"Peter covered the ground of celery raising. One or two points only I

will speak of. A very rich, workable soil is a celery soil. In the

process of getting such a bed ready it ought to have a thorough wetting

down a day before planting. Celery seed is small, and, as is the case

with other small seed, it is quite likely to be planted in clumps or

bunches. To avoid this the seed should be mixed with sand and then

sprinkled in drills. These drills should be six inches apart, and very

shallow. Sow the seed, cover, and water. This bed should be screened

from direct sunlight. A careful, gentle, daily watering is necessary.

Thin the little plants to four inches apart. Peter can tell the rest of

the story. The only other thing I need add is this, that in

transplanting the work should be done quickly. One should not take up

celery plants and perhaps leave them a long time before placing in new

quarters. Plant immediately. It takes little to upset a celery plant and

check its growth. So never take up a whole lot of celery plants at one

time. Take up a few, keep them moist, plant them, and then start again.

[Illustration: Elizabeth Sowing Small Seed From the Package. Photograph

by Helen W. Cook.]

"I am not going to say a word about corn. You all remember the boys'

work of last year. Your teacher has planned next Friday afternoon for

the boys to discuss this at school. So we shall not have our meeting,

but I shall come to the school to hear their report. I hope our girls

will take notes on this. For I know that Eloise has decided to raise

corn next year; Helena is going to; and Leston will not be out of the

corn contest this season.

"The cucumber is the next vegetable in the line. This is a plant from

foreign lands. Some think that the cucumber is really a native of India.

It is believed that it was brought here by the Negro, and that a species

of cucumber from Africa became finally at home in this country. A light,

sandy and rich soil is needed--I mean rich in the sense of richness in

organic matter. When cucumbers are grown outdoors, as we are likely to

grow them, they are planted in hills. Nowadays, they are grown in

hothouses; they hang from the roof, and are a wonderful sight. In the

greenhouse a hive of bees is kept so that cross-fertilization may go on.

"But if you intend to raise cucumbers follow these directions: Sow the

seed inside, cover with one inch of rich soil. In a little space of six

inches diameter, plant six seeds. Place like a bean seed with the

germinating end in the soil. When all danger of frost is over, each set

of six little plants, soil and all, should be planted in the open.

Later, when danger of insect pests is over, thin out to three plants in

a hill. The hills should be about four feet apart on all sides.

"Egg plant is another vegetable we have not tried. It is another of

those which has been improved by crossing, usually with peppers and

tomatoes. But as we are not Burbanks yet, I shall not talk of that side

of egg plant culture. Some varieties of egg plant grow to a large size

but the smaller fruits, on the whole, have the better flavour. A good,

well-worked, rich garden loam is the soil for this vegetable. The seed

may be planted out in the open in little drills six inches apart. The

seed should be scattered along as lettuce seed is. When the plants are

about six inches high, transplant them to their permanent place. They

should then stand about two feet apart on all sides. More often the

seeds are started inside in March. When the little plants are about two

inches high they should be transplanted into boxes or pots. Screen from

too hot sunshine. About the time of corn planting the plants should go

into the open. A rich soil is now quite necessary. Again I would suggest

as a good method the placing of a little well-rotted manure under each

place where an egg plant is to go. There is a rather interesting

parasite which sometimes fastens itself upon the egg plant. A parasite

is a form which clings to another and takes its nourishment from this

latter or host. The parasite is a lazy shirk. So in this case the

parasite grows on the egg plant and absorbs the food which the egg plant

needs for itself. This is not an uncommon thing in nature. When such a

thing happens first pull up and destroy the poor egg plant, for the

parasite is clinging too closely and persistently to be removed.

"Nearly everyone in our country clings to lettuce as the only plant for

a salad. Over across the sea in old England this is not so. Other plants

are used in this way and called salad plants. Endive is one of these.

Some of the endives are curly-leaved, and when blanched are attractive

to look upon; and surely there is no reason why we should not consider

the side of beauty in vegetables.

"Endive is a very hardy plant. One-half an ounce of the seed will sow

one hundred feet of drill. Sow it as you would lettuce seed in soil

which should be moist and rich. The plants finally should be about eight

inches apart in the drill. The outer leaves should be tied over the top

in order to blanch the inner ones for table use. In the fall the plants

from summer sowings may be taken up with balls of earth on the roots and

placed in the coldframes ready for use through the winter. The

coldframe is a blessing. It is a place of storage all the fall and early

winter. It is a place for early work in the late winter and first part

of spring.

"Lettuce with children has always been a prime favourite for

cultivation. Before the time of Christ, lettuce was grown and served.

There is a wild lettuce from which the cultivated probably came. There

are a number of cultivated vegetables which have wild ancestors,

carrots, turnips and lettuce being the most common among them. Lettuce

may be tucked into the garden almost anywhere. It is surely one of the

most decorative of vegetables. The compact head, the green of the

leaves, the beauty of symmetry--all these are charming characteristics

of lettuces.

"Not all form heads. There is a mistaken idea abroad among children that

by transplanting, any lettuce can be made to head. Only such varieties

as are called heading lettuces will head. And these must be transplanted

in order to have really good heads. There are two general types of

lettuce--the Cos and the cabbage. The cabbage grows more like a cabbage

with great tendency toward heading. The Cos grows longer, narrower, and

has spoon-shaped leaves, which have a big, coarse midrib. The inner

leaves cling more closely together after a heading fashion; the outer

leaves spread apart. We grow in our American gardens more of the cabbage

type than of the Cos. Should we go to see our French cousins next

summer, the Cos lettuce would be served to us with plenty of oil as a

dressing.

"As the summer advances and as the early sowings of lettuce get old they

tend to go to seed. Don't let them. Pull them up. None of us are likely

to go into the seed-producing side of lettuce. What we are interested in

is the raising of tender lettuce all the season. To have such lettuce in

mid and late summer is possible only by frequent plantings of seed. If

seed is planted every ten days or two weeks all summer, you can have

tender lettuce all the season. When lettuce gets old it becomes bitter

and tough.

"Melons are most interesting to experiment with. We suppose that melons

originally came from Asia, and parts of Africa. Watermelons grow wild in

Africa. The Negroes and wild animals feed upon them. Perhaps that is the

reason why the coloured people so love them. Anyway, melons belong to

these countries. Melons are a summer fruit. Over in England we find the

muskmelons often grown under glass in hothouses. The vines are trained

upward rather than allowed to lie prone. As the melons grow large in

the hot, dry atmosphere, just the sort which is right for their growth,

they become too heavy for the vine to hold up. So they are held by

little bags of netting, just like a tennis net in size of mesh. The bags

are supported on nails or pegs. It is a very pretty sight I can assure

you. Over here usually we raise our melons outdoors. They are planted in

hills. Eight seeds are placed two inches apart and an inch deep. The

hills should have a four foot sweep on all sides; the watermelon hills

ought to have an allowance of eight to ten feet. Make the soil for these

hills very rich. As the little plants get sizeable--say about four

inches in height--reduce the number of plants to two in a hill. Always

in such work choose the very sturdiest plants to keep. Cut the others

down close to or a little below the surface of the ground. Pulling up

plants is a shocking way to get rid of them. I say shocking because the

pull is likely to disturb the roots of the two remaining plants. When

the melon plant has reached a length of a foot, pinch off the end of it.

This pinch means this to the plant: just stop growing long, take time

now to grow branches. Sand or lime sprinkled about the hills tends to

keep bugs away.

"Onions are about as popular a vegetable as we have. Some people are

quite scornful of onions because of their truly disagreeable odour. But

I do not know what we should do without the onion for flavourings. Peter

is to plant onions where he last had celery. That is very wise, because

onions do especially well coming after a crop for which the land was

heavily fertilized. Onions like moisture of soil, too. If the soil is

not rich enough, nitrate of soda may be added. The most discouraging

thing about chemical fertilizers is the fact that advertisements say to

have a certain quantity for an acre of land. Few boys and girls are

planting entire acres, to just one thing. Now, suppose you write down

this: Add 1/4 pound of nitrate of soda to 100 square feet of land then

use the proper fractional amount. To buy 1/40 of a pound for example

sounds absurd. Buy your quarter pound and put the approximate amount on.

Sprinkle chemical fertilizer over the surface of the soil and rake it in

just under the surface.

"There are two methods for the planting of onions. One way is to use

seed; the other, sets. Sets mean little onion bulbs. These are placed in

drills about six inches apart and so that the little bulb may be just

beneath the surface of the soil. Do not set too low. These bulbs are

ready before seed onions. Seeds are rather slow in development. If you

make sowings pretty thick the tender tops may be used, and so the

thinning process is done to advantage.

"I believe that all your gardens should have some parsley in them. It

can be planted as a border, since it grows low and has a fringy,

decorative effect. If you were Italian girls and boys you would have

parsley if you had nothing else; for the Italians always use it in their

soups. There is a European variety, not as pretty as the common variety,

which grows taller and ranker. It has a stronger smell. An Italian boy

who was living in America had a garden in which he grew both kinds of

parsley. He was asked which he liked the better. Straightening up, he

pointed to the European saying, 'Smells stronger.'

''I believe none of us have raised parsnips. It takes 1/4 of an ounce of

seed to plant 100 feet of drill. Any deep, rich, moist garden soil will

do. Just as early as the ground is workable, the seed should be sown.

Sow in drills of 1/2 inch depth and 6 inches apart. The plants should

finally stand about eight inches apart. They may be dug before or after

frost. Some people think that the early frosts improve the flavour of

parsnips.

"I suppose there is no vegetable so well liked as peas. Who would wish

a Fourth of July dinner without peas? The early varieties of peas go

into the ground just as early as possible. I like best to dig trenches

six inches deep and about eighteen inches apart. As the peas are dropped

into the trench, cover over with about two inches of soil. As the plants

grow, fill soil into the trench. Of course, peas have to be brushed. So

as soon as the little runners form put brush behind the plant and start

the twiners about the brush stalks. A variety of pea called Gradus is

very excellent in flavour.

"As for potatoes--well, now, just see Peter grin! He has covered that

subject. Of course, I can add nothing to an expert's advice.

"Peppers are worth trying. If you do not care for them in your home

gardens, add them to the school garden. They work in with the courses in

cooking. Just as egg plants are started inside, so ought peppers to be.

