December, 
FAEEWELL TO THE OID TEAE. 
Farewell, oldyear, we walk no more together; 
1 catch the sweetness of the latest sigh. 
And crowned Arith yellow brake this wintry 
■weather, 
I see thee stand beneath this cloudy sky. 
Here in the dim light of a gray December, 
W e part in smiles, and yet we met in tears; 
Watching thy chilly dawn, I well remember 
I thought the saddest born of all the years. 
I knew not then what precious gifts wore hidden 
Under the mists that veiled thy path from sight; 
I knew not then that joy would come unbidden 
To make thy closing hours divinely bright. 
I only saw the dreary clouds tinbi’oken, 
I only heard the plash of icy rain; 
And in that winter gloom I found no token 
To tell me that the sun would shine again. 
O dear old year, I -wronged a Father’s Icindness, 
I would not trust Him with my load of cai'C; 
1 stumbled on in weariness and blindness. 
And lo! He blessed me with an answered 
prayer! 
Good-by, kind year; we walk no more together. 
But here in quiet happiness we part; 
And from thy wreath of faded Fern and Heather 
I take some sprays and wear them on my heart. 
THE FLOWER GAEDEN IN DECEMBEE. 
Much work cannotgenerall}- be doiieduriug 
this, the dullest and darkest month of the year. 
There is no better time, however, when plans 
can be made and matured whereby the flow¬ 
er garden can be made to look prettier next 
season than it did in this. 
EVERGREEN'S. 
Although evergreen trees, the coniferous 
kinds especially, should find their proper 
place on the lawn, many of the low growing 
species are well adapted for planting in 
flower gardens, where, if properly arranged, 
they will add much to the variety in sum¬ 
mer, and impart a bright, cheerful character 
in winter. It is at this season, when decidu¬ 
ous trees and shrubs have shed their foliage, 
that positions can best be selected in which 
evergreens wiU be most efiective in winter 
fvithout man-ing the harmony of the summer 
garden. 
To those who have seen and studied the 
excellent collections of American evergreens, 
arranged in their difierent classes, which are 
found in the principal botanic gardens of 
Europe, it seems sui-prising that they are 
not more generally gro^vn 
land. The beauty of habit, vigorou.s growth 
and general, graceful contour which many 
species possess, make them admirably adapt¬ 
ed for the decoration of the flowei’ garden a.s 
well as the lawn. They are also useful in 
sheltering weaker and less hardy shi-ubs and 
plants. The reason why many fail to suc¬ 
ceed with the latter class of plants is princi¬ 
pally the want of shelter from j)iercing 
winds during winter. Evergreen trees or 
boughs form just the very best pi-otcction of 
this kind. 
Erect growing evergreens, as the .Swedish 
and Irish Junipers, are apt, during heavy 
snowstorms, to get their branches bent down, 
and often broken; to prevent this, tie the 
branches together at sevcj-ai places with 
strong string. 
Among the best evergreens for planting in 
the flower garden are Uovey'i, (UMan Arhor- 
vilm. a dwarf-growing kind of globular foi’in 
and with bright green foliage. 
Geo. Peabody, a perfect little gem, com¬ 
pact in growth, the foliage of a beautiful 
golden color. 
Tom Thumb is another compact growing 
kind, very dwarf, ' symmetrical, and well 
suited for various positions. 
Metinispora plumosa and i?. aurea, from 
Japan, are hardy, and their graceful, fe.ath- 
ery foliage—golden tipped in the latter— 
makes them attractive objects wherever 
planted. 
MAGNOLIAS. 
The many beautiful species and varieties 
of this peerless genus are far too little seen 
in flower gardens and pleasure grounds. If 
lightly protected during the first two or three 
winters after planting, they generally grow 
and flower freely when once well established. 
Now is the proper time to protect those 
that have been planted last spring and have 
not yet fully recovered from the check of 
transplanting. Do not cover too closely, 
onl}'^ suflieient to furnish partial shelter, and 
to protect against the direct rays of the sun. 
It is not generally the severe cold that kills 
plants of this kind, as the frequent thawings. 
YUCCAS. 
Yucca filamentosa is often destroyed in fo¬ 
liage during winter when allowed to stand 
unprotected; the best way to do with it is to 
gather the leaves together and tie with a 
good, strong string. A group of this plant 
makes a beautiful object in the flower bor¬ 
der or on rock work. The leaves are radi¬ 
cal, having white threads hanging from their 
margins. The white flowers are borne on 
flower-stems about three feet high. Yucca 
Whipplyi is another good hardy plant of this 
class, and for the Southern States 1'. yloriom. 
TOR-DRESSING. 
