22 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
®arfon anb i\)t ©rrijarir. 
THE GARDEN. 
The first impression which the annexed plan of a gar¬ 
den and grounds (fig 8.) will make on many readers, is, 
that it would be altogether too costly; that it may do very 
well for gentlemen of independent fortune, but is entirely 
out of the question for common farmers. Now, I hope 
to show, instead of this being the case, that it would be, 
on the whole, more economical, and better adapted to 
farmers in moderate circumstances, than any thing of 
the kind in common use in this country. But an expla¬ 
nation of the plan will first be necessary. 
It will be perceived, at a glance, that the old, stiff, 
and formal geometric style has been, as far as practica¬ 
ble, avoided; and the modern or graceful manner em-- 
ployed, which consists in an imitation of the most beau¬ 
tiful forms of natural scenery. Those who do not greatly 
prefer the latter, will not, of course, be pleased with the 
irregular planting and grouping of fruit trees, to produce 
a natural.effect; but space admits of nothing further on 
this question here, except to refer to a full and very in¬ 
teresting discussion of the matter, in Downing’s late 
admirable work on Landscape Gardening, winch every 
man who has any taste for the beauties of nature, or 
who owns an acre of land, should read. The plan be¬ 
fore us is supposed to represent about two acres of 
ground, but will apply, with slight variations, to a 
greater or less quantity, or to a different shape. A is 
the house, b the entrance from the road, c the carriage 
road which passes in front of the house, back to the 
yard, d, which contains the carriage house, stable, and 
such other out buildings as are needed near the house. 
B B is the garden, the length and breadth of which may 
vary with the quantity, nature, and shape of the ground. 
The space, C G is occupied chiefly with fruit trees, such 
as are of fine kinds and handsome growth, and arranged 
so as to produce an ornamental effect. The yard and out 
buildings, at d, are placed entirely within the bounda¬ 
ry, to give greater length to the walk which passes round 
the whole, and thus increase the apparent extent of the 
grounds. These buildings may be hid entirely by trees, 
or partially by ornamental climbing plants, as the trum¬ 
pet flower or Michigan rose, on the side c, next the 
lawn, and with hardy grapes, or fruit trees trained upon 
them, on the sides/anti g. 
The kitchen garden, to which attention is especially 
called, occupies all the space between B B, except two 
borders for flowers, h h, and is laid out on a plan en¬ 
tirely different from usual. Instead of being divided 
into squares and spaded beds, long parallel drills across 
the whole are employed for nearly all garden crops. 
On good ground, free from stones, a one horse plow, or 
narrow cultivator, will pass between rows from two to three 
feet distant without difficulty; and if too much ground is 
thus occupied, double or even triple drills may be planted. 
By thus allowing free space, and frequently stirring 
the soil superficially with the cultivator, and occasionally 
deeper for many crops with a plow, vegetables far bet¬ 
ter than common can be raised. Asparagus, for instance, 
when planted in dug beds, as is usually done, is much 
diminished in size and vigor, from the want of space for 
the free spreading of the roots, as well as from the 
difficulty of frequent and thorough culture. Planted in 
-drills, in deep rich soil, the difficulties are removed, and 
each individual plant soon forms a stool one foot or 
eighteen inches in diameter, throwing up shoots of great 
magnitude. Strawberries, too, when kept well cultivated 
in drills, produce much finer fruit than otherwise. 
Keene, who distinguished himself so eminently in the 
culture of this fruit, in no case suffered the plants to 
stand nearer each other than eighteen inches, and by 
frequently stirring the ground between them, he was 
able sometimes, to use his own words, to produce trusses 
of fruit a foot long. The same advantages would result 
to other crops, while the superior cheapness would be a 
still greater recommendation. There are very few per¬ 
sons who cultivate a garden of half an acre, who have 
not at least one horse at command, by the use of which, 
in a garden of this size, at least fifteen or twenty dollars, 
or three quarters of the labor required, if worked solely 
by hand, would be saved. The cost of hand labor in 
this country, and the comparative cheapness of the labor 
of horses, render such a course of culture exceedingly 
desirable. Rows of currants, gooseberries, raspberries, 
and quinces, may also extend across the garden, at 
proper intervals, and be cultivated by a horse. 
