18S4.] 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 
171 
SCHOOL GAEDENS IN AUSTEIA, 
T 1.0 Gorman word Kmlcrffarton, as well as 
the method of instructing quite young chil¬ 
dren associated with it, is already tolerably 
familiar in this country. Briefly, it is an in¬ 
stitution to assist in and complete the bring¬ 
ing up of children who are yet too young 
(throe to six years of ago) for regular school 
duties. True, it may include among its de¬ 
vices a tiny garden to promote observation 
and industry in its infant wards; but the 
school garden, as understood in Austria, is a 
real garden attached to a school, and forming 
part of the school. In an article, entitled 
“Der gegenwilrtige Stand der Saeho dos 
Sehulgartens,” Mr. E. Schwab gives to the 
A’chc Freie Presse, as reported by the Gar¬ 
dener’s Chronicle, his ideas on the uses and 
scope of the school garden. 
This is an institution of Austrian origin, 
and it is rapidly extending from country to 
country of that large empire. Thus in a 
small province 245 schools have gardens at¬ 
tached, thirty-six of which are worthy of 
notice. Moravia and Bohemia are active in 
the movement, and Gallicia already possesses 
a considerable number in some of the prov¬ 
inces. The provinces of Mielec and Jaroslav 
are dotted all over ■with school gardens, each 
one including a neat little ornainental gar¬ 
den. In Styermark a great many have been 
formed through the exertions of the Agricult¬ 
ural Society. In the capital little has yet 
been done in the matter, but they are estab¬ 
lished wherever the requisite space can be 
obtained. Seeds are supplied from the 
national botanic gardens, and suitable plans 
are furnished to any parish wishing to intro¬ 
duce the system. 
The 'writer deprecates the plan of making 
simply useful gardens, and would have them 
include recreation grounds as well as orna¬ 
mental features. In fact, with due regard to 
economy, the garden should be laid out with 
discernment and taste, in order to instill into 
the minds of the young scholars a sense of 
the beautiful. If instituted simply for the 
purpose of inculcating early habits of in¬ 
dustry, it would doubtless prove a failure. 
Of eoui-se the design and arrangement should 
always be made subordinate to local con¬ 
ditions and circumstances. 
Thus in a large town the requirements and 
the space generally available are usually 
widely diverse from those obtainable in a 
small country to'wn. But even undei ■ e mos 
unfavorable circumstances, the inc igenous 
vegetation of the district shonl c i jiis 
trated, as well as the cultivate cerea s, 
fodder plants, aromatic and 
vegetables and herbs employed m 
and fruits of all kinds. The 
particularly of the miliar to 
cultivated m order to make th 
the scholars. Ornamental ‘ 
baeeous plants also deserve *''*'*®“ eardens 
representatives of the native 
should be placed for shade on P ‘ y 
ground. . A -ut children in this 
The knowledge gained l^y ^.^.^^^uited 
practical manner—and in a . 
g.,d„ it 1 . ™.led »d 
manent; they may forget w 
but not what they experienc . 
principal advantages of this system, besides 
a ording pure and healtliy occupation and 
pleasure, is that under proper tuition it in¬ 
duces habits of observation and independent 
thought. Again, in towns it keeps children 
both irom the evil influoiices of the streets, 
or those more inclined for study from shut¬ 
ting themselves up too closely instead of 
taking healthy exercise. 
Where a garden is absolutely impossible, 
as in some towns, growing plants in pots in 
the yards and windows is recommended. 
Phore are doubtless almost insurmountable 
difficulties in the way of carrying the sphool 
garden into practice in many jilaces in this 
country; but the need of some such purify¬ 
ing influence is painfully evident to those 
who come in contact with boys and girls 
whoso only play-ground is the street. 
DHTING TOMATOES. 
In Italy an extensive business is carried 
on in drying Tomatoes to use during those 
portions of the year when the fresh fruit 
cannot bo obtained. According to the Ilural 
Tlecord, Tomatoes are raised, for the most 
part, between rows of Grape-vines, so that 
the land of their culture costs nothing. 
Sometimes the Tomato-vines are trained on 
the lower bars of a trellis, to which the 
Grapes are attached. The Tomatoes are 
allowed to remain on the branches until 
they are quite ripe, when they are picked 
and pressed in bags made of coarse cloth, 
which allows the pulp to pass through, but I 
which retains the seeds and skins. The } 
pulp is then thinly spread out on cloth, 
boards, or in shallow dishes, and exposed to 
the sun to dry. When it has become quite 
dry, it is broken up fine, or ground, and put 
into boxes or bags and sent to market. 
