tvtf.RICAN garden. 
26 
"WiinrEB. 
From out his robes the snow he shook, 
His path of storms to trace, 
To bind in ice and chiming brook 
Whose bank the birds long since forsook, 
Bold winter came apace. 
His frown is in the cold, gray cloud. 
In storms his voice outbreaks. 
His hand is on the woodland proud. 
When in the tempest fierce and loud. 
The creaking forest shakes. 
Hark! in the moaning winds he sings 
A requiem, sad and low; 
To Nature’s perished form he brings. 
And over it in silence flings, 
A winding sheet of snow. 
He breathes upon the yielding lake 
The gentle winds no more 
With their soft breath the ripples break. 
Nor can the wildest tempest shake 
The glittering crystal floor. 
In sheltered homes, by genial fires. 
Let love as warmly glow 
For Him whose wisdom still inspires. 
Whose bounty fills the heart’s desires. 
And shields us from the snow. 
And though the winter’s hand be strong 
On dale and hill and plain. 
Although in storms he sweeps along 
And hushed is every streamlet’s song. 
He cannot always reign. 
The sun with gentle beams shall chase 
His icy bonds away; 
So Error, boasting pomp and place. 
Shall fly before the kindling face. 
Of Truth’s resplendent day. 
SEASONABLE HINTS. 
Catalogues. —To the true lovers of flowers 
the study of a good seed catalogue is no 
small enjoyment. Wliile reading the des¬ 
criptions of the various kinds, and marking 
this or that to be ordered, his mind’s eye 
wanders in the prospective garden among 
the beauty and fragrance that is to be. 
Those who look at first class catalogues as 
mere price-lists are surely not aware of the 
vast amount of valuable information con¬ 
tained in them, and the labor and skill that 
has been bestowed upon their publication. 
Our advertising columns contain the ad¬ 
vertisements of nearly every first class seed 
house in the United States, and we advise 
our readers to send for these catalogues now, 
mentioning that they saw the advertise¬ 
ment in the Amehican GAJtOEtf. This men¬ 
tion will insure prompt attention and may 
benefit not only the sender, but the seeds¬ 
man as well as ourselves. 
Muck, as found in many swamps and low 
places thr.iughout the country is of more 
value in the flower garden than is generally 
supposed. We have seen such astonishing 
results from its use as a mulch for flower 
beds, that, under certain conditions, we 
consider it as valuable as manure. lJut 
there is a difference in muck, and it should 
never be used fresh directly from the swamp. 
In many localities muck may be dug during 
winter, and where cireumstanccs are favor¬ 
able, the gardener whose soil is not already 
very rich in vegetable matter can hardly 
make a better investment than to secure a 
plentiful supply of this material. 
without order; if it ig , 
path, then the taller-erni»{!,°'^*'^®3 
THE^_ 
OLIMBEBS. 
would be an ai rlimbers, many of —o—,- —luiertnedi'ii- '''‘‘''ttJ 
their culture. Among the best ai^. 
Clematis Virginiana, Virgins Bowe . 
Clematis vtrgimau^’ . -o- 
doubly clesirable^climbei- 
S^the‘'curious and ornamental taUed fruit 
a beautiful covering for an aiboi. Cai 
should be taken to secure both sexes of the 
plant. In some localities the hairy fruit 
has given the plant the peculiar name of 
“Old Man Vine.” 
Adlumia cirrhosa, Smoke Vine. The most 
delicate and graceful of our desirable climb¬ 
ers. It grows well in a rich shady place 
among shrubs. The Dicentra-like floweis 
are very pleasing. 
Celastms scanclens, Wax-work, False Bit¬ 
ter-sweet. The unique autumn fruit of this 
high climber will always make it attractive. 
It is commonly dioecious. In rich land, 
among trees, it is to be recommended. 
Echinoegstis lohata, Balsam-Apple. Much 
cultivated westward under the name of 
wild Cucumber. Very desirable for training 
over stumps and bushes. 
Tecoma radicans. Trumpet - flower. A 
well known and well tried root climber, 
much prized for its hardiness and very large 
trumpet-like flowers. 
Calystegia Sephim, Bindweed submits 
readily to removal and adds to the list of 
herbaceous twiners another desirable species. 
