—wTeeewIegpieret

ra?

na

w poe een

Class

Bok Ds
Copyright N°

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT:

“hh, SURE ;
“ts Rie’

And the Wilderness Blossomed

=
Tien

«

CE

TERRA(

THE

F

O

ORNER

And the Wilderness
Blossomed

By. -

Almon Dexter

*

Philadelphia
H. W. Fisher & Company

IgOI

i

THE LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS,
Two Cores Received
MAY. 28 1901

CoPYRIGHT ENTRY

44,49o!

CLASS Q& XXc. Ne.

Copyright, T90I,
By H. W. FisHer & COMPANY

All rights reserved

svecieie ee tN Tog tot e eco
ee tee elepn ewe ee 8 ° BG Be
e eee e efece € 5 a ba
e . a ake eee ele e ar ee e
ec fee @ coe ‘eleletanin ;
e
ete 0% 999 88 eo. 0 «© 0 $
. e Oya rae, ee 7S e1e—e eee co
an 6%) G0 Pee Lee e . Che
Bee Ce 2 eee oF Fe Sie 8 8 . ee 7
SSR le'e. S68 er 6) F 6S *e¢ ie *
e °e

UNIVERSITY PRESS + JOHN WILSON
AND SON + CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.

TO

FERDINAND W. ROEBLING,

And the others who have been there.

How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has such people in’t!
Tempest, Vv. 1.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

In THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER II

Men or Maine

CHAPTER III

Tue VESTIBULE .

CHAPTER IV

Some Birps .

CHAPTER V

FLower Beps

CHAPTER VI

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

vii

PaGE

32

61

89

1zO

131

CONTENTS

CHAPTER VII

ANNUALS

CHAPTER VIII

SEEDS .

PosTrscRIPT

Vill

PaGE

189

246

272

ILLUSTRATIONS

PaGE
A Corner oF THE TERRACE . . . . «~ « Frontispiece

Tue Oursipe as Ir HappeneD. . . . 2... 7
Pires Pamnuren ts bate. oo /sa 4 ts ae te ee there) ET
Sree Cl eA PSE Trai’? hangs SEIS) ed wh hai eae ety LS
SEH AMIN LGAWN Re emce | Ree bead Oa TCs 52, fal a, faded cto ee
PEO EGEAR-=EROOF: GARE) ..//. 3505s phe, 3 ieee. 236
SemetaennEm Bens!) | 6.9) pel igh eo se Look) x shoo QB
betmeemaressOn S CARD 6.000792 aioe) a) NE ie FOG
MEE LEMIPACRVW ALBer EIS os hs) oS yal) pe Ste RZ
Berens.) HHS: BEGEOM 25) ISN Se ears Sole SESS
Pe wUME OR POXGEOVES 0.6 2 (P00 Pe he aaa ee ea
Foran anp ‘OrienraL Porpis/ <2 .\0 2°). 9a. Ge 68
ARMOR INVOLUCRATA © 5 5) oe pues ee LRF
cI OR PY a oe eI eN al aS wren ce Sade ea) GRO
EIR 2 cr Spee ere Ae ge es A 1

Sour BORED PRIMEVAE) 4 !sa. . es) he fine a os 3 RO

And the Wilderness Blossomed

CHAPTER I

IN THE BEGINNING

°¢ This is the house that Fack built.’’

q DON’T see why you talk so much about
| building a camp at Winnebago,” said
Hortense, looking up seriously from her
needlework, in reply to some observation of
mine on the joys of a lodge in the wilderness.
“You know I could not take the children in
there; the flies and the mosquitoes would simply
eat them up alive. Now, if you would buy that
island we see on passing Insley Lake and build a
comfortable house on it, I’d take the children
there and stay all summer.”

“You would!” I exclaimed, and rising from
my chair went at once to my desk, and sitting
down wrote to my friend Leaf, who had been
going fishing in the Insley region for no end of
years and knew everybody and everything there.
I asked him if he knew anything about this

I I

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

island, who owned it, and whether it could be
bought. Now, there is no dearer fellow in the
world than Theodore Leaf, and he was not only
able to answer all my questions satisfactorily, but
actually offered to go and see the owners, who
lived in Massachusetts, and buy the property
in my behalf; and he did it too, and in a brief
time the island of Norinamentook was mine, or
rather it was the property of Hortense, and the
deeds, with careful folding, went into her stock-
ing the following Christmas eve. Deeds for real
estate in Maine are very small.

Talking once with a Maine man about a wharf
that had lately been built in an exposed situation
on the lake, he remarked that it was “a terrible
hard chance over there,” and I think it was “a
terrible hard chance” I had undertaken when
I proposed to build this comfortable house on
an island covered with primeval forest, nearly
twenty-five miles from a railroad, and which I
had only seen from a distance of two miles across
the water. Nevertheless, I resolved to take the
chance and see what would come of it.

In a way, its very remoteness and wildness was
an attraction. I had nature to contend with, to
be sure, but I was quite free from the machina-

2

IN THE BEGINNING

tions of man; I would have none of his blunders
to correct. It was all fresh, new, inspiring.

At the outset there is a word to be said as to
the locality we had chosen. Insley Lake is the
head of a chain of lakes in the State of Maine, at
a distance of about twenty miles from the town
of Firmins, where a railroad connects the town
with the outer world. The stage road, though
hilly, is a good solid highway, and in clear
weather the drive is an agreeable one, but gener-
ally it showers when you drive in or out. Insley
Lake is about ten miles long, running nearly east
and west. On the eastern shore is the village
of Insley; then a small collection of houses with
a hotel, a general store, a blacksmith shop, two
sawmills, a school, and a church. The island
contains about twenty acres, densely covered with
forest, and is about two miles from the eastern
end of the lake. Near the western end is an-
other island known as Megwamantic, quite as
wild as its sister isle. On the north shore is
Neseghigo Cove, and on the western point of
the cove there was at the time I bought the
island a small cottage occupied in the summer
months by a Dr. Bringhurst from Connecticut.
The eastern end of the lake, a portion of the

3

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

northern shore, and a still smaller portion of the
southern shore had been partially cleared of
timber, and thrifty-looking farm-houses dotted
the green slopes. The small hotel in the village
was frequented by travelling anglers in the sum-
mer months, and almost buried under snow in
the winter. Near the western end, at the lake’s
outlet, was still another small hotel, and near by
was a club-house owned by Boston anglers. Both
these hotels were well filled in summer, for the
fame of trout-fishing in Insley Lake was wide-
spread, and indeed it was the excellence of the
fishing that first turned my steps to this part of
Maine, and on more than one occasion I had
brought wife and children with me. Since start-
ing to build my house, I regret to say, I have
never had time to go a-fishing, so the reader
need not look here for any accounts of great
catches of big trout.

Insley Lake, named after an early settler, had
been known to the Indians as Nikowussoc.
Beyond its eastern border rises the highest
mountain in this part of Maine, Keespennaden-
gog. AA little further north is a smaller conical
peak known as Penakadensis, while parallel to
the north shore of the lake is a long ridge whose

4

IN THE BEGINNING

curiously marked side probably induced the In-
dians to name it Psagatsitag. Beyond this latter
mountain lies another beautiful sheet of water,
Winnebago, on whose shores I had once longed
to build my camp. At the western end of Insley
Lake rises a beautiful peak known as Moosi-
wadchet. The waters of this lake, after passing
through the other lakes of the chain, form the
well-known Nameskowhegan River, so impor-
tant to the manufacturing interests of the State at
Fryeburg and other points.

The region is a very beautiful one, and at
an altitude of about 1700 feet above sea-level
one is sure of charming weather throughout the
summer, —if anything, generally a little too cool,
and absolutely perfect when the papers in Boston,
New York, Philadelphia, and other cities are
filled with stories of sunstroke and prostrations
from the intense heat. Americans make annual
pilgrimages to Switzerland, and rave over the
beauty of its lake and mountain scenery, oblivi-
ous, apparently ignorant, of the fact that our own
country furnishes every variety of the picturesque
in the superlative degree, compared with anything
that can be found in Europe.

Three strangers met one night in a anal hotel

5

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

in the West, and one was asked “where are you
from?” Drawing himself up proudly, he re-
plied, “I am from Virginia, the mother of Presi-
dents, the home of chivalry ; and you?”

«],” said the second, “am from Kentucky,
the region of the blue grass, the home of the fast
horse, of beautiful women, and of brave men;
and,” he asked, turning to the third, “ where are
you from ?”

“I,” said the tall, spare man, “am from the
garden spot of America.”

“ Indeed,” exclaimed the others in a breath,
“‘and where, pray, is that?”

“ Podunk, Maine,” was the complacent answer.
“ Kin I sell you a razor strop?”

One only appreciates this anecdote to the full
when he knows Insley.

So much for the region in which we were to
find a new home. The first consideration, of
course, was our house; and from the start we had
decided to build it ourselves, untrammelled by
architects, landscape-gardeners, contractors, and
the like useful but annoying artists, who are
always so ready with reasons why this or that
thing that you most want done cannot be done

as you want it done. It always has seemed to
6

GaNaddVfFY LI Sv adISLAg) 4H,

IN THE BEGINNING

me that architects, when they plan a house, think
first of all, and most of all, of how it is going to
look from the outside. Now the outside of a
house is, after all, mainly for the benefit of the
passer-by, while the owner lives on the inside,
and very rarely takes the trouble to go outside
to view his own building, and after a time
scarcely glances at it when he 7s outside. Nat-
urally we went to the other extreme, and never
thought of the outside at all, but planned the
inside so that it should be exactly suited to our
needs, and the outside had to fit itself to our
requirements. We planned each room separately,
and then moved them around until we got them
in just the place we wanted them. First of all
came the hall, which was to be twenty feet square ;
then came two bedrooms, each being eighteen feet
square ; then a dining-room, 16 X 20, a bathroom,
6 X 12, a pantry, 718, a kitchen, 16 X 18;
and these, with a laundry and: woodshed, made
up the first floor. The walls were to be built
up but three feet above the second floor, and
for the rest followed the slope of the square
pitched roof. One thing we determined upon
from the outset: the ceilings should all be the
same height, so that if a picture was moved from
7

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

one room to another the wire would not have to
be altered. Architects delight in getting as many
variations in the heights of their ceilings as there
are rooms in the house. Sometimes this is
dificult, but that only adds to the labors of the
architect, and sometimes it is impossible, and
then you wi// get two rooms of the same height,
but not otherwise. We determined upon an-
other innovation also. Each bedroom should
have sufficient wall space for the head-board of
a bed, and also space for a bureau, which should
be near a window, or, if possible, between two
windows; and we so arranged the dining-room
that a sideboard might be placed against the
wall without blocking up either a doorway or a
window. Another oddity about this house was
that the pantry was to be big enough to hold the
china and glassware of an ordinary family and
still give plenty of room for a maid, or two if
need be, to wash this glass and china when
necessary. In the ordinary modern house the
parlor may be imposing, and the dining-room
even generous in size, but when it comes to such
items as the pantry, the bathrooms, the kitchen,
the closets, and the like, rooms in which the
work of living is carried on, architects begin to
8

IN THE BEGINNING

economize space. Nowadays when one gets a
new maid she has to be measured to see if she ’ll
fit the pantry. A friend of mine had a maid
who actually stuck fast in the back stairway and
had to be pulled out by the heels. As they
could not enlarge the stairway, she resigned, and
her place was filled by a new maid two sizes
smaller. I know of a palace built for a merchant
prince in which the choicest bedroom had abso-
lutely no vacant wall space for a bureau, the
whole being occupied by an enormous circular
window, beautiful to look at, especially from the
outside, but of no utility at all in a bedroom.
The architect was an artist, of course, or he never
could have thought of such a window, so he
was able to design a bureau for this particular
room. It was practically two bureaus in one,
with two mirrors back to back, and it was in-
tended to rest in the centre of the circular window,
the front of one side being square and the other
circular, following the curve of the window.
Windows ought to be put in a building for the
purpose of giving light to the occupants, but
they seem to be generally arranged for the pur-
pose of making a building look artistic from the
outside. The municipal building of a great city
9

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

has cost more than the Taj Mahal, and there is
hardly one room out of the hundreds that it
contains in which business can be carried on even
at midday without artificial light. If this build-
ing were beautiful, one might condone the entire

absence of utility in the structure, but every day
men of artistic temperament lean up against
near-by trolley-poles and weep when they look at
it. The mayor has lately ordered the police to
compel these people to move on, as they obstruct
traffic.

Of course in a summer home one must have
fireplaces, and fireplaces are of little utility if
the smoke escapes into the room instead of going
up the chimney. A fire of coals in a grate does
not require much of a flue, but when you have a
large opening in which you expect to burn great
logs of wood, the size of your flue must be ma-
terially increased. A large stone fireplace was
built in the lounging-room of a city club of which
I happen to be a member, and though it cost a
couple of thousand dollars, a fire was never built
in it but once, and then all the smoke came out
into the room, and the members went out of the
doors. The architect had not apparently sup-
plied any flue at all worth mentioning. For-

10

IN THE BEGINNING

tunately for me, about this time I found an essay
on chimneys and fireplaces, written a century or
more ago by Count Rumford. As the Count
knew nothing of coal as a fuel,
the dimensions of his chimneys
were based on the burning of
wood, and made large enough
for the purpose. The back of
his fireplaces sloped forward,
making a narrow opening for the
smoke toward the front. This
narrow opening extended up for

a foot or more, and then dropped
back square making a shoulder or shelf. If there
is any back draught in such a chimney, the cold
air strikes this shoulder and the hot air carries
it up again at once, giving it no

chance to get into the room and
take the smoke with it.
This little sketch (Fig. 1)
shows the method of
construction. Three
of our fireplaces
were arranged to-
gether, back to
back, with one

Fic. 2.

II

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

chimney, but with separate flues. One, the
largest, is in a corner of the hall, and next to
it is also a corner fireplace in the dining-room,
the third being on the side of an adjoining bed-
room. This sketch (Fig. 2) explains it. An
advantage of this arrangement is that there can be
no wood-work behind any of these fireplaces and
danger from fire is practically eliminated. None
of the timbers of either of the floors or of the roof
touch the chimney at all. There is a space be-
tween the wood and the brick-work everywhere.

Now and then you will find a stairway up
which you can walk without appreciable effort.
If you will stop and measure the steps on such a
flight, you will find that the riser, or elevation of
the steps, does not vary much from six inches in
height, and that the tread, or width of the step, is
about thirteen inches. The average man raises
his foot about so high, and advances it each time
about so far, and any variation from this compels
him to call upon his muscles for extra work with
resulting fatigue. It seems to me that this ought
to be horn-book law to the architects, and that
long ere this the proper dimensions of a stair-
case should have been ascertained and reduced to
a positive law, to be followed wherever possible.

I2

IN THE BEGINNING

Yet how seldom it is that one finds a comfortable
staircase, either in our private houses or in pub-
lic buildings. Measure them, and you will find
that the riser is generally from seven to eight
inches, and the tread rarely much exceeds ten.
In one of the largest of our railroad stations the
architect designed the staircase, to be built of
enduring stone, so steep that it was a daily oc-
currence for people to trip going up, or to fall
headlong going down. The accidents were so
frequent that the company was forced to build a
wooden structure over the expensive stone work,
with a proper rise and tread. For such a blunder
as this there could be no excuse whatever. The
architect had been doing work for the railroad
company for years, and had probably designed
thousands of staircases, giving him ample oppor-
tunity to learn the proper formula for such a
structure, and in no event could want of space be
urged as an excuse, as the building of the wooden
superstructure subsequently proved. When this
building was remodelled a few years ago, a new
stone stairway was built which went, I think, a
little too far to the other extreme, the risers being
six inches high, and the treads fifteen and a half
broad. While people neither stumble nor fall on
13

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

this stairway, it is somewhat annoying in practical
use, the average man being compelled to take a
longer step than is natural or else now and then to
take a double step on a single tread. Another fre-
quent fault in stairways is in building them in
curves, and nothing could well be more objection-
able, it being necessary in such cases to step
carefully on the outer edge of the circle at the
constant risk of a dangerous fall. Yet such stair-
ways are not only built in private houses, but also
are frequently found in public buildings, where peo-
ple often congregate in crowds. These winding
staircases have before now become veritable death-
traps in burning theatres, and their use should be
absolutely prohibited by law in any public build-
ing, and avoided persistently in any private house.
In our dwellings the stairways are almost inva-
riably too narrow, rarely exceeding three feet in
width, and as a consequence the walls are marred
every time a trunk or large piece of furniture is
carried up ordown. Three feet and a half should
be insisted upon as the minimum width of a stair-
case in a private house, and four feet should be
secured whenever possible, even if it be at the
expense of the parlor.

There can be no prettier or more useful feature

14

AVMTIVE] JH J,

&
pees) & “6
; . es
7 ‘
D
fi a
Gis
4
ih
By

IN THE BEGINNING

in a summer home than a hallway two stories
high, with a gallery running around the second
floor, giving access to the several rooms. Such a
room must always be comparatively cool and
delightful in warm weather, and with a generous
fireplace the ventilation is bound to be of the
best. In such a room smoking may be indulged
in freely without making the atmosphere dis-
agreeable to those who do not indulge in tobacco.

I bought the timber for this house in the log,
and had it sawed up at the mill in the village.
The machinery available was not extensive, but
they could plane, tongue, groove, and bead, and
make a quarter round, or a scotia. With this
help everything else was done on the island, the
‘window-sash only being brought from a distance.
The materials all came from the lake shore, and
the men who built the house were at times car-
penters, farmers, guides, or trappers. I have
never seen anywhere a more intelligent, capable,
and faithful body of men. I suppose I have
had in past years, from time to time, more than
a hundred different men in my employ, in all
sorts of labor, often under exasperating condi-
tions, and yet I have never heard an unkind or
quarrelsome word spoken by one to another.

15

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Some of these men are superb mechanics, the
old-fashioned kind, who not only know all
branches of their own trade thoroughly, but also
much of kindred trades. I brought with me the
design of a corner closet to be built in the dining-
room, copied after an antique model containing
those little diamond panes of glass which are so
attractive. I showed the plans to Charlie Barrett,
and asked him if he could build it. “I think
so,” he said musingly ; “I haven’t any plane to
work out those styles, but I guess I could do
it.’ He did not appear at the island the next
day, and I found out later that he had spent the
time in a blacksmith shop making and tempering
a plane to correspond with my drawing. That
these people should be so skilful in the manage-
ment of metals, with actually no training at all,
is not less than marvellous to me. I have in my
possession a steel hunting-knife of superior qual-
ity and finish, made by one of my Maine friends.
The blade is worked out of an old file, and the
maker had no forge but the kitchen stove; yet I
am quite satisfied that I could not buy as good a
knife in the trade centres of either America or
Europe.

During our first summer one of my men came

16

IN THE BEGINNING

to me and said: “ Now look here. You’re
gettin’ to have quite a lot of guests, and that
makes quite a lot of slop, which you don’t use,
an’ that’s waste. Now Jerry Oakes has got a hog
that ain’t fattenin’ up as fast as he might, an’ so
Jerry wants to make a trade with you. He says
he’ll weigh the hog now, an’ then send him over
to the island, an’ you can feed him on the slop
you re wastin’, and when you leave at the end of
the season, we ’ll weigh him again, send him back,
and Jerry ‘ll pay you six cents for every pound
he’s gained. Ain’t that a fair trade?” And
the hog came and waxed fat, and the ingenious

>

Yankee that engineered the “trade”’ got the
profits for his perquisites, as he deserved; but
that was the first and last hog that ever took up
his residence on the island, the profit not being
sufficient to induce us to crave the society of his
kind again.

Generally we have brought our household ser-
vants with us, supplementing the number, when
necessary, with people from the neighborhood.
Every year this has grown more difficult, as from
the increasing number of summer visitors there is
more work to do in the village and_ possibly
greater profit to be gained. Still, we have had

2 jist

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

some most capable people with us in the past.
Viola was not to be excelled as a laundress, a
waitress, or in general housework. She never
had much to say, being fully occupied in doing.
Once passing through the hall where she was
sweeping, I noticed the rug was covered with
some white substance, and therefore asked,
“What is that on the rug, Viola?”

“ Salt,’ was the laconic answer.

“Salt,” I said. “Is that good for the rug?”

“Tt is,’ she responded; and the woman that
can satisfactorily answer two questions with a
total of three syllables is a jewel to be carefully
treasured.

On another occasion I noticed an ugly brown
spot on the lawn, a yard in diameter, near the
laundry door, where shortly before had been only
velvety green grass; and as Viola was the first
person I met after seeing it, I asked, “ Viola, do
you know what killed the grass there?”

“‘ Hot water,” was her reply.

“ Well, who,” I demanded, “was fool enough
to pour hot water on the grass?”

“I was,” she replied with perfect calmness.
Utterly disarmed, I could only weakly re-
mark, “Well, I hope you won’t do it again.”
18

IN THE BEGINNING

Her quiet “I won’t” ended the interview.
Solomon may have been wise for his age and
generation, but he was not in the same class
with Viola.

Additional help was needed in the laundry on
one occasion, and Hortense found it after break-
fast in a hammock on the laundry porch.

“So you have come to help us, have you?”
she asked ; “and what is your name?”

“ Miss Wilder,” was the response, as she con-
tinued swinging. Her reign over the tubs was
but a brief one.

Of course I am the mildest-mannered of men,
and once when a nursemaid of pure Celtic extrac-
tion was leaving us, Hortense absolutely refused
to give her a recommendation. Out of pure
good nature (Hortense declares it was only want
of conscience), I gave Nora a certificate that was
worthy of framing. In return Nora came to my
library to bid me good-by, but totally ignored
Hortense. I can see the maiden now, dressed
in her very best “afternoon-out” garments, as
she stood in the doorway.

“* Good-by, Misther Dexter,” she said. “Ye
hev always threated me loik th’ gintleman that
ye are. There may be them as says ye hev a hoi

19

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

timper, but as f’r me, I can only say I niver saw
it.” Hortense always laughs at this and persists
in believing that, somehow or other, the remark
was not intended to be complimentary.

The plumbing about the house was started by
a boat engineer assisted by one of the guides,
Deck Huntoon, and later Deck became boss
plumber. The adaptability of these men is
something wonderful. They seem able to turn
their hands to any sort of work with the least
possible instruction. The plumbing was well
done, and we have never been troubled with
leaking pipes. At first four kerosene barrels,
connected by short pieces of iron pipe, did duty
for a tank, and later, when a professional plumber
settled in the village, he built us a cedar tank
and lined it with copper; but the barrels did
very well for several years, and the water, even
at first, had no taint of oil. For several years we
used the lake water for all purposes, — and most
excellent, pure water it was, — pumping it into the
tank with a force pump worked by hand. To
save labor, I got a hot-air pump at a cost of two
or three hundred dollars, but it was little im-
provement over hand-power. It pumped little
if any faster than the hand pump, and a man still

20

IN THE BEGINNING

had to spend his time watching it while it was
working, for if he left it alone it was sure to
run too fast or too slow, or do something that
it ought not to do. As time passed, I became
afraid to use the water of the lake for drinking
purposes, the population on the shores having
greatly increased. I had bought a farm of three
hundred acres on the south shore, and I de-
termined to bring my water from there by
gravity. I dug a well on the hillside about
150 feet above the surface of the lake and pro-
posed to run a pipe from it to the island. All
my friends told me it could not be done, except
Bridgewater, who said it could be done easily.
He was an engineer with an international rep-
utation, and his opinion comforted me greatly.
Unfortunately he failed to tell me how it
was to be done so easily, and later when I
got well into the job I wished I had thought
to ask; but we did it ourselves with no tools
at all except a spade, a crowbar, a wrench,
an axe, and fifty oil-barrels. The distance
across the water was just half a mile, for we
had measured it on the ice the winter before
we laid the pipe. The bottom was very favor-
able, with no steep declivities, running down
21

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

from the island shore gradually to a depth of
sixty-three feet and then rising a little more
abruptly to the main shore. Our pipe was of
galvanized iron, 14 inches in diameter, and came
in lengths of about sixteen feet. The ends
had to be screwed together, and I felt that
this could not be done successfully on a boat
constantly kept in motion by the waves, and
you never can be sure of calm water on the
lake for more than a couple of hours at a time.
In the end we put the pipe together in four
sections, each about 700 feet long, and these
were laid up the hill on the farm shore. They
were kept off the ground by poles, pegged down
solid, so that they would not move when we
started to drag the pipe down the hill. One
danger which we did not dare to risk was getting
the pipe jammed between rocks on the bottom ;
and to avoid the possibility of this, we decided
to float the pipe over near the surface. We
therefore borrowed all the empty oil barrels
we could find in the village, carried them to the
farm shore, and tying a piece of rope around
each, left three or four feet of it hanging. Then
we put a plug in the end of the first section of
pipe and waited for a calm day. When it came
22

IN THE BEGINNING

we went over in the little steamboat, one man
remaining in her with the engineer, to manage
the tow line. One man looked after the barrels,
another after the pipe, and three men went up the
hill to ease the pipe down when we were ready,
while I stood on the shore with a megaphone and
gave the word of command. The tow line from
‘the boat was fastened to the pipe, an oil barrel
tied a little farther up to act as a buoy, and ata
word the engine started and the pipe moved
easily down the hill. Every few lengths another
barrel was fastened to the pipe and the whole
moved out into the lake without a hitch. When
the end of the first section reached the shore,
the boat stopped and the second section was
quickly fastened to it with a union joint. Again
we started, and the two sections seemed to move
as easily as the first alone had done, and so the
others followed, and the end of the pipe was
safely landed on the island. The floating barrels
looked like the corks of a colossal fish-net, quite
crooked at first, but a little steady pulling by a
couple of stout men soon straightened it out. A
few extra lengths were screwed to the island end
to allow for the depth of water, and then we cut
loose the barrels, one after another, and the pipe
23

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

sank safely to the bottom, having been laid in
sixty-three feet of water, half a mile in length, in
one hour and twenty-two minutes. In the fall,
when we leave the island, the pipe is disconnected
at the shore ends and the whole lies safely on the
bottom below the possible action of ice or frost.
It has worked to perfection for several years past,
and water flows freely into our tank, giving us an
ample supply at all times.

It was a matter of not a little difficulty to turn
some acres of woodland into a lawn. Of course
I could have cut down all the trees, and with
plough and harrow quickly graded it into proper
slopes, but I would willingly do anything rather
than lose my trees. They were the beauty of
the island, and grass and flowers would be a poor
exchange for these monarch Birches, Pines, and
Spruces. Growing in the thick woods, covered
with moss and ferns, the roots of even the largest
trees were close to the surface. Cutting out the
underbrush let in the sunlight, which killed the
ferns and moss, leaving bare the great roots. So
earth had to be mounded over them, and, to
avoid tearing the roots, the tilling of the soil had
to be done slowly with shovel and pick, instead
of rapidly with plough and harrow. But it was

24

TREES AND Lawn

IN THE BEGINNING

worth the trouble, time, and expense to save
these grand old trees, which bore traces in every
limb of their struggle for existence. Twisted,
turned, and crooked, it would be impossible for
man to rear them thus if he would. Once I saw
John Burroughs standing on the hillside gazing
with evident delight upon these gnarled old
trunks. He mused awhile, and then his face lit
up with a smile, and he nodded his good, gray
head, and said quietly, “Yes, they’re classic!
That’s it! -Classic!”

The first trail from the wharf to the house I
spotted on the trees myself, and the men followed
with their axes and cleared out the path indicated.
Then the stumps were taken out, and plough and
harrow levelled off the surface. This was only
provisional road-making, of course. We needed
earth in every direction to fill hollows, and to
cover the roots of trees, and the only place we
could get it was from our road-bed. We carted
away the good soil and filled the holes we had made
with rocks and stones, taken from the spaces we
had gone over with pick and shovel, using enough
of the underlying gravel to cover these rocks and
make a smooth surface for our road. This gravel
was what is known as hard pan,—a mixture of

25

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

gravel and clay, which when exposed to the sun
became very firm and hard, making with its
foundation of stone a most excellent road.

It is said that it takes two hundred years of
patient care to produce a perfect lawn, and judg-
ing from the slow improvement of my own sod,
I am almost inclined to believe it. When you
attempt to cultivate a piece of land such as that on
the island, you will find that much of what you
thought was solid earth is in fact largely com-
posed of scurf, half-decayed wood, old tree-trunks,
and the like. As these decay still further, the
surface falls off into hollows, and you are tempted
to dig up once more the entire plot, but do not
do so. You would lose thereby the effect of
work already done, and go back to where you
were years before. It is much better to cart
fresh earth to the spot, and fill in the hollows,
sowing grass-seed on the top. A very consider-
able portion of our lawn is in bad condition owing
to the quality of the seed which was sown. At
first, being ignorant, I presumed the best seed
for the lawn must be the mixed lawn-grass seed of
the dealers, which they praised, so highly. When
the seed developed into plants, I found to my
horror that I had nearly a solid mass of what is

26

IN THE BEGINNING

called Sheep’s Fescue. Now, Sheep’s Fescue
is rather a fine grass which grows in a compact
tuft, and in growing, its roots work up high in
the centre of this tuft; then, when the lawn-mower
passes, it cuts down into the roots in the centre,
leaving an ugly, dead, brown spot. It may be
that this species of grass is looked upon with
approval by sheep, as is suggested by its name,
but no animal with a higher degree of intelligence
than a sheep would sow such seed on a lawn.
Of late years I have bought only pure seed of
a single variety, and have found Kentucky Blue-
grass the best. Red-top is also good and per-
fectly hardy. With either I mix Alsike Clover,
which has a beautiful effect on the lawn, and
gives a noticeable fragrance to the summer’s
breeze.

When we came to clear out the underbrush on
the island, we found innumerable small trees
everywhere. I insisted that the man with the
axe should leave one of these young trees stand-
ing within at least every ten feet, picking out
the best for saving, and in case of doubt, to leave
two untouched until I decided their fate myself.
Of course, none of the large Birches were to be
cut at all. Our principal shade-tree, either

27

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

among the old or young groups, was the Birch,
of which we had two species, the Paper, or Canoe
Birch, and the Yellow, or Silver Birch. The
well-known Rock, or Sugar Maple, is common in
this region. A few Elms are also to be found;
but as we had none on the island, I transplanted
a dozen young trees some years ago, and all
lived and are thriving. One of the most beauti-
ful of our smaller trees is the Mountain Ash,
which grows freely in this part of Maine. In
the forest it grows tall, and is apt to be some-
what ungainly, but given plenty of space it
develops symmetrically and is a most charming
feature on the lawn, with its clusters of white
blossoms in the spring, and its brilliant bunches
of red berries in the fall. A year of profuse
bearing is sure to be followed by a season of
scarcity ; and when the crop of berries has been
remarkably generous, we will often have two
successive years with scarcely any fruit. The
White Pine once covered Maine with dense for-
ests, while now there are but few left in the State.
We have, however, about six large trees on the
island, and numerous small ones are scattered
about in the woods and on the lawn. The
Spruce still is present in the forests in consider-
28

IN THE BEGINNING

able numbers, but the trunks are rapidly being
converted into wood pulp. For structural pur-
poses in building, the Spruce has taken the place
of the Pine. This tree when small, if given
plenty of room, looks well on the lawn, but is
not equal to the Balsam Firin my opinion. The
inner branches of the Fir die off as the tree grows
old, and unless these are carefully pruned away,
the tree soon assumes a ragged appearance. It is
found everywhere in this part of Maine, and its
tender sprouts are eagerly gathered by summer
visitors to make into pillows, which preserve their
delightful fragrance for years. The best time to
gather the balsam tips for this purpose is in June
or early in July, when the young sprigs have just
started out from the ends of the branches. They
are tender and soft then, and, it always seemed to
me, of more delicate fragrance than if gathered
later. The trunk of the Fir is of little value for
timber, as the heart is apt to decay before reach-
ing a very large size. An important tree here is
the White Cedar, which grows everywhere in
moist grounds. It is attractive on the lawn if
planted out when small, and all are familiar with
it when used for hedges under the name of Arbor
Vite. The wood is the most valuable now

29

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

standing in the forests of Maine, being largely
used in the building of boats and for shingles.
The American Larch, Tamarack, or Hackma-
tack, grows in moist lands in this region, and its
timber is valuable; the curved trunks from the
swamps making excellent knees for large boats.
The young tree is handsome, and will grow well
even in comparatively dry situations. I have
tried a number of other shade-trees, reputed to
be hardy, but without much success. A row of
Weeping Willows planted at the shore of the
lake lived for two or three years, and grew rap-
idly, and then an especially severe winter killed
them all.

