House and Garden 
acres and have nine miles of box hedges along the beds. 
In the seclusion there is a most delightful feeling 
of restfulness and shelter from the turmoil without. 
just a few steps up the main road from Levens 
gate is Levens bridge, a survival of the old days when 
all traffic was carried on by pack-horses. Those 
who will take the trouble to walk along the bank 
below the bridge can easily see where the width has 
been more than doubled to accommodate the wagons 
of to-day, though to an American eye it still seems 
far too narrow. Above and below the bridge on 
both sides of the road stretches Levens park, one of the 
oldest deer parks in England, enclosed in a yew fence, 
dating certainly since 1360 and still preserving its orig¬ 
inal limits. In it there are beautiful stretches of wood¬ 
land, and green pastures, a combination so unusual. 
The gardens harmonize well with the Hall, the inte¬ 
rior of which is extremely interesting. The carved 
woodwork is very elaborate, the south drawing-room 
in particular being exceedingly rich. Three of Lely’s 
best portraits hang in the house, the entrance hall has 
a fine collection of armor and one of the rooms is hung 
with some splendid pieces of tapestry after the Italian 
manner. Taken altogether, Levens represents the 
best attainments of domestic life among the well- 
to-do English. The letter “ B ” noticed in one of the 
photographs of the garden is the initial of Captain 
Bagot, the owner of Levens park whose courteous 
attention in throwing open his grounds to the people 
of the neighborhood is most heartily appreciated, 
not only by them, but by all travelers as well. 
We are indebted to Mr. Hogg, photographer, for the photographs which are 
here reproduced. 
THE SUBURBAN GARDEN 
By JOHN W. HALL 
N OTHING can produce a more bountiful source 
of quiet pleasure to the suburban dweller 
than a little garden. The suburban home 
is usually built upon a plot ranging in size from one- 
half to an acre. In either instance there is ample 
space for a home garden where practically all the 
lighter vegetables can be grown in sufficient quan¬ 
tities for the use of a family of ordinary size. Be¬ 
sides supplying the table with absolutely fresh vege¬ 
tables, gathered while crisp with the morning dew, 
an hour, in the late afternoon, spent among the 
plants by the business or professional man is more 
conducive to health and real enjoyment than most 
any other diversion. 
Supposing that there is available for garden pur¬ 
poses on the suburban home lot the quarter or the 
half of an acre, the question of primary importance 
as how best to prepare and make it, on an economical 
and practical basis, is presented. 
The size and place of the garden having been 
determined, it should be enclosed with a fence made 
of wire netting and of sufficient height to prevent 
depredation by chickens or otherwise. 
HOW TO PREPARE THE GROUND 
1 he soil should he broken fine as deep as the 
plant roots may be expected to grow. This is from 
fifteen to twenty inches, and more effective results 
are obtained by spading than by plowing on a 
limited area. The earth is left fine, loose, and 
mellow far down, so the tender roots may grow 
through it freely. It then holds moisture and lies 
close to the roots, so as to supply them readily with 
food. After the ground is thoroughly broken it 
should be fertilized and harrowed or rolled. Where 
the harrow or roller is not at hand, good work can 
be done with a heavy rake. Let the soil be well 
prepared before planting; neglect of this will be felt 
all through the season. After the plants are growing 
it is too late to attempt to work the ground beneath 
them. It is also of the greatest importance that in 
preparing the soil it should be in proper condition 
to be worked. What the proper condition is can be 
easily determined by squeezing a little of the soil in 
the hand. If it makes a ball, and sticks to the hand, 
it is too wet; if it breaks hard, it is too dry. To work 
well it should crumble easily and finely, and leave 
very little dirt on the hands. 
FERTILIZING 
Too much care cannot be given to the supply of 
the necessary plant food, of which the chief essentials 
are nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. Any 
fertilizer used to supply these elements should be 
thoroughly distributed through all the soil to be 
reached by the roots of the plants, and this distribu¬ 
tion must be made before planting. Turning and 
re-turning the ground, and harrowing or raking, are 
useful for this purpose. There is no rule by which 
a wise selection of fertilizer can be made. It is often 
182 