It is scarcely excelled by the Morning Glory. 
A double variety. 
Aristoloehia Sijdto, Dutchman’s Pipe. A 
robust vine with remarkably large and 
heavy leaves. It is hardy in Massachusetts. 
Over porches it gives a dense shade and 
presents a tropical appearance. 
Humulu.t Lupulus, Hop. If any vine is 
neglected it is the Hop. It is commonly as¬ 
sociated with bare poles in tlie Hop yard. 
The clean and careless habit of the vine as 
it clambers ovei- trees and bushes, its pen¬ 
dent balls of green and yellow, and its dis¬ 
position to take care of itself, should endear 
the Hop to every lover of the beautiful. 
Apios luherosa, Wild Bean. This is a pe¬ 
rennial herb, bearing edible tubers on under¬ 
ground shoots in its wild stale twining and 
cl mbing over bushes and fences. Its brown 
the mixed BOKDEll, 
known as the “ol(l-fas'hiV'^°i o'*”"’ 
doning, inwhicr^i;”;f 
J'or for the lovo of tl.ein ‘ in Ti' • 
of all kinds, biennials I'oronnials 
plants from the grooiihn tender 
and even low shrubs. Beeait 
of such a bed 
'M'o varied u” 
’ ''' need not be 
placed in the center, with the 1 
edges, and those of intermedi,°i.''''®* at i 
tween ; if the path is on one sid 
the tallest plants should be at tb 
of these different styles of gardl'®'^''- ^ 
place, and it is not necessary in 
one to deciy another, as each isb“^''®Ht) 
to particular localities and ci • * 
In advocating the mixed border°'*”’*"’"'«l^ 
claim that it will meet the want'^*"’''®'ji 
people in moderate circumstances* iv ” 
other kind of flower-gardening ^»r] 
who really love flowers, as indlviat”? 
take more pleasure in cultivat,' *’ 
where they can reach their full dg "i® 
than when they are crowded into * 
produce a particular effect of color 
NICOTIANA AITINlg, 
This new ornamental Tobacco has • 
mo about as much pleasure as any noT^ih’ 
have ever tried. Its cultivation is of a 
easiest kind, and the stately habit of a 
plant, combined with its large pure 
flowers, opening in the evening and emitth! 
a most delicious, tuberose-like fragnuii 
should make it a favorite everywhere k 
grows to a height of from two to three feet 
and should therefore not be planted toonear 
the border of beds. For its full develop., 
ment it needs plenty of room and rich soil 
As an experiment I planted one of tie 
young plants in a two inch pot, repottiiij; 
it several times into larger ones up to a ten 
inch size. In this it attained perfection, 
producing flowers freely and presentingaii 
exceedingly handsome appearance wba 
fully gi'own. I never had a plant that at¬ 
tracted so much attention from visitors as 
this one; and for decorating rooms or ball! 
at evening entertainments nothing could be 
more appropriate, as the flowers remainia 
full beauty all night, dispensing their de¬ 
lightful fragrance. hf. T. Lackseb. 
SELEOTDia BOSES. 
Like most novices, states Capt. Moore, I 
began with planting a great many kinds, mf 
information eoneerning them being 
could get from nursery catalogues andt* 
few works on the lloso, which told®"*'^” 
their good qualities, but none , 
ones. The latter I am constantly h® 
out from experience, and though 
knowledge will be useful in future pi.'® 
I consider hardiness, vigor of growth) e® 
of form and color, fragrance and ‘ j 
of bloom as indispensable 
hybrid perpetual Rose for general 
tion in the garden. It is hard to 
those qualities in any one variety 
nearer any ono comes to the 
general cultivator will bo sa 
lind 
hut tk 
,tier tk 
The Hinsdale 
nsed for 
so is the lovely 
FASHIONABLE FLOWBBS. 
Carnation i® co»® 
ir young ladies’ luncheon 1^'. ^ 
iho lovely Grace 
Sileno buds are in high favor fo' 
eons given by debutantes 
friends. A bod of those buds ^ 
center piece, and the favors o js 
rose are bound with pink satin s® lo 
to allow the foliage on the ^®”"j,unch 
fall below the waist when tl' 
worn upon the young lady’s dioss- 