All these trees may be successfully transplanted,
with proper care. The first necessity is to save
as many of the roots as possible; and in this you
will find your native hard to manage, for if you
leave him to his own devices he will simply thrust
a bar under the young tree, and wrench it loose,
getting only such roots as may happen to come
with the trunk. Maples taken up in this rough
way often live, but it will take several years for
them to recover after such a rude mauling and
show signs of growth. First of all, then, take
your tree up carefully, and get with it every pos-

30

IN THE BEGINNING

sible root. Before re-planting, trim back the
young branches freely, remembering that a
branch should be cut back for every broken root.
In setting the tree out, let the hole dug for it
be of ample size, so that the roots may be spread
out to their full extent. See to this carefully,
and don’t permit the roots to be doubled back in
a bunch. Make the earth snug and firm about
the roots, and then if you will keep the soil well
moistened for a few days, you will find that your
tree will take kindly to its new home. It will be
necessary to exercise greater care than ordinary
in getting all the roots of Pines, Firs, or Spruces,
if you would not lose a large portion of your
trees. All these trees may be transplanted in the
fall; but the spring is the proper time, just as the
buds begin to swell. With ordinary care I find
I lose scarcely any trees transplanted in May,
while, of those moved in September, fully one
half died, not getting well rooted before the ad-
vent of cold weather.

31

CHAPTER if

MEN OF MAINE

“« What a piece of work is man!”?

HE late James G. Blaine once asserted
that the purest bred of Anglo-Saxons
on earth to-day was to be found in

northern Maine. ‘This was scarcely an exaggera-
tion, for Maine was peopled by the Puritans from
Massachusetts Bay, and since then the migration
of different races from Europe has swept by ina
stream, flowing ever westward, and no Celt, Latin,
or Teuton has ever apparently penetrated these
wilds with the exception of now and then a
French-Canadian from over the northern border,
or a Blue-Nose from the eastward; and to-day
the blue-eyed, light-haired type of man predomi-
nates, — the original Simon-pure Yankee, child of
the Pilgrim. A chapter of the Colonial Dames,
if it were established here, would be forced to take
to its bosom every adult female in Insley, if the
tracing of one’s descent from those who founded
32

MEN OF MAINE

a nation was the real qualification for member-
ship. Many a silk-gowned matron of our cities
would give much if she could claim a genealogy
showing such a host of colonial celebrities as can
that good woman of Insley who gains an honest
livelihood at the wash-tub, or by repairing a
watch or a clock at odd moments. Of course I
know she is not eligible as a Dame; the wash-
tub may be at the other end of the line, but not
this. ‘“ Kind o’ curious, ain’t it?”’

Both the men and women of Insley show an
odd combination of thrift and shiftlessness. One
guide, when out of employment, simply sits down
in a corner and smokes, while his neighbor chops
wood and works in his garden from dawn until
dark, and then, lighting a lantern, picks up worms
for bait until bedtime. Passing through the vil-
lage almost any day in summer, and at almost
any hour, you will see a quartet of able-bodied
men busily playing croquet, though there may be
wood to chop or grass to cut. Like all Yankees,
they are keen on a “trade,” and never willingly
let a dollar pass by without getting a percentage
out of it; yet on one occasion a steamboat-captain,
having brought a party to the village from a hotel
at the foot of the lake, absolutely refused to take

3 33

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

them back until he had finished a series of games
of croquet, and he paid no attention to them, as
he saw them prepare to drive back by the road,
though this meant a loss of several dollars to his
boat. The reverse of this picture is that of a
good old farmer who on his death-bed sent for
his sons to come that he might bid them good-
by, and, after having pressed the hand of each,
he sank back wearily on his pillow, murmuring
feebly, “ Boys, when I’m gone, you’d better get
in that hay ; I reckon it’s goin’ to rain.”

Some of the women are tremendous workers
and need restraint rather than urging, while
others, unless you tell them of each particular
thing you wish done, will sit for hours in a rock-
ing-chair. If they would read or write or go to
bed, I would not mind it, but this everlasting
rocking drives me wild.

I know of a storekeeper in northern New
York who, when asked for “ turkey-red,” replied,
“J did keep it, but every one got askin’ for it,
and I was always a-gittin’ up to take it down
off’n the shelves, so I quit keeping it.’”’ Not so
in Insley. Go to the general store and ask for a
brass bedstead, a steam whistle, a side-saddle, and
half a dozen lobsters, and the telephone, telegraph,

34

MEN OF MAINE

and express company will be pressed into service
at once, and you may expect to receive any or all
of these articles by the next day at the furthest.
It has been a common saying amongst us, that if
Harry Furbish could not get what you wanted,
Charlie Barrett could make it. It is true, too,—
absolutely so. I have had the shattered cast-iron
legs of a sewing-machine repaired by these people
so that the places of fracture could not be seen, a
main spring supplied to a watch, and a new can-
vas cover, bound with leather, made for a trunk.

That these people are “ cute” and “ cunnin’”
in a “trade” goes without saying, being Yankees.
To them business is a game to be played for all
there is in it, and they strive to win as much for
the real pleasure of winning as from any motive
of gain. Sentiment has no standing at all here in
business, and a man will sell his home or his
occupation without hesitation, if he thinks he can
make a good trade, or with equal readiness will
buy out a business of which he at the time knows
nothing. Offer the blacksmith “a right smart
chance” at a watch, clock, and jewelry establish-
ment, and he will take it in a jiffy, and undoubt-
edly make a success of it. Deck Huntoon had a
fine horse on the island one summer which he

35

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

called “ General.”” Fasten the General to a
stump ora rock and yell “ Hike there!” and the
obstruction had to come if the harness held. The
following year I found a sorry-looking beast on
the island in the General’s place.

“Why!” I exclaimed, “that’s not the Gen-
eral !”’

“No,” said Deck, “I sold the General.”

“Sold the General!” I said with surprise.
“Why in the world did you do that?”

“Well,” drawled Deck, “I calculate that if
any man wants anythin’ I’ve got more’n I want
it, he’s goin’ to git it.”

Notwithstanding an obvious ease of conscience
when it comes to a trade, the Maine man is con-
spicuously honest. I have known an angler to
leave a case of expensive rods on the public
wharf for several days, and they were there when
he returned, just as he left them, only some one
had stood the case under shelter so that it might
not be damaged by rain. When our house was
being built, I lived in a log cabin alone on the
island, and, unprotected by lock or key, kept by
me several hundred dollars in small bills and
silver, for convenience in paying off the men. I
left my camp tenantless for hours in the daytime,

36

FAVS AOOAd -AVTOIAG V

;
Al
.-
4)
hd
a 7
—
Ae
. =
5 v
hi
4 +
Pe

i!

MEN OF MAINE

and slept there soundly at night, without suffer-
ing the loss of a penny or ever having a feeling
of uneasiness. Speaking of this to Deck once as
something remarkable, his big blue eyes opened
wide in astonishment as he asked, “ Why, how is
it down your way?”

“In the city,” I responded, “I dare not go
out of my door without seeing that it is locked
behind me, for fear some one may slip in and
carry off all he can lay hands on.”

“My!” said Deck, shaking his head, “I ’d hate
to live in a town like that.”

A business man may “fail up,” and compound
with his creditors for so much on the dollar, in
the regular course of trade, without losing caste
among his fellows; nevertheless, by far the
greater number of people are frugal and eco-
nomical, never spend what they haven’t got,
pay their debts in full, and therefore don’t
“fail up.” Talking with Aaron Soule once
on the expense of living, he remarked, “I tell
you, you can’t live and bring up a family on
less’n about two hundred and forty dollars a
year ;” adding hastily, “ No, not in right good
shape.”

A thrifty lass is Mary McManus, who makes

af

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

a comfortable living caring for the finger-nails of
many a fair woman. Calling one day on a client
whose father had lately died, she heard a member
of the family ask, “ What sha// we do with this
piece of bombazine?”’ it having done its solemn
duty, hanging by the front door.

“Oh, do give it to me!”’ said Mary.

“Mercy, child, what would you do with it?”

“Oh, I’ll find some use for it,’ answered
Mary, evasively.

She got it, and taking advantage of a similar
opportunity later, from the two she made a most
attractive black petticoat, and now goes about her
work serenely with those mourning emblems
draped about her slim figure. Mary is not a
Maine woman, but she could give a Yankee girl
points on economy.

Maine for half a century past has had a
series of laws, of constantly increasing severity,
prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors within
her borders. Yet I have travelled from New
Orleans to northern Maine within the space of a
few weeks and never saw an intoxicated man
until I got north of Portland. I do not know
that I ever passed north of Portland without see-
ing at least one passenger much the worse for

38

MEN OF MAINE

liquor. Once at Lewiston, when the State fair
was in session, the car fiJled up with men going
home from the fair, of whom quite one half had
evidently been drinking too much. A chatty old
man of the party who took a seat beside me told
me that on the fair grounds there were not less
than twenty booths in which liquor was openly
sold. ‘That’s our Depity Sheriff,” he said, with
a smile, pointing to a big fellow with flushed
face and bloodshot eyes, who seemed to be mak-
ing for the platform. “Sit down, Jim,” he
yelled. “Do ye want yer neck broke?” As
Jim sat down, the old man turned to me confid-
ingly and whispered, “ About Monday Jim’ll
snake in some fellow up our way for sellin’
liq’r.”

An investigating committee at Lewiston re-
ported that there were not less than fifty places
in that city where liquor was being openly sold,
and of these fifty the names of not less than
thirty-nine of them appeared on the court dockets
under indictments in the year 1899, against whom
182 complaints had been made, out of which
sixty-nine convictions, followed by fines, were
had, only one dealer having been sent to prison.
The fines averaged $324, and the committee

39

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

declared that none of these men stopped busi-
ness for a day, the bar-tenders continuing to
serve liquor while their employers were receiv-
ing the sentence of the court.

No man need go thirsty in Maine, even though
he never touches a drop of water. Order what
you will at almost any hotel or restaurant, and
the chances are that you will get it, though your
champagne may be served in a teapot and
your Bass’s ale in a coffee-cup. Tell the first
man you meet that you want a drink, and it is
quite possible that he will lead you into a side-
street, and there extract a whiskey bottle from
his capacious pockets. In our forest town there
are not less than four men who have taken out
United States licenses to sell liquor. This
does not give them the right to sell in a State
where selling is prohibited, but without such a
license the seller has the Federal as well as the
State authorities to contend with.

Under the law a Deputy Sheriff has the right
to visit the office of an express company, and if
he simply suspects that a package contains in-
toxicating liquor, he has the right to open and
examine it. If he finds nothing, he simply closes
it up again, while if he finds liquor he takes it

40

MEN OF MAINE

into his possession, and notifies the consignee to
appear before a magistrate and prove, if he can,
that he proposes to make a proper use of it.
The magistrate may then, in his discretion, return
it, or destroy it, or hold it under advisement in
his own cellar.

The Maine man will not willingly interfere
with the traffic if such interference means a loss
to general trade. The large hotels in the cities
keep open bar, and the place is raided only often
enough to make the fines count as a fair license
fee. As a stranger I stood by the clerk’s desk
of a city hotel and heard a gentleman complain
loudly of the quality of the gin cock-tail served
at the hotel bar. “ Front” was summoned and
quickly brought the white-aproned bar-tender
to the desk, where complaint and answer were
volubly gone over in my presence, the bar-
tender contending that the true source of com-
plaint was that the gentleman only desired a
larger measure of gin. ‘“ He wants his cock-
the artist declared.
There was not the slightest attempt at conceal-

”»

tails mixed in a beer-mug,

ment of the traffic. The large summer hotels

supply liquors of all kinds to their guests, and

wine is served at meals in public. To stop this
41

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

would drive visitors elsewhere, and this Maine
will not do. Such hotels are not raided as long
as the proprietors confine their ministrations to
the guests of the hotel and do not sell liquor to
the natives.

Packages may come, by freight or express, to
summer visitors, and though billed as wine or
liquor, with even the name of the beverage
stamped in bold letters on the box or barrel, the
sheriff never sees them. The native has to be
more careful, and either has his box consigned to
a stranger, or he has an innocent barrel of flour
sent to him with a demijohn concealed in the
centre. Once this liquor is in the hands of the
owner it is promptly consumed, even though
the effort reduces him toa state of stupefaction.
Beer and other light drinks take up too much
room, so that those who crave stimulants of any
kind are forced to obtain them in a highly con-
centrated form, and whiskey and rum, of a poor
quality, are the ordinary beverages. The diffi-
culty and delay in getting the liquor, and the
danger in keeping it, are such that once in hand
it is promptly consumed with the effect of making
drunkards of the very men the law was framed
to protect, The temptation of the open saloon,

42

MEN OF MAINE

with its bright lights and comfortable surround-
ings, has never been a factor in Maine life for
quite two generations, yet I know of no part of
the United States where drunkards are so com-
mon, in proportion to population, as in the
rural districts of Maine. Looking over a list of
divorces granted at a single term of a county
court, I found that in four out of seven cases
the cause alleged was habitual drunkenness,
though all of the parties had been born since
Maine had adopted her prohibitory laws.

As far as my observation goes, I am con-
vinced that prohibition in Maine does not pro-
hibit, and though it undoubtedly reduces the
number of moderate drinkers, it does not reduce
drunkenness, but rather tends to increase it, and
I feel quite sure that a wide-spread and persistent
violation of any law must have in time a disas-
trous effect upon the character of the people of
the State.

Notwithstanding the evils of intemperance, I
am ready to confess to a great fondness, coupled
with not a little respect, for ‘‘ Cal,” who for so
many years held undisputed claim to the title
of “Village Drunkard.” My good opinion of
Cal was not gained by reason of his inordinate

43

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

consumption of strong liquor, but in spite of it;
for Cal, to tell the truth, was usually drunk, — not
stupidly drunk, but brilliantly so; never fighting
drunk, but invariably good-natured. Sober, he
was quiet and retiring; half-seas-over, he was
genial and sociable ; while drunk, he was a genius.

In the latter condition he compiled his weekly
half-column of local items for the county paper,
and.much of it was as amusing as any of the work
of newspaper wits with a national reputation.
Many years ago Cal walked unsteadily up the
village street, and seating himself upon the steps
of the little hotel, gazed about him upon the
people waiting for the stage. A quiet lad in an
armchair caught his eye, and then, gathering
himself together for a moment, he broke out
with, “ Willie, you’re a good-hearted boy, but
you can’t whistle worth a d—n.” Having set-
tled Willie, he turned upon the assembled sports-
men, and after examining them carefully for a
moment, remarked philosophically, “ Well, after
all, folks is very much like other people.” Then
he discovered me, and said pleasantly, “I believe
this is the first time I ever saw Mr. Dexter.”

“Ts that so, Cal?”’ I asked. “It’s not the first
time I ’ve seen you.”

44

oe ie

MEN OF MAINE

“Well,” said Cal, “did you ever see me drunk
before?”

“Yes,” I answered, “‘ I think I have, and I’ve
seen you half drunk, and, unless I am mistaken,
I ’ve seen you sober.”

“Well, maybe you have, and maybe you ’ve
got a vivid imagination,” was his parting obser-
vation.

I recall his announcement for the paper of the
arrival of one of the prominent summer visitors
on one occasion. It was as follows: “ Dr. Bring-
hurst arrived last Tuesday, accompanied by his
little dog, Tippy, who during the past winter
has acquired seven new diseases.”

Here is another item : —

“About seven acres on the island have been
painted red. This includes the roofs of all of
Mr. Dexter’s buildings.”

Once a sportsman asked after his wife, to
whom Cal was invariably kind and devoted; and
he replied cheerfully, ““ Oh, she’s gettin’ so shift-
less she won’t even cut the wood.”

He was sitting in the store one night with his
head in his hands, apparently oblivious to all
about him, when the door opened and a stranger
entered. ‘“ Howare you, Fuller?’ said some one.

45

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

At that Cal raised his head, looked at the
stranger inquiringly and asked unsteadily, “ Are
you Fuller?”

“Yes,” said the man.

“Well,” said Cal, with a benign smile, “if
you ’re fuller ’n I am, God help you!”

I think Jim Brown could, and would, drink
more strong liquor than any man I ever saw,
and, no matter how much he took, it never
seemed to affect him in the slightest degree, in
looks, in gait, or in speech. I never had Jim
for a guide, but there were few in the region with
wider knowledge of the habits of fish and game.
He studied the wind, the weather, and the sea-
son, and the sum of them all sent him to a certain
spot at a certain hour, and he always got fish. If
you supplied him freely with strong drink, you
could get the best there was in him, otherwise
not. Once starting for a week’s camping trip,
the sportsman turned over to Jim a gallon of
whiskey, informing him that this was his allow-
ance for the week. Before nightfall Jim had
taken every drop of the liquor, and left the
empty jug beside the trail. Yet all day Jim
kept up steadily with the party, with seventy
pounds of luggage on his back. Once when in

46

SE

MEN OF MAINE

camp two sportsmen had a bottle of claret be-
tween them, and Jim expected much when his
turn at the table came. To his disgust, when
his employers had moved to the doorway and
Jim was ready to sit down, he found the remain-
ing half bottle had been corked up and put back
on the shelf. After taking in the full significance
of the situation, Jim turned to his fellow-guide
and said, “ Billy, do you know, this is the first
time in three year I’ve sat down to my dinner
without my claret.”

While the house was being built, we lived for
a time at the little hotel in Insley, and one of the
interesting characters of the region, Squire Burke,
made the hotel his home. He took great interest
in our operations on the island, and one evening
while sitting with him in the office, he asked me
impressively, —

“What, Mr. Dexter, do you propose to do
about guests ? ”

“Do aboutthem? I hardly understand you.”

“Well,” he continued, waving his hand now
and then with a peculiar little jerk with which he
invariably punctuated his sentences, —‘“‘ Well, I
suppose you will have guests at times.”

“Yes, I answered, ‘ undoubtedly.”

47

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

“ Well, I should suppose,” said the Squire,
“that they would feel more comfortable if they
were allowed to bear a part of the expense of
keeping up the house.”

“] hardly know about that, Squire,” I said
with asmile. “I’ve had guests elsewhere, and
they never seemed troubled from that cause.”

Our first dinner-party was given one day at
high noon, to some of our acquaintances at the
Insley Lake House, and the Squire was an ap-
preciative guest. As he mounted the steps of
the hotel on his return, one of the villagers re-
marked to the old man: “ Rather a windy day for
ye to be out, Squire. Ye hain’t ketched cold,
hey ye o”’

“No,” said the Squire, drawing himself up to
his full height; “I have been dining, at the
Island, and the flushed appearance of my face,
comes from the wine, we had at dinner.”

That dinner-party was evidently quite an event
in the old man’s life, and he talked it all over
afterwards with one of the ladies who had been
present. |

“T got that letter, inviting me to the dinner,
and at first I thought it was from Mr. Dexter,
but I found out afterwards, it was from Mrs.

Pas:

MEN OF MAINE

Dexter, and a very, remarkable, letter, it was. I
will keep that letter ;” andthe Squire paused and
mused awhile. Then he asked, “ Did you notice
that soup?” Yes, the lady had noticed it. “I
have dined, in the past, 1 presume, at some of
the best hotels in all New England, and that was
very, remarkable, soup. It was good! Then
there was that lettis! I couldn’t eat it at first,
because I only had a fork, so I asked for a knife.
Did you hear me ask for a knife? Well, I
asked for a knife, and then I got along first-rate.
Now lettis, is not a very good tastin’ vegetable,
natur’ly, but this lettis, had a sauce on it, that
was good. Then, did you notice those /if-el
cups of coffee, and those /z-el spoons? Well, I
asked Mrs. Dexter, and she told me, that those
it-el spoons, were just made, for those Af-el
cups.”

The old Squire rests in the graveyard by the
brook, and his tall form, with that face so like to
Emerson’s, is seen no more upon the village
streets. His graceful courtesy and his kindly
greetings are but a memory. Peace to thy
ashes, gentle Squire!

Ned Grant was a famous trapper in the region
years ago, and his quaint phrases, slowly drawled

4 49

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

out, were often very amusing. Once going into
Winnebago, the road seemed to divide, one trail
making off more to the left. We took the right-
hand trail, and as one of the wheels of the buck-
board mounted a rock as big as a tea-table, I
asked Ned where the other trail went. ‘“ Oh,”
he said, “that’s the old trail, They abandoned
it because it was a leetle mite rough.”

Passing a clearing in which there was a dilapi-
dated barn and a ruined house, the surrounding
land being remarkable solely for the number and
size of the rocks on its surface, I asked Ned what
had become of the tenant. ‘ Oh, he’s retired,”
answered Ned, “made his fortin’ and retired.
Ye see that wasn’t hard for him to do, for his
farm was good strong land. It had to be strong,
or it could n’t ’a’ held up so many big rocks.”

Once after a successful day, Ned and I hada
pint of champagne together, drinking it out of
tin cups, —a horrible profanation. Ned smacked
his lips over it and remarked critically: “ That
ain’t a bad sort o’ drink. . I should think that
’ud be first-rate to drink at meals instead o’ tea.”

Every one who has fished in the Insley region
during the past thirty or forty years knows old
Richardson. A number of years ago I was down

50

MEN OF MAINE

on the lower lakes with a party, and we stayed at
a hotel of which he was then the proprietor. In
the evening one of my friends was looking over
the register, and the old man was peering over
his shoulder. Suddenly his long bony finger was
stretched out and rested on a name on the page
before him. “ What do ye make that out to be?”
he asked.

“That, said my friend, “why, that’s very
plain. It’s ‘W. H. Ramsbottom.’”

“* Well, that’s what I thought it were,” said the
old man, with a relieved expression. “ But, do
you know, all the time he was here I was afraid
to call him it, for fear he’d think I was sassin’
him.”

Sitting around the camp-fire one night, the
conversation turned on odd things to eat, and
from the common rat, bird’s nests, and the musk-
rat the extreme appeared to be reached with
skunks and snakes as a diet; but one of the
guides was ready for a deeper plunge, and as-
serted in rather a sceptical tone, as if he hardly
expected to be believed, that he had heard “ that
there ’s places where they eat mushrooms.”

There is n’t a kinder-hearted fellow in the
region than Frank Philbrick, a good guide, and

51

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

always a faithful workman. He was handling a
pick one day on the island when a hornet, who
seemed much disturbed, came buzzing about, and
Frank made two or three vigorous passes at it
with his hat. ‘“ You ben’t afraid of hornets, be
you, Frank?” asked Deck Huntoon, who still
continued to wield his pick near by.

« Al] I mind’s their sting,” said Frank; “I
like their looks first-rate.”

Driving once through a neighboring village
with my friend, the Deputy Sheriff, I asked him
what churches they had there. ‘ Two,” said the
Deputy. “One is the Congregational, and the
other a sort of a Union Chap-el.”

“ And what denominations worship there?”

“The Universalists, the Unitarians, and the
Free Will Baptis’.”

“ That’s an interesting combination,” I ob-
served. ‘To which body do you belong?”

“To none of ’em,” he answered ; “I’m what
they call a Christian Baptis’.”’

“ Indeed,” I said, “are there many of your
faith up here?”

“ No,” he answered solemnly ; “ I am the only
one.”

I have often wondered how my friend the

52

MEN OF MAINE

Deputy ever found out that he was a “ Christian
Baptis’.”

Many of the words and phrases in common
use are of special interest, and some are easily
traced to a local birthplace. For instance, many
years ago a French-Canadian by the name of
Boubier settled in an adjoining township, and the
scattered houses thereabout became known as
Boubier Town, to be finally corrupted into
Boobytown, and the inhabitants are now uni-
formly known as Boobies. A guide in the re-
gion claims the name of Ex-a-ve-ra, a puzzle
at first, but quickly solved when its owner was
asked to spell it. The spelling made it Xavier.
The mother had read of the Saint and named her
boy after him, she and her friends pronouncing it
as they would. The waterways running up into
‘the marshes are uniformly referred to as “ logans,”
while the little insects that live there in summer
and greet you so cordially when you intrude
upon them are always spoken of as “ minges,”
and the flat, bottom land in the valley is called
the “ medder ground.” Now, this is not at all
remarkable. It is their mode of pronunciation
and it suits them, and that is the end of it.
Boston gives herself full liberty in such matters,

53

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

and pray, why not Insley also? The Hub is
distinguished for a wonderfully good grocery-
store of which Mr. S. S. Pierce was the founder.
Now, all the English-speaking world know per-
fectly well what the letters P-i-e-r-c-e spell, ex-
cept Boston, and she serenely declares that these
letters spell Purse. That she may be consistent,
she also insists that it was Franklin Purse who
was fourteenth President of the United States.
Doubtless they carry this to the bitter end, and a
business man of Boston is pursed with regret if he
misses an opportunity to put money in his pierce.
But what do Boston people do with their brows
and their lips? Purse them or pierce them?

One hard-worked word in Maine is “ trade.”
All sorts of buying, selling, exchanging, or, so far
as ] can understand, entering into any sort of a
contract, is to “ make a trade.” The Deacons
of the Church make a trade with the clergyman
for his services, and when I told Al Wilbur that
Mrs. Landell’s French maid was engaged to be
married to one of the guides and that she could
not speak a word of English, Al remarked with
lively interest, “‘ Well, I don’t see how they made
the trade then.”

When these men go off into the woods, they

54

MEN OF MAINE

carry their luggage in a sack on their backs, and
from this they have coined the verb “to sack,”
meaning “ to carry.” In its application it is usually
confined to comparatively light burdens. Thus
I never heard a man say he would sack off a load
of rocks, but they do “‘ sack out”’ the underbrush
when they take up an armful. One of these men
once said to me, “‘ Did you see that little bird?
He pulled the fibres out of that door-mat and
sacked off all he could carry.” Another Maine
man speaking of a stormy night in winter said,
“Tt was awfully doin’ outside that night.”

I have not dwelt on many expressions peculiar
in a large degree to New England as they are
familiar to all. Many are not Americanisms,
but are survivals of old English expressions,
which, disappearing in the old country, have
been preserved in the new. An interesting ex-
ample of this was noted at the time of the death
of Ralph Waldo Emerson. A biographer stated
that the Emerson family came to America in
1630 from the Parish of Woodhill, in the valley
of the great Ouse. This statement, repeated in
the London Atheneum, was challenged by a local
historian, who declared that there was no such
Parish as Woodhill in the valley. More careful

55

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

research, however, disclosed the fact that in 1630
theré was a Parish of Woodhill, in County Bed-
ford, in this valley, but that the name had been
gradually contracted until nothing but “ Odell”
was left of it, the original name surviving in the
traditions of the Emerson family.

The Maine man dislikes to receive commands,
and is therefore chary about giving them, even
when clothed with ample authority, and instead
of bidding another to do thus and so, is apt to
reduce the command to a question, saying to one,
“ Ain’t it pretty nigh time to feed the horse?”
or to another, “ How’d it be to try your bar on
that far corner?” The Maine man has the
American dislike to commands in a superlative
degree, and the way they avoid giving direct
orders to each other is interesting. There is
something in the mountain air, the vastness of
the woods, that begets independence and a love
of freedom. During the Civil War a couple of
stalwart lumbermen came from Potter County,
Pennsylvania, to Harrisburg, with the intention
of enlisting. Walking out to Camp Curtin, they
watched with interest a sergeant drilling a file of
troops. As the full import of the scene dawned
on their minds, one turned to the other, and said,

56

MEN OF MAINE

“Come on, Jim! I’m goin’ home. I’ll billy
be d—d if Ill walk in two rows for any man.”
It did not, however, take this class of men long
to learn the necessity of discipline in an army,
and once this lesson was learned, they made the
best troops in the world, as was seen in the career
of the famous Buck-tail regiment of Pennsyl-
vania, and was proved on many a field by the
lumbermen of Maine and Wisconsin. It is only
fair to add that the most unpleasant experience
these men had was when they met face to face the
mountaineers of North Carolina.

The Maine man is not only chary of his
words, but is cautious in his statements. He
rarely asserts a fact positively, but is inclined to
guess that it may be so, and prefers, indeed, to
put a statement in the form of a question, asking
another if he does not think or guess that it may
beso. This caution of speech was well illustrated
on one occasion when my family were moving off
from the Insley Hotel, on their way to the island.
After watching us a moment a careful woman
from Skowhegan turned to a companion and said
pleasantly, “‘ Nice people,” and then in a moment,
possibly fearing she had been too positive, added
quickly, “ As far as we can see.”

57

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Down on the “ Big Lake” there is a colony of
camps presided over by a withered little man by
the name of Hewey. One of the Judges of the
Supreme Court of Massachusetts came there one
season to spend a portion of his vacation, and
Hewey showed him to his quarters, a detached
log-cabin, which he was to occupy by himself
alone. His Honor gazed around doubtfully and
seemed somewhat disturbed by his surroundings.
“I do not know that I quite like this. It seems
very lonely. What would one do, for instance,
if one were taken ill at night?”

“Oh, that’s all right,” replied Hewey, cheer-
fully. “All you ’ve got to do is to come to yer
door an’ yell ‘ Hewey ’ like h—1.”

It may as well be confessed that Hortense is
not a large woman, and her son, as is natural and
proper, takes after her. As for myself, I never
was remarkable for the robustness of my figure,
so that a large and bulgy wife would have been
quite inappropriate for me. We went down
through the lakes one summer and stopped to
inspect these camps. While chatting pleasantly
with Hewey, my son passed, and he asked, “’S
that your boy ?”

“Yes,” Trephed:

58

MEN OF MAINE

“Well,” said Hewey, sympathetically, “he’s
awful pore, ain’t he?”

I acquiesced with a smile, for the adjec-
tive only indicated spareness and absence of
flesh.

“When I saw him last summer,” continued
Hewey, “I thought maybe, he wa’n’t well.
Thought p’r’aps the region didn’t agree with
him, but I guess it’s nat’ral. Hey? That his
mother?”’ he asked in a whisper, as Hortense
passed ; and to my affirmative answer he replied
with a relieved smile, “Oh, well, then, you
couldn’t expect much out o’ such a pore
couple.”