Whenever the soil is warm and the weather settled, the pepper plants may

go out. The best soil for them is a rich, sandy one. The little plants

should have about one and a half foot of space on all sides. At first

they look pretty lonesome so far apart but soon they will grow to

large, bushy plants. A little hen manure mixed with soil and put on top

of the ground about the little peppers gives them a good start in their

new quarters. There are many interesting kinds of peppers to grow. If a

pepper with a little sting is wished try such varieties as Bird's Eye,

Red Cluster, and Tobasco. Suppose the peppers are to be used for

stuffing. Then large, rather more mild-flavoured kinds are needed. Ruby

King pepper is a bouncing beauty. The Red Etna, Improved Bull Nose and

Golden King are other good ones.

"The word pumpkin stands for good, old-fashioned pies, for Thanksgiving,

for grandmother's house. It really brings more to mind than the word

squash. I suppose the squash is a bit more useful, when we think of the

fine Hubbard, and the nice little crooked-necked summer squashes; but

after all, I like to have more pumpkins. And as for

Jack-o'-lanterns--why they positively demand pumpkins. In planting

these, the same general directions hold good which were given for

melons. And use these same for squash-planting, too. But do not plant

the two cousins together, for they have a tendency to run together.

Plant the pumpkins in between the hills of corn and let the squashes go

in some other part of the garden.

"We have very nearly worn out the subject of radish. About the only

cultural point I would add is this: Make radish develop quickly. If

growth is slow, the radish is likely to be poor. Sometimes all the

growth goes to top. Fine, green leaves result, but no good radishes.

Then doctor the soil in order that fruit development may be quickened.

Radishes are the quickest in maturing of all vegetables. That is why

your teacher had radish beds for the lower grades in the school. The

children got a result and got it quickly. Josephine might have raised

radishes as well as parsley in the box garden she had. People in cities

could raise these two vegetables on their roofs just as well as not.

They are worth the effort it takes in trying.

"There is one point I wish to speak of in tomato culture. The great

trouble in cultivating comes in the overgrowth of vines. Each plant

becomes a large, overgrown, unwieldy sort of affair unless looked out

for. Use a stake for each vine. Tie the main stalk of the plant to this.

Let the development of fruit come from the top of the plant. So pinch

back the lateral branches and remove these. In this way the tomato

garden is a neat and pretty one. This treatment is similar to that given

grapes.

"There is a tomato called the dwarf champion. This is a dwarf variety

and so gives less trouble than the other kinds. It does not get

troublesome and often does not need staking. If you were little boys and

girls, I should say plant this kind of tomato every time.

"I have little more to say about turnips. They are an old vegetable, for

over two thousand years ago, the Greeks dined on turnips. I usually

plant mine right out in the open. The soil may be a sandy one.

X

FLOWER CULTURE

In planting the flower garden there are a few things always to be

considered. These are matters of colour, of time and of persistency.

"The subject of colour is not so trying, after all, as many gardeners

seem to think. If you people wish to plant a few of a good many

gay-blooming plants, then I guess colour is a problem. The chief thought

in a flower garden should be, how I can make a beautiful picture of this

garden of mine. You see right off how tiring and dazzling the garden of

too many little dots of colour could be. Look about in nature--see the

beautiful range of the butterfly weed, the pinky purple of Joe Pye, the

scarlet of cardinal flowers, the blue of certain asters, the pink of

bouncing Bet, the yellow of tansy and goldenrod. Nature is constantly

presenting perfect splashes of brilliant colour here and there. And yet

it is not inharmonious. Why? One reason is that much of the colour is in

great masses, and what is not has been softened by stretches of soft

green.

"Let us take a hint from this for our small gardens. Plant colours in

masses, and have breaks of green in between. Not a bad idea! I seem to

hear you say.

"Then a garden should have a strong time element about it. By this I

mean that one should plan a garden for a round of bloom. Why have all

the blooms in August? If you look at this bulb time-table I shall have

ready for you, you will find that it is possible to start with bulbs.

Snowdrops and crocuses will gladly usher in a continuous round of bloom

for you. I do not mean that these two will bloom continuously. Not at

all! But I mean they are the starters. There are conditions, where

spring bloom and fall bloom alone is desired. This is the case with all

school gardens where summer care is impossible. Another table called a

garden of continuous bloom will help you plan this.

"Another point to think of is persistency. Why not plant some seed which

will produce plants that come up year after year? Why not have some

hardy perennials and some self-sowing annuals? Poppy and cornflower sow

themselves. These are annuals. Think of the perennials, which come year

after year to welcome us. I think you should have hardy matter in your

gardens. Peonies come up year after year, iris takes care of itself,

helianthus or perennial sunflower bobs up each year.

"George asked me one day, what I meant when I spoke of herbaceous

plants. A herbaceous plant is one with a non-woody stem, as geraniums.

Mock orange is not herbaceous, because it has a woody stem. When I speak

of hardy plants, I mean those which can stand living outdoors through

their existence, from start to finish. A half-hardy plant is one that

requires fostering before being planted outdoors. We consider asters

half-hardy, because they need the extra heat for start which the

nasturtium does not need. You would not think of starting nasturtiums

indoors. But asters and stock really need this sort of a start in life.

"The tall flowers must go toward the back of the garden, for if they

were placed in the foreground they would screen the others. The plants

of medium height make up the main part of the garden; while the low

plants are in the foreground as borders.

"Perhaps it would be wiser to put some tall perennials or self-sowing

annuals in the background, and among the shrubbery. Then save bed spaces

for the annuals. This will cause less disturbance in the garden than

the sowing of annuals in with the perennials.

"I cannot take up all the garden flowers with you, because it is an

impossibility. But a certain number of the more common ones I will talk

of.

"There are certain plants rather easier to grow than others, and very

satisfactory in results. One of these all-around plants is the pansy. It

likes best of all cool, moist places but it will do well, under rather

reverse conditions. Pansies are the easiest of plants to grow from seed,

and they offer a ready response to experiments with cross-fertilization.

The very best time to sow plants is after midsummer. Anyway, the work

must be done before October the first. Let us claim then that the middle

of August is a good time. Make little drills a quarter of an inch deep

for the seed; or better, sprinkle it on a fine seed bed. Over the seed

sift a little soil. Pansy seed is fine and small, so great care must be

taken in the early waterings; better far to cover the bed with old

sacking, and water the sacking. In this way, the seed is not washed

away. The little sturdy plants should be covered over with leaves or

straw for the wintertime. When early spring comes, you will be delighted

with plants which are well along.

"Pansy flowers should always be kept well picked. Do not let the seed

pods form if you desire continuous bloom. It is well to hold this in

mind--that if plants are hurried along too fast, the flowers suffer in

size. Small, inferior flowers result from such treatment. Pansies have a

habit of running out--that is, the flowers grow smaller each year. It is

merely a warning to keep making new sowings in order that one may always

have large, vigorous blooms.

"Choice seed of this flower is very expensive. It is a plant that some

florists have put all their time upon. It has seemed to certain men that

one of the greatest things in the world, is to find out ways of

improving the plants of the earth. So certain fruits are crossed to make

new and better ones; and certain flowers are being constantly worked

over to get superior strains. Sweet peas, pansies, stock, and dahlias

are plants which have been much improved by man's skill.

"Larkspur is one of those plants which children so rarely try. I have

wondered often why. It is not hard to raise, and so I am hoping that

some of you will try it another season. The larkspur is a hardy plant,

and there are both annuals and perennials in this family. Some varieties

are dwarfed, and grow only a foot and a half high, while others grow

five feet in height. This latter growth is very charming in the

background of the garden. The flower spikes are showy and the foliage

pretty. The larkspur likes a pretty rich sort of soil. The seed is very

slow in germinating, and that is reason enough for fall planting. The

stay over winter gives these fussy seeds time to make up their minds to

germinate. This sowing should be done after the middle of October.

"Really charming blue flowers are a bit difficult to find because we

have fewer blue flowers than those of the reds and yellows. Do not get

the impression that larkspurs are only blue in colour. There are yellow,

pink, red, and white varieties. But the blue is very fine. So when you

are thinking of high flowers for backgrounds, keep the larkspur in mind.

"Hollyhock is another good background plant, because of its height and

sentinel-like effect. It sows itself, so will take care of itself.

Perennial phlox is well to put into the garden. Helianthus, I have

mentioned, as suitable for backgrounds. It has a rather bad habit of too

free spreading.

"Peonies are very satisfactory. I am sure you will all want some of

them. They look their best planted in clumps. A certain pink and white

peony is called the rose peony. It is sweet scented, and when in blossom

it scents the portion of the yard where it is placed. These look well

planted in wide borders. The roots, or bulbs, should go about three

inches below ground in nice, rich, garden soil. Do not plant where they

get the full blaze of early sun.

"I'd put some iris in the border, too. It requires no care. You need not

bed it over, even, in the fall. It likes a certain amount of moisture,

but grows readily under almost all conditions. The German iris is an

easy grower; the French fleur-de-lis is lovely with its more delicate

blossom. Certain irises, to be sure, are particular about their

quarters, but the two kinds mentioned are not. They like a certain

amount of open space. Do not hide them in the shrubbery, although they

may be planted near it.

"You might put in some hardy chrysanthemums. These need good rich garden

soil. They should also be placed near the back of the garden for good

effect. You may choose almost any colour in these. Some of the little

button chrysanthemums are good for backgrounds. The yellow ones make

good splashes of colour, while the dull reds are most beautiful. These

bloom after frost. When the frost has made havoc with the foliage, cut

the plant down to about one inch of the ground. It is well to cut the

flowers before frost.

"You have now a few good background plants which are hardy.

"The biennials can be so planted as to behave like perennials. These

plants, you remember, are doing their best blossoming work the second

summer. So by yearly sowings you may always have good effects. I have

mentioned some already for your garden:--Canterbury bell, cornflower and

foxglove are biennials. Cornflower tends to self sow, but needs help in

this work from you. Sweet William is an old favourite. Of course, it is

pretty gaudy. But I like old sweet William in spite of his gay tendency.

They are rather stiff, but so easy to raise, being not very particular

about anything.

