Station Gardening 
THE FOUNTAIN AT MENTOR STATION 
houses. These are equipped with thousands 
of square feet of bench room and all the 
modern aids to propagation. 
The plants mostly in evidence last season 
at this station, and they were used at others 
along the line, were geraniums, cannas, 
coleus and begonia. Vernonia was also to 
be seen, and there were hydrangeas, rho¬ 
dodendrons, and fine beds of coxcomb. 
“Carpet bedding” was done on a small 
scale with enough success to prove the 
really good artistic results which would 
come from restraint in the use of material 
and a finer appreciation of design. Orna¬ 
mental grasses and shrubs added greatly to 
the general appearance of the grounds, and 
caladiums were given a place of prominence. 
At the west end of the depot is the foun¬ 
tain with a border of flowers, illustrated in 
the accompanying photograph. The rock 
of which it is built was brought from Casta- 
lia, Ohio, and consists of petrified branches, 
twigs, bark, leaves and moss. A hedge of 
privet extends across the rear of the grounds. 
The sight afforded at Mentor is a restful 
one to the tired passengers of the through 
trains between the east and west, and espe¬ 
cially is it welcome in this comparatively fiat 
country, lacking the rugged scenery so prized 
by travelers in the western mountains. Pas¬ 
sengers waiting for trains at the various sta¬ 
tions on this line will likely find in the future 
seats placed at intervals in the vicinity of 
the flower beds. 
The plan of the railroads to extend the 
work of their flower gardening is apparent 
at many points. For example, at Elizabeth, 
New Jersey, some twenty acres of land is to 
be covered with glass houses in which will be 
raised shrubbery, plants, trees and palms, for 
one- of the largest railroad systems in the 
country. Some of the hothouses are to be 
sufficiently high to accommodate even the 
largest flowering plants. A leading railroad 
also has under advisement the offering of 
premiums for the most attractive farmhouses, 
barns and premises along its line, in order to 
stimulate the residents to better their sur¬ 
roundings. Still further it is planned to 
set potted plants within the depots in 
winter. At a few points this has already 
been tried. 
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