The following year we were down again with
a party, my boy not being of the number. As
the boat stopped at these camps, we saw Hewey
on the wharf, and he greeted us cordially. “ What
do you think of my boy this year, Hewey?” I
asked.

“Why, I don’t see him,” said Hewey, peering
about. .

“ Here he is,” I said, as I laid my hand on the
knee of a young friend of mine who was at that
period holding up the dignity of the Yale foot-
ball team, with six feet three of stature and some

59

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

two hundred odd pounds of bone and muscle, at
left guard, — “ Here he is.”

Hewey gazed at him in astonishment for a
moment, and then slapping his leg with delight,
remarked, “So ’tis. O Lordy! but ye must ’a’
fed him well!”

CHAPTER: Ill

THE VESTIBULE

“© For books are not absolutely dead things.’’

E. decided that the most convenient

\) \ place for us to put our book-shelves
was in the vestibule, so there the

shelves went. And why should they not? Can
there be a more cheerful wall-covering than
shelves full of books? This passage-way was
seven feet wide, and if we had put an ordinary
bookcase on either side, we would have found
the space much contracted, for an ordinary book-
case is fifteen inches wide, though an ordinary
book rarely exceeds six. Some of my books
were large, so I made the lower shelves ten
inches deep, and then, about four feet up,
dropped back to six inches in depth. The
shelves are immovable. How far apart they
should be placed depends upon the character
of one’s library. In our case, I found the fol-
lowing dimensions convenient. On one half,

61

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

beginning at the bottom, the first shelf was 18
inches above the base shelf, and the other spaces
were 11, g4, 83, 83, 8, and 72, and in the other
half 11, 103%, 10, 94, 8, 8, and 8. No shelf
should be much longer than three feet between
supports, for if it is, the shelf will sag in time.
There should be no openings behind supports to
hide the books from sight. I put no doors at
all on these cases, as we have scarcely any dust
on the island, and anyway I would rather bear
with the dust than be pestered with the doors.

When we came to select our books, we con-
sulted all those lists of “ A Hundred Best Novels
in English,” and the like, and our first purchases
were selected from them. Adding to it in after
years, we got much that was worthless, all of it
highly commended by the reviewers, or insinuat-
ingly included in our packages by the too oblig-
ing bookseller.

In attempting to give a list of books for a
summer library I approach the task with becom-
ing modesty and cannot hope to please all tastes.
None of us would of course make exactly the
same list, but in this task I have been materially
aided by the friends who have been with us in
past years. They have been urged to note on

62

'
:
4
f
:
;
3
R
?
*

THE VESTIBULE

the fly leaves their views of the books they read,
and thus our lists actually embrace the likings
and dislikings of a large number of people,
and are not the views of the writer-alone, pos-
sibly in some cases not his views at all. It
seems to me that first of all we should select
books that the average girl or boy, woman or
man, will read, generally rejecting those books that
every one /as read, unless we believe them to be
worth reading again. Onsuch a basis this would

be then our

I. First CuHoice or Books ror a SUMMER
LIBRARY

ALLEN, James Lane.— A Kentucky Cardinal; The
Reign of Law.

Batzac, H. pe.— Le Pére Goriot; Duchesse de
Langeais ; Eugénie Grandet.

Barr, A. E.— The Bow of Orange Ribbon; Jan
Vedder’s Wife; A Border Shepherdess; Friend
Olivia.

Barriz, JAMES. — The Little Minister ; Sentimental
Tommy; Margaret Ogilvy.

Besant, W., and Rice, J.— The Chaplain of the
Fleet. ;

Bydérnson, B. — The Fisher Lassie.

Brack, CLEMENTINA.— The Princess Désirée.

Biackmorg, R. D,— Lorna Doone.

63

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

BLounDELLE-Burton, J.— The Hispaniola Plate;
The Clash of Arms.

Browne, C. F.— The Works of Artemus Ward.

Butien, F. T. —The Cruise of the Cachalot.

Butwer-LyTTon, Sir E.— My Novel.

Bunner, H. C.—Short Sixes; Love in Old Clothes.

Butter, Sir W. F.— Charles George Gordon;
Sir Charles Napier (*‘ Men of Action” Series).

Case, G. W. — Old Creole Days; Strong Hearts.

Castie, A. & E.— The Pride of Jennico.

CHITTENDEN, L. E. — Speeches and Letters of Abraham
Lincoln.

Criemens, S. L.—Recollections of Joan of Arc; In-
nocents Abroad; Following the Equator.

Ciopp, Epwarp. — The Story of * Primitive Man” ;
The Story of Creation.

Cotes, E.— The Story of Sonny Sahib.

Cotiins, Witkie.— The Woman in White; The
Moonstone.

Cooper, J. F.—The Spy; The Last of the Mohi-
cans; The Pilot.

Corsett, Juttan. — Monk; Sir Francis Drake (‘¢ Men
of Action” Series).

Crane, STEPHEN. — The Red Badge of Courage.

Crawrorp, F. M.— Saracinesca ; A Cigarette Maker’s
Romance.

Crockett, S$. R.— The Raiders; The Lilac Sun-
bonnet; Kit Kennedy.

Curtis, GEorce W. — Prue and I.

Dana, R. H. — Two Years before the Mast.

Detanp, Marcaret. — Old Chester Tales.

Dickens, CuHarves. — Pickwick Papers ; David Cop-
perfield; A Tale of Two Cities.

64

THE VESTIBULE

DisraELi, B. — Coningsby.

Dorie, A. C.— The Refugees; The White Com-
pany; Micah Clarke; Memoirs and Adventures
of Sherlock Holmes.

Dumas, A.— The Three Guardsmen; Twenty Years
After ; Count of Monte Cristo.

Dunne, F. P. — Mr. Dooley in Peace and War.

EcGcLeston, GEoRGE C. — Southern Soldier Stories.

Exiot, Grorce. — Silas Marner; Adam Bede; Mid-
dlemarch.

Emerson, R. W.—Essays; Representative Men.

FEuILLET, O.— Romance of a Poor Young Man.

FreLp, EuGEnE. — Poems of Childhood.

FreLtpinc, Henry. — Tom Jones.

Fower, Exvren T.— Concerning Isabel Carnaby ;
The Farringdons.

Freytac, G.— Debit and Credit.

Gasoriau, E. — File No. 113.

Gautier, T.— Captain Fracasse.

GRAHAME, KENNETH. — The Golden Age.

Grant, RosBert.— Reflections of a Married Man;
Opinions of a Philosopher.

Gras, Fétix. — The Reds of the Midi.

Green, A. K.— The Leavenworth Case.

Hate, E. E.— The Man Without a Country.

Harévy, L.— The Abbé Constantine.

Harris, J. C. — Uncle Remus.

HawtTuHorne, N.— The Scarlet Letter.

Hervey, M. H.— Amyas Egerton, Cavalier.

Hewett, M.— The Forest Lovers.

HockinG, JosepH. — The Birthright.

Horr, ANTHony. — The Prisoner of Zenda.

5 65

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Houmes, O. W.— Elsie Venner.

Hornunc, E. W.—lIrralie’s Bushranger; A Bride from
the Bush; The Rogue’s March.

Howe ts, W. D. — Their Wedding Journey.

Huco, Vicror. — Les Misérables.

Jackson, H. H.— Ramona; Saxe Holm Stories.

Jewett, 5. O.— A Country Doctor; A Native of
Winby.

KeIGHTLEY, S. R.— The Crimson Sign; Heronford.

KINGSLEY, CHARLES.— Westward Ho!; Hypatia.

KincsLey, Henry. —Geoffrey Hamlyn.

Kipitinc, R.— The Jungle Books; Soldiers Three;
Plain Tales from the Hills.

Latino, S. — Modern Science and Modern Thought.

Le Saceg, A. R. — Gil Blas.

Lever, CHARLES, — Charles O’Malley; Harry
Lorrequer.

Lire. — (Bound Volumes.)

Lover, S. — Handy Andy.

Lyatt, Sir A.— Warren Hastings (“ Menof Action ”
Series).

McCtiovup, N.— The Starling.

Maruitt, E.— The Old Mam’selle’s petted

Marryat, Captain. — Mr. Midshipman Easy;
Peter Simple; Japhet in Search of a Father.

Martin, E. S$. — A Little Brother of the Rich ; Wind-
falls of Observation.

Mason, A. E. W.— The Courtship of Morrice Buck-
ler; Lawrence Clavering.

MeEInuHOLD, J. W.— The Amber Witch.

Merriman, H. S.— With Edged Tools; The
Sowers.

66

THE VESTIBULE

Mitcuett, D. G.—Dream Life; Reveries of a
Bachelor.

Mircue tt, J. A.— Life’s Fairy Tales.

MrircHett, S. Weir. — Hugh Wynne; The Adven-
tures of Francois.

Moutock, D. M.— John Halifax, Gentleman.

“ Noblesse Oblige.”

Oxtivant, A. — Bob, Son of Battle.

Pace, T. N. —In Ole Virginia.

PaRKER, GILBERT. — The Trail of the Sword ; When
Valmond came to Pontiac; The Seats of the
Mighty ; The Pomp of the Lavilettes.

Parr, Mrs. — Dorothy Fox.

PemBerton, Max. — The Little Huguenot.

Pyrz, Howarp.— The Rose of Paradise; Men of
Iron,

QuiLtER—Coucu, A. T.— The Splendid Spur ; Dead
Man’s Rock.

READE, CHARLES. — Peg Woffington.

Rirey, J. W.— Rhymes of Childhood.

RocueE, J. J. — Her Majesty the King,

RusseLL, W. C.— The Wreck of the Grosvenor,

Sanp, GEoRGE. — Consuelo.

SAINTINE, J. X. B. — Picciola.

SaMuELs, S. — From Forecastle to the Cabin.

Scott, Str Water. — Ivanhoe; The Bride of
Lammermoor; Antiquary; Rob Roy; Waverley;
Quentin Durward ; Guy Mannering; Talisman ;
Kenilworth.

SEAWELL, M, E.—A Virginia Cavalier; Lady Betty
Stair; The Loves of the Lady Arabella.

SHAKESPEARE, W. — Plays.

67

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

SIENKIEWiIcz, H. — With Fire and Sword; The Del-
uge; Pan Michael; Quo Vadis.

SPENCER, HERBERT. — Aphorisms (selected by J. R.
Gingell).

StepMan, E. C.— A Victorian Anthology.

STEVENsoN, R. L.— Treasure Island; Kidnapped ;
David Balfour; The Master of Ballantrae; The
Wrong Box; Saint Ives.

Srockton, F. R.— Rudder Grange; The Casting
Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.

Stowe, H. B.— Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

SwiFT, J.— Gulliver’s Travels.

Tarkincton, B.— The Gentleman from Indiana;
Monsieur Beaucaire.

Tuackeray, W. M.— Henry Esmond; Vanity Fair ;
The Newcomes; Pendennis; Barry Lyndon.

Wattace, Lew.— Ben-Hur.

WarREN, SAMUEL.— Ten Thousand a Year.

WaterR_oo, S.— The Story of Ab.

Watson, Rev. J. — Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush.

Wescott, E. N.— David Harum.

Weyman, S. J. —A Gentleman of France; The Man
in Black.

Wituiams, J. L.— The Stolen Story.

Witson, Str C.—Lord Clive (“Men of Action”
Series).

Yeats, S. Levert.— The Chevalier d’Auriac.

But the above list of books does not by any
means embrace all that we should have. In the
country in summer we must have near at hand

a few good books on nature, and I have gathered
68

THE VESTIBULE

them together here in separate classes for con-
venience of reference.

II. Out or Door Books.

1. General.

Aszsot,T. C. C.— A Naturalist’s Rambles about Home.

ALLEN, Grant. — Flashlights on Nature; Falling in
Love.

BurrouGcHs, JoHn.— Wake-Robin; Winter Sunshine;
Birds and Poets; Locusts and Wild Honey; Pepac-
ton; Fresh Fields; Signs and Seasons; Riverby ;
Squirrels and other Fur Bearers.}

Gisson, W. H.— Highways and Byways.

Tuoreau, H. D.— The Maine Woods; Walden.

Waite, GiLtBert.— The Natural History of Sel-
borne.

2. The Garden.

Gray, Asa.— School and Field Book of Botany.

BaiLey, L. H.— Cyclopedia of American Horticul-
ture.

Rosinson, W.— The English Flower Garden.

Dana, W. S.— How to Know the Wild Flowers.

THAXTER, CeLt1a.— An Island Garden.

Warner, C. D.— My Summer in a Garden.

1 If any one refuses to buy nine volumes of a single author, then
let him get <¢ A Year in the Fields,’’ which is a selection from the
essays contained in the volumes named above. If, however, one
really loves nature, and therefore John Burroughs, he will get the
nine volumes, and “¢ A Year in the Fields”’ also.

69

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

3. Birds.

Coves, ELtiott. — Key to North American Birds.

CuHapMaNn, Frank M.— Bird Life; Hand Book of
Birds of Eastern North America.

Brancuan, N.— Bird Neighbors; Birds that Hunt
and are Hunted.

Wricut, Maser Oscoop. — Birdcraft.

BaskeTT, J. N. — The Story of the Birds.

All these are desirable. If a choice is to be
made, I commend them in the order given

above.
4. Fish.

Guntu_er, A. C, L. G.— Introduction to the Study of
Fishes.

Jorpan and GiLBertT.— Synopsis ot the Fishes of
North America.

Marsury, Mary Orvis, — Favorite Flies.

Norris, THADDEUS. — The American Angler’s Book.

Van Dyke, Henry. — Little Rivers; Fisherman’s
Luck.

Watton and Corton. — The Complete Angler.

We ts, H. P.— Fly Rods and Fly Tackle.

Yate et al. — The Out-of-Door Library — Angling.

5. Shooting.
Caton, J. D. — The Antelope and Deer of America.
Mayer, A. M. (Editor). — Sport with Rod and Gun.
SETON-THompson. — Wild Animals I have Known;
Biography of a Grizzly ; The Trail of the Sandhill
Stag.
7O

THE VESTIBULE

Equally indispensable is the children’s corner
on the shelves. In the lists already given there
are many books that will interest young people,
and the sooner they are introduced to them the
better. I remember when my own boy was
passing through the inevitable “Henty” age I
handed him the “ Hoggarty Diamond.” He
read it, and as he handed it back to me, asked
reproachfully, ““Why didn’t you give me that
before?” Practically the following list is in-
tended for a childless family, but a family that
loves children, and now and then welcomes the
little ones to its circle. With these books you
will have something to give quite as wholesome
as doughnuts and lemonade. The family with
children will have to add to this little library
books varying in character according to the age
of the youngsters, but in any case this list will
prove, I hope, useful as a foundation for

III. THe Cuitpren’s Liprary.

Esop’s Fables.

Atcott, L. M.— Little Women; Little Men.

ANDERSEN, H. C. — Fairy Tales.

Barnes, James. — For King or Country ; Midshipman
Farragut.

Bepe, CurHsert. — Verdant Green.

71

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Be.tiew, F, P. W.—Chip’s Dogs.

Brooks, E. S.— Chivalric Days.

Burnett, F. H. — Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Busco, W.— Max and Maurice.

CarroLi, Lewis. — Alice’s Adventures in Wonder-
land.

Criemens, S. L.— Tom Sawyer; Huckleberry Finn.

Cooince, Susan. — What Katy Did.

Cox, Parmer. — The Brownies: Their Book.

DeFoer, Danrte.. — Robinson Crusoe,

Frost, A. B. — The Bull Calf.

Grimm’s Household Stories.

HABBERTON, JoHN. — Helen’s Babies.

Hucues, IT.— Tom Brown’s School Days; Tom
Brown at Oxford.

Kempse, E. W.— The Billy-Goat.

Lanc, ANDREW. — The Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow
Fairy-Books.

NEWELL, P. S.— Topsy’s and Turvy’s.

Pyite, Howarp. — The Merry Adventures of Robin
Hood; Otto of the Silverhand.

Raspe, R. E.— Baron Munchausen.

SEAWELL, M. E. — Little Jarvis.

Slovenly Peter. (No family can be properly brought
up without ‘‘ Slovenly Peter.’’)

Wysz, JoHann Davip.— The Swiss Family Rob-

inson.

A few good books of reference are necessary,
of course, and all of the following will be found
useful. If you have the Century Dictionary,
you will not need Worcester, and while Allibone

72

THE VESTIBULE

is desirable it is not essential in such a library as
this.

IV. Booxs or REFERENCE.

Jounson’s Encyclopedia.

Century Dictionary.
WorcesTER’s Dictionary.

Atlas of the World.

TxHomas’s Dictionary of Biography.
WHEELER’s Familiar Allusions.
Av.izone’s Dictionary of Authors.

To these four essential lists of books I append
the following so-called “ classics” which are uni-
formly commended by almost all lovers of good
literature. Select from it what you will, but I
would put none of these books in a summer
library, because I feel assured from experience
that few of them would ever be read. Those
that are of real interest have been read already by
most, if not all, of your friends, while the others
will continue to be left alone, notwithstanding the
weight of authority in favor of them.

V. C.assics.

ANDERSEN, H. C.— The Improvisatore.
AvERBACH, B.— On the Heights.
AusTEN, JANE. — Pride and Prejudice ; Sense and Sensi-
bility.
73

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Beckrorp, W.— Vathek.

BronTE, CHARLOTTE. — Jane Eyre.

Brown, C. B. — Arthur Mervin.

Browninc, Rospert. — Poems.

Bunyan, Joun. — Pilgrim’s Progress.

Burns, Ropert. — Poems.

Cervantes, M.— Don Quixote. (To me the saddest
book in all literature.)

De Quincey, THomas.— Confessions of an Opium
Eater.

De Start, Mme, — Corinne.

FirzGERaLp, E.— Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

FouquE, La Morre.— Undine.

GaskELL, E. C.— Cranford.

GorTHE, J. W.— Wilhelm Meister’s Apprentice-
ship.

Go.psmiTH, O.— Vicar of Wakefield. (Mr. Clem-
ens heartily commends one ship’s library because
it did mot contain this book.)

GrEviLLeE, H.— Dosia; Sonia.

JoHNnson, SAMUEL. — Rasselas.

Jupp, Syivesrer. — Margaret.

A Kempis, THomas. — The Imitation of Christ.

KENNEDY, J. P.— Horseshoe Robinson.

LamarTINE, A. DE.— Graziella.

Lams, CuHar.es. — Essays of Elia; Tales from Shake-
speare.

LoncFELLow, H. W.— Hyperion.

Manzoni, A. — The Betrothed Lovers.

MetvitteE, H.— Omoo; Typee.

Mitton, JoHn. — Paradise Lost.

Por, E. A.— Poems.

Ruskin, JoHN. — Selections.

74

THE VESTIBULE

SAINTE-PIERRE, B. pE.— Paul and Virginia.

Scort, M. — The Cruise of the Midge; Tom Cringle’s
Log.

SHEPPARD, E. S.— Charles Auchester.

Smo.tieTT, T. G.— Humphrey Clinker.

Souvestre, E.— An Attic Philosopher in Paris.

Tennyson, ALFRED. — Poems.

Toxrstroy. — Anna Karénina.

TurcEneEv, I. S. — Smoke.

Ware, W.-— Zenobia.

Werner, E.—She fell in Love with her Husband.
(Good Luck.)

WintuHrop, T.— John Brent.

To the foregoing lists I add a further selection
of books which I would buy having both space
and money.

VI. SEconp Cuorce oF Books.

AtpricuH, T. B.— The Story of a Bad Boy.

Bancs, J. K.— The House-Boat on the Styx; Paste
Jewels.

Beti, Littian.— Love Affairs of an Old Maid.

Burnett, F, H.—A Fair Barbarian; In Connection
with the De Willoughby Claim.

Butter, W. A.— Mrs. Limber’s Raffle.

Caine, Haryi.—Capt’n Davy’s Honeymoon,

Catvertey, C. S,— Verses and Fly Leaves.

Cuampsers, R. W.— The Red Republic.

CHoitmonpELey, Mary. — Red Pottage.

CHURCHILL, WINsToN. — Richard Carvel.

75

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Coretit, M.— Thelma; Romance of Two Worlds.

Davis, Repecca B. Harpinec. — Silhouettes of Ameri-
can Life.

Davis, Ricoarp H.— Van Bibber; Gallegher.

Dickson, Harris, — The Black Wolf’s Breed.

Demo.ins, E.— Anglo-Saxon Superiority.

Ewinc, J. H. — Jackanapes; A Flat-Iron for a Far-
thing.

Farconer. — M’lle Ixe.

Freperic, H.— The Damnation of Theron Ware.

Grascow, ELLen. — The Voice of the People.

Grant, Rosert. —A Bachelor’s Christmas.

Ha.isurton, T. C. — Sam Slick.

Hampsien, H. E.— On many Seas.

Harte, B.— The Luck of Roaring Camp.

Hornuno, E. W.— Young Blood; Dead Men Tell
no Tales.

Hyne, C. W.— The Adventures of Captain Kettle.

Janvier, T, A.— The Uncle of an Angel.

KEIGHTLEY, S. R.— The Cavaliers; The Silver
Cross; The Last Recruit of Clare’s.

Kinc, Ben. — Verse.

Kinc, Caprain CuHar.es. — The Colonel’s Daughter.

Lya.t, E,— Donovan.

Masiz, H. W.— Essays on Books and Culture.

Macruper, Jutia. — Princess Sonia.

Mayor, C.— When Knighthood was in Flower.

MatTHeEws, BRANDER.— The Royal Marine.

MEREDITH, Owen. — Lucile.

Pace, T. N. — Santa Claus’s Partner.

PueEtps, E. S.—A Singular Life.

PHILLPOTTs, EpEen. — Children of the Mist.

QuiLier-Coucu, A. T.— Adventurers in Criticism.

76

THE VESTIBULE

READE, CHar es. — Love me Little, Love me Long ;
Never too Late to Mend.

Ripce, W. P.—A Clever Wife; Secretary to Bayne,
1 a

Sace, W. — Robert Tournay.

SaAINTSBURY, GEORGE. — Corrected Impressions.

ScHREINER, Oxive.— The Story of an African Farm.

Stosson, A. T.— Seven Dreamers.

STEPHENS, R. N. —An Enemy to the King.

Stockton, F. R.— The Lady or the Tiger; The
Christmas Wreck; The Adventures of Captain
Horn; The Girl at Cobhurst.

Stuart, R. McE.— The Golden Wedding ; Carlotta’s
Intended; Solomon Crow’s Christmas Pocket ;
Sonny.

Taytor, M. I, — On the Red Staircase.

THANET, Octave. — Stories of a Western Town; A
Missionary Sheriff.

VERNE, JuLEs. — Around the World in Eighty Days;
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea; The
Mysterious Island ; Michael Strogoff.

Warp, H.— History of David Grieve.

Weymaw, S. J.— Under the Red Robe; Sophia.

Wuarton, Epiru. — The Greater Inclination.

Waite ey, I. N.— The Falcon of Langéac.

Wuirteinca, R. — No. 5, John Street.

Wiccan, K. D.— Timothy’s Quest.

Witkins, M. E.— A Humble Romance.

In reading the frank criticisms of some of our
readers, as recorded on the fly leaves, I have
been often surprised, and always amused, at the

77

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

way they have frequently disagreed with the
verdict of the critics, and are at times also quite
at variance with the estimate of the general pub-
lic, if enormous sales be an indication. Here,
then, are a few books upon which some people
have positive views, with no advertising space
to sell.

A.ttan, James Lane. — The Choir Invisible. One
critic writes briefly, ‘‘ Very able;” while another says,
“T can’t agree with you. If this book has one merit,
it has escaped my careful search. ‘The scenery is as
unreal as that on the stage of a theatre. The people
are manikins, who play the fool without reason. The
hero is a chump, and the heroine an impossible doll.
Amy, the other woman, is coarse, vulgar, and slatternly,
and yet the book has been compared to Esmond!”

Barinc-GouLp. — The Broom Squire. ‘* The events
described in this story may be possible in England and
amongst English men and women, but would not be
possible in America. A most unpleasant story of brutal
people.”

BLouNDELLE-BurtTon. — Across the Salt Seas. ‘ In-
teresting in the main, but marred by its impossibility.
What sane man would dream of going over-land to
Flanders, after Vigo, when the ‘Salt seas’ were open
to him?”

Brapy, C. T.—For the Freedom of the Sea.
“Readable, but it makes one long to be profane in
thinking of the English of 1812.”

CasTLeE, E.— Young April. ‘In the main an in-

78

THE VESTIBULE

teresting story. Here and there it drags a bit and is
dull.”

CastLE, E.— The Light of Scarthey. ‘ An absurd
story without one sane character in the book.”

CrockeTT, S. R.— Joan of the Swordhand. ‘“ Just
a story, and by no means a good one.”

The Black Douglas. ‘‘ Simply horrible! With
this book Mr. Crockett and I part company.”

Daupet, A.—Fromont, Jr.,and Risler, Sr. ‘¢ Char-
acteristically French. Unpleasant, but readable.
Clever, but neither great nor proper.”

Ezers, Georc.— Uarda. ‘Very dull at first, with
more of interest in the latter half. A historical romance
of the time of Moses, not quite successful either as
history or romance.”

Forp, P. L.—The Great K. and A. Robbery.
“‘ Quite impossible, but fairly entertaining.”

The Honorable Peter Stirling. ‘ Amateur-
ish. The love making between Peter and Leonore is
nauseating.”

Janice Meredith. ‘An utterly worthless book.
A man might resign from the British army and em-
igrate to distant lands because he did not approve of
his mother’s conduct, but with plenty of money at his
command, he would zot sell himself as a slave. Again,
George Washington never had on his staff an officer
who was fool enough or knave enough to announce in
a dark stable, within the enemy’s lines, to the daughter
of a Tory, that his superior officer was sleeping in an
exposed place and might easily be captured. The
heroine, Janice, is an insufferable piece of baggage,
that every man apparently, for some unknown reason,
wants to marry, and she at times is evidently ready to

79

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

marry any or all of them. By the most clumsy and
inartistic methods the author carries his heroine across
country so as to make her present at nearly every
engagement of the Revolutionary War, Bunker Hill
being almost the only prominent exception. We are
duly grateful to Mr. Ford, however, for not putting
Janice in the hold of one or another of the vessels in
Paul Jones’ famous sea-fight.”

Gras, F£t1x.— The Reds of the Midi. ‘A first-
rate story, well told.”

The Terror, ‘Interesting, but at times it
drags. Would have been improved by the slaughter of
little Clairet, early in the story.”

The White Terror. ‘I for one have had
enough of these Frenchmen. All fools or knaves by
the testimony of their own people; and the book is
dull.”

GILBERT, W. S.— Songs of a Savoyard, and The
Bab Ballads. ‘* Very depressing.”

Horrt, ANTHONY.— The King’s Mirror. “I did
not suppose that Anthony Hope could write a dull book,
but he can.”

Jounston, Mary.— Prisoners of Hope. ‘Should
have been bound in paper and sold for five cents, for
messenger boys to read. Absurd all the way through.”
To Have and to Hold. “ Another worthless
dime novel, sold for a dollar and a half. Appeared as a
serial in the ‘ Atlantic,’ and selling by the hundreds of
thousands. It’s amazing!”

Joxar, M.—A Hungarian Nabob. ‘‘ Jokai is said
to be great, and this the greatest of his novels. If this
be so, I have had enough of Jokai.”

KEIGHTLEY, S. R.—The Cavaliers. ‘*A good

80

on

THE VESTIBULE

story, but in the name of peace and quietness, how
many bands were there who tried to save Charles I.,
and in how many different ways was it to be done?”

MarcueEritTTE, P. and V.—The Disaster. ‘* Not
only dull, but absolutely unreadable. Are all French-
men mad? Their writers never seem to tire of trying
to prove it.”

Mason and Lanc. — Parson Kelly. ‘‘ Mr. Mason
did much better work alone.”

MowncrirFrF, F.— The X Jewel. ‘‘A most incon-
sequential attempt at a romance. You finish won-
dering what in the world the author has been trying
to do.”

Munro, Nett. — John Splendid. ‘‘A Scotch story
with the descriptions as well as the conversations in
dialect. Think of it! ‘No thruadh!’ but fortune was
a ‘dour jade’ when this ‘sculduddry tale’ was put in
my ‘silvered loof” It is ‘a long strath’ and ‘stoury
marching,’ more than a ‘ meridian daunder,’ through its
pages, and oh! but ‘it is heartsome,’ here at the ‘ cruisie
light’ of my ‘tack house’ (‘a trig little edifice, not a
bigging, but snugly thacked and windowed,’ in a ‘ pleas-
ance walled by whin’), to feel that I have emptied the
author’s ‘girnel and toomed his last basin.’? Let this
be a ‘ prickle at the skin’ of those who would follow
after ; let them know that ‘here is drool, and the smell
of mort cloth,’ ‘a smittal plague ;’ though I am willing
to acknowledge at the same time that ‘I never heard
that a put on gant was smittal,’ for every one knows
that if a gant was at all smittal it could not be put on.

“Tam neither ‘ pernicketty’ nor ‘ perjink’ about my
summer reading, but you may notch it on the ‘ yett’
that though the author be a ‘ gleg man’ and ‘ have repu-

6 81

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

tation among the snoods,’ yet ‘in his eld’ he will not
only look back upon this story ‘ pawkily,” but still realize
that he has been wandering ‘on the wrong airt,’ and
that ’t would have been money in his purse had he
‘dighted his blade’ and ‘ swithered for a moment,’ with
‘dour-set jaw,’ and then burned or translated his manu-
script. Some day he will sound his own ‘coranach’
for this book, his tears will fall not in a ‘ smirr,’ but in
‘runnels’ on his ‘sark,’ his locks will be ‘towsy,’ and
he’ll have ‘the slouch of the grangel,’ as he sits in his
‘byre’ and reflects. There are, to be sure, some
charming touches in the story, as where we read of the
‘braes and corries in Argyle that whisper silken to the
winds with juicy grasses,’ ‘among the bog-flower and
the connoch,’ where a ‘space-wife’ and ‘ladies with
broidery and camisole and washen faces,’ witness the
“tinker’s death in the sheuch,’ while the ‘winds blew
snell,’ and there was heard ‘the snorting low of the
stirk.’ “The beauty of the scene is qualified by the fact
that ‘only in its season the cannoch tuft, and that itself
but sparsely ; the sturdy gall itself finds no nourishment
here,’ which will be a surprise to most of us, as it has
hitherto been supposed that ‘ sturdy gall’ found nourish-
ment in all Scotland.

“This story may be ‘snod,’ but the ‘ dule of it’ all
is that it is ‘tapsilteerie’ to a degree, and, at the best,
has no ‘swither’ about it. Of course, in ‘ Lochow of
the bosky isles and holy,’ where ‘a scent of wet birk
was in the wind,’ and ‘the river glucked and chattered
and plopped most gaily,’ one is not surprised to learn
that ‘the fluff of the wing was heard’ as ‘the londubh
parted his beak of gold,’ the ‘ howlets mourned ’ and the
crows Called with ‘roupy voices.’

82

THE VESTIBULE

“¢ At times our author philosophizes; as witness the
following : —

“¢¢ For ordinary our women keen but when they are
up in years and without the flowers of the cheek that
the salt tear renders ugly ; women who have had good
practice with grief, who are so far off from the fore-
world of childhood where heaven is about the dubs of
the door and they find something of a dismal pleasure
in making wails for a penny or two or a cogie of sol-
dier’s brose.’ It seems to me that ‘a cogie of soldier’s
brose’ is enough to make anybody wail.