A large part of it is used for making soups, | 
but considerable of it is employed as we do j 
Tomatoes that are preserved in tin or glass ; 
cans. It is soaked for a few houi’S in warm 
water, and then cooked in the ordinary man¬ 
ner. Large quantities are w.auted for home 
consumption, and considerable is exported. 
This would seem to be a prolitable industry 
to engage iu in this country. There is great 
prejudice against canned Tomatoes, as many 
of them are unwholesome. The acid juice 
they contain unites with the solder of the 
tin cans and forms a compound that often 
causes severe sickness. The pulp of Toma¬ 
toes could be dried to good advantage in any 
of the styles of apparatus employed for dry¬ 
ing Apples, Peaches, and small friuts. 
MY BERMUDA PUMPKIN-'VINE. 
When I say that my Pumpkin-'vine is sev¬ 
enty years old, and that I could make it 
grow in one continuous line from one end of 
the island to the other (t'wenty-four miles), 
I am stating a fact which would seem rather 
“fishy” to people living in a climate where 
the average life of a Pumpldn-vine is about 
five months. I found my vine running over 
my garden when I took possession of my 
place, and my coloi’ed gai'dener, who had 
lived on the place, boy and man, bond and 
free, for over seventy years, said the vine 
had been there as long back as he could 
remember, and-that it was a valuable kind. 
The only “hitch” in my btory is that the 
vine is not a Pumpkin-vine at all, but a 
hybrid Squasli, which, in its many years of 
existence in a tropical climate, has formed 
tlio habit of sending out roots at each joint, 
so that as it advances in its growth it dies 
away behind after having perfected Pump¬ 
kins. I allow the vine to grow over a share 
of my garden during the summer months; 
and as September approaches, when I want 
the garden for my winter vegetables, I turn 
one end of the vino toward the border, and 
carefully conduct its growth to the fence 
and through into the pasture beyond, where 
it takes care of itself during the winter. I 
then gather the Pumpkins from the garden, 
store them away in a dry place,—where they 
will keep six months or more,—spade up the 
garden, and plant other vegetables. 
The vine will not fruit in the winter 
months, as the temperature is too low (down 
in the sixties); but when the warmer days 
of April come to us, and the vegetables in 
the garden begin to fail me, I turn the vine 
which has wintered in the pastime back 
toward the garden, and as soon as it touches 
rich, freshly spaded earth, you can almost 
see it grow, and in a few weeks the garden is 
covered again. The seeds of this Pumpkin 
will grow and keep up the habits of the 
parent; but I have always found the seed¬ 
lings do not produce as good fruit as the old 
vine, so I stick to the old love. The Squashes 
of the North do well, especially the Hubbard 
and Perfect Gem; but I have to plant seeds 
each year, as the idne dies in August.— 
Uiissell Bastings, in N. ¥. Tribune. 
A FAMOUS EOSE-BUSH. 
The celebrated Eose-bush of Hildesheim, 
in Gennany, which is said to be a thousand 
years old, and is reputed to have been planted 
by Charlemagne, has this year been covered 
with an extraordinary profusion of blossoms 
—more, it is declared, than it was ever 
known to bear before. New shoots have 
been grafted on its stems within a few 
years, and have gi'own finely. The bush 
stands on the outer wall of the crypt of the 
cathedral, with branches reaching to more 
than thirty feet in breadth and nearly thirty- 
five feet in height. 
OECHIU CULTURE IN ENGLAND. 
The following three cardinal points are 
considered by Mr, Lucicn Linden as the most 
important requisites iu Orchid culture : 
Mrst. The use' of rain water. 
Second. The employment of shading only 
when the sun bmuis, and then the light should 
bo allowed to fall through open canvas net¬ 
ting. 
Third. Abundance of air, even in frosty 
weather, when the ventilators should be 
opened and heat raised in proportion. 
BLUE GUM-TEEES IN IRELAND. 
Blue Gum-trees, Eucalyptus globulus, have 
been growingfor thirteen years on the estate 
of Lord Maurice Fitzgerald at Johnstown 
Castle, Co. Wexford. They had attained a 
height of sixty* feet when they were killed by 
the recent hard winters. They can there¬ 
fore not be considered hardy in that isle. 