Perennial plants of nearly all kinds, and 
young evergreens especially, are much bene¬ 
fited by a good top-dressing of manui’e dur¬ 
ing winter, especially such kinds as are mak¬ 
ing a weak growth; it stimulates them, gives 
them better colored foliage and makes them 
altogether finer and stronger looking speci¬ 
mens. Life is too short to wait for plants 
when making a weak and pun^^ growth. AVe 
want them large as soon as possible and the 
only way to accomplish this is to give them 
plenty of food. Healthy plants are always 
less liable to the attacks of insects than weak¬ 
ly growing specimens, therefore keep them 
there’s a way. 
I began to look around to 
examine tMacity of my kitchen garden, 
!nd to mv delight, I concluded with higher 
mature I could with one-eighth of ground less 
to raise all the vegetables and fruits 
i wished and have that area for some new 
> Tif y strongest desire lay in hfiving the larg¬ 
est amateur collection of new-named Chrys¬ 
anthemums. First I thought two dozen 
would more than satisfy me, as I had al¬ 
ready thirty-five distinct, though unnamed va¬ 
rieties. Those came and were tenderly pot¬ 
ted, being the very cream of all my cata- 
lo-Ties, of various and divers coloi-s and 
shapes. A little later I concluded two dozen 
more would be ch.anning to have, ordered, 
and ended by not only purchasing 100 new 
vai’ietics but bought two packets of seed, 
and now to date I have thirty-five old, fine 
varieties, 100 new-named, and fifty new 
seedlings. 
■ Being satisfied in that direction 1 wanted 
more Boses. Sunset, Md. Cusin, Jules Chre¬ 
tien, etc., 1 had one of each, but—I must bo 
gi-eedy—I wanted more. OIT went my or¬ 
der, wholesale, and back came my Boses by 
the hundred. Oh, how I gloated over their 
promise! Md. Guinesseau, Perle des Jar- 
dins, Jules Finger, etc., too numerous to 
mention; and how I worked in spring to 
plant and care for them, and how they have 
so well repaid me for all my care. 
Then I became afflicted with the flower 
fever badly, what I felt unable to buy I be¬ 
gan to exchange, iiud I stand almost aghast 
m their native always growing and in a vigorous condition, 
and less complaint shall be heard from theni 
being destroyed by insect attacks. 
M. Milto.n. 
HEALTH AND PLEASDEE FROM FLOWERS. 
A woman’s EXI'ERIKNCE. 
.Seated in my easy chair with leisure 
meditate and write, I take this vei*y li 
portimity to review my past ten 
work—exultant over my many successful 
achievcments-sorry over my few failures 
but in no wise discouraged. ’ 
At the beginning of the year I resolved 
for the twentielJi time not to invest a cent in 
any new plants, as 1 had already erowded 
m my flower garden a ehaotie, ma.ss of every 
imaginable and conceivable variety of plants 
that I could buy, beg or exchange for 
With a sigh I closed my new catalogues sav¬ 
ing, “Well, there’s much in It [ want, 
have no place for more.” 
rst op- 
months' 
want, but I 
followed by resolve. “Whore thor'fls'a will 
at mj’ year’s work, and wonder I live to tell 
the tale. 'I'wo thousand bulbs of t'wenty- 
three varieties of Lilies, 100 new Boses, 175 
Chrysanthemums, and other plants from 
Maine to California have come to be wel¬ 
come and cherished pets in my grounds, for 
1 encroached and still encroached upon my 
vegetable garden until I now have one-half 
of it in flowers. Three long rows of beauti¬ 
ful and deliciously fragrant Tuberoses, but 
not satisfied uith kc’cping for mj' own 
gionnd, 1 had the temerity to experiment 
with sets to see if I could raise them for the 
trade, was laughed at and teased about my 
bulbous fever. Had a brother-in-law to 
uiite me 100 miles distant and expostulate 
with me. No use, af. it I went with my 
whole soul, and w'ith what result! Thirty 
thousand Tuberoses, as fine and 'large bulbs 
as any professional florist has ever raised, 
are, curing in my central yard. 
A fter my Tuberose, fever, I ordered a whole 
case of hardy Holland bulbs, and words can 
hardly de.sm-ibe the pure delight in just 
handling them. I could scarcely realize, the 
.0 exquisilc beauty folded away in their rough 
coats; but with full faith and great care they 
''’‘''O hundred Hyacinths, 
00 luhps, 800 Narcissuses, and Scillas, 
Ixlas, Sparaxls, Lachenalias, Bnbianas, AH 
stromerias, Freesias; all of which are 
potted or planted out in my yard. 
Ill Ihis retrospect 1 see much left undone, 
"ut Jar more aecompli.shed than In my wlld- 
«!«t dreams 1 had hoped for. With my in- 
of j,hints an increase of glass quarters 
xaaime necessary, and my busy brain went 
“ work to accomplish that. 1 purchased 
'Ouoty.tiircc sasiies of a church recently torn 
<lown, and 
hoiisi 
now a fair and beautiful green- 
1 nearly completed, 13>j; feet wide by 