* But think of this:

“¢To walk by a lake and hear grief’s chant upon
neighboring isles is the chief of the Hundred Dolours,’

This sentence may be a bit obscure, but then obscur-
ity is the spice of Scotch literature.

“There is some feeding and more of starving in the
tale. Once ‘the straw was burned to dry the grain,
the breeze win’d it, the quern ground it, the fire cooked
the bannocks of it,’ yet, after all, the hero in winter
weather with bare legs and but scanty covering else-
where, was compelled to eat his ‘chack’ in default of
‘bolls of meal.’ On one occasion John Splendid find-
ing a ‘ yeld hind’ ‘despatched and gralloched it with his
sigan bubh in a twinkling,’ which is interesting, but not
surprising, as even a brachiopod might be expected to
yell at least once before being gralloched with a sigan
bubh.

“The author tells us also of ‘the profound gorges
of Stob Dubh belching full to the throat with animus,’
which will be news to most of us, for while we know
Scotland to be fairly full of animus, we did not dream it

83

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

was as full as that. Yet if the gorges of Stob Dubh are
as profound as the author hints, why don’t they control
their animus instead of belching it?

“This book may or may not be ‘ umquahile,’ but if
any one would ‘ homologate’ this estimate of its beauties
let him ‘belt in his breeks,’ ‘pull up his hosen,’ seat
himself in his ‘ chair-haffit,’ and read the book for him-
self.”

PEMBERTON, Max.— Queen of the Jesters. “An
odd book which it is possible to read.”

The Phantom Army. ‘ Not much of a story.”
Kronstadt. “I think I am about through
with Mr. Pemberton’s stories.”
The Impregnable City. ‘ Utter folly. Not
a trace of either wit or wisdom.”

RuoscomyL, O.—For the White Rose of Arno.
“Very poor.”

Stimson, F. J. S.— King Noonett. ‘Only a fair
sort of story.”

Pirate Gold. ‘Not worth reading.”

Taytor, M. I.—A Yankee Volunteer. ‘ Rather
thin in spots.”

Warner, Susan. — The Wide Wide World. “An
extraordinary book, based upon an analytical synopsis of
lamentations. Miss Warner is evidently impressed with
the fact that this ‘ Wide, Wide World’ is ‘ but a vale
of tears.’ The heroine, Ellen Montgomery, was but a
child; but she shows a precocious genius in giving vent
to her woe. Mark the variety of her lachrymations
which for convenience of comparison are arranged
alphabetically.

84

THE VESTIBULE

“Ellen ‘almost shrieked,’ ‘answered with another
gush of tears,’ and her ‘ agitation was excessive.’

‘She ‘began weeping again,’ and ‘ broke forth in an
agony of tears.’ She ‘burst’ on twelve different occa-
sions, nine times ‘into tears,’ and once each into ‘an
agony of tears, ‘another fit of sorrow’ and ‘un-
controllable weeping.” Once she ‘almost burst into
tears,’ and on another occasion ‘a burst of tears re-
lieved her.’

“She ‘could not help shedding some tears’ and she
“covered her face with her hands and sobbed out.’ ‘She
cried’ without qualification, and also ‘a great while,
‘as if her very heart would break, ‘as if she had never
cried before,’ ¢ bitterly,’ ‘ heartily,’ ‘ heartily again,’ ¢ very
heartily,’ ‘ for joy’ and ‘ over her letter.’ Also she ‘ had
been crying,’ ‘had had a good cry,’ and ‘ Pilgrim’s
Progress made her sometimes cry.’

“She ‘drew long, sobbing sighs,’ and something or
other ‘drew streams of tears down her cheeks.’

“Her eyes ‘filled’ (twice), ‘ filled fast again,’ ‘ filled
with tears,’ ‘shone through tears,’ ‘ watered’ (thrice),
‘ were gathering tears very fast,’ ‘ were glistening,’ ¢ moist-
ening, ‘red,’ ‘swimming,’ and ‘ watering,’ while her
‘ eyelashes were wet’ but twice.

“She ‘fell upon her knees ina perfect agony of
weeping ” and ‘ flung herself on the ground to let sorrow
have full sway.’

“« She gave way to a ‘burst of tears,’ ‘a good bit of
crying, ‘an overwhelming burst of sorrow,’ and ‘a
violent burst of grief.’

“She ‘hid her face in the towel to cry instead of

85

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

making the ordinary use of it,’ and through it all ‘joy
kept company with bitter weeping.’

“She ‘ mingled bitter tears with eager prayers,’ was
‘moved even to tears,’ while something or other ‘ opened
the sluices of her eyes.’

“She ‘poured forth her whole heart in prayers and
tears” and ‘ quivered from head to foot with convulsive
sobs.’

‘She ‘spent a good part of the afternoon in crying,’
‘silence was only broken by her sobs,’ and she ‘ shed
bitter tears now andthen.’ She ‘sobbed,’ ‘ sobbed more
gently? and ‘sobbed aloud and even screamed,’ ‘ her
sobs went nigh to choke her,’ and ‘solitude saw many
a tear of hers that week.’

“She ‘threw herself on the floor ina passion of
grief,’ while something ‘threw her back into fresh fits
of tears.’

“Her ‘tears almost choked her,’ ‘began to drop
again, ‘brought no relief, ‘came faster than her
words,” ‘ dropped into the water,’ ‘ fell faster,’ ‘ fell from
the eyes,’ ‘ fell much too fast for eyes to do their work,’
‘ flowed,’ ‘flowed faster than ever,’ ‘ followed in a
flood,’ ‘gushed forth,’ ‘had to be wiped away,’ ‘ kept
coming all the time,’ ‘knew no measure,’ ‘ mingled,’
‘ poured,’ ‘ran down her cheeks,’ ‘ ran down her face and
frock,’ ‘ran fast again,’ ‘ran fast down her face and
fell into her lap,’ ‘rose to her eyes,’ ‘rushed to her
eyes, ‘ sprang to her thoughts,’ ¢ started,’ ‘ streamed from
her eyes,’ and ‘used to flow abundantly when they
could, unseen.’ Besides this, her tears were ‘ blinding
her’ (twice), ‘choking her,’ ‘ fast coming,’ were ‘in

36

Boe.
Rican.

THE VESTIBULE

her eyes’ (twice), ‘many a time there,’ ¢ poured out
fast,’ ‘running down her cheeks,’ ‘ wet upon her cheeks,’
were ‘wrung from her,’ and, worst of all, ‘ would drop
down on her Bible.’

“<¢ Unspeakable tears were shed,’ ‘violent tears burst
forth,’ and indeed ‘it seemed as if she would pour out
her very heart in tears.’

‘¢ She ‘watered the rock with tears,’ ‘wiped away a
few tears,’ and also ‘ glad tears,’ ‘went to sleep with
wet eyelashes,’ ‘words were spoken with a sob’ and
‘washed down with bitter tears,’ and all this time she
‘wondered, waited, and wept.’ She wept, ‘bitterly,’
(twice), ‘violently’ (twice), ‘with all the vehement
passion of her childhood,’ and finally ‘ wept herself
out.” She ‘was weeping,’ ‘as she answered,’ ‘as she
spoke,’ ‘afresh,’ ‘very much,’ ‘with mixed sorrow and
thankful joy.’ She wept over a ‘letter again and again,’
and over another twice a day for six days. Besides
this she wept ‘on her pillow,’ on a rock, on Alice’s
neck, on her lap, on her frock, on the Bible, and on
‘poor pussy,’ and converted Van Brunt with one applica-
tion on the back of his hand. On one occasion she
‘ yielded helplessly to grief, and on another ‘ the tempest
of tears seemed to gather force as it flowed.’

“¢ Although ‘now and then the old fit of weeping
would come,’ ‘many were the bitter tears she had
known,’ and ‘many were the silent tears that rolled
down and wet her pillow, ‘while even her thoughts
resolved themselves into ‘tears,’ still she was insatiable,
and ‘wished to be where tears could burst and her
heart could break unseen.’

87

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

“She was a pale, delicate child, and while ‘she
would weep till she wept her eyes out,’ ‘her whole
frame quivering with hysterical sobs,’ ‘ her heart flowing
away in tears,’ ‘the pent-up tempest bursting forth
with a fury that racked her little frame from ,head to
foot,’ we are told that unfortunately ‘ convulsive weep-
ing only exhausted her.’ After all this, it is difficult to
see why any one should be ‘surprised to see several
large drops of tears’ on her person.

“‘Tt would be unjust to assume that Ellen was always
in this maudlin condition; and, in fact, Miss Warner
takes special pains to point out more than one occasion
when she did not cry, although no obstacle apparently
offered. Thus we are told that ‘she almost burst into
tears,’ ‘ was almost crying,’ ‘ was in constant danger of
bursting into tears, and ‘was in question whether to
give way to tears.’ On other occasions there was no
room for doubt, for we are told explicitly that ‘there
were no tears,’ ‘tears did not come,’ ‘tears could not
come then,’ ‘she did not shed tears now,’ and once ‘ she
was too weak for violent weeping,’ so of course it was
useless to begin.

‘“¢ After reading this extraordinary book, one is forced
to the conclusion that the author could only have
secured so great a variety of expression by first preparing
such a list as the above, and then checking off each
phrase as used.”

88

CHAPTER IV

SOME BIRDS

“© Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?’

ornithology of the island, but simply to
tell something of the familiar feathered
friends who spend the summer with us; and of
them all, none is more welcome than the Robin.
For the first year or two of our life here we
never saw a robin, and with good reason, for

| DO not propose to write an essay upon the

there were no grassy lawns, and not a worm to
furnish food. I feel quite sure about this, for as we
dug the land over, we never saw a trace of one;
so finally we sent over to the mainland and got
five or six quarts of squirming redmen, which
we planted in various places on the island. I
confess this was not done with a view to attract-
ing the robin, but solely for the benefit of those
“Anglers with the Fly’ who were beginning to
visit us in ever-increasing numbers. These gen-
tlemen all spend hours arranging and re-arranging
89

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

their fly-books, but sooner or later, before start-
ing to fish, are sure to remark carelessly, “ Oh,
by the way, Deck may just as well dig us a few
worms, don’t you know.” It is curious, but in
this paradise for fly-casting, worms are a regular
article of commerce ; quotations on the exchange
vary with the weather, and range from fifty cents
a quart in June to more than a dollar in the dry
weather of August and September. It was to
supply this demand conveniently, that we planted
these worms on the island, but it had the un-
looked for result of populating our home with
robins. To-day, I believe, we would willingly part
with every fish in the lake rather than with our
robins. They come in increasing numbers every
year, and if a large percentage of them did not fall
victims to the gunners in the Southern States, the
increase would doubtless be even more rapid. I
feel quite sure that the same birds return to us
every summer, and that the robin (like so many
other birds, and fishes too) wishes to build her
nest near the place of her birth. As no birds
of any kind are ever shot at on the island, ex-
cepting only the birds of prey, like hawks, owls,
and king-fishers, these robins become ever more
familiar and confiding. It is curious how quickly
90

Oe

SOME BIRDS

wild creatures learn that you will not harm them,
and how willing they are to be friendly. In the
past season one pair built a nest on the porch
roof, just under the overhanging eaves of the
house, and so close to a window that one could
reach out and touch the nest. They take posses-
sion of the woodshed even, and more than one
nest has been built therein.

One year a pair raised two broods in a nest
built on a window-sill, and one could stand inside
the room and watch the mother at her work. A
few little firs were planted last spring close beside
the studio, and though they were scarce two feet
in height, a robin built her nest in the branches
of one and reared her brood successfully. The
robin lays four eggs, but I have never yet seen
the mother with more than three young, and two
is the usual number, though a single youngster
is frequently seen. A pair will rear two broods
in the same nest in one season, but I have never
known a nest to be occupied a second year. This
is not so strange, for the robin naturally wants
a clean nest to start with, and evidently prefers
to build a new home rather than clean up the
old one. Many people manage housekeeping
in much the same way. They are always moving

QI

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

into newly built houses, and when one gets dirty,
instead of cleaning it they move to a new one.

The robin is an enormous feeder, and, it is
said, will devour half again as much as his weight
in twenty-four hours. What a task. the mother
has, not only to satisfy her own appetite, but also
to fill those hungry little stomachs in the nest!
I am glad to say, however, that the father helps
in this work, and in wet weather one will cover
the little ones, while the other forages for food,
and then they will change places. After the
young have left the nest, they must still be fed
for a time; but I have never seen the male help
in this task. The young birds follow the mother
about, and are eternally crying for more, more,
more. She feeds them generously for a day or
two, and then cuts down their rations, trying all the
while to teach them to help themselves. She will
point out a worm to one, apparently urging him to
pick it up, and if he fails to do so in a brief time,
the mother pulls it out and eats it herself. The
youngster scolds and cries the more, and then
sometimes the mother will turn and present to
him a bit of stick or straw, which he seizes
eagerly, and drops promptly, as the mother flies
away, evidently laughing.

92

SOME BIRDS

I delight in watching these birds on the lawn.
One will hop or run about for a time, then stop,
peer this way and that, and suddenly bracing him-
self, look intently at a certain spot for a second.
Down darts his bill, catching the head of the
worm as it protrudes from its burrow, and then
comes the tug of war. If he has got hold of a
big fellow, his back straightens more and more as
he pulls, until suddenly the worm loosens his
hold and Master Robin has to recover himself
quickly to avoid tumbling over on his back. If
the birds are still in the nest, and small, the robin
is apt to drop the worm on the hard path near by,
and cut it in pieces of what he deems a proper
size, before flying away to his nest. ‘The robins
start South, I think, almost as soon as they are
full grown, and in August we see only the ones
who have remained to rear a second brood, while
by September these, too, are nearly all gone.
Even late in the month, however, one is apt to
see a solitary belated one, and now and then
flocks of a dozen or more will stop at the island
for a day’s rest, as they pass from breeding-
grounds farther north. You are pretty sure to
see them then on the gravelly beach taking a
bath, as a refreshment after their flight. They

93

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

do not then apparently scatter over the lawns to
feed, but are satisfied with a hasty lunch on the
ripe red berries of the mountain ash. A few of
these birds spend the winter in the severe climate
of northern Maine, seeking shelter in the thickets
of fir and spruce. Too much cannot be said of
the beauty and variety in the song of the robin
during the nesting-season, and it is a constant
source of delight to me. Quite the reverse is his
sharp, scolding note of alarm. His confidence in
you evidently has its limit, and if you approach
too near his nest, he kicks up a fuss that will dis-
turb every feathered inhabitant of the island,
bringing the timid ones to the verge of nervous
prostration. Under such circumstances the robin
gets mad all over, taking no pains to conceal his
feelings, and, indeed, if he does not actually
swear, no bird ever did or could.

The White-throated Sparrow, or Peabody Bird,
is not so conspicuous in his ways as is the robin,
and unless you look for him, you will rarely see
him by accident, though he does not appear to be
at all timid. It is his beautiful song, however,
that impresses itself upon you, as it rings out on
a July day, and be the gossip on the porch ever
so interesting, some bird-lover is sure to hold up

04

SOME BIRDS

a warning finger, and smilingly ask, “ Did you
hear that?” “I, I, Peabody, Peabody, Pea-
body,” he is supposed to be saying, or in Maine
it is, “ All day, Whittling, Whittling, Whittling ;”
but translate it as you will, it gives one a very
great pleasure to hear it.

A friendly little fellow, with his bright orange
and black markings, is the Redstart (German,
Roth Stert, or Red-Tail, though its tail is not red
at all), and from early May till July he is in
evidence. He alights on the rough bark of an
old birch near the corner of the porch, peers
about this way and that, chirps cordially, and
then flirts over to the porch rail, hops along it,
turns a somersault in the air, and lights upon
a near-by bush. He peers under the leaves for
insects, and then darts away, only to be back
again ina moment. I called Al Wilbur’s atten-
tion to him one day, as I sat reading on the
porch. “Yes,” said Al, “those birds were over
here on the island when we first came. We
found one of ’em dead, an’ another was livin’,
but he was terrible slimsy.” Poor little fly-
catcher, you might well be “slimsy” with ice
and snow still covering the waters of the lake,
and never an insect ready for business.

95

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Our big chimney was barely built before the
Chimney-Swifts came to occupy it. Although in
May and June we have fire almost constantly in
the three hearths below, these birds seem to have
no trouble in nest-building or rearing their
young in the midst of the smoke. We hear the
muffled flutter of their wings at night, and the
cheerful chirpings as they feed their young by
day. Now and then one falls on the hearth, and
seems too confused by the novelty of its situation
to fly up again, but makes its way into the hall,
if the fire screen is far enough out for him to
escape. Then it beats its wings against the
window-panes until taken in some gentle hand
to the free air and sunlight. I remember an
enormous colony that used to occupy one chim-
ney at Firmins some years ago. Towards dusk
they would begin to gather, not by scores or even
hundreds, but literally by thousands, circling
around the chimney, till at last, all having appar-
ently joined the flock, the circles grew closer
and the mass resolved itself into a gigantic funnel
through which the birds were seemingly poured
into the chimney top. Of course it was im-
possible to estimate accurately the number of
these birds; but the funnel, when formed,

96

eae

SOME BIRDS

seemed to be fully thirty feet high, and as much
in diameter across the top, the birds circling
about in a dark, compact mass.

Just as you must have a chimney if you would
have the swift, and angle-worms if you want
robins, so, too, the flower-garden must come
before the Humming Bird will visit you. We
had had our flowers for a year or two before I
noticed the first humming-bird, and it was for
some time a rare event to see them; but the
increase of late has been very marked, and last
season the terrace was simply alive with these
beautiful little fairy-like birds. You could
not walk along the head of the upper terrace
on a bright day in July or August without
seeing a dozen or more of them at a time.
In August it was curious to see them perching
on the trees on the edge of the terrace, pruning
their feathers, and then darting off like a flash
of light. Doubtless these were young birds,
who had not yet attained their full powers of
flight. Some young nephews of mine caught
a pair of these birds, and kept them in their
‘rooms for several days, the birds seemingly
quite contented with their surroundings, feed-
ing freely out of a vial of sugar and water,

7 97

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

and perching confidingly on the shoulders of
their care-takers.

One of the most entertaining of little birds is
the Chickadee. He is so familiar and jolly that
you cannot feel offended at him no matter what
he does. I had tied a bit of worsted about the
stalk of the first sunflower to bloom one year,
and on passing the bed I found quite half of the
still unripe seed had disappeared. Looking at
the blossom in surprise, and scarcely two feet
from it, I was startled suddenly by a bird who
flew by my shoulder and perched on the top of
the flower. He looked at me and I at him. I
scolded, and he scolded back, and right before
my eyes, within reach of my hand, he plucked
out another seed and swallowed it forthwith.
“Why, you miserable little—” “ Chickadee-
dee-dee,” he said, and finished the sentence for me.
It was my introduction to the little fellow, and I
could not take offence at his thievery. He may
have all the sunflower seeds he wants, and he
comes every year to get them.

I was walking around the island one day with
John Burroughs, and as the path followed the
head of a steep bluff, we were suddenly startled
by the sound of a watchman’s rattle as a King-

98

Tue Garpen Beps

SOME BIRDS

fisher sailed off over the waters, from apparently
beneath our feet. Had I been alone, I would
doubtless have passed on with but a casual glance
at the disappearing bird, but not so Mr. Bur-
roughs. “There’s a kingfisher’s nest here,”
said he, with unerring instinct; and leaning over
the bank a moment, exclaimed, “ Here it is ; now
let ’s see where it goes.”

It was a hole in the bank he had found, and
cutting a birch wand and trimming off its leaves,
he gave it to one of the lads who were with us,
and he probed the opening with the lance. The
direction being known, and the distance carefully
measured (and it was quite three feet in depth),
we marked the probable location of the nest.
Pick and shovel were quickly brought, and after
digging down in the path about a foot, we un-
earthed the nest, and one young naturalist’s col-
lection was the richer by two highly prized
kingfisher’s eggs. The boys had permission to
practise shooting on the kingfishers for the sake
of the young trout and salmon, and the mark is
a harder one to hit than any clay pigeon. You
think you have him absolutely motionless, as he
is poised for a dart at a fish, but invariably the
moment you fire he has dropped like a shot on

9
L.of C. ?

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

the fish below. A number of these birds are
shot every year, but they seem to be on the
whole quite as plentiful as they were several
years ago.

I love to watch the kindly little Chipping
Sparrows, and the mother’s care of her brood is a
lesson for the rest of bird-life, and for human
beings also, for that matter. They huddle so
closely about the mother, teasing for food so
loudly that she always gives it to them, even
when they are quite full grown. The English
Sparrow, that noisy, quarrelsome fellow, has as yet
never landed on the island, and may a kind
Providence still continue to keep him away!

Both the Red-headed and the Hairy Wood-
pecker are residents of the island, the latter being
by far the more common of the two. Every
year we have at least one noisy nest of Crows,
and the Cuckoo is to be seen and heard at times,
though not frequently. I saw the Scarlet Tan-
ager but once, while the Red-eyed Vireo, the
Red-breasted Nuthatch, the Kingbird, and the
Olive-backed Thrush are common, as well as a
number of other summer visitors with whom I
am not so familiar.

When we began the building of the house, I

100

SOME BIRDS

found the nest of a Black Duck within thirty
feet of where the men were at work. It was
built at the foot of a large birch-tree, sheltered
by brakes and dwarf hemlock. The nest was but
a rude affair, but it contained nine eggs. Some
of the men tried to capture this wary duck, but
she was too quick and cautious for them, and on
every occasion she escaped, returning to her nest
when she could do so unobserved. She was
there for more than a week after we had begun
work, and though driven off many times, she
managed to hatch her brood successfully. I saw
the nest one morning when there were seven
newly hatched ducks in it, with two eggs still
unbroken, and as I approached all the little ones
darted out of the nest and hid themselves beneath
the leaves. I found it almost impossible to dis-
cover the hiding-place of any of them, yet when
1 drew away from the nest they one after another
returned to it. When I saw it the next day, it
was tenantless, the last two eggs having been
hatched. This nest was fully three hundred feet
from the nearest water, and fifty-five feet above
the level of the lake. Since this time I have
never seen a black duck on the island, though
many nest in this region.
IOI

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

The Shelldrake is very common, and breeds
freely on the lake shores and up the various
streams. The Broad-bill and the Blue-winged
Teal also breed in our neighborhood, but are by
no means so common as the Black Duck or
Shelldrake.

To me the Loon is one of the most interesting
birds we have about us. The beauty of his
plumage and his skill as a swimmer and diver are
unrivalled by any other water-bird in the north.
His cry is like the wail of a lost soul, rising out
of the darkness of the night. I have heard his
call distinctly for a distance of quite three miles,
though the bird itself was not visible without
the aid of a glass. These birds are hard to kill
on the water, as they dive at the flash of the gun,
remain under for a long time, and generally
appear again far out of range. It is useless to
try to get very near to them; so a rifle must
always be used, and I suppose that more than a
hundred shots are fired at loons in the State
of Maine, for every one that is killed. Three
loons having been seen on one occasion, the
little launch we were on bore down upon them,
and firing began as soon as we were within range.
Finally the birds came to the surface within pos-

102

SOME BIRDS

sibly seventy-five yards of the boat. The two
younger birds dived promptly, but the mother
remained longer on the surface, undoubtedly for
the purpose of attracting the shot to herself and
away from the young ones, and as a result she
was in another moment stretched dead upon the
water, a deliberate sacrifice for her young. Al-
though the loon eats many fish in a season, I still
do not permit it to be shot at from the island.
It is decreasing gradually but certainly in the
region, and it will probably not be long before
this bird disappears before the advancing ranks of
the summer visitor with a gun. The female
lays but two eggs, but sometimes raises more
than a single brood in aseason. The nest is very
rude, scarcely more than a hollow in the moss,
and is close enough to the water for the bird
to slide into it with little effort, for she is but a
clumsy and helpless traveller on land. When
the young birds are a few days old, the mother
pushes them into the water and forces them
to swim. They will crawl upon her back, and
with them as passengers she will sail out into the
lake ; then, when she wishes to give them a swim-
ming lesson, she has but to dive, and they are
compelled to make their own way on the water.
103

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

My friend the Professor took a lively interest
in loons, and refused to be comforted unless he
had one of the eggs in just the right state and
could examine the embryo. After a protracted
search we at last found a nest with two eggs in it,
one of which we carried in triumph to the island.
Instead of examining the contents that afternoon,
the Professor, worn out by his exertions, insisted
upon taking a nap, and postponed his work till
the following day. At breakfast-time the next
morning, I found him on the porch, walking up
and down, singing Luther’s Hyman in his rich
bass voice.

““Good-morning,” was my greeting. “ How’s
your loon?”

“Did n’t think to look at it,” said the Pro-
fessor, mildly surprised at the question.

“Well, if I were you, I would. Where did
you put it?”

“Why, in my trunk, amongst my underwear,
so it wouldn’t get cold.”

I smiled with all the delight of a boy who
hears the first roll of the drum and sees the
distant glare of the torches as the procession
advances. “You go look at it!” I urged.

My torchlight procession arrived on time, and

104

SOME BIRDS

it was not Luther’s Hymn'I heard him singing
the next moment. The loon had hatched in
the cozy underwear, and whatever of the contents
of the egg he had not needed, he just left where
it was, or trailed it about in his explorations.
Some years afterwards the Professor called on me
at a Boston hotel, and finding no cards about
him, obtained a blank one from the clerk. This
was the inscription upon the card : —

The Ruffed Grouse, called the Partridge (or,
to be accurate, Patridge) in Maine, and known
as a Pheasant farther south, was a regular resi-
dent of the island some years before we owned
it; but sportsmen landing there in the fall were
able to kill every bird, for they could not fly
to the shore, and therefore their extermination
was comparatively easy and certain. For some
years after our arrival none of these birds visited
us; but one spring, on the breaking up of the

105

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

ice, three or four of them were fortunately left
upon the island. It was lucky for them as well
as for us, for they have found at last a resting-
place free from their most deadly enemies, man and
the fox. I fed these visitors with cracked corn
all through the summer, and kept a box filled
with food in the wagon-shed during the winter.
They raised two broods during the summer,
and we had twenty or thirty birds that fall,
and though many left in the winter, when the
lake was frozen over, we have always ever since
had enough left to keep up the supply. Find-
ing that they wished to stay with us, we built
them a home of their own, with openings at
different heights on the sheltered side of the
house, so that they might be at liberty to come
in or go out even when the ground was deep
in snow. While this house was being built, a
cock grouse sat on a log in full view, not more
than twenty feet back in the grove, and seemed
to be observing the work with interest. There
was one bird that became very tame. He would
sit at the edge of the woods, and if he saw one
of the men going toward the stables, he would
gravely follow him, waiting on the outside, and
evidently expecting that corn would be tossed to
106

SOME BIRDS

him, as it invariably was. Once he went up a
stairway into the second story of the boat-house,
and was found in the hall-way above by one of
the men, who caught him and carrying him down-
stairs let him go. When set upon the ground,
he did not attempt to fly, nor did he seem in
the least alarmed, but shaking out his tumbled
feathers, walked quietly off into the bushes. One
September a full-grown young bird flew out
of the woods, across fifty feet of lawn, rushing
blindly against the side of the house, to fall
dead on the ground with a broken neck. One
day Al Wilbur noticed a mother grouse cross-
ing the lawn with her brood, then almost full
grown. The mother, evidently a little dis-
turbed, darted into a near-by thicket, and called
to her brood to follow. They all obeyed except
one stubborn little chap, who remained behind
to attend to some delicacy he had found. The
mother clucked her commands again, but still
he paid no attention, whereupon she darted
out after the disobedient one, and giving him
a whack with her wing and an angry peck with
her bill, sent him scurrying in short order to
the thicket, to which refuge she herself walked
back sedately. The grouse is a careful mother,
107

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

and generally rears successfully the greater part
of her brood. I have counted twelve young
birds in June, and the same flock contained
ten healthy full-grown birds in September. Of
course there are no foxes on the island, and the
only enemies we have to watch for are the owls
and the hawks. The latter are not numerous,
and the former, from their large size, are sure
to be discovered by some one, and promptly
shot. We have probably seven species of owls
in this region, but as far as my observation goes,
only four have visited the island. These are the
Great-horned Owl, the American Long-eared
Owl, the Short-eared Owl, and the Little Saw-
Whet, or Acadian Owl. Of course it is quite
possible that all of these birds may have come
to us in search of field mice, to which they were
heartily welcome; but as they were all, with the
exception of the little Saw-Whet, uniformly sus-
pected of designs on the grouse, they were
promptly shot on sight.

Our success with the grouse was so gratifying
that we determined to try the Ring-necked, or
English, Pheasant. A New Jersey friend was
kind enough to present me with some of these
birds, and they were taken to the island and

108

SOME BIRDS

allowed to rove at will, as free as their com-
panions, the grouse. They made themselves
at home at once, nested and brought forth two
broods of fully a dozen birds each, the first sea-
son. Of these nearly all died in early youth, for
the pheasant has a bad reputation as a mother.
Possibly this evil repute is gained in confine-
ment, where these birds are very rarely allowed
to bring up their own broods, common barn-
yard hens being substituted. One might ex-
pect that in a number of generations the species
would, through disuse, easily lose the art of
caring for their young; but, be that as it may,
it is certainly true that when these birds first
came to the island, they did not rear more than
ten per cent of the brood, while now, after a lapse
of five years, they as certainly rear successfully
sixty or seventy per cent. I liberated my birds
at first on the lawn, from the box in which they
had travelled, and one of them went out of
the opening as if shot from a gun. He sailed
over the trees and out over the water at a pro-
digious rate, and we could see him gradually
lower, until he fell into the water with a splash,
half a mile distant. A boat was quickly sent
out, and the bird was picked up more dead
109

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

than alive. The water was very cold, and the
poor thing was completely exhausted, being un-
able to stand when placed on the ground. We
carried him up to the house, and turned him over
to the tender mercies of Hortense, who took him
at once into the laundry and opening his bill gave
him a few drops of whiskey diluted with water,
and then left him to warm up in his box before
the fire. Within an hour he was apparently as
well as ever, and the next time he was liber-
ated, he ran off into the woods with the speed
of a race-horse, showing no disposition what-
ever to fly. The following year I got three
hens and a cock, and this time I opened the
box in the bird-house, and left them there for
an hour or so to stretch themselves and regain
their equanimity. Then the door was quietly
opened, and the birds hopped out, one after
another, and looked about. Now the old cock
from the year before was one of the biggest
birds I ever saw, and in full plumage he seemed
to be fully a yard in length, while the new cock
was rather less than the average size and weight.
These new birds had scarcely gotten out of the
house, when the old cock gave his hoarse crow
from the edge of the woods near-by, and im-
110

SOME BIRDS

mediately the three hens turned in that direc-
tion, the new cock bringing up the rear, ap-
parently in a somewhat doubtful frame of mind.
That his suspicions were well founded was
quickly proved, for the party had scarcely dis-
appeared into the woods before the little cock
came half flying, half running back and making a
mighty clatter, with the old cock in full pursuit.
Once the old cock saw the intruder driven
well away, he returned proudly to the three
hens and promptly added them all to his own
household. The little fellow wandered about
disconsolate and alone for some days, but later
I saw that he had enticed one of the hens away
from her larger and more brilliant lord and
master, and together they reared their brood.
Every fall since then, I have had from twenty
to thirty of these birds on the island, but in
the spring only four or five are to be found.
Some doubtless perish in the cold winter, others
fall victims to the wiles of the fox or owl, but
some I know wander to the main shore, and
take up a home there, they having been seen
with their broods at various points about the
shores of the lake. The laws of the State
protect them at all seasons, and I have no
III

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

doubt that these beautiful birds will gradually
increase throughout the region, if they are
looked after a little, and protected by the law
for a few years.