"When it comes to annuals there is a multitude of these to plant each

season. There are candytuft and alyssum for borders. Then mignonette is

absolutely necessary to keep the garden sweet. Coreopsis is easy to

raise, and so is godetia. If a great big bold mass of colour is desired,

put in Shirley poppies. These grow well even on sandy soil. It is well

to remember, that these do not lend themselves kindly to transplanting.

"Suppose there is a bit of sandy ground which needs a low-growing plant.

Put in this spot portulaca. The bright little blossoms, constantly

blooming, add a bit of cheer to that old sandy place.

"There are the old stand-bys which are good bloomers--nasturtiums,

zinnias, marigolds and petunias. In the case of zinnia, it is better to

buy these seeds by the ounce. Children's penny packages and the regular

five-cent packages are filled usually with seeds which produce variously

coloured blossoms. One can plan for no good effects in this way. If you

get a seed catalogue, and look through the zinnia list, you can choose

just what you like.

"Certain plants are spoken of as plants for bedding. These plants are

placed in a formal bed after the spring flowers have finished their

blooming. You sometimes see in the park fine beds of tulips and

hyacinths early in the season. After these have finished their blooming,

plants which are all started are put in their bed. If seeds were planted

they would take so long to develop that the bed would look bad for a

long time. So bedding plants are put in. Geraniums are the most popular

of all. Begonias, fuchsias, heliotrope and coleus are often used.

Geraniums will stand almost any kind of soil, and therefore have great

advantages over most plants. Begonias will flourish in the shade; while

the strong point about coleus is that of beauty of foliage.

"To those of you who have started outdoor bulb beds, the bedding list

will be of some service. Marguerites look well in such a bed. Often one

sees a border of ageratum about such a one. There is always a sort of

stiff effect about such borders, however. A canna bed is after the same

order, yet is effective. Salvia, or scarlet sage, looks well in wide

borders, or near the underpinning of the house. Both these may act as

bedding plants.

"There are three other kinds of gardens I should like to bring to your

minds--the rock garden, the herb garden and the wild-flower garden. This

last we shall have to leave for another time, however.

"Whenever a rockery is mentioned to some people they shrug their

shoulders, and murmur something about a mere heap of rocks. Now, a rock

garden may be very pretty, or very ugly. Such a garden should never be

stuck out in the front yard to hit one in the face. But if you have a

place in your yard, which is near the woods or in the vicinity of

trees, or by a rocky ledge--in short, if you have any place with a bit

of wildness surrounding it, use this for a rockery. If your yard is just

a plain, tame, civilized yard, you'd better leave the rock garden out. I

know of a lady living in a city, whose backyard is a rocky ledge. That

ledge itself told her what her garden ought to be. It just cried out to

her, 'Build a rock garden on me.' And she did it. Any other kind of a

garden would have been out of place and taste there. Wherever a rocky

ledge is found, there is a possibility for a rock garden.

"To have a good garden of this sort, one must have earth as well as

rocks. Earth must be put into all the crevices of rock, so that there is

some depth to it, and at such an angle that it won't be washed out by

hard rains. A rock garden should have an earth foundation. I mean that

there must be much of earth about it. I saw a charming one, which had

only climbing nasturtiums planted over it. It was a great rock jutting

out, and extending back into the yard--a big, flat, irregular

affair--and all over it were these running vines. It was very simple and

very effective. Go to the woods and seek out ferns which are growing in

rocky places. Take what little earth they have about them, and try to

give them a similar position in your own rockery. Bring back some leaf

mould from the woods, and mix the garden soil for the rockery.

Candytuft, dwarf phlox, stonecrop, morning glory, saxifrage, bleeding

heart, rock cress, myrtle, thrift, columbine, bell flower, and moss

pink. Get some moss, too, for chinks between rocks.

"If we could go back to old colonial days, and visit a dame's garden, I

am sure we should find a little herb garden there. Our mothers might

call these herbs pot herbs. Here all the flavourings for the soups were

raised. Here sweet lavender might be found, its flowers used to make

fragrant the bed linen. Horehound, anise and others were used in

medicines; while little caraway seeds made delicious the cakes and

cookies. I can see bunches of dried sage hung in the attic.

"Even with us there might be good use made of this garden both at home

and at school. We do, of course, grow parsley, which is an herb, but the

others seem to have dropped out of our gardens. We might at least grow

next summer the sage and savoury for the turkey stuffing.

"Herbs need a sandy, well-worked soil. Seed should be sown in drills

about twelve inches apart. The seed should be sown in early spring, as

soon as the ground is warm. Sprinkle the seed just below the surface,

and cover lightly with soil.

"A list of common herbs includes the following: Anise, balm, basil,

borage, caraway, catnip, coriander, dill, fennel, horehound, hop,

hyssop, lavender, pot marigold, sweet and pot marjoram, parsley,

pennyroyal, rosemary, rue, sage, savoury, tansy, sorrel, thyme, and

wormwood. It would be of little use to plant all of these, even to see

what the plants were like. I would suggest your trying lavender, sage,

savoury, and dill.

"Lavender seed is very slow to germinate, so sow the seed plentifully in

early spring. The soil should have a dusting of lime over it as lavender

plants enjoy lime. The flower is the part you wish. Pick these flower

stalks before the flowers get old. Dry, and then sprinkle the dried

flowers in the linen chest. Lavender is very sweet, and is often spoken

of as sweet lavender. To this day one will hear women singing in the

streets of London, 'Sweet lavender, buy my sweet lavender.'

"Sage likes a good, well-drained soil. It, too, likes lime. The little

seedlings should be thinned out to stand about ten inches apart. When

you see flowers forming cut the sage plant and quickly dry. It makes a

pretty border plant in the garden. Savoury is also a border plant. But

this is a hardy annual, while lavender and sage are perennials. It likes

a light but rich soil. Both the leaves and flowers are used in soup

flavouring. "Dill is also sown in early spring. It is the seed of the

dill plant, and not the leaves and flowers, which is the useful part.

The seeds are used in the making of pickles.

"I shall hope to see something in the herb line, in your gardens next

year--a hardy garden started, and a good bit of taste displayed by all

of you. You girls might raise mint to put in lemonade.

"Next time we shall have our talk on wild flowers. Some of you know and

love many of these wild flowers."

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ANNUALS FOR SANDY SOILS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clarkia Rose June 1-1/2 ft. Good to use for a border

White Oct. plant.

Purple Use single varieties.

Poppy White July 1-1/2 ft. Do not transplant. Fine for

Red Aug. mass effects.

Nasturtium Yellow June Most satisfactory, especially

to Maroon Oct. 1-5 ft. for cut flowers. Blooms

freely.

Portulaca White June 1/2 ft. Blooms freely -- grows close

Red to the ground.

Yellow

Zinnia Red June 1-1/2 ft. Grows without great care.

Magenta Frost Blooms freely. Looks best

when massed.

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ANNUALS FOR HEAVY SOILS

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NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Godetia Red July 1-2 ft. Easy to grow. An English

White Oct. favourite: blooms freely.

Sweet Pea Variety July 4-6 ft. Plant early in the spring in

Oct. a sunny spot. Keep flowers

well clipped for constant

bloom.

Petunia Magenta May 1-2 ft. Mass or use in borders. Give

plenty of sun. Good for

the outdoor window box.

Sweet White July 1/2 ft. Sow thickly in the borders.

Alyssum Sept. Blooms freely. Grows in

every soil.

Pot Orange June 1-1/2 ft. Blooms freely. Looks well

Marigold Yellow Frost in masses. Stiff effect as a

cut flower.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEVEN FAVOURITE ANNUALS FOR CUT FLOWERS

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NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweet White July 1/2 ft. Use in low bowls for table

Alyssum Red Sept. decorations.

China Aster White July 1 ft. Lasts long after cutting.

Blue to Oct.

Purple

Baby's White June 2-3 ft. Use in bouquets with other

Breath Rose Oct. flowers.

Coreopsis Yellow June 1-2 ft. Place by themselves in tall

Brown Nov. vases.

Nasturtium Scarlet June 1-5 ft. Cut freely for constant

Yellow Oct. bloom. Use in great

masses in low vases.

Pansy Purple May 1/2-1 ft. Cut closely. Place in low

Blue June dishes.

Yellow

White

Pink White May 1 ft. Lasts well after cutting.

Maroon Aug.

Rose

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANNUALS THAT BLOOM AFTER FROST

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweet Alyssum White July 1/2 ft. Withstands early frosts.

Sept. Good border plant.

Candytuft Red June to 1/2 ft. Sow at intervals through

White Sept. the summer. Good cut

flower.

Cornflower Rose June 2-3 ft. Good for cut flowers.

Blue Blooms freely.

White

Marigold Yellow June 1/2 - 2 Better for garden effects

Browns Aug. ft. than for cut flowers.

Annual Phlox Yellow May 1/2 - 1 Self sows. Good all round

Reds Aug. ft. plant.

White

Ten-weeks White June 1 1/2 A second sowing made in

stock Purple July ft. May flowers the same

Pink season.

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FRAGRANT ANNUALS

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NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mignonette Green May 1 ft. Beautifully fragrant. Do

Oct. not transplant. Good to use

as a break for

clashing colours.

Sweet Peas White July 4-6 ft. Free bloomer. Try variety

Scarlet Oct. _Lathyrus odorata._

Blue

Yellow

Ten- weeks Pink June 1 ft. Good for cut flowers.

stock Purple July Fragrant at night.

White

Sweet Sultan White June 2 ft. _Centaurea moschata_ good

Yellow Aug. for cut flowers.

Purple

Sweet Alyssum White July 1/2 ft. _Alyssum maritimun._ Low

Sept. growing, border plant.

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ANNUALS THAT RE-SOW THEMSELVES

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NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

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Morning glory Reds July 15-30 ft. Grows rapidly. Makes a

Blues Oct good screen.

Whites

Poppy Pink June 1/2-2 ft. _Papaver Rhocas_ and P.

Scarlet Sept. _somniferum_.

White

Phlox Yellow May l/2-1 ft. _Phlox Drummondii._

Reds Aug. Need much water.

White

Pot Marigold Orange June 1-2 ft. _Calendula officinalis_

Yellow Oct. Likes a warm soil.

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ANNUALS THAT CLIMB

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NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Balloon Vine White Aug. 10 ft. Grows rapidly. Good screen.

Japanese Hop Incon- July 8-20 ft. Rapid grower. Looks well

spicuous Oct. growing along old fences.

