of ground, west of the beds already men- : be washed thoroughly when plants were repotted. 
tinned, which will make two new beds, about 5x10, 
and a narrow strip which I shall use for a rose border. 
It will run north and south, and I think the sun will 
shine well on the roses, without drying the ground. I 
Then he placed broken bits of pots (stone, of course, 
is equally good, but not very plenty here) in the bot¬ 
tom for drainage, to the depth of say one-sixth of the 
pot. Over that some matted roots from decayed turf, 
shall give it a liberal dressing of ashes and manure, a half-inch deep, to keep the roots from drawing up the 
and think my roses will do better than if scattered 
among other things. I shall make here a new Lily- 
bed, enriching it with leaves alone. I raked up great 
heaps last spring, and they are now thoroughly de¬ 
cayed. My other bulb-beds will receive both leaf- 
mould and manure. All these beds will be finished in 
October. 
There are a few trees in the yard—little saplings, 
whose lives I begged when the house was built—and 
a few shrubs. As these stand now, they will hide the 
Tulip-beds somewhat from the house, but, approach¬ 
ing from the south, every bed, and shrub, and tree, is 
visible at one view, and “ everything is beautiful in 
its season.” 
This, then, has been my summer’s pastime. To be 
sure, I have had my failures; for instance, the Asters 
broken bits among themselves, as they always do. 
Finally, he put in the earth and plant. 
I then asked him if he would please show me where 
he obtained, and how he prepared, the soil. He went 
with me across the street and showed me, beside the 
road, some sod turned over by a plough a year or more 
ago. Taking some up, he crumbled it in his hand to 
show me that it was mellow. He said that, for win¬ 
ter, he only added a little thoroughly rotted old ma¬ 
nure, and, I thought, about half as much sand as turf. 
He mixed in much of the roots to the turf, and it was 
quite coarse. I had read that the earth should be 
sifted, so I made mine nearly as fine as flour. He told 
me that the roots could not penetrate easily through 
such soil. 
I had read very often that leaf-mould was excellent 
WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT THE CARE OF 
PLANTS. 
I supposed to be extra fine, and promoted to a place for nearly all plants, and had used a good deal of it 
of honor, proved to be “ poor things.” To those who ' this summer. He said that it needed to be exposed 
love flowers only when “ bedded out” by rule, I sup- , to the air for some months, and frequently turned, like 
pose the whole would seem a failure; but I cannot manure, to be suitable for use. I had gathered chips 
think so, in the light of the enjoyment it has afforded, of dry cow flung by the side of the road (to the intense 
nor yet when I think of the flowers, and seeds, and disgust of the children) and shall use it for manure 
plants, that have gone out thence in this and other water once or twice a week during the winter—about 
years, to gladden other hearts and eyes. the amount of my two hands full to a watering-pot 
Mrs. F. E. Briggs. of water, he said. Before it is too late, I shall also 
prepare a quantity of earth for occasional winter 
use. 
I was troubled very much last winter by the small 
green plant-louse on the plants in my Wardian case. 
1 had frequently read that fumigating the plants with 
My one harmless mania for several years has been tobacco smoke would destroy them. It wouldn’t kill 
the cultivation of plants ; and I have encountered all of the lice, but it did the plants, some of them. Iain 
about as many obstacles in the carrying out of my very successful in getting rid of them by turning pot, 
wishes and theories concerning them as did Columbus plant and earth over on the side in a tub or boiler of 
in his voyage to the new world. The first obstacle is tepid, or cold suds, after Washing, 
the inability to procure, or find room for, or time to I would like to recommend as a hanging-basket, 
cultivate, every attractive plant that the numerous plant, the Artemisia Stellariana — a hardy, quick- 
catalogues bewitch me about. Next, I have some growing, spreading, white-leaved plant, which I sel- 
feathered pets—some black Spanish hens and chickens, dom have seen mentioned. 
that have been so long in the family that they, too, 1 With me, Smilax is easily started from seed, and 
have a “ taste for flowers ”—and the more choice the ' as easily grown as a German Ivy. I have had no 
plant, the more “taste’’for it they manifest—until I plants so universally admired as the variegated Ivy- 
have been compelled to have a high shelf put up under leaved Geranium L’elegante, and the flat-stemmed 
the porch to protect the -plants both from chickies and Coccoloba, unless it is the pink double Geranium, 
from noontide sun. [ Marie Lemoine, or the Tuberose. 