The past season we had two flocks, each of
eight well-grown birds, one of them being as wild
and timid as birds can be, while the other wan-
dered at will across the lawns and near the house,
feeding like barnyard fowls while the men were
at work near by. In both cases the flocks held
together, the old cock always in the lead, guiding
and guarding the mother and the chicks, who
followed obediently in his wake. I know of no
more interesting sight than watching these birds
_ and the grouse, as they wander fearlessly over
the lawn. To me there is a greater satisfaction
in seeing near me a wild bird who shows no fear
than I could possibly experience in wringing his
neck as I dropped his limp, dead body into a
game-bag. Indeed, asthe years pass by, I confess
to taking less and less delight in murder of any
kind.

I was jeered at by all my friends for sending
a dozen Quail to the island, and it was freely
pointed out that there was not a single “ Bob
White” in the State, and that as six inches of

112

SOME BIRDS

snow in New Jersey meant certain death to
thousands of the species, it was absurd to expect
them to survive the deep snows of Maine. As
soon as these birds arrived in May, they paired
off and we had several coveys of young birds the
first year, there being eighty or more of them on
the island in September. That winter the snow
lay three feet deep on a level, but as the birds
always found plenty of food and safe shelter in
the bird-house, they survived the storms admi-
rably, and a considerable number of them were
still on the island when I arrived there in May.
I am quite certain of this, as I not only heard
their whistle frequently, but actually saw them.
They were there until the first day of June, but
after that no trace of them could be discovered.
Where they went or why they went, I never
knew. They were able to fly from the island to
the main shore at will, and had been seen to
make the trip frequently from and to a shore
over a mile away. While on the island the Bob
White made the air resound with his shrill, but to
me, delightful whistle. They perched upon the
trees and bushes close to the house, and their
concert began with sunrise. For some reason or
other their call annoyed Hortense excessively,
8 113

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

and she kept the chore-boy busy all summer
driving them away from the neighborhood of the
house. She left in the fall vowing vengeance on
the race, promising to eat dozens of their relatives
during the winter, and declaring that she would
never return to the island as long as the Bob
White remained. It is a fact beyond dispute
that they finally disappeared the very day she
returned ; but whether it was an accidental coin-
cidence, an answer to prayer, or a pure case of
hoodoo, I do not presume to decide.

Having no flower-beds the first year or
two on the island, we had chickens in abun-
dance, and they were allowed to roam at will.
They chose their nests where they would,
and though we had but few eggs, we had no
end of broilers in the fall. George Pickens
used to catch them, as he wanted them, in a
landing-net, but later in the season they got too
wild for that, and he appealed for help. The
young fellows then used to get target practice
shooting them through the head with a twenty-
two calibre rifle, which did well at first, but later
the chickens moved off out of range the moment
a boy appeared with a gun. A larger gun was
therefore used ; but soon that became of no avail,

114

SOME BIRDS

for at sight of any suspicious person the chickens
ran like race-horses, dodging behind every tree.
Then the shot gun was turned to, and snap shots
had to be taken at the flying fowl while the gun-
ner himself was on a dead run. When we left in
the fall we had about forty chickens, wilder than
any grouse I ever saw. I suggested to Deck that
he might arrange, if possible, with some farmer
to board them for the winter “on the halves.”
When I got back the following spring, I found
the island once more well supplied with chickens,
and said to Deck, “So you did get the chickens
boarded ‘ on the halves.’ ”’

“ No,” he replied, “I didn’t. I couldn’t find
any one that would board ’em at all. One man
said he would n’t board ’em ‘ for the wholes,’ so
I sold’em to Jerry Oakes. I got twenty-five
cents apiece for ’em and I sold ’em on the foot;”’
and Deck chuckled quietly to himself. “Jerry
an’ his boy came over to catch ’em one day, an’
they chased ’em all over the island, but they
never got a feather. They tried ’em again
‘nother day, but had no better luck; so Jerry
made a trade with some boys, agreein’ to give
‘em half of all they could catch. Well, the boys
chased ’em all day, and did n’t get any; so they

115

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

waited till the chickens went to roost at night,
and then they ’d steal out under the trees, and
catch mebby a couple by the legs. Then they ’d
have to wait till the chickens got settled again.
They was up all night, and as it was powerful
cold they nearly froze, but they got the
chickens.”

“ But where did you get these chickens?” I
asked.

“Oh, I bought ’em of Jerry Oakes; paid him
twenty-five cents apiece for ’em. Jerry was
sellin’ out. He ‘lowed there wa’n’t no money
in chickens.”

But when the flowers came, the chickens went
finally.

We tried ducks too, but the mammoth frogs
of the region swallowed the young ones ; the old
drake murdered a few, the hen got paralyzed
from long sitting, and the young ones who sur-
vived never got big enough to eat before we left
in the fall.

Then four guinea-fowls came, and they were
very entertaining for atime. The little spaniel
had had much amusement chasing the chickens
and levying contributions on their tail-feathers,
and he doubtless thought that there ought to be

116

SOME BIRDS

as much fun in the guineas. The first time he
tried it, however, instead of running away, the
guineas lined up before him like soldiers, and
advanced with their saw-sharpening cry on the
cocker. He stood his ground for a moment,
looking at them in astonishment, and then, before
their noisy advance, he turned tail and fled. It
was the only time I ever saw this little dog run
from anything ; but the cheers of the guineas and
their martial aspect were too much for him.
Then the guineas got to dusting themselves in
the flower-beds, and their doom was sealed.
Next came a peacock, who was beautiful to
look upon, but he had an objectionable habit or
two, in the opinion of some. He would roost
on a limb of the highest birch-tree he could find
or upon the roof of the house, and through the
night he would claw at the shingles in a way that
was most alarming and disturbing to the sleepers
below. This was not so bad, of course, for I
happened to sleep on the first floor; but when
this big bird sang, every one within a mile was
forced to hear him. Al Wilbur took a special
interest in the bird, and the peacock seemed to
return his affection, for if he said anything un-
derstandable at all, it was clearly, “Oh! Al!”
117

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

uttered in a tone of voice as if he were sounding
an alarm of fire. The bird seemed so uneasy
that we finally decided that he was pining for a
mate; so we sent forthwith for a hen, but the
result was not encouraging; indeed, it only
seemed to double the difficulty. She would
perch beside him, and when he yelled, “Oh!
Al!” she would give a hoarse croak of approval,
encouraging him to renewed effort.

The Professor arrived one night, and by sun-
rise the next morning this pair of big birds were
perched upon the porch railing near the natural-
ist’s window, doing their best to give him a lesson
in ornithology. The Professor, however, failed
to appreciate their efforts, and did his best to dis-
lodge them, but they refused to move, unaffected
by either his threats or his blandishments. Then
he leaned far out on the window-sill, wild-eyed,
his night-dress flapping in the morning wind, and
flung the whole contents of his wood-box at
these innocent birds. He must have been a bad
shot, for he brought down no game, and, his
ammunition being exhausted, he was forced to
return to his bed groaning 1n despair. At break-
fast-time he told us that he was forced, much to
his regret, to return at once to Boston. My

118

SOME BIRDS

scientific friend is by no means a skilful liar, and,
suspecting him at once, we finally forced from
him the whole truth. That night the men,
under the Professor’s enthusiastic leadership,
rounded up the pea-fowl, and driving them into
the woodshed, locked them up for the night,
when peace settled down upon the island. But
the end was near. These big birds must needs
also dust themselves, and imagine, if you please,
the appearance of the flower-beds after they were
through with them. I waited for no formalities ;
no court-martial was held, but I promptly pre-
sented them to Deck, and when he accepted the
gift, added, “Then they are yours from this
moment; but remember, if I find them on the
island to-morrow morning, by the eternal! I’
eat: tm,

119

CHAPTER V

FLOWER—BEDS

‘<I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows.”

EFORE attempting to describe our flowers
in detail, it will be well to say a word or
two on the climate of the island. You

must bear in mind that the region in which these
flowers are growing is quite far north, and is
moreover in a mountainous country, some seven-
teen hundred feet above the level of the sea.
The summers are short, the ice never leaving
the lake before the 1st of May, and often
covering the water as late as the 22nd, while
the remains of snowdrifts are often to be found
in June. I have known several inches of snow
to fall on the 20th of May, though it rapidly
disappeared. The leaves on the trees begin to
glow with their brilliant fall tints as early as the
middle of September, and a month later the trees
are quite bare. Snow is apt to come early, and
when it once begins, the ground generally re-
120

FLOWER-BEDS

mains covered until spring, lying at a depth of
from three to six feet on a level. The ther-
mometer sometimes drops as low as 40° below
zero in midwinter, yet notwithstanding this in-
tense cold the ground is never very deeply
frozen. Its blanket of snow keeps it warm,
and free from frost, and many times I have
found the ground ready for cultivation when the
remains of a snow-drift still lay but a few feet
away. ‘The temperature in summer is never ex-
cessive. During the abnormally hot season of
1900, the highest range of the thermometer was
86° Fah., the maximum record, on the warmest
day. Indeed, we rarely have more than a dozen
days in a season in which the thermometer rises
above 80. The nights are invariably cool, and
one rarely if ever is able to sleep without being
covered by a light blanket. Frost is not un-
known even in midsummer in this region, though,
owing doubtless to the effect of the surrounding
water, we never have frost on the island between
the 1st of June and the 20th of September.

In such a region as this none but thoroughly
hardy plants can survive. They get the protec-
tion of fallen leaves, and the snow which nature
provides, but beyond this they receive no cover-

121

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

ing in winter. . My object has been to grow only
such plants as would stand the cold of our winters
without artificial covering, and also such as would
produce the greatest amount of bloom with a
minimum of labor and care. The shortness of
the summers renders it necessary that early-
blooming annuals only be selected, for I have
never planted any seeds in the house, nor, indeed,
have I cared to grow any varieties which could
not be safely sown in the open ground in the
latter part of May, and all flowers which would
not bloom by the early part of September follow-
ing were discarded as unsuited to our garden. It
must always be remembered that in other locali-
ties the results attained would in many cases be
quite different, and it is also possible that even
with the same sort of climate and soil another
might have marked success where I can only
register failure.

In giving my lists of flowers I have divided
them into two main sections, — first, Perennials
and Biennials, and second, Annuals. In both
sections I have mentioned the species in the
order of their desirability from my point of view.
Possibly no other person would arrange these
lists in quite the same order, for individual tastes

122

FLOWER-BEDS

not only differ, but a change of locality might
render certain plants less desirable, and introduce
others which it would be impossible to raise at all
in the mountains of Maine. Thus, the farther
south we go the less profuse will be the bloom of
the Iceland Poppy, until at last we reach a point
where it will not live at all in the hot summer.
I have purposely avoided reference to the large
number of both annual and perennial plants which
I have tried to raise, but with little or no success.
It is possible that in many cases the seed was
defective and would not have germinated under
any circumstances, or the manner or time of
planting may have been wrong, or again the
weather may have been unpropitious, and the
seeds rotted in the ground. Every flower, there-
fore, which I have mentioned I have been able
to study for a number of years in the blooming
plant itself, and in most instances I have raised
the plants from seed, noting the fact specially in
describing the species wherever this was not the
case.

We have on the island eighty distinct flower-
beds, most of which are simply round beds, seven
feet in diameter, though some are long and nar-
row, while others skirt around the edges of large

123

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

boulders of granite, purposely left on the lawn.
Most of these beds are on the southern side of
the island, or quite near the height of ground if
on the north side. I have had in the past many
beds on the northern and western slopes; but as
few flowers would do well there, most of them
have been abandoned and grassed over. It must
be borne in mind also that no portion of this lawn
is entirely free from trees, many of them being
quite large, some of the birches being nearly three
feet in diameter. The location of beds therefore
was a matter of some difficulty, as we had not
only to avoid the shade of the trees, but the
spread of their roots also, which in periods of
drought take up every particle of moisture, leav-
ing nothing for either grass or flowering plants
within its “ sphere of influence.”

Once the place for a bed was finally settled, I
prepared it for flowers by digging out all the
good soil and passing it through a sieve with a
mesh of a quarter of an inch. This settled the
question of stones in the bed for all time to come.
I found the soil a light loam for a depth of a
little over a foot, beneath which was gravel. The
gravel I removed for a depth of six inches more,
and its place was taken by sifted earth and leaf

124

FLOWER-BEDS

mould. This gave mea bed with over eighteen
inches of as good soil as any plant could reason-
ably demand. Every year since, each bed has
received a coating of well-rotted manure, about
four quarts of bone-dust and the same of wood-
ashes and phosphate, the whole being lightened
up with a half-wheelbarrow load of leaf-mould.
On the southern side of the island the land
descends rapidly from a height of fifty-five feet to
the water. This slope was thickly covered with
trees of various kinds, and studded with innu-
merable bowlders and loose rocks. The trees were
cut, the stumps removed, and the tree-tops burned
up, over a space one hundred and fifty feet wide
at the top and thence down to the water’s edge.
First of all it was necessary for us to get rid of
the rocks, and as it would not do to simply tumble
them into the waters of the lake, and to carry them
up the hill would have been an expensive under-
taking, it was obviously desirable that we should
utilize them in some way in the locality where
they then were. To begin with, we built a wall
along the water’s edge to protect the bank, and
this somewhat lessened the over-supply of rocks.
We next built another wall across the slope,
and about one-third of the way up, making the
125

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

wall about five feet high. It was necessary for
us to husband the good soil carefully, as we had
little opportunity to get extra earth for grading;
so, first of all, we dug away all the good soil
along the course the wall was to take, and for
some six feet back of it, throwing the whole in
piles up the hill, and as the wall progressed,
rocks were piled in behind it and levelled up to
within a foot or so of the top. The soil was
then pulled in over these rocks, and that part of
our work was done. Of course, an opening, two
in fact, had to be made in the wall, and steps”
built therein of flat rocks. This work cleared
out of our way the greater part of the rocks that
troubled us, and the balance were used in making
still other flights of steps in the eight terraces
that were gradually constructed. We took care
to save all the good earth in the spaces the steps
were to occupy. Some of the gravel, too, be-
neath it was exchanged for good earth in the
paths at the head of each terrace. We were
aided much in this work by the fact that at either
end of the space occupied by the terraces ledges
of slate rock cropped out, from which we were
able to split great slabs of stone from four to
nine inches thick, to be used for steps. In the
126

TIVAA FOVUANTT, IAT,

a i

3

-

i

ae

FLOWER-BEDS

end we had a space of about three quarters of an
acre, sloping southward, made into eight terraces,
each about six feet in height, the whole being
connected with flights of rough stone steps, laid
up without mortar; there being sixty-four steps
in all from top to bottom. On these terraces, so
prepared, we transplanted all our hardy perennial
plants. Here they were protected from the cold
north and west winds of winter, and the flying
snow piled up over the bank, driven by the
winds, thus covering the plants with a warm thick
blanket of snow. Flowers survived here that had
formerly died every winter on the northern or
western slopes, and nearly all the species increased
both in the size and in the quality of their bloom.

At another point on the southern slope, pro-
tected by a thick fringe of woods to the westward,
I laid out my garden beds for the rearing of
flowering plants and the few vegetables that we
cared to cultivate. The space selected measured
about forty-three feet east and west, and thirty-
three feet north and south, with a slope to the
southward. In this space we built fourteen beds,
each being fourteen feet long by three feet wide.
The beds were enclosed in cedar planks, nine
inches deep, supported by stout stakes at each

127

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

corner, and also in the centres of either side,
the whole being coated with coal-tar. The
paths between the beds were eighteen inches
wide, and down through the centre the path
was three feet wide, sufficient for a wheelbarrow.
The good soil was all passed through the sieve,
and the soil from one bed and one path was
about sufficient to fill the bed with sifted loam
to a depth of eighteen inches. Of course the
rocks we found, and the siftings from the soil,
together with the gravel taken out beneath the
beds themselves, all went to fill in the paths.
To compensate for the general slope of the
land, each bed was depressed about three inches
below its neighbor to the northward, while at
the southeastern corner a terrace three or four
feet high had to be built up above the natural
level of the ground. Each year not a little soil
is removed from the beds in transplanting, and
the loss is made up generally with sifted leaf-
mould.

I use every season several of the garden beds
for testing varieties of annual flowers that are new
to me, and such seeds receive the greatest care
and attention. We raise here, also, certain small
vegetables, gathering all the radishes we require,

128

FLOWER-BEDS

and having also some lettuce, a few onions, and
a patch of parsley. Here also I test the possi-
bility of raising certain desirable vegetables in this
climate, and if successful, I recount my experience
to one of my farmer friends, present him with
the necessary seed, and promise to buy his vege-
tables when ripe. This is quite as satisfactory as
raising your own vegetables, and actually much
cheaper to you, as you are compelled to raise
more than you need in order to supply maximum
demands. The farmer of course takes care of
himself, and the surplus of his crop may be sold
to others. The balance of the space in the gar-
den beds is devoted to the raising of perennial
and biennial plants, so that a supply of hardy
plants may always be on hand, and each year,
also, new species are tested. Considering the
large number of plants tested by me in the past,
it is remarkable how few I have found worthy of
cultivation.

With so large a number of trees on the lawn,
we have of course a quantity of leaves to remove
every spring. They are carried to a retired corner,
and piled up to decay. We have four such piles
on hand at all times, the oldest of which is used
during the summer on the flower-beds and lawns.

9 129

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

As we use so much sifted earth and leaf-mould,
we always take advantage of a dry period to do
our sifting, and quantities of each are stored over
winter in barrels, ready for use in the early spring
when most needed, and when the wet condition
of everything makes sieving almost impossible.

130

CHAPTER VI

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

“© The heaven's breath smells wooingly here.”

SUPPOSE, if I were compelled to choose
| one flower out of all the perennials and
biennials on the island it would end in my
selecting the Pansy, Viola tricolor. The pansy
is at home in a cool climate. Saved from the
withering summer’s heat of more southern local-
ities, it is bright and cheerful through July and
August. It is true that the flowers are somewhat
smaller during the warmer months, yet still there
is not so marked a difference after all, and with a
little search, in the shadier parts of the bed one
may still find a big one on the hottest day of the
season.

The books make an enormous business of the
raising of pansies, with cold frames, winter cover-
ing, and numerous transplantings. I have had
the best results with very little trouble. About
the first of August I plant my seeds in drills

131

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

in the garden beds, and before frost comes they
are sturdy little plants, invariably wintering well
without any artificial protection. About the first
of June, or even earlier, they are transplanted
to the beds, being set about nine inches apart,
and almost immediately they begin to blossom,
continuing in full bloom until frost. Bloom-
ing as they do for so long a period, the seeds
ripen gradually, and therefore it is quite a labor
to gather them. Moreover, desiring the bloom
to continue throughout the season, I encourage
picking the blossoms freely, and make no attempt
to gather the seed. You can buy the choicest
strains from the seedsman, and be reasonably
sure that they will germinate. The beds for
pansies should be rich, and indeed they can
scarcely be made too rich. Well-rotted manure, »
bone dust, and wood ashes should be dug well
into the bed.

Next in order is the BLankxetT FLower, Gail-
lardia grandiflora superba, a cultivated variety of
G. aristata. Grouped together on one of the
terraces, the whole is a mass of brilliant color for
several weeks, and at its height one could scarcely
thrust a cane through the plants to the ground
beneath without touching a blossom. The

132

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

flowers are large, brilliant in color, and last a
long time when cut. Its cultivation is of the
simplest, and it is readily transplanted in the early
spring. As the plants are large and spreading,
they should not be set closer together than from
fifteen to eighteen inches. On the terrace the
plants attain a height of from two and a half
to three feet, and the flowers measure from three
to five and a half inches in diameter. It is
easily reproduced from seed, cuttings, or division
of the roots. The seeds are easily gathered, and
with little trouble one can obtain all that may be
desired. It is better to mark specially large
blossoms and save the seed from them alone.
The Gaillardia does not seem to require a very
rich soil, but I always scatter about the roots
in spring a little phosphate, ashes, and bone-dust.
It begins to bloom as early as June 2oth, and
some blossoms may still be seen until frost, but
it is at its best during all of July and August.
The old-fashioned Sweer Wituiam, Dianthus
barbatus, is a prime favorite with me. It is per-
fectly hardy, and survives the coldest winter if
reasonably protected with snow. The colors
vary considerably, and are classed generally as
dark or light shades, though it would be difficult
133

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

to say to which class some of the heads belong.
I plant my seeds in the garden beds in spring,
and later in the season, when the plants are well
grown, remove them to the beds where they are
to remain. The plants may be set out about
one foot apart, and I always sow, in the fall,
fresh seed in the spaces between the plants.
Sweet William is a biennial, blooming the second
year, and the plant thereupon dies, after having
first cast its own seed. The plants from this
self-sown seed will not bloom until the second
year, and therefore, if you would have bloom
each season, you must sow the seed the same
year that you transplant. This will give youa
constant succession of blossoms, while otherwise
you would find but few blooming plants in
alternate years, and indeed you would have none
at all but for the belated individuals who had
failed to bloom with their brethren. It begins
to bloom June 2oth, continuing to the 20th of
August.

Aquilegia, or CoLumBINE, is found throughout
the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and Amer-
ica. It is fond of mountain regions, and is re-
markable for the brilliancy and variety of the
colorings of its numerous species; some of the

134

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

choicest of which are natives of western North
America. Among the finest are 4. cerulea, the
Rocxy Movntarin Cotumsine; 4. Californica,
the CaLiroRNia COLUMBINE, and A. Canadensis,
the Canapian CoLumBiInE. Some authorities
claim that these species are apt to die after once
blooming, but my experience has not confirmed
this, and I have plants that have been blooming
in the same position for several years past. The
common CoLumMBINE, 4. vulgaris, is more bril-
liant and varied in its coloring than the western
American species, which are remarkable rather
for the delicacy of their shading. All these
species are easily raised from seed, and I have
had much more success when sowing the seed in
the early spring than at any other time. In my
experience the seeds take a long time to germi-
nate, especially the American varieties, which I
have known to lie dormant for a full year. The
plants are easily transplanted if taken up before
beginning to bloom. They like good rich soil, it
is said, but they have done well for me in almost
any situation, and with scarcely any attention.
They bloom from June sth to July 16th on the
island, though I have had a yellow variety bloom-
ing as late as the middle of August.
135

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Coreopsis lanceolata is one of the most satisfac-
tory of perennials. It is a profuse bloomer, and
remains in blossom for quite three months during
the summer, beginning the 4th of July and still
showing some of its golden coloring at the end ot
September. It is not perfectly hardy, and it is
well to plant a few rows of seeds annually so as to
be supplied with fresh plants. The seed is easily
gathered, but the blossoms should be marked and
only the largest saved for seed. I prefer to sow
this seed in the spring rather than in the fall.

A charming companion for the Coreopsis is
Scabiosa Caucasica, with its light blue flowers,
three inches or more in diameter. Lilac-blue
some of the catalogues call it, but that does not
quite describe this beautiful shade. It is not so
profuse a bloomer as Coreopsis, but it is even
more hardy. It is an excellent flower for cut-
ting, and the blossoms last a long time in water.
It does not seem to be particular as to its soil,
and it does well in bright sunshine or partial
shade. It is not very generous in producing its
seed, though there is little trouble in collecting
and cleaning all that one needs. I prefer to
plant this seed also in spring. It blooms from
July roth till frost.

136

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

Digitalis purpurea is a noble plant of the easiest
cultivation. It is called FoxcLove in common
parlance, which seems a stupid sort of name, but
it is claimed that it was originally known as the
Farrigs’ Gove, or Farry Foix’s Grove, then
simply Forx’s Grove, and finally FoxcLove.
This is on a par with the inn kept by the pious
Puritan who displayed as a sign, “ God encompass-
eth us,” to be changed, as the letters disappeared
and tradition only remained, into “Goat and Com-
passes.” Digitalis, according to Gray, is a peren-
nial, but in my experience it is a biennial, and never
bloomsa second time. It casts its own seed in the
most generous manner, and a single stalk may pro-
duce fully a hundred thousand seeds. The seeds
are very small, but from their enormous number
are easy to collect. To the best of my recollection
I never bought but a single packet of this seed,
getting enough to cover the bottom of a thimble
at a cost of tencents. From this package of seed
all of my plants have descended, and with con-
stant improvement in the strain, beginning at
a height of three or four feet, they now reach
seven or eight feet, and it seems to me that the
flowers themselves have increased both in size and
in number. This flower is interesting from the

137

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

care it apparently takes to secure cross-fertiliza-

tion. When the blossom first opens, and the
anther is laden with pollen, the style
remains tightly closed at the tip, so
that none of its own pollen can enter
and fertilize the seed. As soon as
the pollen is all brushed off, the tip
of the stamen opens, funnel like,
and the very next bee that comes
along is sure to deposit enough

pollen from another plant to fertilize the seeds.

Watch the bees at work sometime. You will

notice that the lower blossoms open first, and

they taper in various stages toward the top,

where only the green buds appear.

Now when the bee comes along,

he seeks his nectar first from the

well-opened blossoms below, and

then works upward. So you see he

has deposited his load of pollen on

the flower that was ready for it, and

as he goes up the stalk he takes on

again a fresh load to fertilize the

flower on the next plant on which he calls. Take

your pen-knife the next time you are in the garden,

and slit up the petal of the flower, so you may

138

A Ciump oF FoxGLove

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

see all this for yourself. In the mean time these
sketches, drawn from nature, will help you to un-
derstand it all. I have not planted any of these
seeds for some years; the plants themselves do it
all. Digitalis does not seem to care what sort of
a soil or situation it gets, growing in sunshine or
shadow, and has spread even to the neighboring
woods. The seeds lodge in the crevices of the
rocky steps where no soil at all was intended to
be, but there they grow, and thrive, and bloom,
even starting up in the gravel walks like very
weeds. In color it ranges from pure white to a
deep red or purple, with variations of cream and
rose, marked with blotches of purple or maroon.
The seed may be planted in the spring on the sur-
face, and the earth firmed down about them. They
are easily transplanted in the spring and require
little if any attention. The great stems of parti-
colored blossoms make handsome decorations for
the hall-way. Digitalis is found in different species
in northern Africa, southern Europe, western Asia,
and one species, at least, in Siberia. It blooms
on the island from the 1st of July to the 20th of
August, and is at its best about the last week of
July. I have seen, however, a belated individual
or two in full bloom the last of September,
139

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Of all the species of Campanula, unquestionably
the most attractive for garden cultivation are the
Medium varieties, the well-known CanTERBURY
Betis. They come single, double, and in the
“cup and saucer’ shape, and vary in shade from
pure white to lavender, mauve, pink, rose, salmon,
blue, and purple. The Cup and Saucer variety
is known as C. calycanthema. A\\l these varieties
are biennials, and the seed should be sown in the
spring or early summer. It is not worth while to
buy seeds of all the varieties, for if you purchase
the most expensive, C. calycanthema, you will find
that the flowers will be mainly ordinary singles
and doubles. It is as a general thing wise to buy
the choicest varieties of most seeds in quantity,
and you will find that you have got more than
you need of the commoner sorts. The only way
you can get the shapes and colors you prefer is
to mark your best plants and collect the seeds
from them. To be in any way certain even then,
you must take care to remove other plants of a
different shape or color from the neighborhood of
your chosen variety. The medium Campanulas
do well in ordinary garden soil; prefer sunlight to
shade, and are easily transplanted. They bloom
on the island from July 12th to September 15th.

140

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

Our next choice among hardy perennials would
be the De/phiniums, or Larxspurs. ‘There are a
number of species, and a large number of varieties
of hybrid sorts. D. grandiflorum, called also D.
Chinense, and D. Sinense, grows to a height of
two or three feet with flowers of a deep blue.
D. Cashmerianum is said to grow from fifteen
inches to two feet in height, but I have plants
which reach to quite three feet. The flower is
large, and of a charming shade of azure blue.
D. elatum, the Ber Larkspur, is the tallest mem-
ber of the family, and six feet is given as its
maximum, but one of our plants on the terrace
annually reaches a height of over ten feet. D.
formosum, a variety of which is called D. cheilan-
thum, grows from three to five feet high, bearing
rich dark blue flowers, tinged with purple with a
white eye. There is a species from California,
known as D. nudicaule, which grows to a height
of from two to four feet, with scarlet or yellow
flowers. D. elatius is a tall variety of D. nudicaule,
and there is apparently not enough difference
between the latter and D. cardinale to justify the
creation of a new species. So, too, D. Zaiil is
probably the yellow variety of D. nudicaule,
though on these points there is much confusion.

141

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

All varieties of perennial Larkspur seem to require
a well-drained locality, and are said to do best in
arich soil. The tallest, sturdiest plant we have
has certainly not got more than nine inches of
soil on top of the bed of broken stone on which
it rests. The period of the bloom of Larkspur,
like many other perennials, may be protracted by
cutting back the stalks as soon as they have
finished flowering. So a bird, if its eggs are
stolen, will build another nest, and lay another
set of eggs. Does the flower know that its seeds
have been destroyed, as the bird knows it? The
Larkspur may be increased by dividing the roots
in spring, and this should be done in any event
every few years. They are apparently hard to
raise from seed. I have bought the seeds of
D. nudicaule again and again, and planted them
with the greatest of care, but nota single seed has
ever germinated. They seem to lose their
vitality if kept for any length of time, but I have
had fair fortune in raising plants from seeds
planted as soon as they were ripe. The Lark-
spur blooms on the island from July 1st to
August roth.