Moon-flower White July 15-30 ft. Night bloomer. Grows

Sept. rapidly.

Morning Glory Purple June 20 ft. Rapid grower. Good

White Aug. screen.

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ANNUALS FOR SHADY PLACES

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NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Godetia White July 1-2 ft. The flowers are showy.

Red to Oct.

Musk Yellow June 1/2-1 ft. Need moisture and coolness.

to Aug

Nemophila Blue June 1-3 ft. Moisture, partial shade and

White to Oct. coolness.

Pansy White May 1/2-1 ft. Sow under same conditions

Yellow to Oct. as musk in early spring.

Purple Blooms freely in the fall.

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ANNUALS FOR SUNNY PLACES

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NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Balsam Red June to 1-2 ft. Plant in rich sandy loam

Yellow Oct. under direct rays of sun.

White

Cornflower Blue May to 2 ft. Full flower. Resows itself

Sept.

Cosmos White July to 4 ft. Overrich soil retards

Pink Sept. bloom.

Crimson

Gaillardia Red July to 3 ft. Good cut flower. Blossoms

Yellow Oct. freely.

Marigold, Yellow July to 3 ft. Blooms profusely; stiff

African Frost flower head.

Nasturtium Yellow June to 1-5 ft. Both dwarf and tall varieties

Scarlet Oct. are rapid growers

and free bloomers.

Rose moss White June 1/2-3/4 ft. _Portulaca grandiflora._

Magenta Aug. Plant in position direct

sunshine.

Verbena Various July to 2 ft. Start inside for early

Sept. bloom.

Wallflower Orange June 1-1/2 ft. Sown in Sept. blooms in

July May.

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ANNUALS FOR ROCKY PLACES

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phlox Red June to 1-1-1/2 ft. Variety _Phlox Drumondii_

White Oct. Duration of

bloom depends on richness

of soil.

Candytuft Red May 1/2-1-1/2 ft. Plant in the fall and cover

White Frost for early spring bloom.

Clarkia Purple June 1-1/2 ft. Use _Clarkia elegans._

Red Oct. Thrives in both sun and

White partial shade.

Nasturtium Reds June 1 ft. _Tropoeolum minor;_ blooms

(Dwarf) Yellows Oct. very early.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

FRAGRANT PERENNIALS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winter Lilac Dec. 1 ft. Blooms outdoors in winter.

Heliotrope Feb. Flowers small.

Russian Violet March 1/2 ft. Double flowers. Hardy.

Violets

Lily-of- White May 3/4 ft. Plant by middle of March

the-Valley for that season's bloom.

Needs part shade.

Spreads.

Valerian Pinkish June 3 ft. Finely cut foliage. Easy

to grow.

Lemon Lily Yellow June 2 ft. Flowers 4 in. long. Tubers

which multiply rapidly.

Fringed Pink Lilac July 1 ft. Blooms until autumn if

prevented from seeding.

Bee Balm Scarlet July 2 ft. Odour of mint. Good for

Aug. mass effects.

White Day White Aug. 2 ft. Lilies 4-6 in. long. Fine,

Lily Sept. broad-leaved foliage.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

PERENNIALS FOR CUT FLOWERS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christmas Rose White Nov. 1/2 ft. Blooms outdoors in the

Feb. snow. No fragrance.

Charming in masses.

California Violet March 1/2 ft. Large flowers but single.

Violets Fragrant.

Foxglove Purple June 3-4 ft. Large flowers, long stems.

Oriental Blue June 2-3 ft. Beautiful colour, long

Larkspur White stems. Let no flowers

go to seed.

Japan Iris Variety July 3-4 ft. Short lived when cut.

of Fine blooms.

Japan Anemone Pink Sept. 3 ft. Finest September flower.

White Plant in spring. Plant

for afternoon sun.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

TALL PERENNIALS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hollyhock Variety July 6 ft. Single varieties are the

of hardier; double varieties

last longer.

Plume Poppy Pinkish July 6 ft. Spreads rapidly. Fine for

massing and screening.

Do not plant on the

west as it shuts off sun.

Golden Glow Yellow Aug. 6 ft. Multiplies rapidly. Fine

bloomer. Liable to pest

lice. Spray with soap

solution.

Double Yellow Aug. 5 ft. Largest double flower of

Sunflower any perennial. Likely

to run out unless divided

Late Yellow Sept. 10-12 ft. Tallest of perennials;

Sunflower blooms till October.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

LOW GROWING PERENNIALS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crested Blue April 9 in. Earliest of iris. Good for

Dwarf Iris edgings. Plant the

middle of March.

Dwarf Flag Purple April 9 in. Increases rapidly. Large

flowers. Good colouring

English Pink April 6 in. Good for spring budding

Daisy White purposes.

Tufted Blue June 6 in. More but smaller flowers

Pansies or Yellow than pansies. After

Violets White July cut back, manure

and they will bloom

again in September.

Carpathian Blue July 8 in. Bloom for 6 weeks. Easy

Harebell to grow.

Coral Bells Red Aug. 12 in. Grow in sandy, well-drained

soil. Coral red

flowers.

Popp-mallow Crimson Sept. 9 in. Blooms nearly 12 weeks.

Colour does not harmonize

with others.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

PERENNIALS OF MEDIUM HEIGHT

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR TIME HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bleeding Pink May 1-1/2 ft. Long lived and long of

Heart bloom. Graceful.

European Crimson May 3 ft. Earliest of peonies. Poor

Peony White appearance in the fall.

Sweet Red June 12 in. Self sows. Flowers at their

William Pink best the second year.

White

Chinese Crimson June 2-1/2 ft. Long-lived. Very

Peony Pink satisfactory. Plant

White in September.

Foxglove Purple June 3-3-1/4 ft. Spire-like cluster

White of flowers.

Oriental Blue June 2-3 ft. Best blue perennial. Cut

Larkspur flower spikes as soon as

they fade.

Oriental Red June 3 ft. Self sows. Flowers 6 in.

Poppy across.

Gaillardia Red June 1 ft. Flowers more freely than

Yellow Nov. any other perennial.

Cover plants after

ground freezes.

Late Phlox All best Aug. 1-1/2 ft. Fragrant in the evening.

Blue Sept. Many colours of bloom.

and

Yellow

Hardy Blue Sept. 3ft. Long season of bloom.

Chrysanthemum Scarlet Nov. Deep rich soil and sunny

exposure for best results.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

XI

THE WILD-FLOWER GARDEN

"A wild-flower garden has a most attractive sound. One thinks of long

tramps in the woods, collecting material, and then of the fun in fixing

up a real for sure wild garden.

"If the wild garden is to be a school affair, then I certainly should

plant the different kinds of flowers together. The north corner near the

building is a suitable place. But if the garden is to be at home--your

own private little garden--I am inclined to think it would be better to

plant the wild flowers here and there among the cultivated ones.

"A wild-flower garden is a joy each year, because up it comes without

constant replanting of seed. It is a hardy garden. As Nature often

covers her wood-flowers over with leaves preparatory to winter, so you

might copy her and do the same.

"Many people say they have no luck at all with such a garden. It is not

a question of luck, but a question of understanding, for wild flowers

are like people and each has its personality. What a plant has been

accustomed to in Nature it desires always. In fact, when removed from

its own sort of living conditions, it sickens and dies. That is enough

to tell us that we should copy Nature herself. Suppose you are hunting

wild flowers. As you choose certain flowers from the woods, notice the

soil they are in, the place, conditions, the surroundings, and the

neighbours.

"Suppose you find dog-tooth violets and wind-flowers growing near

together. Then place them so in your own new garden. Suppose you find a

certain violet enjoying an open situation; then it should always have

the same. You see the point, do you not? If you wish wild flowers to

grow in a tame garden make them feel at home. Cheat them into almost

believing that they are still in their native haunts.

"Wild flowers ought to be transplanted after blossoming time is over.

Take a trowel and a basket into the woods with you. As you take up a

few, a columbine, or a hepatica, be sure to take with the roots some of

the plant's own soil, which must be packed about it when replanted.

"The bed into which these plants are to go should be prepared carefully

before this trip of yours. Surely you do not wish to bring those plants

back to wait over a day or night before planting. They should go into

new quarters at once. The bed needs soil from the woods, deep and rich

and full of leaf mold. The under drainage system should be excellent.

Then plants are not to go into water-logged ground. Some people think

that all wood plants should have a soil saturated with water. But the

woods themselves are not water-logged. It may be that you will need to

dig your garden up very deeply and put some stone in the bottom. Over

this the top soil should go. And on top, where the top soil once was,

put a new layer of the rich soil you brought from the woods.

"Before planting water the soil well. Then as you make places for the

plants put into each hole some of the soil which belongs to the plant

which is to be put there.

"I think it would be a rather nice plan to have a wild-flower garden

giving a succession of bloom from early spring to late fall; so let us

start off with March, the hepatica, spring beauty and saxifrage. Then

comes April bearing in its arms the beautiful columbine, the tiny bluets

and wild geranium. For May there are the dog-tooth violet and the wood

anemone, false Solomon's seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit, wake robin, bloodroot

and violets. June will give the bellflower, mullein, bee balm and

foxglove. I would choose the gay butterfly weed for July. Let turtle

head, aster, Joe Pye weed, and Queen Anne's lace make the rest of the

season brilliant until frost.

"Let us have a bit about the likes and dislikes of these plants. After

you are once started you'll keep on adding to this wild-flower list.

"There is no one who doesn't love the hepatica. Before the spring has

really decided to come, this little flower pokes its head up and puts

all else to shame. Tucked under a covering of dry leaves the blossoms

wait for a ray of warm sunshine to bring them out. The last year's

leaves stay on through the winter brooding over the little fresh

sprouts. These embryo flowers are further protected by a fuzzy covering.

This reminds one of a similar protective covering which new fern leaves

have. In the spring a hepatica plant wastes no time on getting a new

suit of leaves. It makes its old ones do until the blossom has had its

day. Then the new leaves, started to be sure before this, have a chance.

