‘I'iv 
1-: yLy- 
■i^rl 
ican Garden 
Vol. VI. 
Old Series. Vol. XlII. 
M ®ontlily Journal of practical gardening. 
===:==-"liXAMKU, Kdilor. 
J 4 i, . 
v'Vn 
THE OPENING TEAB, 
Seasons como and go without any sharply 
defined lines, so that except in tho calendar 
one hardly notices tho end of ono and the 
beginning of another. Hut a now year 
brings with it something that aromses our 
activity, and stimulates the mind of even 
tho most utilitarian 
nature more than 
any other event. 
Tho old year, 
closing with its 
Christmas festivi¬ 
ties, its days of joy 
andmerry-m thing, 
its season of good¬ 
will to .all mankind, 
makes room for the 
new, and it is now 
eminently proper 
to review past suc¬ 
cesses and failures, 
and to consider how 
to improve upon 
the former, and 
how to avoid the 
latter in future. 
Indeed, time can¬ 
not be devoted to 
better advantage at 
this season than to 
carefully delineate 
and mature our 
plans for the fu¬ 
ture, based upon 
the results of past 
experiences. 
While oiir gar¬ 
dens are covered 
with snow, and out¬ 
door plants are 
taking their winter 
rest, the lengthen¬ 
ing daysare already 
reminding us of 
the approaching 
spring. The wise 
gardener is never 
idle. He will even 
iiow find plenty to 
occupy his time, 
not merely in se¬ 
lecting and provid¬ 
ing seeds and 
plants, and other 
niaterial that may 
be wanted, but in 
eultivating the gar¬ 
den of his mind, 
and by stocking it 
JANUARY, 1885. 
No. .1. 
rie ul u' a welcome 
end m thcirhomesa.s well as theirg.ardcns. 
ranid education is 
apidly occommg more and more recognized • 
cflning mflucncos of tastefully planted 
. Id neatly kept grounds arc apparent to 
voiy ojservcr; and tlic lasting, bcneficiid 
.1S5 
THE MONTH OP JANUARY. 
A JANUAKT SOKO,' 
By H. 0. Adams. 
The Old, Old Year is dead, 
The snow lies on his bed, 
The New Year lias come merrily in, with a cheerful 
sound of bolls; 
The wind blows sharp and been 
The naked houghs between; 
There are no song-birds iu the woods, no flowerets in 
the dells. 
Sing hoy! slug bo! 
As down the slide we go, 
With laugh and shout that rlngeth out upon the frosty 
air; __ 
Sing' iip! sing do^ I 
Oh, leave tlic sloppy town, 
Tho sports, the poslimes, and the joys, of country boys 
to sl:arc. 
The air is full of snow, 
The cattle stand and low, 
Kneo-deep in straw, beside the batUS and ricks all 
roofed with white, 
The huddled birds cry *CheepJ* 
Beside tlie folded sheep, 
ttTiosa fleeces brown and dingy look where all is fair 
and bright: 
Sing hsy! sing ho! 
As down tho slide we go. 
n .V 
the best and most reliable information 
Obtainable from fill sources. 
^bis connection we wish to remind our 
os ers that the AmekicAn G-abden stands 
er ready to furnish all friendly advice and 
within its means, that it will 
tur O'bswer all inquiries about horticul- 
0 ' topics, and will always make it its 
impressions which attractive home sur¬ 
roundings have upon the mind of the young 
are plainly evident. The love of flowers is 
not a mere idle sentiment, but is deeply 
rooted in every pure mind. To direct and 
o-uide this fondness so as to become promo¬ 
tive of the greatest good', .and to increase 
imnniness and love of home, is o ne of the 
Coyright 1885, by E. H. Libby. 
chief missions of true Horticulture. May 
the year upon whose threshold wo just 
step extend its realm to every home; may it 
bring a ricli liarvest of fruits and (lowers, 
and .a liclier still of lie.altb, Iiappiness and 
content to evci-y member of our great “ Gais- 
ben” family, to every one of whom we sin¬ 
cerely wi.sh a Hap- 
I’Y New Yeak. 
THE GARDEN VS, 
THE BENT, 
With properman- 
agement, and un¬ 
der favorable con¬ 
ditions, an acre of 
ground can often be 
made to produce 
larger profits than 
many a liuudred- 
acre fann slovenly 
conducted. Exper¬ 
ienced market gar¬ 
deners near large 
cities are proving 
this everyyear; but 
it is not practical 
gardeners only that 
raise large crops 
from comparative¬ 
ly small areas. We 
have in mind a pro¬ 
fessional man, who, 
by spending his 
leisure hours in his 
garden of about a 
quarter of an acre 
of ground, r.aises 
nearly all the vege¬ 
tables used by his 
famity. We know 
of several other in¬ 
stances in which 
the products of the 
garden pay a con¬ 
siderable part of, 
if not the entire 
rent of the band as 
well as the home. 
Less land and bet¬ 
ter tillage is the 
great need of pro¬ 
gressive gardening 
and f.arming. How 
much tow.ard the 
rent can the ama¬ 
teur gardener raise 
in his garden, is a 
question foremost 
in the minds of 
m.any who contem- 
plate to change the city tenement life for a 
home in the countiy. If .any of our readers 
solve this problem, please let us know: 
“ How the Garden Paid the Rent ? ” 
For Prospectus and Publisher’s Announce¬ 
ments, see pages 14 to 16 . Look for pres¬ 
ents to all our subscribers. 