The Hottynock, Althea rosea, is a superb
plant in the garden, the flowers being single,

142

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

double, and semi-double, and ranging in color
from white to almost black, including every con-
ceivable shade of rose, red, lavender, purple, and
yellow. The choicest, to my taste, are the large
semi-double strains with fringed petals. Every
seedsman seems to have his own distinctive name
for this variety. One calls it “Mammoth
Flower,” another “ Mammoth Fringed Alle-
gheny,” while with a third it is simply “ Alle-
gheny,” but, whatever the name, it is the best.
A distinct dwarf species is the J aPANEsE, or Tokio.
Some dealers, probably because it is new, declare
that this species is ‘‘superior to all others.”
Don’t believe a word of it. It is not worth
growing, except by those who crave novelty at
the sacrifice of all else. The plant is low, bears
but few flowers; the range of color is limited,
and every shade bad. The dealers tell you that
“it possesses odd tints, peculiar only to this
variety.” Fortunately for the other varieties,
this is quite true, as the only shades I have seen
are a horrible maroon, or Solferino, and a soiled
yellow. Hollyhocks may be readily raised from
seed, as the seeds germinate well, even if several
years old, and the young plants are easily trans-
planted, if moved before they grow large. The
143

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

root stalk is very long, and even in young plants
it requires something like a crow-bar to get a hole
deep enough for their accommodation. The
Hollyhock is a puzzling plant as far as its hardi-
ness is concerned. Old plants die under the
most favorable circumstances, and live when
almost any plant would be justified in giving up
the struggle. I have seen a plant half projecting
from a snow-drift in the latter part of May, and
looking green and healthy as it waited for its
other half to be uncovered. I gather the best
seeds from the choicest plants, and always raise a
few new plants every year. You may as well
make up your mind in advance to treat the
Hollyhock as a biennial. If you do this, you
will be pleased now and then to find that some
favorite plant has survived the winter, but if you
treat it as a perennial you will be continually
disappointed. The plants should be staked up
early, so that they may not be prostrated by
storms. Good galvanized-iron stakes are the
best, as well as the cheapest, for they never break
or wear out, and it is well to see to it that they
are tall enough to be serviceable, as this plant
often attains a height of twelve feet. The Holly-
hock requires a deep rich soil to do its best, with
144

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

plenty of water in dry weather. If a few large
flowers are what you desire, you must thin out
the spikes, cut off the side shoots, and sacrifice
half the buds on the remaining stalks. If you
simply desire profuse bloom, let them alone, and
give the plants plenty of liquid manure at inter-
vals. I transplant my Hollyhocks into a long
bed two feet or so apart, doing this work in
the early spring, and then drop a seed or two
of some choice variety into the spaces between
the plants. This assures us bloom the fol-
lowing year if the old plants die. The Holly-
hock begins to bloom on the island about July
2oth, and continues until frost. The single
varieties are invariably the first to bloom, and
the whole bed is at its best about the middle
of August.

Myosotis, or Forcet-ME-Not, ought to be much
higher up on the list than this, but I hardly know
what to displace to make room for it. There are
several varieties in cultivation. M. palustris, a
common wild flower in Great Britain, bears
flowers which, though generally blue, are some-
times white. A variety of this species from its
long period of bloom is known as semperflorens.
M. alpestris, a dwarf variety of M. sylvatica, is

Io 145

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

an Alpine species of varied coloring, ranging from —
deep blue to rose and white, and of course the
seedsmen make several species out of it. M. sy/-
vatica is a British species that grows well in the
woods, though palustris and alpestris have found
their way into the woods on the island, and thrive
there. John Burroughs tells of a dwarf species
which he found growing at Plover Bay on the
coast of Siberia in 1899: He says: “ Pie
prettiest flower we found was a low Forget-me-
Not, scarcely an inch high, of deep ultramarine
blue, — the deepest, most intense blue I ever saw
in a wild flower.” Possibly this plant may be
M. Rehsteineri; but I have never seen it, and the
descriptions are too vague to decide the question
certainly. Such a plant would be a valuable
addition to our hardy spring bloomers. The
seed of the Forget-me-Not should be sown in
early summer. It may be scattered broadcast
where the plants are to bloom, or planted in
drills in the garden beds and then transplanted.
I adopt both methods, as I can always find a place
for this charming flower. It blooms from the
first to the end of June and scantily in shady
spots through July.

Here, again, is the IcrLanp Poppy, Papaver

146

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

nudicaule, which certainly should not be so far
down on our list of choice hardy perennials. As
its name indicates, this poppy is a cold-weather
flower, and it is not likely to do well in warm
regions, as the heat of a southern summer would
be sure to kill it. On the island it vies with the
Pansy in the race for the first blossom of spring.
I have had it in bloom as early as May 26th,
but it is not at its best until about the 7th of
June. It continues to bloom profusely until
about the roth of July, but we can always find
some plants in bloom throughout the whole sea-
son, from the melting of the snow to the coming
of the frost. When at its best, these small,
robust plants are covered with blossoms. It
seems to do well in most situations, if not too
shady; and with me it has done best on the
southern slopes in full sunlight. Though the
color of the flower is usually yellow, you will find
many white and deep orange blossoms, with now
and then a semi-double specimen in any of these
colors. The seed is easily gathered and cleaned,
and should not be planted later than midsummer,
that you may get hardy plants before cold weather.
You can buy all the colors separately from the
seedsmen, but at the same time you need not ex-
147

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

pect the colors to come true. I advise you therefore
to buy simply the mixed seeds, for in them you
will find all the colors. ‘Thereafter, if you desire,
you can keep the colors separate when you gather
your seed; like the seeds you buy, however, you
will find that they will not always come true, but
show a constant tendency to produce yellow
flowers.

The Ortentat Poppy, Papaver orientale, is by
all odds the most showy perennial one can have.
The single flowers of brilliant scarlet on long
stems are most effective. The flowers often attain
a diameter of nine inches or more. A variety,
bracteatum, bears the largest flowers, each of the
four petals being marked with a black spot at the
base. Some hybrid forms have been produced
with pinkish or salmon blossoms. Seeds from
the latter, however, have always produced scarlet
flowering plants for me. This plant is easily
raised from seed, which should be sown early in
July, and the fresher the seed is the better. It is
easily transplanted, if the plants are taken up
when quite young. It blooms on the island from
about the 20th of June to the toth of July,
and sparingly for a week or so later, its short
period of flowering being its only defect. Before

148

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

blooming the bright green foliage of the plant is
most attractive.

The Lity-or-THE-VaL_ey, Convallaria majalis,
is simply an indispensable adjunct to the flower-
garden. It has been moved to a dozen different
spots on the island, but at last has come to rest
on a southern exposure in partial shade, with
some degree of moisture in the soil. Here it has
done admirably, increasing the number of its
plants and also the size of its flowers, with very
little care or attention. I planted the crowns
separately five or six inches apart, which gave
ample room for spreading; and I did this in
September, though all the authorities agreed in
insisting that this work should be done “ late
in autumn or during the winter months with open
weather.” I did not find, however, that the plants
in any way resisted removal at this earlier period,
or were any the worse for it afterwards. The bed
will be improved by a top dressing of manure in
the fall. It blooms with us from May 25th to
June 25th.

Phlox is a purely American genus. Gray gives
eleven species, all of which are perennials, except-
ing only the well-known P. Drummondii. Of the
three species commonly seen in gardens, the tall

149

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

late-blooming P. paniculata, generally referred to
in the catalogues as P. decussata, is probably the
most familiar. It grows from three to four feet
in height, and in some localities reaches quite five
feet. The colors have been varied largely by
hybridization, and there are many named varie-
ties. The original color of the type was a pink-
purple, with a white variety. Now we are able
to get these fine flowers in shades of scarlet, sal-
mon, crimson, lilac, violet, rosy-mauve, purple,
pure white, and a large number of plants with
these colors mixed and blended in bewildering
profusion. The plant is easy of cultivation,
needs little attention, and a bed once established
will last for several years. It may be reproduced
by dividing the roots in spring, or from seed.
In the latter case the seed must be planted as
soon as possible after ripening, for if kept over
till spring itis quite worthless. Do the seedsmen
know this? They certainly offer the seeds for
sale at all times in the year. It blooms on the
island from August rst until frost.

Closely akin to the above is the P. maculata,
which is generally referred to as P. suffruticosa.
This species is not so tall as the late-blooming
variety, rarely exceeding two feet, but its flowers

150

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

are quite as attractive, and it begins to bloom as
early as the 15th of June. In this case also
there are a large number of named varieties. Its
cultivation is the same as that of P. paniculata.

Phlox subulata, the Moss Pink, has little re-
semblance to its tall and stately brethren. Its
foliage is moss-like, and its delicate branches, ly-
ing prostrate on the ground, bear pinkish-purple
flowers in profusion, almost hiding the foliage.
It is a true mountain plant, and rejoices in a
home on some rocky ledge. A variety bears a
white flower, making the ledge in spring look
like a drift of belated snow. I have never tried
to raise this plant from seed, but bought the
plants themselves, increasing them by cuttings,
which quickly take root. It is one of the very
best plants for rock work, blooming on the island
from June 15th to July 24th. There are a num-
ber of varieties of this species, among them being
P. frondosa, with rose-colored flowers; P. nivalis,
white ; P. Ne/soni, white with pink eye; and many
others.

Phlox reptans, P. verna, or P. stolonifera spreads
by long runners which send up straight stems six
inches high, bearing clusters of from six to eight
rosy-red flowers, three-fourths of an inch across.

151

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

It is perfectly hardy, and grows well in a rocky
border in light soils. It blooms a little later than
P. subulata.

Monarda didyma, Osweco Tea, BEE Bato, or
FracranT Baum, is of the Mint family, and is a
most desirable acquisition. In a favorable loca-
tion it grows to a height of four feet, bearing
upon its stems bright red flowers, which remain
in bloom from July toth to September 12th.
I have tried raising it from seed, but with little
success. It is, however, so easily divided at the
roots that it is a waste of time to bother with the
seeds. One plant at the end of the first season
was divided into seven, and the following year
each of the seven was capable of almost as exten-
sive a division. To-day I have probably a thou-
sand of these plants, all in good condition, which
have come directly from the same parent stem.
They look by far the best in masses, and I find
that although they will live in partial shade, they
do best in full sunshine. One of the odd features
of this flower is its tendency to continue its stem
through the corolla, and at the height of an inch
or two producing a second blossom, and in some
cases even a third appears, making a flower three
stories high. A near relative is M. fistulosa, or

152

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

Witp Bercamot, with flowers varying in color
from rose to purple and white. I have tried
none of this genus but didyma, but that I cordially
commend.

Pyrethrum roseum, — Chrysanthemum coccineum,
as properly it should be called, — or FEveRFew, is
a handsome flower which comes to us from the
Caucasus, and is there the source of the Persian
Insect Powder. It is easily raised from seed, is
perfectly hardy, and a profuse bloomer, its bright
red daisy-like flowers being an ornament to the
garden and to the table as well. ‘The seeds are
easily collected, and may be sown in the spring
or the late summer. By careful selection the
color has been greatly increased in range, and we
can now get varieties in white, white with yellow
centre, purple, crimson, carmine, red, pink, lilac,
and rose. It blooms from June 2oth to July
2¢th.

Campanula carpatica, or CARPATHIAN HarEBELL,
is one of the most desirable of the campanulas
after the medium varieties. It bears well up above
the foliage numerous cup-shaped flowers, on stems
ten inches or more long. The original color is a
light blue, but varieties have been produced of a
still paler blue and white. It bears an abun-

153

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

dance of seed, a little tedious to gather; but as the
seeds are small a modest quantity will be all that
you will need to keep up the species in your
garden. It blooms profusely from July sth till
August Ist, and sparingly as late as September.

C. glomerata grows about eighteen inches high,
and bears clusters of rich dark purplish-blue flowers,
from the 1gth of July to the 1st of August. It
is good for cutting and decoration, and is an
attractive feature in the garden. I have not suc-
ceeded in raising it from seed.

C. pyramidalis, CHIMNEY CAMPANULA, Or STEEPLE
BELLFLOWER, Is the tallest of the genus, growing
in favorable localities to a height of six feet. The
flowers are generally blue, though there is a white
variety, and the bloom continuous for nearly two
months in summer. It is not difficult to raise
from seed, and this should be done yearly, as the
plant is apt to die out after blooming once or
twice. Indeed, all varieties of Camyanula ought
to be treated as biennials, and a few plants raised
every year, if you would keep up the supply.
The seed does best with me when planted in
the spring.

C. latifolia grows to a height of two feet or
more, bearing small blue tubular-shaped flowers.

154

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

It blooms for six weeks and more in summer,
is very hardy, and its seeds will soon fill its own
bed with plants, and invade others fifty feet or
more away.

Dianthus plumarius, the old-fashioned GarbDEN |
or ScotcH Pink, needs no description. Some of
the varieties are not hardy enough to stand the
cold winters on the island, and among them is the
so-called “ Hardy Pink Her Majesty.” It will
not live there, and, indeed J have had no success
at all with plants or seeds of any of the varieties so
highly praised. All on the island have been
raised of late years from seed gathered there. I
set the plants one foot apart, and then plant seeds
in the spaces between them. The following year
I repeat this operation at another spot. This
ought to insure constant bloom, but it does not
always do so, and every now and then we have a
year almost devoid of pink blossoms, though the
plants seem to be large and healthy and able to
bear flowers if they would. Its bloom begins on
the island June 15th, continuing to August Ist.
The seeds are not hard to collect, but as nature
intended to drop them gradually, and not all at
once, you will find that they may be dislodged
much easier if the pods be allowed to ripen thor-

155

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

oughly by remaining for a week or two in a box
with a free circulation of air, and in the sun for a
time each day. To pull each separate pod apart
and pick the seeds out would be found very
tedious, and you would get many unripe seeds
in this way.

There are a large number of lilies offered by
the seedsmen, many of which are said to be per-
fectly hardy. My list of successes is but a brief
one, but there is no doubt that it may be mate-
rially increased by further experiment. The best
of allis undoubtedly Lilium auratum, the GoLDEN-
BANDED Lixy of Japan. The flowers are large,
blooming profusely on well-established plants,
and deliciously scented. On the island it blooms
from August 15th to September roth, and in my
experience it is perfectly hardy. I planted the
bulbs in two localities, one group being on the
terraces in full sunshine, in a well-drained soil,
through which water from the rocky ledges per-
colates during the summer. The others are on
the top of the hill, on the edges of a clump of
rosebushes and flowering shrubs. In the latter
place the plants grow scarcely more than three
feet high, and the flowers, though comparatively
few in number, are of enormous size. On the

156

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

terrace, on the other hand, the plants sometimes
reach a height of ten feet, bearing large numbers
of flowers, though the blossoms themselves are
much smaller than those in the other bed. I.
have never attempted to reproduce this lily from
seed.

Lilium tigrinum, the well-known Ticer Lity,
needs no description. It is easy of cultivation,
thrives in almost any situation, but likes deep
sandy loam, and is perfectly hardy, blooming
from August 20th to September 15th. There
are a number of varieties, the double variety, —
splendens, being tall and showy. It is easily re-
produced from the bulbels which form in the
axils of the leaves. These bulbels should be
planted just as they begin to sprout and are
ready to fall to the ground. I have surrounded
a single stalk with numerous younger plants by
simply cutting the bed a little larger each fall,
and pressing the bulbels into the soil. I have
also raised a number of good plants in the gar-
den beds, transplanting them after they were a
foot high. In this way I have obtained sturdy
blooming plants in two or three years.

Lilium tenuifolium, the S1BER1AN Corat LILy, is
a treasure in a cool climate. Ordinarily it grows

157

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

about eighteen inches in height, but I have had
plants three feet high, covered with the daintiest
wax-like little lilies of intense scarlet. It blooms
early in the summer, and bears quantities of seed
in its pods. These seeds germinate freely if
planted either in September or in the following
spring, and from them you may obtain bloom-
ing plants in two years.

Lilium speciosum and its varieties, as well as L.
longiflorum, 1 have tried; but so far my experi-
ence leads me to fear that none are hardy enough
to survive our cold winters and late springs in
Maine. L. candidum has persistently died for
me in the past, after a single season’s bloom,
but I hope still to get it acclimated when I
find just the right spot. JL. croceum ought also
to do well on the island, but so far I have
not been successful with it.

Hemerocallis flava, the Yettow Day Luity, is
a very desirable plant. The bright lily-like
flowers, deliciously fragrant, are most attractive
on the lawn and are also good for cutting, last-
ing a long time in water. I have had the best
results with this plant on low ground near the
water. The seeds are easily gathered, being
large, and the plants are by no means difficult

158

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

to raise. The seeds germinate freely, whether
planted in the fall or the following spring.
There are several other species, and among them
may be noted H. fulva, which is taller than
the former, and bears copper-colored flowers ;
H. middendorfii, a Siberian species, with golden-
yellow flowers; and HA. minor, with grass-like
leaves, comes also from Siberia.

On one occasion attracted by a dealer’s adver-
tisement of a WuitTE Day Luty, I ordered a
dozen plants, only to find that I had recetved
a consignment of Funkia, the Puantarn Lity,
for which I really did not care at all. You
cannot always order by familiar names and be
sure of getting what you want. Thus, if you order
a plant of WoopsinE, you may get either the
Vircinta CREEPER or a Honeysuckizt. When
the late lamented Colonel James Fisk, Jr. told
the court, on cross-examination, that the money
of the Erie Railroad had “ gone where the wood-
bine twineth,” no one knew whether he referred to
Lonicera Periclymenum or Ampelopsis quinquefolia,
the former of which a dealer describes as “ Com-
mon Woodbine,” and the latter is characterized by
the same authority as “‘ Our Well-known Wood-
bine.” It is undoubtedly true, however, that

159

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

both species will go “up the spout” when op-
portunity offers, and that was where the money
went.

As, above all things else, I like profusion in
the flower world, I confess to a fondness for
Malva moschata, the Musk Matiow. It is
such a happy, contented plant, and not at all
particular whether it grows in sunshine or shade,
but quite satisfied if you will only let it alone.
Root it from the garden bed, and it will spring
up in the path. Cut it down with the hoe, and
it will creep in amongst the gooseberry bushes,
and, defended by their prickly stems, it will
bloom there abundantly. It grows about two
feet high, and is crowded with white or rose-
colored blossoms, two inches in diameter, bloom-
ing from June 26th to August 20th. It is
generous in the production of seeds, which are
prevented from falling too early by the stickiness
of the hull. You can leave the collection of the
seeds until the plant is well dried, when they are
easily shaken out.

Dicentra spectabilis, the well-known BLEEDING
Heart, needs no description. It is perfectly
hardy, blooming from the 8th till the 20th of
June. The rootlets should be planted in the

160. *

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

autumn, though on one occasion a belated bun-
dle of bulbs and roots remained unpacked all
winter, and the Bleeding Heart portion all sur-
vived the experience, though they did not bloom
the first year. I have never been able to get the
seed, though some of my plants have cast their
own seeds to a considerable distance, to grow
and thrive in a stump-corner devoted to climb-
ing Nasturtiums. The proper method of in-
creasing the stock is to take up the roots in
the fall and divide them.

Dielytra is said to be a name erroneously given
to Dicentra. If this be so, why not drop it once
for all? Yet we see it constantly used in the cata-
logues and even in books on botany. I remem-
ber once Steve Hubeley, my then head gardener,
asked me whether that Bleeding Heart up by
the house was the same as that down by the
wharf, and upon my telling him that it was,
he remarked with evident relief, “1 thought
it was, but that one down by the wharf has a
terrible comical name on it.”” And some of our
botanical names may well be called comical.

I wish I were able to report better success
with Roses in this cold climate. I have set out
scores of so-called hardy varieties, and though

iI 161

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

many are still alive, only three species look
comfortable and contented. Of these the best
undoubtedly is Rosa rugosa, the familiar Japan-
ese rose. When well grown, they form round,
shapely bushes, fully five feet or more high,
covered with deep green foliage so glossy as
to suggest the possibility of their being covered
with varnish. It bears in profusion large single
roses, which are succeeded in the fall by the bril-
liant scarlet fruit, as large as a queen olive. If
this bush bore no flower or fruit, it would still
be a valuable acquisition on the lawn from the
beauty of its foliage. There are two varieties,
one bearing red and the other white flowers.
Of the two, I prefer the white, but I would not
willingly be without either of them. It blooms
profusely from about June 20th to July 18th,
and sparingly thereafter until September. It
can be reproduced from cuttings, from dividing
the roots, and from seeds. The seed takes a
year to germinate, but it is worth the trouble,
time, and space.

Rosa rubiginosa, the Sweer Brier, is hardy
enough for this latitude, and does wonderfully
well. Like rugosa, it looks best on a favorable
spot on the lawn where it has plenty of room to

162

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

spread on every side, and so develop the best
there is in it. It blooms from the Ist to the
1sth of July.

Rosa lucida, the dwarf Witp Ross, has been
caught in the region and tamed. There is a
hedge of it now on the island, more than a hun-
dred feet long, that every year increases in the
beauty of its bloom and the richness of its foliage.
It blooms from June 20th to July 15th.

Chrysanthemum uliginosum, the Giant Daisy,
uniformly called by the dealers a Pyrethrum, was
described in such glowing terms in a catalogue,
with such a tremendous picture to prove the
truth of it all, that I was convinced that I could
not get along with less than eighteen plants. If
I had bought but one plant, and had annually
divided its roots, I could to-day have covered
half an acre with the product. It is a wonderful
grower, thrives anywhere, and pushes to the wall
every other plant in its neighborhood. It grows
five or six feet high, bearing large white daisy-
like flowers in profusion, from the first week in
September until frost.

Chrysanthemum lacustre, or latifolium, and C.
maximum are both hardy plants, bearing large
single white daisy-like flowers. They may be

163

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

raised from seed, and bloom from August roth
to September 15th.

Agrostemma coronaria, or, as it is now called,
Lychnis coronaria, is also known as Rose Cam-
PION, Mutuvern Lycunis, Mutviein Pink, and
Rose or Heaven, though the latter name prop-
erly belongs to L. c@li-rosa. It grows about three
feet high, and bears numerous flowers about an
inch in diameter in loose clusters. In color it
ranges from a dark rose to white, with some
specimens white with a crimson eye. It does
well on dry banks and in full sunshine, though
it is apt to die out after blooming once or twice.
While it will seed itself, it is still best to gather a
few seeds each fall and plant a fresh row annually
in the seed beds, as the plant is well worth keep-
ing. It blooms from July 15th to September
Ist.

Lathyrus latifolius, or PERENNIAL Pea, is a hardy
vine, worthy of attention. It is easily raised from
seed, but the plants must be moved when quite
small. Once established they should be allowed
to remain, and they will continue to bloom for
several years. They do not need a trellis, but
look better, and seem more at home, if allowed
to climb at will over a sloping rock or ledge.

164

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

The flowers are mainly red and white, though
varieties in light rose, and also a darker rose,
have lately been introduced. The seeds are
easily gathered, and from them new plants may
be raised without trouble. It blooms from July
1st to September roth.

The severe winters of the mountain regions of
Maine make it difficult to find perennial vines
which will stand the cold. Besides Lathyrus
latifolius, which dies to the roots at the first frost,
I know of but one vine able to live over win-
ter in this region, that being Ampelopsis quinque-
folia, Virnctnta CREEPER, or AMERICAN Woop-
BINE. It is a rapid grower, and easily increased
by partially burying the prunings in the earth.
I cover two or three buds, and permit a bud to
emerge from the ground at either end. They
will quickly root in this position, and the follow-
ing year you will have from them good strong
vines.

Some species of Jris do well here. J. prisma-
tica, or I. Virginica, the native American Iris,
fills the low swampy lands of the region, and in
June an acre or more may be seen thickly cov-
ered with the nodding blue blossoms. It may
do to fill waste spots, but it is not worthy of

165

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

much attention. J. pseudacorus, the YELLOw
Iris of Europe, is also found here sparingly, and
withstands the winter. It also is not very attrac-
tive. I have had no trouble in inducing J. levi-
gata, or Kempferi, the Japanese IRIs, to grow
here, and J. Germanica, the German Iris, or
common FLEuR-DE-LIs, is equally hardy. If you
would raise this plant from seed, the seed must
be sown as soon as it is ripe.

Gypsophilla paniculata is perfectly hardy, and
with its long slender branches covered with
delicate leaves and bearing innumerable minute
white blossoms, it is a valuable addition to the
vase of Shirley Poppies. It blooms from July
12th to August 20th. A lady once spying it
exclaimed, “ Oh, Mr. Dexter, what is that beau-
tiful plant? Is it not called ‘ Matrimony’ ?”

“‘ No, my lady,” I was forced to respond, “ but
doubtless it is close kin to it, as it is called Baby’s
Breath.”

It has a long root stalk and must be trans-
planted when quite small. The seeds are some-
what troublesome to gather, but it will not prove
a serious task to obtain all that you will need to
supply possible losses.

Once when we were putting out this plant one

166

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

of the men asked me what it was. I told him that
it was called “ Baby’s Breath,” but that the
proper name was Gypsophilla. Later I heard
him passing this information on to the other men,
and they were solemnly informed that the plant
was called Baby’s Breath, but that the proper
name was Gypsy’s Fill. But my helpers have
long since passed that stage of botanical knowl-
edge, for I always insisted upon calling my
plants by their proper names, and the men were
forced to increase their vocabulary.

“Now, Henry,’ I remember saying once,
“we'll have a box full of Pyrethrum roseum from
the garden.”

The other men laughed, and Henry hesitated,
finally asking, “‘ Do you mean them carrot tops?”

’

Yes, it was the “carrot tops” we wanted, and he
had learned what Pyrethrum roseum was like in
its youth. At the same time it is a bit annoying,
after you have once learned so important a fact,
to find that this is not its proper name after
all, but that it should be called Chrysanthemum
coccineum.

Linum narbonnense, the PERENNIAL F Lax, is as
charming and delicate a flower as can be found
anywhere. It is a profuse bloomer, and its sky-

167

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

blue flowers, about an inch in diameter, look as if
made of the finest porcelain. It grows to a
height of nearly two feet, and remains in bloom.
from June 20th to frost. It is easily raised from
seed, and the plants improve with age. It is
perfectly hardy.

Lupinus polyphyllus is an admirable plant in
masses. Its foliage is luxuriant, and the great
stalks five feet high are covered with blue or
white or blue and white blossoms from June
12th to July 7th, and sparingly to August Ist.
I have one terrace thirty feet long nearly covered
with Lupins, and in the midst the Oriental
Poppies raise their brilliant scarlet heads at inter-
vals, while off at one corner is a bush-like mass
of Achillea covered with its small white blossoms.
The general effect is inconceivably beautiful.
This terrace is at its best but a few days, however,
at about the first of July, but those few days are
worth working and waiting for. The Lupine is
easily raised from seed, but after getting it well
established, you will not need to gather more
seeds, as the plant is most active in extending
its rule over new soil. As the pea-like seed-
pod dries out, it suddenly cracks open, and the
halves twist into curls, tossing the seeds in differ-

168

SdIddOg TIVINAIYGC) GNV SYHNIdN'T

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

ent directions to a considerable distance. This
flower comes from the Pacific coast of North
America, and is naturally acquisitive and impe-
rialistic in its tendencies.

Bellis perennis, the Encuisu Daisy, may not be
worth much for table decoration, but it is most
interesting to look at on the edges of the terrace.
Its colors range from white, red, and pink to
crimson, both flat-petalled and quilled, single
and double. They are easily raised from seed
and are perfectly hardy, blooming from June
20th to frost. They are attractive in masses and
equally so as a carpet about taller plants, such as
Coreopsis, and are charming mingled with For-
get-me-Nots. I sowed the seed broadcast over a
bit of lawn on one occasion, and many plants
appeared the following spring, sending their
bright blossoms three or four inches above the
ground. But one day along came the lawn-
mower, and every flower was laid low. Warned
but not deterred by this, the next time they
blossomed the stems were scarce half an inch
long, holding the flowers close to the earth, and
below the range of the lawn-mower’s knife. I
was interested in this, and therefore took up a few
of these plants and removed them to a corner free

169

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

from the danger of the mower, and lo! up went
the new stems three or four inches into the air,
while their brethren in the grass still continued
to hold their flowers close to the earth. Do
flowers think ? Look at the Dock-Weed in the
unused corner, and see how it sends its leaves
luxuriantly a foot nearly into the air, while its
stems bearing flowers and incipient seeds are
taller still. Then look at another specimen in
the lawn, invaded so frequently by the mower,
and you will find its leaves prostrate, so close to the
ground that no knife of mower can touch them,
and the stalk carrying the precious seeds is
scarcely an inch in height.

Man is so conceited that he will not acknowl-
edge that any other form of life than his can
reason or think, have the faculty of perception,
or give expression to thought. Nonsense! All
animals think, most of them talk, and some have
high reasoning powers; and why not plants?
Down on the Chesapeake a winged-tipped goose
is often saved alive to be used as a decoy. An-
chored among the wooden cheats, he will gener-
ally see the approaching game before you do, and
his “ Se-Honk! Honk!” will turn the flock in
your direction. Why does he call? Is it in the

170

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

hope of help that will loosen his bonds? Not
long agoa friend of mine having broken the wing
of a wild goose, saved him for a decoy. The
break was a bad one, necessitating the amputation
of a portion of one wing, rendering it impossible
for him to ever fly again. Did he realize that?
I don’t know, but I do know that the first time
he was used, and a flock of geese were seen com-
ing straight to the decoys, the crippled goose
never uttered a sound until just before the bunch
arrived within gun-shot, and then raising his head
he gave a “ Honk!” with an inflection that sent
the whole flock away from the point of danger as
fast as they could fly. That honk evidently
meant “go,” not “come,” and it was understood.
It was always so thereafter. No goose ever came
within gunshot of a blind when this lame sentinel
was on guard, and in the end he was killed and
eaten, a martyr to his race.

Wound a duck, and see how by flying, swim-
ming, or diving, he will hasten to the seclusion of
the marsh. Once there he proceeds to dress his
wound, filling the cavity with a lint made of straw,
and fine fibres to stop the bleeding and insure
healing from the inside. Do you know that
primitive man did no better surgery than that?

171

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Indeed it was precisely the same treatment that
was formerly followed by man, and not so long
ago either. Moreover I have seen wounds on
the neck of a duck, treated in this way, in such a
position that it would have been practically im-
possible for the wounded duck to have dressed it
himself. Another must have done it for him.
But are we not getting away from our flowers?
I don’t know that we are, for there are flowers in
the wilderness other than those on stems, be they
long or short.

You can have all the P#ontes you want in
a climate as cold as our island, and they will give
you but little care or trouble. There are numer-
ous varieties, and four distinct species in the
herbaceous class. One of these, Peonia albi-
flora, the CutnesE Pony, flowers later than the
European species, P. officinalis and P. peregrina;
so with a judicious mixture you can double the
period of bloom. All these species are perfectly
hardy. They delight in partial shade, and do
best in a deep moist loam, their bloom being
improved by an application of manure water at
the budding season. When the plants grow too
large, take them up in the spring, separate the
roots and transplant in fresh soil.

172

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

With Ponia Moutan, the Tree Pony, I have
had no success. I was anxious to establish this
species on the island, and used great care in setting
out the plants, but the first winter they all died.

Platycodon grandiflorum, sometimes improperly
classed as a Campanula, is a desirable plant which
comes from northern Asia. It bears large Cam-
panula-like blue or white flowers, and is easily
raised from seed. It apparently dies out after
blooming once or twice, and you will have to
plant seeds every year if you would keep up the
supply. It does well in partial shade and in any
light soil, which, however, should be well drained.
P. mariesii is a dwarf form with somewhat larger
flowers. P. autumnale is said to be taller and more
hardy, with smaller flowers, but I have not yet
tried this variety.

There are a number of species of Rudbeckia,
the well known Cone-rLowe_r, all of which are
hardy perennials with the exception of R. bicolor,
a half-hardy annual. Nurserymen have offered
for sale the plants of a variety of R. laciniata
which they call GotpEN GLow. It grows to a
height of fully eight feet, bearing numerous large
golden-yellow flowers, quite double in form, and
resembling the double dahlia somewhat in shape.

173

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

It is an attractive plant, a free bloomer, and
under favorable circumstances will produce fully
one tenth as many flowers as may be seen in the
ordinary catalogue picture. I have not yet had
an opportunity to test its reproductive qualities in
any way, but the plants are not expensive, and
bear transportation well.