These delayed, are ready to help out next season. You will find

hepaticas growing in clusters, sort of family groups. They are likely to

be found in rather open places in the woods. The soil is found to be

rich and loose. So these should go only in partly shaded places and

under good soil conditions. If planted with other woods specimens give

them the benefit of a rather exposed position, that they may catch the

early spring sunshine. I should cover hepaticas over with a light litter

of leaves in the fall. During the last days of February, unless the

weather is extreme take this leaf covering away. You'll find the

hepatica blossoms all ready to poke up their heads.

"The spring beauty hardly allows the hepatica to get ahead of her. With

a white flower which has dainty tracings of pink, a thin, wiry stem, and

narrow, grass-like leaves, this spring flower cannot be mistaken. You

will find spring beauties growing in great patches in rather open

places. Plant a number of the roots and allow the sun good opportunity

to get at them. For this plant loves the sun.

"The other March flower mentioned is the saxifrage. This belongs in

quite a different sort of environment. It is a plant which grows in dry

and rocky places. Often one will find it in chinks of rock. There is an

old tale to the effect that the saxifrage roots twine about rocks and

work their way into them so that the rock itself splits. Anyway, it is a

rock garden plant. I have found it in dry, sandy places right on the

borders of a big rock. It has white flower clusters borne on hairy

stems.

"The columbine is another plant that is quite likely to be found in

rocky places. Standing below a ledge and looking up, one sees nestled

here and there in rocky crevices one plant or more of columbine. The

nodding red heads bob on wiry, slender stems. The roots do not strike

deeply into the soil; in fact, often the soil hardly covers them. Now,

just because the columbine has little soil, it does not signify that it

is indifferent to the soil conditions. For it always has lived, and

always should live, under good drainage conditions. I wonder if it has

struck you, how really hygienic plants are? Plenty of fresh air, proper

drainage, and good food are fundamentals with plants.

"It is evident from study of these plants how easy it is to find out

what plants like. After studying their feelings, then do not make the

mistake of huddling them all together under poor drainage conditions.

"I always have a feeling of personal affection for the bluets. When they

come I always feel that now things are beginning to settle down

outdoors. They start with rich, lovely, little delicate blue blossoms.

As June gets hotter and hotter their colour fades a bit, until at times

they look quite worn and white. Some people call them Quaker ladies,

others innocence. Under any name they are charming. They grow in

colonies, sometimes in sunny fields, sometimes by the road-side. From

this we learn that they are more particular about the open sunlight than

about the soil.

"If you desire a flower to pick and use for bouquets, then the wild

geranium is not your flower. It droops very quickly after picking and

almost immediately drops its petals. But the purplish flowers are showy,

and the leaves, while rather coarse, are deeply cut. This latter effect

gives a certain boldness to the plant that is rather attractive. The

plant is found in rather moist, partly shaded portions of the woods. I

like this plant in the garden. It adds good colour and permanent colour

as long as blooming time lasts, since there is no object in picking it.

"I suppose little children would not have a perfect spring without the

dog's tooth violet. The leaves are attractive and almost make the beauty

of a bouquet. It is sometimes called trout lily. The mottled effect of

the leaves accounts for the trout part of the name, and as for lily, it

_is_ a lily, and never belonged to the violet family at all. Dig the

plant up, and the bulbous root tells the story. It really does belong to

the lily family. The nodding yellow flower is pretty, too. These, when

picked, last a long time in water. They like to grow in the

neighbourhood of the brook. A moist, half-shaded half-open piece of land

is their delight, and therefore in many gardens the trout lily might

have to be left out.

"There is a sweet little flower called the wood anemone, or wind-flower.

It is another modest little flower, white in colour. The constant

nodding of the petals stirred by even a breath of wind gives it the name

of wind-flower. These also grow in colonies. Have you noticed how

social, but clannish, our wild flowers are? Especially is this true of

the real woods flowers, rather than of the wayside flowers. The anemone

grows in open places by the woods or the hillside. They are a sort of

border plant evidently trying to leave the woods, but still bound to it.

"If in your yard there happens to be a big old fatherly tree or a

decaying stump, plant wind-flowers all about it. You may make the

flowers feel that they are on the edge of the woods.

"While I have numbered bloodroot among May flowers, it often does appear

in April, and before the wood anemone. The silvery, white blossom pushes

its head above the leaves in a fine fashion. They are sensitive flowers,

closing partly in cloudy weather, and actually dropping to pieces in a

rainstorm or under severe winds. The leaves are large, rather coarse,

but pretty with their light under surfaces. The stems have tinges of red

on them, a dark red sap in the roots. These roots bleed when disturbed.

The Indians used to stain their faces with this orange sap-blood. You

will find bloodroot growing in rich soil either in open woods or on

rocky slopes.

"In a nice, rich, moist place put a few Jack-in-the pulpits. This flower

is much like a child's jack-in-the-box. It is so different from most of

our plants that it has the effect of the joker in a pack of cards. Push

back the flap over Jack's face and you will see a club like a

policeman's billy. Along this club the inconspicuous flowers are borne.

Later, in the fall, the fruit forms, and inside, instead of rather

uninteresting flowers, are bright red berries. So Jack jokes again.

"There is always a great feeling of joy when the first trilliums, or

wake robins, appear. Walking in the deep, moist woods suddenly one sees

a mass of big leaves and white flowers. The same irresistably lovely

trilliums have come again. Three big leaves, then a flower stalk

shooting up from the centre of this whorl of leaves, and on top the

crowning glory--the three-petaled trillium flower. A fragrant white or

pink form is called the nodding wake robin. These in a glance tell their

wishes. The plant sometimes is nearly two feet high. So a clump of these

could easily go toward the back of the wild-flower garden in shade and

moist soil.

"Another wild flower of striking beauty is the May apple or mandrake. It

comes very early in May, often in April. This plant grows to about the

same height as the trillium. Only the big spreading leaves of the

mandrake are visible at first sight. Beneath these, and daintily hung in

the junction of the leaf stalks, is the lovely, waxy, white blossom.

Late after the fading of the blossom the fruit appears. So its name of

May apple comes from this fruit, which has a sickly sweet taste. The

leaf and stalk part of the May apple are of a poisonous nature. This

flower, too, likes rather low, moist, shaded places.

"The false Solomon's seal is found in woods where moisture is. During

June and July this plant is in blossom. After the white flowers the

fruit, or berry, appears. The berry changes from green, to white, to

red. There is a two-leaved Solomon's seal called the false

lily-of-the-valley which is found at this same time. It has usually two

little lily-like leaves and a blossom stalk running up from these. Tiny

fragrant flowers are borne on this stalk. These plants grow in moist

woods, also. One might plant these two near together in the garden, for

the soil conditions are the same for both.

"Who would wish a wild-flower garden without violets? The little sweet

wood ones, the big horse shoes, the rare white, and more rare

yellow--any and all are worth our while! Violets, at least the most of

them, prefer not to be huddled away. I wonder why, when people think of

transplanting violets, a dull, dark, moist spot immediately comes to

mind? Violets like the sun, like good soil, and plenty of air. Some

violets are found in the swamps, but did you happen to notice what long

stems they have? Why? The reason is to raise the lovely flowers into the

light. Nothing could be sweeter or more satisfactory than a violet bed.

I rather like violets bedded by themselves. They fill in corners

beautifully. They grow gladly about trees. They adorn borders. You may

cover them, in the fall or not as you like. They are not fussy. Take a

north corner at school, a corner not wholly shaded by any means--fill

that in solid with violet plants in the fall. That corner always will be

a thing of real beauty.

"The bellflower coming in May blooms on until September. The flower is

blue, purple or violet. It is a flower found in dry places, on grassy

slopes, along hillsides, and is common to most localities.

"I have a sneaking fondness for mullein. One or two stalks of it give a

charming effect in the garden. Its yellow flowers, its tall flower

stalk, the thick, hairy leaves--all these are its charms. It is said

that these same hairy leaves were used as wicks by the ancients. Anyway,

the flowers themselves on the tall stalks that often reach to seven

feet, look like gleaming lights on a torch. The mullein has a simple

dignity. It grows in the dry fields and along roadsides. So you see it

is by no means particular about its habitat, its place of abode.

"Another tall plant is the foxglove. The flowers are gathered together

in a sort of spike at the end of the stalk, are large and yellow and

really lovely. The plant grows to about four feet in height. It has a

bad habit, this downy false foxglove, of absorbing some of its

nourishment from the roots of plants near which it stands. This plant,

too, is fond of dry places.

"A very gay flower, intensely red, is the bee balm. It is an herb, and a

perennial. It is often called Oswego tea, because the Indians are

supposed to have used it for tea. Then, again, you will hear it called

Indian's plume. This name seems most suitable. I can just imagine a

chief strutting around with this gay plume on his head. It likes a

somewhat secluded, moist, shady, cool place. I think it would be

possible for some of you to make it grow at home. For colour it would be

invaluable. The cardinal flower is the only flower more gaudy in red

than this bee balm.

"When one comes to orange colour the butterfly weed takes the prize.

This flower has a variety of names: it is called pleurisy root, and wind

root, and orange root. Would you think that this gay little beggar was a

member of the milkweed family? It is. When seed time comes it produces a

seed pod like unto the milkweed pod only more slender than this. All

summer long the insects hover about it. It is just like a signal to

them. "Come over here to me!" it calls to them all. It is found in dry

places, in the fields and pastures, along the dusty road sides, and by

the sooty railroad track it flashes its signal. You can make this plant

feel at home surely. And think of the butterflies that will visit your

garden all summer long.

"Then later comes old Joe Pye weed. Joe Pye was an Indian doctor but

that doesn't seem to have anything to do with his weed. Yes, it has its

connection. For when old Joe Pye went out on a case of typhoid fever he

carried this plant along; hence, its name. The plant sometimes grows to

ten feet in height. Really the swamp is its home. So if you are to use

it at all remember that it must have this condition of great moisture,

even to swampiness. The flower clusters are of a charming colour, a

beautiful dull pink.

"Another inhabitant of wet places is the turtle head. The flower

resembles in shape a turtle's or a snake's head, and so receives both

names.

"When it comes to Queen Anne's lace, you say that is a troublesome weed.

Yes, it is. But it is truly beautiful with its lacy flower head. A great

bouquet of these on the porch, the dining table, or the school piano is

a real picture. A clump of these in the garden, if held in check, is

simply stunning. How can they be held down? The only way is to let no

flower heads go to seed. The little, clinging, persistent, numerous

seeds are seeds of trouble. This lovely bother grows in any sort of

soil.