In order that the plan of the grounds may be better 
understood, let us suppose a stranger to enter them for 
the first time. After passing the gate, at b, successive 
portions of the shrubbery, in front and on the right of 
the house, are presented, as the road gently curves to 
the house, other parts of the grounds being excluded 
by the ranges and groups of trees along the garden and 
stable yard boundary, and from the house to the corner 
of the lot, at i. The two finest views are seen after 
entering the house; one from the drawing room on the 
left, where the eye ranges over the rich profusion of 
shrubbery near the house, between groups of trees, 
towards the flower beds, at i, and the covered seat, at l. 
Great additional beauty would be given to the latter 
view, if a small piece of water could be placed in front 
of the seat towards the house, especially if there be con¬ 
siderable descent between them; it would, however, be 
attended with considerable expense, except in acciden¬ 
tally favorable circumstances. The view from the di¬ 
ning room is towards the garden. Directly beneath, is 
the'parterre, or flower beds cut into the turf on the 
lawn, at k; beyond this, is the light archway gate to the 
garden, through which the view extends along the vista 
formed by the flower beds, h h, and terminates at the 
green house, (or alcove,) at m. If the flower beds are 
of several feet width, an agreeable effect will be pro¬ 
duced by planting the smaller flowers near the walk, 
and the taller further back, and a row of ornamental 
shrubbery behind, as in the plan. By placing the hea¬ 
vier and darker leaved shrubs near the house, and the 
lighter beyond, an appearance of greater distance to m 
•will be created. 
In passing along the foot walk to i, an agreeable point 
of attraction is formed by the arabesque and circular 
flower beds, beyond which, an arbor or a sun dial might 
be placed; proceeding onwards, the path curves amid 
dense trees, a short distance, until the seat, l, is seen; 
beyond this, we pass through the plantation of fruit trees, 
until we enter the straight walk which leads to the cir¬ 
cular roofed seat, at o. This walk is bounded on each 
side, either by a high trellis, densely covered with grape 
vines, or by fruit trees trimmed flat, so as to resemble a 
tall freely growing hedge. From o to m, the walk may 
be flanked with hedges of evergreens, or by trellises 
covered with ornamental climbing plants; and if this 
were arched over head, the impression would be tbe 
more striking; when, after passing along such a verdant 
archway, the full glow of the flower garden, from m to 
h, the arched gate, shrubbery, and house, would burst at 
once on the view. 
A small gate is placed at n, for the convenience of 
persons passing on foot to the road in that direction. 
The stable yard, which, in the plan, is in common 
with the kitchen yard, may be separated- from it by a 
light fence, and the whole may be surrounded by an 
evergreen hedge, closely trimmed inside, and left to 
grow freely outside. The red cedar, and the Ameri¬ 
can arbor vitse, or white cedar, would be excellent for 
such a hedge. If cattle occupy the yard, the ornamental 
climbers which cover the buildings should be brought 
from the outside, and trained on the upper part only, 
i Wood decays more speedily when covered with plants; 
! but a barn of brick or cobble stone is of course not af- 
j fected, and rough wooden boards, which have previously 
received several coats of lime whitewash, are but little 
injured. 
The change from the ornamental trees, in front and 
to the left of the house, to the fruit trees at the back, 
should be gradual. For instance, those ornamental trees 
which are nearly allied to fruit trees, should be placed 
near the latter; as the mountain ash, the double-flower¬ 
ing cherry, the Chinese double-flowering apple, the 
Aronia, and the Siberian crab. These should be occa¬ 
sionally mixed with the strictly ornamental trees on the 
one hand, and with the fruit trees on the other, so that 
one may pass to the other by successive gradations. 
Those who wish large orchards, especially of apples, 
will have to provide additional ground for them, where 
they should be planted in rows, after the usual manner. 
The part here devoted to fruit, is intended for those 
kinds only which are of particularly handsome growth, 
and which could be tolerated on a lawn. Such are 
most varieties of the pear, and some of the plum, cher¬ 
ry, peach, and a few of the apple. As instances, the 
Madeleine and Skinless pear, the Early Richmond and 
Elton cherry, and the Rambo, Strawberry, and Bough 
apple, may be mentioned. 