There are several varieties of Helenium, or
SNEEZE WEED, in cultivation, the best known
being the American H. autumnale. It grows to
a height of four or five feet, and bears numerous
showy yellow flowers in September which last a
long time in water. It is a good plant, easy to
raise, and worth having, but it is by no means
* one of the most valuable of all the hardy plants,”
as I have seen it described. It may be easily —
raised from seed, and is perfectly hardy. Other
species highly commended are H. Bolanderi and
H. Hoopesii, but I have had no experience with
either.

Bocconia cordata, or PLumeE Poppy, is an inter-
esting foliage plant which comes from China, and
is therefore generally known as Bocconia Faponica.
It grows fully eight feet high, and its large lux-
uriant leaves give it a tropical appearance. Its
flowers are minute and inconspicuous, but the

174

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

seedsman will tell you that it “bears freely
spikes two or three feet long of cream-colored
flowers.” It is not difficult to reproduce, either
from seeds or by division; indeed, once estab-
lished, “the trouble is to keep from it,” as it
spreads rapidly by suckers.

Callirhoe involucrata,a member of the Matiow
family, grows wild in the Mississippi Valley from
Minnesota to Texas. It is a prostrate little plant,
spreading over a couple of feet of ground, and
bearing throughout the summer and until frost
numerous violet-crimson flowers about an inch
and one half in diameter. It does well in partial
shade or in full sunshine, and is perfectly hardy.
Instead of trusting to an enormous quantity of
seed for its perpetuation, as so many flowers do,
each blossom produces but five seeds, and of
these one appears to be invariably sterile. The
pistil is divided into five segments, each termi-
nating at the base in cup-shaped form, or more
like a human hand half-closed, which holds the
seed. As the stem dries and the seeds become
thoroughly ripe, one of these little cups will
loosen its hold on the base of the stem and
springing up suddenly throw the seed to a dis-
tance of ten or fifteen feet. The sketches on

175

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

page 177 will show the bud, blossom, erect pistil,
and its appearance when it has just cast away one
of its seeds.

Arabis albida, the Rocx-cress, is a valuable
spring blooming plant which grows well amidst
rock-work or in almost any locality. It is per-
fectly hardy, and on the island is covered with
small white flowers from June 15th to July ist.
It is easily grown from seeds, and can be increased
from cuttings without difficulty.

Paradisea (Anthericum) lihastrum, or St. Bru-
no’s Lity, sends up a stalk about two feet high
with dainty little white flowers an inch long,
pendent from the stem. It is easily raised from
seed, and is hardy. The major variety attains a
height of nearly three feet, with flowers somewhat
larger than the type.

Achillea ptarmica, YARROW, or SNEEZEWORT, Is
‘another of those wholesome looking and acting
plants that seem to thoroughly enjoy life. I raised
a few plants from seed of the double variety, the
Pear, a few years ago, and now the only trouble
it gives is to keep it within bounds and teach it its
place. It grows fully three feet high, and bears
from July to September a profusion of very double
little flowers, three fourths of an inch in diameter.

176

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS ©

Blossom. Dry Pistil.

Callirhoe involucrata (page 175).

Seed casting.

177

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Anchusa Italica, or ALKANET, is a vigorous plant
which grows three or four feet high, and bears
numerous panicled racemes of small dark blue
Forget-me-Not-like flowers. It blooms a long
time, and a plant or two in the wild garden will
not be objectionable, though why one nursery-
man calls it “avery useful perennial,” I cannot
for the life of me determine, it being quite useless
for cutting, the blossoms fading before you reach
the house and refusing to revive in water.

Baptisia australis, or Faust Invico, is a vigor-
ous, hardy plant which attains a height of three
feet or more, bearing racemes of dark blue Lupine-
like flowers. It is easily raised from seed, and a
plant or two will not come amiss in large gardens.

Polemonium ceruleum, or Jacos’s LapDkR, Is a
hardy plant with very attractive, fern-like foliage,
growing three feet or more in height, and bearing
in profusion small blue flowers throughout the
summer. It is easily raised from seed.

Veronica spicata, or SPEEDWELL, is a hardy plant
three feet high which bears long spikes of small
blue flowers. It is easily propagated from seed,
and spreads like a weed from self-sowing.

Centaurea montana, a perennial species of Corn-
FLOWER, known as Mountain KNAPWEED, Is a

178

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

coarse and worthless plant. It can be easily
raised from seed, but is not worth the trouble nor
the space. The dealer who sold me the seeds
originally declared in his catalogue that “ for cut-
ting purposes it is invaluable.” This may be
quite true, but only a hoe should be used to do
the cutting.

There are various perennial species of Alyssum
and Jberis, or CaNDyTUuFT, none of which offer any
attractions to me. In all of them the bloom is
quickly over, and none of them are in any way
equal to the annual varieties. Like the perennial
Centaurea, both Alyssum and Ideris are but shabby-
looking plants when the period of bloom is over.

Some years ago a dealer described a species of
Valeriana in such glowing terms as Harpy He-
LIoTROPE, that I bought an ounce of the seed,
determined to have a bank full of such a charming
flower. When the plants blossomed they looked
about as much like heliotrope as they did like pan-
sies, and their odor was as rank as the seedsman’s
offence. The man who could dub such a plant
heliotrope isa geniusina way. ‘This name he may
have invented, as I have never seen it elsewhere.

Tradescantia Virginica, or SPIDERWORT, was
described in the florist’s catalogue as “a showy,

179

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

highly decorative plant, forming an erect bush
producing numerous terminal umbels of large
flowers, which are produced in great profusion the
whole of the summer.” Of course there is some
truth in this statement, for the plant zs erect and
does produce terminal umbels of flowers, but all
the rest of the description is airy persiflage. A
plant or two will not be amiss, if one has plenty
of room, otherwise it may properly be omitted
altogether.

CEnothera biennis, var. grandiflora, or EVENING
Primross, I first raised from seed several years
ago, and since then I have been pulling it up,
whenever seen, in the vain endeavor to get rid
of it. It is odd enough to justify a plant or two
in a large garden, but as it is a biennial, casting
ever a bountiful supply of seed, one is either com-
pelled to get rid of it altogether or else permit
it to overrun the entire garden.

Anthemis tinctoria, GoLDEN MarGuERITE, or
CuamomILE, is a hardy plant growing three feet
high, and bearing small daisy-like yellow flowers.
In itself it is by no means bad, having some
merit, but with so many other plants available
bearing handsome yellow flowers, it seems to me
hardly worth cultivating.

180

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

I do not consider the purple blossoms of
Lunaria annua or biennis, Honesty, beautiful.
The odd flat seed-pods that appear in the fall are
sufficiently curious, however, to admit the plant to
the edges of the open woods. As long as it is con-
tent to remain there, well and good, but it must
keep out of the garden and off of the terraces. It
is easily raised from seed.

Several years ago I planted a big root of Yucca
Jilamentosa, and the first year its leaves were a foot
high. Since then it has annually appeared and
grown a foot high, but it has never done anything
else. I am willing to wait for it to make up its
mind either to die or to go to work.

I have done my best to induce different varie-
ties of VioLetT, Viola odorata, to grow on the
island, but the seeds uniformly refuse to germi-
nate, and some dozens of plants described as
hardy all died the first winter.

About 1893 seedsmen vied with each other in
extravagant praise of Centrosema grandifiora, or But-
TERFLY Pea, declaring it to be “a perfectly hardy
perennial vine of rare beauty, which blossoms in
July from seed sown in April, the plants growing
from six to eight feet in a single season, bearing
in great profusion pea-shaped flowers two and

181

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

one half inches across.” As far as my experience
goes it is not hardy, and is a worthless because
impossible plant in northern regions. None of
my plants reached a greater height than three
inches, the balance of the eight feet never materi-
alizing, and the first dash of frost tumbled down
the feeble three inches. I tried these seeds for
three successive years with the same result.
Little has been said of this plant lately by the
seedsmen, but a few individuals, who doubt-
less still have some of the stock of this novelty
left on their hands, continue to quote it in
their catalogues. It is a common weed in the
sandy woods of Maryland and Virginia and
farther south, and has been known to botanists
for a century.

For fully ten years past I have tried carefully
every variety of Carnation which the dealers
have certified to be hardy, but thus far with no
satisfactory results. The last variety I tried was
known as the Harpy GarpDEn CarwarTIon, and
during the first winter every plant died. The
second year a few of the plants survived, but the
bloom was scanty, and, while I purpose to give
this variety a still further trial, I cannot say at
the present time that I know of a satisfactory

182

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

carnation hardy enough to withstand the winters
of northern Maine.

I have also tried two or three species of Helian-
thus, or perennial SuNFLoweER, under the most
favorable conditions, but none have survived the
winter. This flower is most attractive, and I
regret my inability to make it feel at home under
six feet of snow, but some flowers, like some
people, are very particular.

Here our consideration of the perennials and
biennials on the island properly ends; but while
it is not my intention to describe the wild flowers
of the region, there are certain species susceptible
of cultivation, to which I must refer briefly.
There is no more beautiful flower growing wild
in northern Maine than Linnea borealis, the
Twin Fiower. The genus was named after the
great naturalist Linnzus, and this flower was
said to be his favorite. If you will look at the
engraving of a well-known portrait of the natur-
alist, you will see that he holds in his hand a sprig
of the Twin Flower. Miss Alice Lounsberry, in
her charming “‘ Guide to the Wild Flowers,” tells
this story of Linneus : —

“A friend gathering a small flower on the shore of a

Swedish lake asked the great botanist if it were L. orealis.
183

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

‘« ¢ Nay,’ said the philosopher, ‘ she lives not here, but
in the middle of our largest woods. She clings with her
little arms to the moss, and seems to resist very gently
if you force her from it. She has a complexion like the
milk-maid; and oh! she is very, very sweet and agree-
able.; 7?

It is, as its specific name indicates, a northern
plant, rarely found in America south of Maine,
except at a high elevation, but common far north
in the British Provinces. It appears to extend
around the globe, bordering the Arctic Circle in
Europe, Asia, and America. In Europe it is
found as far south as the mountains of Scotland.
It is a low, creeping plant, bearing slender stalks,
about two inches high, from the top of which are
suspended two trumpet-shaped pinkish-white
blossoms about the size of the bloom of the
Lily-of-the-Valley, but much more delicate. It
is deliciously fragrant, blooming in June, under-
neath the trees and ferns, in moist, mossy locali-
ties, and there it spreads freely, forming a dense
carpet. It is not difficult to transplant, and if
given a cool, shady spot it could doubtless be
grown much further south.

The Trillium, Woop-Lity, THREE-LEAVED
NIGHTSHADE, Wake-Rosin, or BirRTHROOT, is

184

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

one of the most widely distributed of American
flowers. In one species or another it is found
from Florida to Labrador, and from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, especially northward on the west
coast. In Maine the species ordinarily met with
are T. cernuum, bearing a small white flower; T.
erectum, with an ill-scented purple flower; T.
erythrocarpum, or PatinTED TRILLIUM, white with
purple stripes, and T. grandiflorum, the finest of
all, with a large pure white flower. The Trilliums
bloom in early spring, which on the island is in
June. The bulbs are easily transplanted, but
they should be moved in late summer or early
fall when dormant. They require partial shade
and a light loamy soil.

Cornus Canadensis, the BuNCHBERRY, or DwarF
CornEL, is a species of dwarf Dogwood, growing
wild in northern Asia and America. Its true
flowers are small, but the large white bracts make
a beautiful effect in June, to be followed in the
fall with brilliant red berries in little bunches.
It grows in moist shady spots, being about five
or six inches high, It is easy to transplant, and
I have it growing on the edges of the rocks
amongst mosses and ferns.

Three plants of special interest thrive on the

185

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

island to a superlative degree, all being emi-
nently useful, if not ornamental. The first is
Asperula odorata, the SweeT Wooprurr of old
England and the foundation of the Mai-trank of
Germany. The young sprigs are gathered in
spring and placed in a good-sized punch-bowl,
when a bottle of Rhine wine is poured over them.
The leaves are allowed to steep for twenty-four
hours, when a second or third bottle of wine is
added, with sugar to the taste and a single block
of ice. When cool enough, we will, if you please,
gather around the bowl. 4. odorata does not
grow wild in America, and is not often found in
gardens. There is, however, a plant which has
some resemblance to it, Galium trifolium, and this
the German-American in his innocence often
gathers for the Meisterwurz. Mr. F. V. Coville,
the Botanist of the Agricultural Department at
Washington, once told me that he had on several
occasions been called upon to identify the Galium
trifolium, and that the parties seeking the informa-
tion were invariably of German descent, and he
could not understand at first the interest of these
people in this particular plant. When the use to
which Asperula odorata was put was explained to
him, the solution of the puzzle was not difficult.
186

PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS

I failed completely in attempting to raise this
plant from seed, and none of the nurserymen being
able to supply the plant itself, I was almost in
despair, when Mr. Coville managed to get for me
a few of the roots from a personal friend, and
these were planted ina shady spot on the edge
-of the woods, where they have done admirably.
I have increased their numbers materially by
division, and this attractive little stranger now
seems firmly established in prohibition Maine.

I will not attempt to give a scientific account
of the species of mint which grows in a luxuriant
bed on the low ground near the wharf. Its
parents came in a cigar-box from the neighbor-
hood of Richmond, Virginia, and such a plant
needs no scientific pedigree, it being, beyond dis-
pute, an honored member of one of the first
families of Virginia. To describe the uses to
which its tender leaves may be put in the spring
and early summer, would be but a thankless task,
for none but a true Virginian has ever penetrated
its deeper mysteries.

Perched high on the edge of a rocky ledge is
another plant of great interest to the serious
student of nature, Tanacetum vulgare, or Tansy.
How its tender, fern-like leaves may add to the

187 :

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

comfort of mankind it would be useless for me to
attempt to explain here, but if the intelligent
reader in search of knowledge will call at the
island about the hour of noon, upon any day
between June and October, I shall be charmed to
give him (or her) an illustrated lecture upon the
uses of Tanacetum vulgare.

188

CHAPTER VII

ANNUALS

“< Our little hfe is rounded with a sleep.”

F I were compelled to choose for cultivation
one flower only from the list of annuals, I
would without hesitation select the Poppy.

The seedsmen have done, and still are doing, all
in their power, apparently, to confuse the flower-
grower in regard to this genus, and their lists are
filled with fanciful names of species and varieties
to such an extent that it is often impossible for
one to know what he will get when he buys the
seed. Let me do what I can to unravel the
snarl.

Papaver somniferum, the Orrum Poppy of the
East, is a well-recognized species, and is not
easily mistaken for any other in cultivation. The
plants are generally taller than any other species,
and are invariably heavier in stalk and thicker in
leaf. The leaves are smooth, wavy, of a more
bluish green than any other species, and are what

189

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

is termed glaucous, that is, covered with a fine
white wax-like powder that will rub off on the
hand, as is the case with the skin of the fresh
plum or the leaf of a cabbage. The seed-pod
is very large, sometimes nearly as big as an ordi-
nary hen’s egg, and is short oblong in shape.
The seeds themselves are much larger than those
of any other species. The flowers are large,
with a great variety in color, and are single,
double, or semi-double. There are two forms of
the double Opium Poppy, P. Murselli and P.
peony-flowered. P. Murselli is almost invariably
referred to in America as the Carnation-flowered
Poppy, which is erroneous, the name having been
previously applied to the double form of P.
Rheas. P. Murselli—or Carnation-flowered, if
you will—has very double flowers with fringed
petals. The dealers advertise endless named
varieties. In this class we find such names as
E1peRDowN, WuitTeE-Swan, and Snow-Dnrirt.
Now all of these are actually the same flower, a
double white Somniferum Poppy with fringed
petals. What possible object can there be in
giving it three distinct names? The advertiser
of a large general store was once requested by
the head of a department to write a paragraph
| 190

ANNUALS

upon some collars. After careful questioning,
this is what he wrote :—

“An uneasy man at the Market Street end of the
middle aisle has picked up half a dozen sorts of gentle-
men’s collars, had new names stamped on them inside,
and wants us to say that those collars are nowhere else
to be got, and that they can be got there two for a
quarter.”

It is needless to say that the head of the
house drew his blue pencil through this
paragraph.

Other named varieties in this class are Farry
BiusH, which is white tipped with rose, and
Mixapo, white tipped with crimson. If you
buy a package of either, you are nearly sure to
get plants bearing flowers of both these colorings.

The pzony-flowered class is well named. Its
round balls of bloom with broad petals bear a
close resemblance to the familiar Pzony, and the
flowers often rival it in size. Among the
named varieties may be mentioned Snow-Ba.i
and Lapy-1n-WuiTeE (the same flower again,
simply a double white), Crimson Kuno, Rosy
Morn, Frrepranp, AMERICAN F Lac, Laven-
DER Beauty, E_porapbo, and Brack KNIGHT.
Among the named varieties of single somniferum

19I

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Poppies may be noted the Bripz, pure white,
Empress oF Cuina, white with scarlet margins,
and Danesroc, or DanisH FL ac, scarlet with a
white cross in the centre.

You may expect to raise single or semi-double
flowers from the seeds of any of the double
varieties, generally, however, following the parent
closely in the matter of color. You may gather
and plant the seeds of a single Poppy of this
species, and environment may cause it to produce
remarkably double flowers. If your plants are
too close together in your beds, or if for any
other reason they are not sufficiently nourished,
you may expect to raise only small single or
semi-double flowers, while on the other hand, if
you give your plants plenty of space and ample
nourishment, you can produce large and very
double flowers.

From the seeds of a plant that bore large single
flowers with blackish-purple base, shading to
mauve and edged with salmon, I raised in a single
season large and very double Peony-flowered
blossoms, exactly like the parent in color. From
the seeds of these I got both double and single
forms, in the colors of the original, and also a
variety in which white took the place of the

192

AddOg dadinMg 4H J,

ANNUALS

dark purple. By experiment I found that from
the seeds of a single flower I could produce
double fiowers at will, by simply giving the plants
plenty of room in a favorable situation, and work-
ing in a little garden phosphate about them when
they were six or eight inches high.

You will also find in the catalogues Poppy
seeds offered under such names as “ Maid of the
Mist,” “ Fayal,” “‘ Oriental Beauties,” and “ Gi-
ganteum,” with such trifling descriptions that no
human being could tell to what species any of
them belonged. One dealer, after offering you
the seeds of Peony and Carnation-flowered Pop-
pies, adds thereto “ Double Somniferum.” It
would be interesting to know what he meant by
such a classification, for it presents a puzzle quite
as perplexing as that submitted to a friend of
mine on one occasion. His coachman came to
him to ask his advice about a telegram just re-
ceived. The message read, “ Mother has fits.
Answer.” Instead of dividing the distinct species
one from another in their catalogues, the dealers
generally mix them all up together, and then
absurdly sort them out again into single and
double, so that it is quite impossible to tell
whether a Poppy of a given color will prove to

13 193

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

be an Opium Poppy of the East or a Corn
Poppy of Europe.

Papaver Rhaeas, the Corn Poppy of Europe,
has foliage of a more yellowish green than P. som-
niferum, with more slender stalks, and the leaves
are neither smooth nor glaucous, but bristly.
The pod is small, compared to the Asiatic flower,
is egg-shaped, with the broad end upwards, and
bears a much smaller seed. The SHiriey and
the EnciisH ScarLeT are well-known varieties
of this species. The delicacy, grace, and wonder-
ful colorings of the Shirley Poppy should have
suggested to the growers the great possibilities
of this strain, and encouraged them to pay more
attention to the production of new shades and
forms, but on the contrary they seem to have
devoted their energies to the stiffer, coarser
blossoms of the eastern species. All varieties
of the Corn Poppy remain in bloom for a much
longer period than the somniferum. The plants
usually grow to a height of about two feet, but I
have had specimens that exceeded four feet. The
flowers are either single or semi-double, never
approaching the round ball-like flowers of the
double somniferum. The double form of the
Corn Poppy is known in Europe as Ranun-

194

ANNUALS

CULUS, or CARNATION-FLOWERED. ‘The flowers
usually grow to a diameter of three and one-half
or four inches, and under favorable circumstances
will exceed five inches. The single forms are in-
variably the larger, the double rarely exceeding a
diameter of three and one-half inches. The best-
known variety of this species is the Shirley, and
no garden flower I know of can rival it in the
beauty of its coloring and the delicacy of its out-
lines. The colors range from a pure white to a
carmine, with every conceivable shade between
the two. As with other forms, the Shirley,
under certain conditions, shows a tendency to
become partially double. Nothing could be more
beautiful than the Shirley Poppy as a decoration
for the table, though the very delicacy that chal-
lenges our admiration makes its life but a brief
one after cutting. The best time to gather them,
or indeed any variety of Poppy, is in the early
morning, before the dew is off the petals, and
even then you should select the blooms that are
but just opening to the sunshine.

I have tried for a couple of years past a variety
advertised in admiring terms under the name of
Magestic, but have finally abandoned planting it,
as it appears to be only a strain of the Shirley

195

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

class of rather less than ordinary merit, a typical
seedsman’s “ Novelty.” The IrresisTIBLE is
another variety I have tried, and after trying it
found no difficulty in resisting it.

The Enctisu Scaret is a thoroughly desirable
acquisition. In habit of growth and size of plant
and flower it does not differ from the Shirley.
The flowers are a bright scarlet, and a bed of
these plants is an attractive feature on the lawn,
while the flowers are admirable for table decora-
tion. It comes true from seed, but both it and
the Shirley are apt to cross with each other,
even if planted a considerable distance apart. By
simply pulling up the Shirley plants from the
English Scarlet bed, and performing a similar
service for the Shirley bed, as soon as the in-
truders show their character, both strains may be
kept measurably pure.

Papaver Hookeri, or Hooxer’s EaRLy-FLOWER-
inc Poppy, is a variety distinguished mainly by
its tall growth, the flowers being remarkable
neither for their size nor coloring. It grows to a
height of fully five feet, bearing flowers of vari-
ous shades from scarlet and rose to lavender,
which rarely if ever exceed in size a diameter of
three inches. It is one of the earliest forms to

196

ANNUALS

bloom, but its tallness is a serious objection, the
slender stems not being able to carry the weight
of leaves and flowers, and, even with the aid of
staking, the plants are nearly certain to be pros-
trated by wind or rain before the blooming
season is Over.

There is not a little merit in some of the vari-
eties to be found in what was called a few years
ago Wiiks’s ImproveD Ru as, and I got from
the mixed seeds of this strain some beautiful
shades.

P. umbrosum is simply a variety of Rhaas from
the Caucasus, bearing a single scarlet flower with
a black blotch at the base of the petal, sometimes
margined with ash gray.

For some years past I have saved annually the
seeds of certain Rhzeas Poppies of attractive
colors, and have gradually worked up a consider-
able number of charming varieties. There is a
mottled section of great beauty that I have la-
bored with for several years. It bears a large single
flower, five and one-half inches in diameter, of a
delicate rose color, mottled or veined with laven-
der. Other shades embrace pure lavender,
scarlet, rose, and dark ruby, some plants pro-
ducing very double flowers. I mark with a tag

197

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

a Poppy that is specially interesting, and keep its
seed separate in the endeavor to perpetuate the
strain. At first the flowers do not always come
true from seed, and show undesirable variations.
Such plants I promptly root out and have grad-
ually been able to confirm the desired coloring.
This is interesting work, and I know of no
flowers that offer greater possibilities for im-
provement than this section of the Poppy
family.

P. pavonium, or Peacock Poppy, is, I think, a
distinct species from Central Asia. It bears a
small single scarlet flower, with a black blotch
at the base of the petal, and in appearance is not
unlike the umbrosum. The capsule, or seed-pod,
is, however, quite distinct, being almost round
instead of egg-shaped, and is covered with bristles
instead of being smooth. There is nothing es-
pecially attractive about this Poppy, it being only
interesting from a botanical point of view, as a
distinct species.

By far the most important acquisition of late
years to this family is the TuLip Poppy from
Armenia, P. glaucum, a distinct species of great
beauty. It scarcely exceeds a height of fifteen
inches, and the delicate plant bears a profusion

198

ANNUALS

of glowing scarlet flowers. The erect form of two
of the petals, almost closing together at the tips,
gives the blossom a tulip-like appearance. A bed
of this Poppy, covered with its brilliant flowers,
looks at a distance like a glowing mass of burn-
ing coals. I know of no other shade of this
Poppy, and I have never known it to cross with
any variety of P. Rheas, though I have had beds
of the two species growing within a few feet of
each other for several years. The seed-pod is
much smaller than that of the Corn Poppy, and
is short oblong in shape, the seed itself being
smaller than that of any other species within my
knowledge.

None of the various species of annual Poppies
can be easily transplanted, nor does there seem to
be much advantage in attempting it. To secure
early flowers you should plant the seeds in the
fall where they are to grow. I have had some
varieties of the Corn Poppy in bloom as early as
June 13th from seeds planted in the fall, but
they are at their best during the latter half of
July. The Opium Poppies are somewhat later
than the Corn Poppies, the double forms being the
latest of all to bloom. Seeds may also be planted
in early spring or even later, and from seeds

199

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

sown about the first of July I have had a fresh
bright mass of bloom in September. Like all
small seeds, that of the Poppy should be simply
scattered evenly upon the surface of the bed. If
you are generous in your sowing the birds can
get their share and you will still have enough to
crowd the bed with plants. Any excess of plants
must be weeded out to secure free blooming, and
it will be found even more necessary to prevent
overcrowding with the Opium Poppy than with
its relative the Corn Poppy.

Next after the Poppies should, in my estima-
tion, come the Sweet Peas, Lathyrus odoratus.
With this beautiful flower the preparation of the
soil is a matter of prime importance. In the fall
I clear off the space reserved for Sweet Peas, and
spread over it roughly the dressing from the
earth-closets, leaving it there on the surface for
the winter. As early in the spring as the ground
can be worked, I add a coating of unbleached
wood ashes and bone-dust, with garden phos-
phate, the whole being lightened with about an
inch in depth of leaf mould. The soil is then
thoroughly forked up, and the seeds are planted
in drills, about five inches deep, at a distance
apart of two inches. Thus far the result has

200

ANNUALS

been most satisfactory, the vines having been
uniformly large, sturdy, and full of bloom.
Originally I built a trellis of poultry-wire net-
ting four feet high, but it was totally inadequate
for the service required, the vines growing quickly
to the top and hanging down to the ground on
the other side. I replaced it, therefore, with
another ten feet in height, and the vines go to
the top of this and still hang over. I have
measured vines in the fall that exceeded twelve
feet in length. It is stated that Sweet Peas do
best in a position not exposed to the continuous
rays of the sun, and my trellis fulfils this require-
ment. At the same time I have a second row of
Sweet Peas planted on the terrace close to the
wall, where, with its southern exposure, the vines
receive the direct rays of the sun, beating all day
long against the rocks, yet, during the season of
1900, which was remarkably warm and dry, the
Sweet Peas were at their best in the more exposed
situation, and they have uniformly done quite as
well there as in the more protected position.
Mr. Eckford recommends planting in clumps of
two or three plants at a yard or more apart, as
giviny better results than planting in rows. All
authorities unite in commending constant cutting
201

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

of the flowers so that no seed can form, whereby
continuous and increasing flowering will be in-
sured. This precludes the possibility of your
gathering your own seed, but this is of little
moment, as perfectly satisfactory seeds can be
purchased at a reasonable price, which will come
true to the promised colors. ‘The beds must be
kept wet during blooming, and some mulching —
that is, covering the surface of the ground with
various light materials, such as leaf-mould or
manure, to prevent the drying of the soil — is of
advantage. A thorough wetting with manure
water once a month would also be advantageous,
and excite renewed growth and increased bloom
to the vines. If the vines grow too rapidly, giv-
ing comparatively little bloom, I clip off the tops
and add wood ashes to the manure water. I
have also at times added a handful of nitrate of
soda to the watering-pot and thought it beneficial.
The seedsmen have created something like two
hundred varieties of Sweet Peas, by far the greater
portion being merely a duplication of names for
practically the same coloring, and twenty-five
varieties would about cover all that are essentially
different. As a decoration, a mass of Sweet Peas
of the same coloring is far more beautiful than a
202

ANNUALS

number of different colors, and therefore I prefer
to plant a goodly number of seeds of a few choice
varieties. I have more than once tried planting
Mignonette or Shirley Poppies beside the Sweet
Pea vines, and though the result as a whole was
most attractive, covering up the bare ground, my
experience is that the presence of any plants close
to the vines retards their growth and lessens
their production of flowers.

There is a dwarf Sweet Pea highly commended
by the growers, called the “ Cupid,” which I have
tried for several successive seasons, but without
any good results. It is possible that others may
have succeeded with this new plant, but my ex-
perience has been most discouraging. The seeds
germinated and the plants bloomed, but the flow-
ers were small and scanty.

Salpiglossis sinuata is a Chilian plant, which was
fully described a century or more ago, and yet,
as an ornament to our gardens, it seems to be
almost unknown. It resembles the Petunia
somewhat in shape, but its colorings are the
richest imaginable, and in texture appears as if
made of the finest and silkiest of velvet. There
are numerous colorings in the species, enabling
the seedsmen to offer unnumbered named varie-

203

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

ties. I would purchase none of them, as the
mixed seeds alone will furnish abundant variety,
and if you do get the “ New Emperor”’ or the
“ Old Guard,” you will wonder when they bloom
wherein they differ from, or are in any wise better
than hundreds of varieties in your mixed beds.
It is said to bea half-hardy annual, but be that as
it may, it grows well from seed sown in the open
ground in early spring, and the seed will germi-
nate and produce earlier flowers if sown in the fall.

Whether all flower-lovers will agree with me
or not, I can delay no longer in introducing our
old and valued friend, the Nasturtium, of which
there are three species in cultivation. Tropeolum
majus, the common Nasturtium, has two varie-
ties, — the Ciimpinc, and the Dwarr, or Tom
Tuums Nasturtium. TZ. minus is the smaller
Nasturtium, properly so called, for its flowers are
smaller than the common. It 1s offered by the
seedsmen under the name of TratLtinc Nastur-
TiuM, Tom Pouce. It is said to do better in
poor soil than the majus species, but I have not
tried it. We have also the well-known T. Lodb-
bianum, a climbing species from Colombia. It is
easily distinguished from all other forms by the
fact that it is hairy all over, excepting only the

204

ANNUALS

petals and the upper side of the leaves. I use
the Tom Thumb variety for Dwarf plants and
the Lobb’s Nasturtiums where I desire climbing
or trailing plants. My two principal Nasturtium
beds have been arranged around old stumps, in
which the centre has been hollowed out and
filled with earth. The earth has also been dug
up about two feet wide around the base of the
stumps, and both in the stump itself and in the
ground about, I plant the Lobb’s Nasturtium.
I also use the same species in open spaces in the
shrubbery border and in unoccupied parts of the
rose beds. I plant in the spring about six inches
apart, and an inch in depth, thinning out later to
a foot apart. Nasturtiums are said to do well in
poor soil and in partial shade. I have found
them to do best in good soil, and they absolutely
refuse to develop satisfactorily if planted too
thickly or are too close to other plants. A
bright-colored climbing nasturtium is a most
beautiful ornament amongst the rosebushes, if
allowed to climb at will over the branches. It
does not attain a height sufficient to interfere with
the roses until their period of bloom is about over.
The Lobb’s Nasturtium may be planted beside a
trellis or a wall, in the ledges of the rocks, or on
205

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

level ground, and I think it is most effective at
the head of a grassy bank or a low terrace. Both
varieties bloom from July 15th to frost. The
seeds, if picked when green, make a delightful
pickle, and the blossoms are a great addition to a
dish of salad both from their brilliant colors and
their pungent flavor. The seeds are easily
gathered and may be picked from the vines when
turned brown, or gathered from the ground after
they have fallen. Apparently this is the ordinary
way of gathering them by the professional seed-
growers, judging from the proportion of small
stones that are so often supplied in the packages.
The seeds can be bought in separate colors at
from fifteen to twenty-five cents per ounce. You
can generally be reasonably assured of your
flowers coming true to the stipulated colors, but
now and then a plant will show a variation. The
seeds cannot be planted in the fall in northern
regions as their germinating power is destroyed
by the frost. This must be taken account of in
storing your seeds for the winter, and they must
not be subjected to a very low temperature. It is
said that the Nasturtium is easily propagated from
cuttings in September, and may be kept under
glass for the winter. I have not tried it, and it
206

ANNUALS

hardly seems to me to be worth the labor, unless
it be for the purpose of perpetuating with cer-
tainty some new color.