"There are numbers and numbers of wild flowers I might have suggested.

These I have mentioned were not given for the purpose of a flower guide,

but with just one end in view--your understanding of how to study soil

conditions for the work of starting a wild-flower garden.

"If you fear results, take but one or two flowers and study just what

you select. Having mastered, or better, become acquainted with a few,

add more another year to your garden. I think you will love your wild

garden best of all before you are through with it. It is a real study,

you see."

XII

LANDSCAPE GARDENING

The subject to-night is a very pretentious one, for no one would expect

boys and girls to be landscape gardeners. But many boys and girls have

excellent taste and taste is the foundation stone of landscape

gardening. This work has often been likened to the painting of a

picture. Your art-work teacher has doubtless told you that a good

picture should have a point of chief interest, and the rest of the

points simply go to make more beautiful the central idea, or to form a

fine setting for it. Look at that picture over Miriam's head. See that

lone pine, the beautiful curve of the hillside, the scrub undergrowth

about the tree, the bit of sky beyond! As soon as one looks at that

picture one's eye rests on the pine, and the other features seem to

appear afterward.

"So in landscape gardening there must be in the gardener's mind a

picture of what he desires the whole to be when he completes his work.

Take, for example, your school grounds. You did a bit of landscape work

there, although we never called it that before. The little schoolhouse

itself was our centre of interest. How could we fix up the grounds so

that the little building should have a really attractive setting? That,

I believe, was the thought in each of your heads, although no one of you

ever put this into words.

"Notice now with me the good points about that work, and from this study

we shall be able to work out a little theory of landscape gardening.

"First there is a good extent of lawn about the building, the path to

the door is slightly curved and pleasingly so, a fine little maple

stands out rather interestingly on the side lawn, the flower garden has

a good mass effect, the screen of poplar trees at the back acts as a

stately rear guard, and the vines over the outbuilding hide what was

once a blemish.

"Let us go back to the lawn. A good extent of open lawn space is always

beautiful. It is restful. It adds a feeling of space to even small

grounds. So we might generalize and say that it is well to keep open

lawn spaces. If one covers his lawn space with many trees, with little

flower beds here and there, the general effect is choppy and fussy. It

is a bit like an over-dressed person. One's grounds lose all

individuality thus treated. A single tree or a small group is not a bad

arrangement on the lawn. Do not centre the tree or trees. Let them drop

a bit into the background. Make a pleasing side feature of them. In

choosing trees one must keep in mind a number of things. You should not

choose an overpowering tree; the tree should be one of good shape, with

something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit. While

the poplar is a rapid grower, it sheds its leaves early and so is left

standing, bare and ugly, before the fall is old. Mind you, there are

places where a row or double row of Lombardy poplars is very effective.

But I think you'll agree with me that one lone poplar is not. The

catalpa is quite lovely by itself. Its leaves are broad, its flowers

attractive, the seed pods which cling to the tree until away into the

winter, add a bit of picturesqueness. The bright berries of the ash, the

brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree,

the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech--all

these are beauty points to consider.

"Place makes a difference in the selection of a tree. Suppose the lower

portion of the grounds is a bit low and moist, then the spot is ideal

for a willow. Don't group trees together which look awkward. I never

should have Peter and Myron march together in school. Why? Because they

look wretchedly together. Myron makes Peter look short and Peter causes

Myron to look overgrown. So it is with trees. A long-looking poplar does

not go with a nice rather rounded little tulip tree. A juniper, so neat

and prim, would look silly beside a spreading chestnut. One must keep

proportion and suitability in mind.

"I'd never advise the planting of a group of evergreens close to a

house, and in the front yard. The effect is very gloomy indeed. Houses

thus surrounded are overcapped by such trees and are not only gloomy to

live in, but truly unhealthful. The chief requisite inside a house is

sunlight and plenty of it.

"There are no shrubs on the school grounds. You had spoken of doing that

but bulbs took up the attention of the girls this fall. And as for you

boys--you were attending to your own crops. Shrubbery is very pleasing

if properly placed. It is just the thing to fill in corners near

buildings, to help define the turns in walks, and to use as hedges.

Usually one shrub standing by itself is not nearly so pleasing as one

tree by itself. It has a squatty and isolated appearance. There is a

corner close by the school building where shrubs should go. Why?

Because the place looks bare and staring, and the building is very ugly

at that point; the shrubs would fill in the space, and make the building

look much better.

"As trees are chosen because of certain good points, so shrubs should

be. In a clump I should wish some which bloomed early, some which

bloomed late, some for the beauty of their fall foliage, some for the

colour of their bark and others for the fruit. Some spireas and the

forsythia bloom early. The red bark of the dogwood makes a bit of colour

all winter, and the red berries of the barberry cling to the shrub well

into the winter. This list of shrubs which Philip has made out will be a

help to you in this work.

PHILIP'S SHRUB TABLE

---------------------------------------------------------------------

COMMON NAME BOTANICAL NAME HEIGHT COLOUR SPECIAL POINTS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_March_

Spice Bush _Benzoin_ 6-15 ft. Yellow Flowers appear

_odoriferum_ before leaves.

Crimson fruit

in fall. Aromatic

odour.

Daphne _Daphne

Mezereum_ 4 ft. Purple The only hardy deciduous

daphne. Plant in

light soil and in

shade.

_April_

Barberry _Berberis- 2-4 ft. Yellow Prefers dry soil. Berries

_Thunbergii_ all winter.

Golden Bell _Forsythia_ 5-8 ft. Yellow Flowers appear before

_suspensa_ leaves. Hardy; free

from insects.

_May_

Red-osier _Cornus_ 4-8 ft. White Red branched. Plant

Dogwood _stolonifera_ in moist soil.

Japanese Snow _Deutzia_ 1-3 ft. White Very beautiful when

Flower _gracilis_ flowering. Needs well

drained soil.

Japanese _Viburnum_ 8 ft. White Not as likely to have

Snowball _plicatum_ lice as common

snowball. Larger

balls.

Lilac _Syringa_ 15 ft. Purple Very fragrant. Will

_vulgaris_ grow anywhere even in

some shade.

_June_

Deutzia _Deutzia_ 1-3 ft. White Hardy; flowers showy.

_Lemoinei_

Weigela _Diervilla_ 6 ft. Pink May have white or red

_Florida_ White flowers. Flowers under

Red trees. Lives where

other shrubs die.

Spirea _Spiræa_ 4 ft. White Most showy of spireas.

_Van Houttei_ Grows anywhere.

Mock Orange _Philadelphus_ 10 ft. Varieties Fragrant;

_Coronarius_ of different makes good screen.

colours.

Smoke Bush _Rhus cotinus_ 4-10 ft. Purplish Hardy. Beautiful all

summer. Purple colour

changes to smoke

colour.

_July_

Spirea _Spirea_ 3 ft. White Flowers run from white

_Bumalda_, to deep pink. Late

var._Anthony_ flowering. Hardy.

_Waterer_

Sweet Pepper _Clethra_ 3-10 ft. White Moist soil or sandy.

Bush _alnifolia_ Late blooming;

fragrant flowers.

_August_

Althea, Rose _Hibiscus_ 12 ft. White to Very hardy. Plant in

of Sharon _Syriacus_ purple any good garden soil.

_September_

Hardy _Hydrangea_ 8 ft. White to A showy shrub. Flowers

Hydrangea _paniculata_ pink remain on all winter.

_October_

Witch Hazel _Hamamelis_ 6-20 ft. Yellow Grows anywhere. Likes

_Virginiana_ moisture. Fruit

"explodes."

"Certain shrubs are good to use for hedge purposes. A hedge is rather

prettier usually than a fence. The Californian privet is excellent for

this purpose. Osage orange, Japan barberry, buckthorn, Japan quince, and

Van Houtte's spirea are other shrubs which make good hedges.

"You have to remember that not only should grounds look well to the

passerby but they should look equally well from the inside of the

building. As your mother is working in the kitchen during the hot summer

or sewing during a long dull winter afternoon, would it not be a joy to

her to look out at a syringa sweet with blossom or a barberry with

nodding red berries? Landscape gardening is not only for the purpose of

adding beauty to the earth's surface, but also for the putting joy into

the heart of a person as well.

"I forgot to say that in tree and shrub selection it is usually better

to choose those of the locality one lives in. Unusual and foreign plants

do less well, and often harmonize but poorly with their new setting.

"I spoke of the path to the schoolhouse with its slight curve. Landscape

gardening may follow along very formal lines or along informal lines.

The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds,

everything, as the name tells, perfectly formal. The other method is,

of course, the exact opposite. There are danger points in each.

"The formal arrangement is likely to look too stiff; the informal, too

fussy, too wiggly. As far as paths go, keep this in mind, that a path

should always lead somewhere. That is its business--to direct one to a

definite place. Now, straight, even paths are not unpleasing if the

effect is to be that of a formal garden. The danger in the curved path

is an abrupt curve, a whirligig effect. It is far better for you to

stick to straight paths unless you can make a really beautiful curve. No

one can tell you how to do this.

"Garden paths may be of gravel, of dirt, or of grass. One sees grass

paths in some very lovely gardens. I doubt, however, if they would serve

as well in your small gardens. Your garden areas are so limited that

they should be re-spaded each season, and the grass paths are a great

bother in this work. Of course, a gravel path makes a fine appearance,

but again you may not have gravel at your command. It is possible for

any of you to dig out the path for two feet. Then put in six inches of

stone or clinker. Over this, pack in the dirt, rounding it slightly

toward the centre of the path. There should never be depressions through

the central part of paths, since these form convenient places for water

to stand. The under layer of stone makes a natural drainage system.

"A building often needs the help of vines or flowers or both to tie it

to the grounds in such a way as to form a harmonious whole. Vines lend

themselves well to this work. It is better to plant a perennial vine,

and so let it form a permanent part of your landscape scheme. The

Virginia creeper, wistaria, honeysuckle, a climbing rose, the clematis

and trumpet vine are all most satisfactory.

"Just close your eyes and picture a house of natural colour, that mellow

gray of the weathered shingles. Now add to this old house a purple

wistaria. Can you see the beauty of it? I shall not forget soon a rather

ugly corner of my childhood home, where the dining room and kitchen met.