The cost of carrying such a plan into execution, in 
the opinion of most farmers, would be sufficient to 
deter them from the attempt. But in what does the 
cost consist? The most expensive part is the garden; 
but a garden, well manured and well tilled, especially 
if tilled by horse power, is by far the most profitable 
part of any man’s farm. The green house, m, may be 
substituted by a covered seat or arbor, not costing ten 
dollars. The trellis for grapes and ornamental climbers 
may be made for fifty cents a rod. The flower beds 
will cost more or less, according to their style and 
keeping, but may be made very cheaply. But the half 
acre of ornamental shrubbery! This need not cost 
much. Many situations could be found for building a 
house, where three quarters of the trees and shrubbery 
needed are already growing on the spot. Supposing, 
however, this to be otherwise; by judicious selections 
from our forests and swamps; by free begging from 
generous neighbors, and by the expenditure of a few 
dollars at a nursery, for ornamentals, a sufficiency could 
be obtained for rendering, in a few years, any man’s 
home truly pleasant and beautiful. After the trees are 
planted, little more is to be done than to keep them 
hoed round, while small, and to give the grass lawn 
on which they stand an occasional shaving with the 
syihe, for the benefit of the horse in the stable. It is 
true, that by procuring none but rare and costly trees, 
by keeping the grass constantly shorn perfectly smooth, 
and by expensive ornamental erections, hundreds of 
dollars could easily be laid out, but this cannot be re¬ 
commended to the majority. I will merely observe, 
before concluding, that I have seen a great many, who 
considered themselves in quite moderate circumstances, 
expend more, far more, on unnecessary decorations of 
their houses, or even on fine carriages and harness, 
than would buy the land and handsomely plant it, for 
such a shrubbery and flower garden as the one here 
mentioned; and who, at the same time, would express 
ineffable contempt at the idea of laying out five dol¬ 
lars in trees and plants, to render delightful the homes 
of their children, and add to the sweetness of domestic 
life. How much are they to be pitied! and how much 
are their children to be pitied, who, perhaps, from 
this neglect, may be tempted to seek their pleasures 
in the midst of dissipation and ruin. 
This plan, it will be observed, may be much varied; 
the ground devoted to shrubbery may be greatly aug¬ 
mented, or greatly lessened; the garden maybe made 
to occupy three quarters; the fruit trees may extend 
along the walk as far as the front shrubbery; the barn 
may be placed out of the way entirely, and numerous 
Other alterations made. Where the ground is quite 
uneven, or irregular in outline, the plan must of course 
be made adapted to that particular piece of ground, and 
be perhaps applicable to no other. Judgment must in 
all cases be exercised. But let none be deterred from 
attempting improvement, because he cannot reach per¬ 
fection at once. A little is much better than nothing. 
In a future number, I hope to give a list of some 
desirable fruits, vegetables, shrubs, and flowers, with 
remarks on their culture, adapted to a farmer's garden 
and grounds. J. J. Thomas. 
Maccdon, 12 mo., 1841. 
SLUGS ON CHERRY AND PEAR TREES. 
Messrs. Editors— Fruit growers and nurserymen, in 
this section of country, have had to encounter, the past 
season, a most formidable enemy, in the shape of the 
cherry or pear tree slug, an insect almost entirely un¬ 
known in this place until the last two years. This 
insect, when full grown, is from one-half to three- 
fourths of an inch in length, of a dark green color, 
filled and covered with a watery, slimy substance. Like 
the caterpillar, they feed on the leaves, differing, how¬ 
ever, in one respect; they feed only on the upper sur¬ 
face, completely destroying the vitality of the leaf. The 
pear and cherry appear to be their particular favorites; 
the plum and quince, however, come in for a share of 
their spoliations. 
A year ago last summer, I discovered them, pretty 
numerous, on several pear trees in my garden; not 
enough, however, to do much damage. But the past 
season, they appear to have increased an hundred or even 
a thousand fold. Indeed, so numerous have they been 
in many places in this vicinity, and where no efforts 
were made to destroy them, that the leaves and fruit 
of the cherry and pear were completely destroyed, hav¬ 
ing the appearance of being destroyed by the frosts of 
winter. The English cherry and the pear tree again 
soon put forth fresh leaves, but many of the common gar¬ 
den cherries have remained destitute of a green leaf 
since the middle of July. 
I discovered many of them in my fruit garden and 
nursery, about the 20th of June. In this emergency, it 
became necessary to cast about for a remedy; ithe only 
one I could find laid down in the books, recommended 
lime and ashes to be sifted over them; but in a nursery, 