Just there climbing over, and falling over a trellis was a trumpet vine.

It made beautiful an awkward angle, an ugly bit of carpenter work.

"Of course, the morning-glory is an annual vine, as is the moon-vine and

wild cucumber. Now, these have their special function. For often,

especially in school work, it is necessary to cover an ugly thing for

just a time, until the better things and better times come. The annual

is 'the chap' for this work.

"Along an old fence a hop vine is a thing of beauty. One might try to

rival the woods' landscape work. For often one sees festooned from one

rotted tree to another the ampelopsis vine.

"Flowers may well go along the side of the building, or bordering a

walk. In general, though, keep the front lawn space open and unbroken by

beds. What lovelier in early spring than a bed of daffodils close to the

house? Hyacinths and tulips, too, form a blaze of glory. These are

little or no bother, and start the spring aright. One may make of some

bulbs an exception to the rule of unbroken front lawn. Snowdrops and

crocuses planted through the lawn are beautiful. They do not disturb the

general effect, but just blend with the whole. One expert bulb gardener

says to take a basketful of bulbs in the fall, walk about your grounds,

and just drop bulbs out here and there. Wherever the bulbs drop, plant

them. Such small bulbs as those we plant in lawns should be in groups of

four to six. Daffodils may be thus planted, too. You all remember the

grape hyacinths that grow all through Katharine's side yard.

"The place for a flower garden is generally at the side or rear of the

house. The backyard garden is a lovely idea, is it not? Who wishes to

leave a beautiful looking front yard, turn the corner of a house, and

find a dump heap? Not I. The flower garden may be laid out formally in

neat little beds, or it may be more of a careless, hit-or-miss sort.

Both have their good points. Great masses of bloom are attractive.

"You should have in mind some notion of the blending of colour. Nature

appears not to consider this at all, and still gets wondrous effects.

This is because of the tremendous amount of her perfect background of

green, and the limitlessness of her space, while we are confined at the

best to relatively small areas. So we should endeavour not to blind

people's eyes with clashes of colours which do not at close range blend

well. In order to break up extremes of colours you can always use masses

of white flowers, or something like mignonette, which is in effect

green.

"The old-fashioned flowers are lovely--sweet William, phlox,

old-fashioned pinks, petunia, verbena, zinnia, marigold, mignonette, and

poppy are always dear and sweet. Hollyhocks are charming. They represent

a kind of guard for the garden. Stand this hollyhock phalanx up against

a wall like naughty boys, close to the house, or by an old fence. They

are so tall that they must be in the background. They grace it.

Otherwise they would overtop and shadow the other garden plants. If

there is an old ash pile, an old dump or anything else unsightly, plant

something tall before it. Hollyhocks would not do for this, since their

foliage is too scanty. Castor beans are just the thing, however; and

sunflowers, the old giant ones, are good, too. A screen is for

screening, so that the foliage is of first consideration.

"A wild-flower garden is a good scheme, too. What is lovelier? Bank in a

north corner full of these. Hepatica, columbines, anenome, bellflower,

butterfly weed, turtle head and aster represent wild flowers which bloom

from March through October. I can see that north corner now. Miriam has

planned to have one, and has really done the work this fall.

"The water garden is another good thing to try with just the right

setting. A place at the end of a slope of land, near some drooping

trees, a bit shaded would be right. The garden Philip made is a pattern

for you all to follow.

"Finally, let us sum up our landscape lesson. The grounds are a setting

for the house or buildings. Open, free lawn spaces, a tree or a proper

group well placed, flowers which do not clutter up the front yard,

groups of shrubbery--these are points to be remembered. The paths

should lead somewhere, and be either straight or well curved. If one

starts with a formal garden, one should not mix the informal with it

before the work is done.

"At one time we said a little about poor taste in garden furnishings.

Painted kettles, old drain pipes, whitewashed bricks, and edgings of

shells seemed to us then a bit fussy and crude. So, too, is a summer

house stuck out on the front lawn, a rustic seat all by itself in an

open spot, an archway which forms an arch over nothing. The summer house

should be placed in the side yard, or in the rear in a spot where trees

lend it a background. If its use is that of a resting spot for your

mother, she certainly would not wish it right out on the front lawn. If

the house is for children to play in, then again it is not for the front

of the house. An appropriate place is near the garden where it makes a

cool place to rest after labour, a spot from which to view the beauties

of the garden, and a charming place to serve afternoon tea.

"A good general plan to follow in this landscape work is to see what

natural charms your place has, and then try to increase and help these.

'Help Nature' is a good watchword. Even though the garden plan is to be

a formal one, the natural resources and setting of your place should be

kept in mind. The little we did last year on the school grounds was a

bit of landscape garden work. I did not call it that to you then, for if

I had you would have been scared off. Philip's work in his backyard was

of the same nature. The girls' flower garden was a bit of formal work. I

guess, too, the outdoor bulb planting which Albert scorned might come

under the same head. So you see you have been landscape gardeners

without knowing it. To continue to be, all we have to do is to go on

somewhat along the general lines I have spoken of to-night. Different

committees have prepared a number of tables which should help you much

in matters of selection."

GARDEN OF CONSTANT BLOOM BY MONTHS

--------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS

--------------------------------------------------------------

_March_

Columbine Red 1 ft. Grows on rocky places. Graceful

flower.

Hepatica White 6 in. Early spring flower. Ready to blossom

Blue under the snow. Last year's

Pink leaves shelter flower.

Saxifrage White 8 in. Grows in rocky, sandy places.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_April_

Bluebell Blue 16 in. Likes rock soil and sun.

Dwarf Iris Blue 1 ft. A good border plant. Does not

require any special soil. Spreads.

Moss Pink Pink 6 in. Likes full sun. Spreads rapidly.

Violet Blue 6 in. Good soil. Plant in either sun or

shade.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_May_

Lily-of- White 9 in. Grows under trees, spreads rapidly.

the-Valley Flowers fragrant. Cut flower effect.

German Iris Different 2 ft. The best of flags for general planting

purposes.

Forget- Blue low Thrives on moist soil. Planted with

me-not tulips follows them in bloom.

Chinese Different 4 ft. The earliest of peonies. Good in

Peony borders.

Myrtle Blue low Grows even in shade and poorly

drained soils. Spreads rapidly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_June_

Bleeding Pink 2 ft. A hardy plant. Needs moist, good

Heart soil. Good border plant.

Foxglove Purple 4 ft. Perennial which self sows. Effective

in backgrounds. Likes shade.

Garden Peony Crimson 3 ft. The real old-fashioned peony. Good

border plant. Large blossoms.

Larkspur Blue 4 ft. Good for borders and backgrounds.

The finest of blue flowers.

Sweet Different 2 ft. A self sewing perennial. Bright

William colours. Good for massing. Sweet

and constant bloomer.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_July_

Baby's White 3 ft. Grows in rocky soil. Use for formal

Breath bouquets.

Butterfly Orange 2 ft. Likes full sunlight and dry soil. Fine

Weed colour effect.

Perennial Different 2-5 ft. Good for borders and cut flowers.

Phlox

Spiked Pink 3 ft. Belongs in wet swamp lands. Will

Loosestrife grow in borders.

Hollyhock Different 6 ft. Use for backgrounds and borders.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_August_

Aster, New Blue 4 ft. Grows in any soil. The best of tall

England asters.

Golden Glow Yellow 6 ft. Grows in any soil and spreads rapidly.

Good background.

Japanese White Climber Rapid flowering vine. Use on trellis.

Clematis Sweet flowers.

Sunflower Yellow 6 ft. Fine for backgrounds and screens.

Any dry soil.

Turtle Head Rose 2 ft. Flowers on spikes. Any soil, but wet

Purple preferred.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_September_

Hardy White 6 ft. Blooms till frost. Blossom heads

Hydrangea effective.

Japanese Carmine 3 ft. Good border plant. Blossoms last

Anemone till frost.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------

WATER AND BOG PLANTS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME SPECIAL POINTS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Arrowhead _Sagittaria latifolia_ One of the most popular water

plants. Spreads badly.

Arum (water) _Calla palustris_ Popular water plant. Grows

less than 1 ft. high. Blooms

in June.

Blue Flag _Iris versicolor_ Grows from 2-3 ft. high. Grows

in bogs and gardens.

Cat-tail _Typha latifolia_ Grows to 8 ft. or more. Spreads

rapidly.

Floating Heart _Limnanthemum Grows less than 1 ft. high.

nymphoides_ Good plant for a pond.

Spreads readily.

Forget-me-not _Myosotis Palustris_ Grows less than 1 ft. high.

Prefers half-shady places.

Lotus, American _Nelumbo lutea_ Good for a pond.

Marsh Marigold _Caltha palustris_ Grows 1-1/2 ft. high. Blooms

in May.

Pickerel Weed _Pontederia Grows 3-4 ft. high. Blooms in

cordata_ July.

Pitcher Plant _Darlingtonia Grows less than 1 ft. Good for

Californica_ bog planting.

Sweet Flag _Acorus Calamus_ Height is 2 ft. Flowers in early

summer.

Water-lily _Nymphaea odorata_ Sweet-scented, most popular

water-lily.

Water Mint _Mentha Aquatica_ One of the popular mint family.

Low growing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

FOUR WATER-LILIES FOR BEGINNERS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME COLOUR SPECIAL POINTS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_Nymphaea Gladstoniana_ White This is a hardy variety

" _Marliacea_ Yellow " " " "

" _dentata_ White Tender, night blooming plant

" _Zanzibariensis_ Blue Tender, day blooming plant.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

WATER-LILIES FOR SMALL PONDS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME |COLOUR |REQUIRED DEPTH

| | OF WATER

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_Nymphoea alba_ (hardy) | White |More than 2 ft.

" _tuberosa_ (hardy) | White | " " "

" _Marliacea rosea_ (hardy) | Pink | " " "

" _odorata_, var. _minor_ |White |Less than 1 ft.

(hardy) | |

" _tetragona_ (hardy) |Yellow | " " "

" _Laydekeri_, var. |Pink | " " "

_rosea_ (hardy) | |

" _Zanzibariensis_ (tender) |White | " " "

---------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE:--Any of these forms may be grown in from 1 to 2 ft. of water.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

TREE TABLE

---------------------------------------------------------------------

NAME |HEIGHT | SPECIAL POINTS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Carolina Poplar |100 ft.|Grows in a dry soil. Fastest growing street

| | tree. Its dropping fruit is a nuisance.

| | Sheds leaves early.

Catalpa |50ft. |Lovely white blossoms in June. Seed pods

| | stay on into winter. Quick growing.

| | Good lawn tree.

English Hawthorn|30ft. |Flowers in June. Red berries. Grows on

| | dry soils. Slow grower. Sharp thorns.

Linden |90ft. |Easy to grow. Fragrant flowers. Rapid

| | grower. European species smaller than

| | American.

Live Oak |100 ft.|Not hardy in the North. Grows south of

| | Virginia. Beautiful evergreen oak. Likes

| | moist soil.

Locust |80ft. |Fragrant flowers in May and June. Rapid

| | grower. Seeds in pods. Thorny bark.

Lombardy Poplar |90ft. |Quick grower. Stiff, straight and tall.

| | Dignified but melancholy tree. Fine for

| | pathway effect.

Norway Maple |100 ft.|Tall, well rounded tree. Yellow foliage in

| | the fall.

Pin Oak |100 ft.|Fastest grower among oaks. You cannot

| | grow plants under it.

Red Maple |100 ft.|Earliest flowering maple. Good for lowlands.

| | Bright red foliage in the fall.

Sugar Maple |100 ft.|Moist soil. Bright foliage in the fall. Best

| | street tree among maples.

Horse Chestnut |60 ft. |Fine white flowers in June. Attractive buds

| | and leaves. Foliage grows very dense.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

XIII

HOW BOYS AND GIRLS CAN MAKE MONEY FROM THEIR GARDENS

Naturally, we are all interested in ways and means of earning money. It

is not a bad thing at all for a boy or girl to wish to turn work into

cash. Not always is it possible for one to find a market next door for

products. No, it is rarely as easy a matter as that. One has to really

work a bit.

"Let me tell you one boy's story. This lad, let us call him Newton, had

a nice vegetable and flower garden. He had worked so hard over it, it

did seem to him as if he ought to be able to sell some of his produce.

One day he loaded a little cart with vegetables and went down the street

to a corner market. I imagine he went in a half-hearted sort of way. The

market-man was busy and he spoke a bit roughly to the boy. But Newton

went on to another store. He received the same sort of treatment there.

This time he gave up discouraged and went home. His mother was not

discouraged. She showed him how he should have made his vegetables,

wagon and all, look more attractive.

"So Newton went to work again. He scrubbed his radishes and new carrots

until they shone. He bunched them up into neat little bundles. Then the

lettuce came in for its washing and cleaning. Thus he treated all the

vegetables. Then he printed a sign 'Fresh Vegetables For Sale' and

started off again. This time he went to the largest hotel in the little

city in which he lived. There he was sent to the cook. This big,

good-natured fellow said that he would look at his stuff. 'Looks good to

me,' said the cook, 'it really looks like home-grown things,'

Straightway he bought a good part of what Newton had and there and then

made arrangements for daily deliveries of certain vegetables.

"The lesson from Newton's experience is this: in order to sell, you must

put your wares in attractive shape. Who wishes to buy dirty radishes or

droopy looking lettuce? No one is willing to pay decent prices. Putting

materials in such condition that all the good points speak loudly at

first, is one way to attract notice and sell later. If you find you can

sell by shipping your goods the same points hold true.

"Another way to make money is to raise young plants for sale. Jack did

this with his aster plants. Lots of people wish their garden plants

partly started. They either do not have the interest, or else they have

not the time for initial work. Asters, stock, tomatoes, lettuce,

cabbage, pepper, celery--all of these may be started for market

purposes.

"Suppose you have planted tomato seed. You are bound to have more young

plants than you wish. Why not sell them? Suppose Mrs. Jones always buys

hers. Then go to her and ask if she will not buy of you. She may not

believe you can be a very good gardener, so she hesitates. Well, then

just ask her if you cannot bring your little plants around for her to

see when the time comes. Get to work in your best style. Transplant in

little paper cups or strawberry baskets. Then the setting out of the

plants will be very easy and quite a scientific performance. I think you

will sell to Mrs. Jones all right.

"If you really intend to go into this early market side then you should

certainly have a coldframe. You could not blame your mother if she

refused to have the kitchen littered up with old tin cans and boxes all

the spring. Do not be a nuisance at home just to make money.

[Illustration:

Photograph by W.H. Jenkins

Myron Transplanting his Long-rooted Strawberry Plants.

Photograph by Helen W. Cooke

Katherine Transplanting Her Flowers by a Method of Lifting.]

"I know a little girl who raised aster and stock plants, also young

vegetable plants. She had a coldframe. In the spring, when people were

starting their gardens and wondering where they should go for plants,

she fixed up an attractive basket filled with her plants. She asked no

exorbitant price, but a fair one for a little girl's good work. One year

she bought herself a dressing table from her garden earnings. I think

that well worth while. Don't you?

"Another way to make money from your garden is to sell your seed. I do

not think any of you will be at all likely to try to rival the seed

houses. But I am sure that you can supply certain seeds for your own

fathers and mothers.

"Such seed as those of radish, lettuce and turnip you would not save. It

is better to buy them. But surely you can make some pretty good

selections for seed corn. I believe you can manage beans, peas, melons,

pumpkins, potatoes and squash. Then we have, I believe, learned from the

school flower garden how to select seed. Nasturtium seed may always be

saved, dried and put into its own envelope. This will be found to be

true, that seeds saved from our own flower garden often do not give

satisfactory results as time goes on. The plants and flowers after a few

seasons seem to spindle out. In the large seed gardens the varieties of

flowers raised are either many or cross-pollination is carried on.

"In putting up your seeds in envelopes give a few cultural directions

on them; that is, tell how to plant the special seed. Also, put on when

to plant and the proper soil conditions under which planting should go

on. If the seeds are those of flowers add information concerning height,

colour of blossom, and time of blossoming. Someone might like to know

also if the seed was that of an annual, biennial or perennial plant.

Think out a neat, attractive way to fix these envelopes. If you do not

wish to sell them, they will serve as nice Christmas gifts.

"Among the garden trappings which we made last winter are things you

could easily sell. Such a plant stand as Jack made for his own room is

certainly marketable. Make samples of your wares and then take orders

for them. Again, these represent Christmas gifts, too.

"Rustic seats, a woven mat of corn husks to kneel on when weeding, a bit

of nice trellis work, a little tool house are all possible pieces of

work.

"I saw once what a boy called his handy boxes. These were wooden boxes,

with hinged covers and handles, so that they might be carried about. One

was for seeds. This box had partitions inside, and all the different

envelopes of seeds were arranged in the different cubby holes. Another

box had garden accessories. The word sounds interesting. It means all

the little extras needed in the work. Labels, small stakes, a garden

reel, measure, knife, cord, note book, pencil--all were in the box, all

were things which the boy often used. You can make variations on these.

But a box which may be carried about has advantages over one that is

screwed up in the tool house.

"I believe the flower-gathering basket would sell well. It is not that

it is a rather picturesque sort of Englishy custom to go out and pick

flowers with a pretty basket tucked under one's arm, but it is very

inconvenient, very hot work, and very mussy, to have to hold bunches of

flowers in the hand as one gathers.

"In some places where there are summer colonies it is possible to sell

bunches of flowers. I knew of a case where big bunches of sweet peas

were brought to the hotel every morning. These sold for ten and fifteen

cents the bunch and went like hot cakes.

"The girls may think of all sorts of wicker mats and trays that would

make the garden tea more attractive. One ought to think of the aesthetic

side.

"I have not mentioned working for others. Hire yourself out. Let it be

known that you can and will weed, mow lawns, plant and transplant for so

much per hour. Someone may be going off for a few weeks; see to it that

you are the boy or girl to be employed. Prove yourself faithful.

"In the winter make garden utensils and also attend to the bulb end of

it. At Christmas time you could do a big business.

"Someone might make and bottle kerosene emulsion. Paste on each bottle

directions for using. Print very neatly, so it will look well.

"There are doubtless many other ways of making money. But, above all, do

not neglect the other side; give away some things from your garden and

some of your labour, too. If all you think of is the making of money the

soul and heart of you all will get as small and shrivelled as a dry pea.

Who wants to be stingy? Better never to make money than to grow like

that. Don't let people pay you for everything you do. Do certain things

for mother and father for nothing. The home garden is as much theirs as

yours. Wouldn't it be ludicrous if your mother said, 'No, Katharine, you

cannot have those flowers to carry to school unless you pay ten cents

for them,' How cross you would be! Just as absurd, is it not, for you

to suggest that you cannot work on that same garden unless you receive

ten cents an hour? No, that is all wrong. And if any one of you feels

that way do one of two things--either sit down and be ashamed for a

good, long time and think of all the things done freely for you; or else

go take all the money in your own little bank at home, buy something

your mother wants, and give it, being glad, so glad you can get rid of

what you have been so stingy about.

"Give flowers to the poor, the sick at home and the sick in hospitals,

the church, the people you love, the people you think you don't love,

and the people who seem lonely and forlorn.

"Once upon a time there was made a wondrous garden. It was called the

earth. The flowers, the trees, the plants which afterwards became

through man's skill our staple products--all these were free, absolutely

free.

"If this is a true story, how can we be so small as always to make money

from this garden? Let us pay our debt to it freely and gladly.

"This is our last talk. Some of you already have started your early

vegetables and flowers. Instead of one coldframe we have four in our

family and one belongs to a girl.

"It is going to be a better year of gardening than before. Leston is

with us now. Another season there will be others. The school grounds

look well, and if you have noticed the entire village looks a little

better than ever before.

"We will shake hands all around. In a few weeks we shall have hands

quite dirty with good old garden soil. You may take your stools and

benches off with you, or leave them all here."

"We shall leave them," said Eloise; "for I am coming back often to sit

on my little cricket right on your hearth."

"I am a little large for a cricket," went on Albert; "but I'd not quit

this hearthstone, so my stool stays."

"And mine, too," each one added.

Off they trooped again, some down the country road, some up the road,

others across the fields, and George, as usual, on his old horse. They

shouted until out of sight.

"The best things in the world," the man murmured as he stepped out into

the open and drew into his lungs deep breaths of the fresh spring air.