Lychnis Haageana, or Lamp Fiower, one of the
best of its group, is said to be a hybrid between L.
grandifora and L. fulgens. It grows two feet or
more high, and is covered for several weeks with
flowers varying in color from a brilliant scarlet to
salmon, and light pink, shading to almost white,
though the darker shades predominate. The
flowers are two inches or more across. The seed
is easily gathered, and may be sowed late in the ©
fall or early spring, the latter being by far the
best, as, though a true perennial, the plants will
bloom the first year from spring-sown seed. The
Lychnis is all the better for partial shade and a
cool spot, and it will bloom from the tst of July
to the 17th of August.

The Curna, or Inpra, Prnxs, known as Dian-
thus Chinensis, D. Sinensis, or D. Heddewigii, have
a long list of named varieties, either in Latin or
English, of single, double, or fringed forms.
They are amongst the most beautiful of summer-
blooming annuals, and will repay all the care
bestowed upon them. They do best in dry, well-
drained soils, and in such a position they are said

207

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

to survive a moderate winter, but none have ever
lived over winter on the island. I plant early in
the spring where they are to bloom, and get
flowers about the first of August, lasting until
frost. They grow to a height of about one foot,
though there is a dwarf variety which does not
exceed six inches. A satisfactory bed can be
secured from the mixed seeds of both single and
double forms of what the dealers call D. Hedde-
wigii. In named varieties I have had satisfactory
results with Crown oF PERFECTION, and Sovuv. DE
ta Matmaison, amongst the double forms, and
EasTERN QUEEN, SALMON QuEEN, and GLARE OF
THE GaRDEN, in the single flowers.

Callistephus hortensis, or C. Chinensis, the Curna
AsTER, presents not a little variety in the forms
of the blossoms, and the colors range from white,
pink, rose, scarlet, carmine, lavender, and indigo-
blue, to purple. Some varieties are but six inches
high, while others exceed two feet. Probably
the finest of the taller varieties is the Vicrorta,
while amongst the dwarfer forms the Curysan-
THEMUM-FLOWERED is the best. The QUuEEN
oF THE Ear.izs, as its name indicates, is a
specially early kind and valuable for that reason,
though its range of color is but small. Other

208

ANNUALS

varieties will appeal to special tastes. To insure
success, Asters should have a deep rich soil, with
an abundance of manure worked deep in the bed.
In dry weather water must be freely supplied to
the plants, and before the flowers begin to bloom
a top dressing of well-rotted manure should be
given them. To secure early bloom the seeds
should be planted in a cold frame in April. I
plant, however, in May in the beds where they
are to grow, and weed out the larger sorts so that
they stand fully a foot apart. They bloom from
August 15th to frost, the Queen of the Earlies
being about a fortnight in advance of the other
varieties.

Centaurea moschata, or Amberboa moschata, A.
odorata, or SWEET SULTAN, is a beautiful flower for
the garden, is fine for decorative purposes, and lasts
a long time after being cut. I have worn a speci-
men in my buttonhole for fully two days before
the flower looked wilted. It comes in three
colors, white, rosy-purple, and citron-yellow, the
latter being also known as C. suaveolens. Some
improvements have been made of late in the size
of the flowers, and of course new names have
been invented, such as C. imperialis, C. Margarita,
and C. chameleon. It grows about two feet high,

14 209

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

the flowers being about three or four inches in
diameter. The seed should be planted in the
early spring where the plants are to grow, as they
cannot be successfully transplanted. They are
said to do well in a sunny location, but in my
experience they have done better in partial shade.
The “ Mammoth-flowering”’ varieties have blos-
soms quite as large as the old forms, though the
price of the seeds is much larger and finer.

Reseda odorata,the MicNoneETTE, 1s grown for the
delicious scent of its small inconspicuous flowers.
It is a native of northern Africa, and is called
hardy, though its seed will not survive the winters
of Maine, but must be sown in the early spring.
It grows well in either sunshine or partial shade,
and prefers a light sandy soil. I always sow the
seed where it is to bloom, never attempting to
transplant. The seeds of many varieties are
offered for sale under special names, but the best
in my experience is Machet’s Perfection, which
is a strong vigorous plant, well branched, and
bearing large heads of flowers of an intense per-
fume. It blooms on the island from August Ist
to September 20th.

Cosmos bipinnatus comes from Mexico, growing
nearly seven feet high and blooming profusely

210

ANNUALS

from early in October until cut down by frost.
The flowers are attractive, and the foliage is
highly ornamental. Unfortunately its late bloom-
ing renders it an impossible plant for northern
Maine, but the development of an early-flowering
variety has practically added a new flower to
northern gardens, as it is in full bloom in early
August, continuing into October. It is dwarfer
than the old form, hardly exceeding four feet in
height, and it bears numerous flowers in white,
crimson, and pink. The seed, which is scarcely
more than half the size of the old form, should
be planted in early spring in the place where the
plants are to grow. It does well in the sun, and
likes a rich moist soil, but, owing to its height, it
should, if possible, be planted where it will be in
some measure protected from heavy winds.

The genus Coreopsis, besides the perennial
species already referred to, furnishes several choice
annuals. It is curious to note that the seeds-
men almost invariably use the name Calliopsis for
the genus when referring to the annual species,
and yet place the perennials under the proper
name, Coreopsis. ‘The annual species generally
cultivated are as follows: C. tinctoria, in which the
lower half, or sometimes almost the whole of the

211

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

rays, are crimson brown, the tips being orange
yellow. When the whole of the flower is crimson
brown, it is called C. atrosanguinea, C. atropurpurea,
or C. nigra speciosa. C. Drummondii, or GOLDEN
Wave, has golden yellow flowers with a small
dark spot at the base of the petal. C. coronata
has a yellow flower with a darker purplish-streaked
spot near the base. On the island these flowers
uniformly reach a height of four feet, and are
profuse bloomers. I prefer the darker varieties
of C. tinctoria, and always gather my own seeds,
planting late in the fall. The seeds are small and
need only be scattered broadcast on the bed.
The Coreopsis likes good rich soil and plenty of
sunshine, blooming from July 18th to frost.
Gray classes the Mayweep under the genus
Anthemis, but others group the seventy-odd
species in the genus Matricaria. All the
species are natives of Europe, Africa, and west-
ern Asia, and all are weeds with the exception
only of Matricaria inodora plenissima, or Anthemis
chamomilla flor pleno, as other botanists call it.
The seedsmen, possibly from a desire to save
this flower from the humiliation of acknowl-
edging its host of poor relations, have in the
kindness of their hearts followed the lead of

212

ANNUALS

Linnzus and christened it with the more aristo-
cratic name of Chrysanthemum inodorum plenissi-
mum, which certainly ought to satisfy any flower,
however ambitious he may be. I remember on
one occasion, when driving through the hills
of Maine, I saw a little goldfinch with his
golden-yellow and black plumage flying in and
out amongst the bushes by the roadside.

“What do you call that bird?” I asked of the
native driver.

Looking at it critically for a moment, he re-
plied serenely, “ We call that a little red-bird.”

Once a farmer landed his boat at the island
wharf and carefully deposited a covered pail on
the platform. I greeted him with a “ Good-
evening, Haines; what have you got there?”

“ Plums,” was the laconic answer.

“Plums!” I said in surprise, adding, “I’m
glad of that,” as I tore off the covering, when
[ exclaimed with still greater surprise, ‘‘ Why,
these are strawberries!”

“Yes,” said Haines, complacently, “ we call
"em plums.”

There is a dwarf tree in northern Maine which
bears in the fall a minute red plum, and the na-
tives all call it a“ sugar pear.” Now, if any one

213

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

can tell me why these good people call a yellow
bird red, a plum a pear, and a strawberry a
plum, we may possibly be able to guess why
the seedsmen call a species of Mayweed a
Chrysanthemum.

Notwithstanding its humble origin, Matricaria
inodora flor pleno or plenissima, as | think it ought to
be called, is a very desirable plant for the border.
It is perfectly hardy, has attractive, feathery foli-
age, blooms the first year from seed, and repro-
duces itself bountifully by self-sowing. It excels
any flower I know of in its free blooming quali-
ties. If given good soil, not too rich, and plenty
of room, it will form into a compact recumbent
plant, three feet in diameter and fifteen inches
high. One such plant that I grew from seed
had, by actual count, over five hundred flowers
in bloom upon it at one time. The flower is
white, about two inches in diameter, and at its
best is intensely double. The plant shows a
strong tendency to go back to single or semi-
double forms, and if you would retain the best
variety you should root out the undesirable
plants and permit only the choicer double forms
to cast their seeds. The best of the blossoms
should be marked, and seeds collected from

214

sundswav'] dH,

ANNUALS

them alone. You will not find it troublesome
to gather all the seeds you will need. I always
sow the seed in the fall, and thereby get flowers
by the first week in July, in the following sum-
mer, which last until frost.

There are two species of annual Larxspurs,
— Delphinium Ajacis, the Rocket Larkspur, and
D. consolida, the BRancuinc Larkspur. The
former embraces three varieties commonly grown
in gardens, of which D. majus, the Tati Rocket
Larkspur, grows to a height of fully five feet,
the flowers being double, on a long spike. The
colors include white, flesh-colored, rose, violet,
and ruby. D. minus is the Dwarr Rocket
Larkspur, which grows about two feet high,
and in addition to the colors of the taller vari-
ety, we have pale blues, and some striped speci-
mens. The STocK-FLOWERED is also a desirable
variety of Rocker, said to be worth cultivating,
but I have not tried it. In Brancuinc Lark-
spurs we have Candelabrum, and Imperialis, or
the Emperor, in various colors, from white to
dark blue and red, some varieties being varie-
gated. None of the Branching Larkspurs ex-
ceed three feet in height, and generally range
from one and a half to two feet. The seeds

215

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

are easily collected, and should be sown in the
fall to insure early blooming. I sow broadcast
on a finely raked bed, and after sowing, work
the back of the rake lightly over the soil so as
to settle the seeds a little below the surface. I
do not sow the different colors in separate beds,
but prefer to let the mass show all its variety
of shade, and indeed, if a Shirley Poppy strays
into the bed, as is apt to be the case, for the
Shirlies live just next door, I never disturb it,
but let its little pink and white face peep out
from between a pair of the long legs of the blue-
capped Larkspurs. It blooms from July 5th to
August 12th from fall-sown seeds.

The annual Puiox of our gardens comes from
Phlox Drummondii, which was first found in Texas.
By cultivation, the coloring and even the shape
of the flower has been varied to a remarkable
degree. There are several colorings in a double
form which I do not care to raise; the single
flowers being to my mind much handsomer, as
they are at the same time much larger. Where
a flower shows but a single shade, it may possibly
be improved by doubling, but where, as is so often
the case with most of the Poppies and so many
others of our annuals, the beauty of the blossom

216

ANNUALS

is due largely to the delicate shading of many
colors in the broad, flat petals, to double it is to
deprive it of the most of its charm, as you end
by concealing all of the various shadings, save
only that of the outer edge of the petals. These
flowers may be planted in the shrubbery border,
but I always devote at least two large beds to
their service, preferring to see this beautiful flower
in masses, showing at once all its marvellous
variations of color and form. I plant the seed in
the spring where it is to bloom, as early as the
soil is dry enough to be worked. I give the
Phlox a sunny exposure and a rich moist soil,
topped off with leaf-mould after the plants are up
above the ground. It blooms on the island from
August roth until cut down by frost.

Centaurea cyanus, the CoRNFLOWER, BLUE-
BOTTLE, BLuET, Kars—ER-BLUMEN, CorN-BOTTLE,
RaGGEeD SaILor, or BacHELor’s. BuTTON, was
the favorite flower of the late Emperor William,
as it has been, and is now, the favorite of many
thousands of less-known people. I wish to note
that the name BacHELor’s BuTTon is applied to
several other species of flowers; and among them
may be named Gomphrena globosa, or GLOBE
AMARANTH ; Ranunculus acris,and Polygala lutea,

217

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

the latter having the word “yellow” prefixed to
the name. But the name applies to still another
species, it appears, not so far noticed in any of the
books. Two charming young ladies of my
acquaintance were on one occasion going to a
college base-ball game, and at the last moment
found that no provision had been made for
flowers to show their loyalty to old Yale. A
corsage of dark-blue flowers they must have, and.
ringing for a messenger-boy, they instructed him
to purchase for them two dollars’ worth of ‘‘ Bache-
lor’s Buttons.” The boy was gone an uncon-
scionable long time, and the young ladies were
almost in despair, when at the last moment he
appeared bearing the longed-for package. It
looked odd in shape and size, however, and they
opened it with some misgiving. Their amazement
may be imagined when they found therein only
a number of small boxes containing those patent
buttons which may be fastened upon shoes or
trousers without the aid of needle or thread.
Originally, bearing a single dark blue flower,
many other colors of the Cornflower have been
produced by selection, and we can now obtain
white, rose, light blue, and dark purple, with
varieties striped and mottled, and also double
218

ANNUALS

forms of some of these colors. Though many
of these new shades are attractive, I confess to a
prejudice in favor of the old-fashioned dark blue.
The Cornflower is easy of cultivation, and will
do well in almost any situation, but it requires
room above all things else, and the plants cannot
do their best if crowded for space. The seeds
are a little tedious to gather as well as to clean,
much of the chaff being of the same size as the
seed. The pods should be picked just as they
are ready to open out, and you will find the
largest number in this condition after a day or
two of cloudy weather, as the pods do not ex-
pand and drop their seed excepting under the
influence of a hot sun. If you desire to keep
colors separate, you should mark your plants,
but this will not be necessary if you begin gather-
ing early, as the flowering period is long, extending
on the island from July 14th till frost, and you
will be able to get plenty of seeds for your beds
while the plants are still blooming. I invariably
plant my seeds in the fall, thereby getting much
stronger plants and several weeks of extra bloom.
The plant casts its own seeds, and it will fill with
its plants all vacant places in its neighborhood.
It may be transplanted, but this weakens the
219

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

plant and delays its blooming, and so I scatter
the seed in the fall wherever I think I may
possibly want a plant, and if I change my mind
in the spring, it is easy to pull out what I do not
want.

Calendula officinalis, or Pot Marico_p, is in
many ways a most desirable plant. It is easy
of cultivation, perfectly hardy, a free bloomer,
and flowers on the island from July 25th to
frost. Its blossoms are large, showy, and not
ungraceful. It grows to a height of eighteen
inches, and does well in many situations, though
it seems to require a good soil, plenty of room,
and a warm sunny position to produce the best
results. There are a number of varieties, all of
them attractive. Lemon yellow, golden yellow
with maroon centre, yellow striped with orange,
orange, and sulphur yellow striped with white,
are the usual shades. The seed is easy to gather,
and large quantities may be obtained with little
trouble. With this flower, as with so many
others, it is wise to mark choice blossoms, and
to use the seed from them alone. One instructor
advises us to “sow in boxes early, or in open
ground in May or June; transplant to one foot
apart.” I advise you not to sow in boxes, nor

220

ANNUALS

ever in May or June, and under no circum-
stances to transplant. Seeds sown in the fall will
germinate freely in spring, and produce earlier
flowers and sturdier plants than you can get in
any other way. In planting, scatter your seed
broadcast evenly over the bed, and then work
the soil lightly over them with the back of the
rake. If some of the seeds are obstinate, and
refuse to be covered in this way, you may press
them under the surface with the finger-tip. The
seeds will do better, if after all this you press the
soil down lightly with the palm of the hand or a
suitable board.

The genus Yagetes furnishes three species of
Marico.tps, — 7. erecta, the Arrican ; TI. patula,
the Frencu; and 7. signata, the Dwarr Mar-
IGOLD. All are natives of Mexico and South
America. The Arrican Marico_p is the tall-
est of the genus, growing to a height of fully
thirty inches, and bearing the largest flowers,
some double varieties showing blossoms over
four inches in diameter. The range of color is
not extensive, embracing only a deep orange
and a pale yellow. The flowers are both single
and double; but seed from the latter, though
carefully selected, is apt to produce a considerable

221

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

proportion of single flowers. One of the best of
the large flowering class is known as PRIDE OF
THE GaRDEN, or DELIGHT OF THE GARDEN, as
the dealer prefers.

The Frencw Maricotp is somewhat dwarfer,
rarely exceeding eighteen inches in height, its
flowers displaying yellow, orange, and brownish
shades, striped and mottled. A dwarf form of
the French Marigold, T. patula nana, is a com-
pact plant from six to twelve inches high, very
free flowering, with a dark brown maroon or
yellow blossom, single or double. The seed
of this variety is sometimes offered under the
name of LirrLe Brownie, or Lecion or Honor,
Litiiput, or Tom TuHums.

T. signata resembles the French Marigold in
some respects, but has smaller yellow-striped
flowers and grows about fifteen inches high. A
dwarfer form is I. signata pumila.

I sow the seeds of all species of Marigolds in
the open ground in spring, after the danger of
frost is over, and in the bed where they are to
bloom. The seed will not survive the cold of
winter, and therefore cannot be planted in the
fall. The plants are in full bloom by the first
of September, continuing until cut down by frost.

222

ANNUALS

If earlier bloom is desired, the plants must be
started indoors. Both the African and French
Marigolds do well in rich loam, but signata
requires poor soil to produce the best effects in
bloom. Owing to the late period of flowering, I
have never been able to gather the seeds of the
Marigold. However, I have had no difficulty in
getting satisfactory results from seeds purchased
from the dealers, with one exception, when no
seeds at all out of full two ounces seemed to
possess the power of germinating.

It is a pity that the Catirornia Poppy was not
discovered by a botanist bearing a more manage-
able name than Eschscholtz, and it was a poet
too, Adalbert von Chamisso, who was guilty of
the atrocity of naming the genus Eschscholtzia
in honor of its discoverer. Notwithstanding
its abominable name, it is a beautiful and desir-
able flower, a perennial in its native home, south-
ern California, but in the north treated as an
annual. It grows about fifteen inches high, and
the type, E. Californica, bears a bright orange-
yellow flower, darker at the centre and lighter at
the extremities. There are a number of varieties,
much confused, because much mixed in growing
together. £. crocea is of a deep yellow or saffron

223

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

shade ; E. crocea alba is white ; E. crocea mandarin
has the inner side of the petals rich orange and
the outer portion bright scarlet; E. crocea rosea,
intense carmine ; and £. crocea flor plena is semi-
double. £. Douglasii or E. maritima is a variety
bearing somewhat larger, pure yellow flowers,
and £E. aurantiaca, rich orange. The GoLDEN
West EsscuscHoitzia, as described by seedsmen,
offered nothing new in the way of color, but it
was stated that “the flowers of these new giants
measure from four to six inches in diameter.” ‘The
italics are not mine, but neither were the gzants.
I paid a large price for a very small package of
seed, and had the pleasure of seeing the plants
produce just the same-sized blossoms I had
obtained from mixed seeds at twenty cents an
ounce. From the Busu Escuscuottzia I got
even less, for not a seed germinated. Except
when dealing with choice novelties, such as these,
the California Poppy is a very easy flower to
raise. The seeds should be sown broadcast on
the bed where they are to bloom, and then
gently settled into the earth. I plant my seed
invariably in the fall, sometimes as early as the
first of September, though they appear to do as
well if planted the latter part of the month.
224

ANNUALS

Sow the seed generously, and if the plants crowd
each other the following spring, weed them out.
Never attempt to transplant. The Eschscholtzia
does well in the sun and ina rich soil. Its
bloom is at the best from June 20th to August
Ist, but it continues to flower sparingly till
frost.

Alyssum maritimum, the well-known Sweet
AtyssuM, grows about nine inches high, and is
covered from June 2oth until frost with a luxu-
riant mass of small white flowers. There are
some dwarf varieties, — 4. Benthami compactum, or
Tom TuHums; 4. compactum erectum, or LITTLE
Gem, growing about six inches high; and 4. com-
pactum procumbens, or CARPET OF SNow, which
scarcely exceeds three inches. Much praise is de-
voted to the Lirrie Gem variety by the seedsmen,
but with little justification, to my mind, the type
being far superior to any of the varieties. Simply
because a flower differs from the type is no rea-
son for preferring it, and I feel quite sure that if
the Lirrte Gem were the type and 4. maritimum
the variation, the growers would become most
enthusiastic over this wonderful improvement in
a common flower. The cultivation of Sweet
Alyssum is of the simplest. It should be sown

15 225

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

in the fall where it is to grow, and after that it
may be left practically alone and be permitted to
look after itself, as it will seed itself annually for
several years, and thrive, if the bed is kept free
from weeds and given a dressing of manure in
winter. Indeed, after it is once established in a
bed, it persists in remaining there, although you
may dig the soil up annually and plant other
species therein. It looks well amongst the
shrubbery, quickly covers bare spots on the
border, and is altogether a most desirable little
plant, being far superior to any of its perennial
brethren. A light sandy soil is best suited to it,
although it will grow well in almost any soil or
in any situation.

There are two species of annual CanpyTurT
commonly grown in gardens, Jderis umbellata and
I. amara var. coronaria. I. umbellata, the com-
mon CanpytTurt, bears its flowers in flat clusters.
It varies in height from eight inches to twelve,
producing flowers of several shades, including
white, rose, crimson, carmine, lilac, purple, and
rose-cardinal. J. amara var. coronaria, or ROCKET
Canpyturt, bears only white flowers in dense
spike-like racemes. The taller sorts grow to a
height of twelve or fifteen inches, and the seeds-

226

ANNUALS

men’s catalogues include such names as WHITE
Rocket, Grant WuiTE, Grant SNowFLakeE, EM-
PRESS, SNOw QuEEN, and HyaciNTH-FLOWERED,
all being probably only different names for what
is practically the same flower. Dwarf varieties
are Tom Tuumes and the Littie Prince, grow-
ing from four to six inches high. I do not care
for J. umbellata, and of the Rocker yarieties I
much prefer the large GiaNT-FLOWERED or Em-
PREss strain. It blooms from June 2oth to
frost, and its cultivation is the same as Sweet
Alyssum, though the results are not always as
satisfactory, the seed apparently not germinating
as freely nor as certainly.

Zinnia elegans, coming originally from Mexico,
is a striking flower when grown in masses on the
lawn. It comes double and single, but in
the anxiety to produce striking double forms,
the single blossoms have been almost lost sight
of by the seedsmen. This is a pity, as when in
a mixed lot of seed you sometimes get a large
single flower of yellow, orange, scarlet, or crim-
son, it is often more attractive than the double
forms, though few of the dealers offer the seeds
of single varieties. The colors of the double
forms embrace white, sulphur-yellow, canary-

227

AND THE. WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

yellow, orange, flesh, rose, carmine, scarlet, crim-
son, violet, lilac, and purple, and there is also a
striped form called ZeBra, a cone-shaped speci-
men known as the Pompon, and a CurRLED AND
CRESTED variety. In my experience but a small
percentage of the colors come true from seed,
and I find it quite as well to purchase the mixed
seeds instead of the separate colors. A large
flowering strain called Robusta plenissima, or GIANT
Mammoth, grows about three feet high, and 1s
said to bear flowers five or six inches in diameter.
It is an excellent variety, and I have grown it for
several years, but I never yet saw a flower that
approached the advertised size, although the soil
and location were the best possible for growing
Zinnias. There are some dwarf varieties also,
among them being Dovsre Lizipur, Farry
Gem, and Miniature. The latter grows but
four inches high, and is only a curiosity, the
flowers being small. There are some attractive
features about the other dwarf forms, as they are
hardly as rank in growth as the type, and the
flowers are fuller and richer. The Zinnia is a
tender annual, and the seeds cannot be sown in
the fall. It is the usual practice, I think, to sow
them in boxes in March or April, and not to set
228

ANNUALS

the plants out till June. Indeed, one authority
recommends that transplanting to the open beds
be delayed until the plants begin to bloom, when
you can select the finest colors. I would not
dream of following this advice, as I know of no
flowers that are not injured more or less by at-
tempting to transplant after the bloom has started.
I sow my seed in the open ground, in shallow
drills, the last week in May, and then weed out
the young plants until they stand twelve inches
or more apart. The bed should be rich, with
plenty of bottom dressing, the soil fine, and
situated in the brightest, sunniest corner of the
garden. The plants should be watered freely in
dry weather. The Zinnia blooms from July
18th to frost on the island.

There are several well-defined species of annual
SUNFLOWERS, but Helianthus annuus, and H. ar-
gophyllus are said to be the parents of most of our
garden varieties. The latter species comes from
Texas, and is distinguished by its hoary-white
foliage. H. debilis, uniformly called by the
seedsmen cucumerifolius, is a dwarf variety not
exceeding three feet in height, which bears nu-
merous yellow flowers with a black disk, three
inches in diameter. If given plenty of room,

229

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

the plant becomes much branched, and is quite
symmetrical. Sretia, a variety of the last, is
easily to be distinguished from it by the higher
price of the seeds. WH. variegatus grows about six
feet high, bears a single yellow flower, and has its
leaves striped and blotched with yellow. H. Cal-
fornicus grows six feet high, and is one of the best
of the double sunflowers, the petals being of a
rich orange shade. H. globosus fistulosus is also
six feet high, with double saffron flowers. 4H.
Peruvianus has double orange flowers, striped
black. H. nanus flor pleno, or GLoBe oF GOLp, Is
a dwarf plant four feet high, with very double
flowers of golden yellow. H. sulphurus, or
SuLtpHuR Gem, is a well-branched plant, bear-
ing single sulphur-yellow flowers with a black.
centre. It continues in bloom until frost and
is a desirable variety. H. multiflorus, or THov-
SAND-FLOWERED, is a tall variety which bears
numbers of golden-yellow flowers with small
black centres. H. macrophyllus giganteus is a
branching pyramidal-shaped plant, six feet high
with yellow flowers. The Grant, or MamMmotH
Russian, bears immense single heads of flowers,
and is said to be cultivated frequently for its
seeds, which are used as chicken feed, but my
230

ANNUALS

chickens never would have anything to do with
them. As an ornament on the lawn, and cer-
tainly for decorative purposes, I prefer the dwarf
H. cucumerifolius to any other variety. All va-
rieties do best in a rich soil, and require plenty
of moisture. The seeds are easy to gather and
may be planted in either fall or spring, the fall-
sown plants flowering about July 15th, while
those from spring planting do not bloom before
August ist on the island.

Layia elegans is a hardy annual from Cali-
fornia. It is a dwarf plant, scarcely exceeding
ten inches in height, and bears profusely, all
summer, very attractive single flowers, about an
inch and a half in diameter, the lower half being
a canary yellow, and the edges margined with
white. It is attractive from the prodigality of
its bloom, and is easily cultivated, as it grows
well in any ordinary garden soil. The seed may
be sown in the fall or spring, but I always sow in
September, thereby getting bloom from July 12th
to frost. There are probably a dozen species or
varieties of Layia, but e/egans is said to be the
best.

Nicotiana alata, or N. affinis, is a half-hardy
annual which grows to a height of three or four
231

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

feet, and bears from August Ist to frost a con-
stant succession of white flowers, nearly five
inches long, which appear at dusk, and are then
very fragrant. There is said to be a still taller
variety called Granr Rep, which grows to a
height of five feet and bears from July until
frost immense clusters of rich crimson flowers. I
am not yet able to confirm this statement, for
although I have bought the seeds annually for
several years, and planted them with the utmost
care, I have yet to see a single crimson flower.
N. alata does best in rich soil and in a somewhat
sheltered position. Some twenty-five feet west-
ward of the bed I use for them is a fringe of tall
trees which shelters them from the afternoon’s
sun, and induces the blossoms to expand earlier in
the day than common. They look well growing
with other plants, and I sometimes lay a carpet
of Sweet Alyssum at their feet which does not
appear to interfere with their growth or bloom-
ing. Some authorities recommend sowing the
seed as early as February in a warm house, and
transplanting to the open ground the last of
May. I have had very satisfactory results, how-
ever, by sowing my seed broadcast in September
where the plants are to grow, and have had stout
232

ANNUALS

hardy plants as a result, which bloomed earlier
than those from spring-planted seed. If the
plants are left alone they will seed themselves
almost as freely as SweeT ALyssuM.

The Crucirer#, or Mustarp Famity, which
includes ALyssuM, CaNnpyTuFrT, WaLLFLoweER,
and Rocket, has also given us the Stocks, Maz-
thiola. ‘There are two species, M. incana, the
common Stock, a perennial or biennial, which is
the source of the Brompton and Queen Stock,
and M. annua from which the Ten Weeks and
INTERMEDIATE Stocks have been derived. Some
authorities make a third species M. sinuata, and
refer to it the Intermediate section. Doubt-
less in a milder climate the Ten Weeks Stock
would be placed far higher on such a list as this,
but as I am making my record from personal
experience alone, and can report only a moderate
success with this flower, I could not give it a
higher place than I have. The Ten Weeks
Stock we are told has been vastly improved
from the old Gilliflower type, and is a_half-
hardy annual, bearing double or single fragrant
flowers. The varieties may be divided into tall,
dwarf, and pyramidal. The tall varieties grow
to a height of two and a half feet, while the

233

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

dwarfer, larger flowering plants are about one foot
high. The dwarfer varieties are the favorites
generally among growers, the range of color
being large, and embracing white, canary-yellow,
pink, rose, scarlet, crimson, blood-red, copper,
light blue, violet, lavender, and purple. There
are indeed few flowers in cultivation offering a
wider range of color. A still dwarfer strain is
the SNowFrLaKE, a double white flower, on which
the Dwarr Wuite Pyramip is said to be an
improvement. The miniature’ Pear is also
white and does not exceed six inches in height.
The Pyramidal form is probably the best of
them all, and is certainly so in my experience.
The plants are neat and compact in habit, while
the flowers are large, furnishing all the well-
known colors of the species. The seed is usually
planted indoors in April, and the plants set out
in the garden after danger from frost is past. I
have uniformly planted in the open ground in
May, and therefore do not get as early flowers as
I might by the former method. The Interme-
diate species are too late in their blooming
period to be grown successfully in northern
Maine, and the biennials are not hardy enough to
stand the cold of our winters.
234

ANNUALS

Still another member of the Mustard Family
claims our attention, Cheiranthus cheiri, or the
WaLLFLower. It is a perennial, and is not
hardy enough to stand our winters, but a variety
has been lately introduced which blooms the first
year from seed. It bears single, cinnamon-col-
ored flowers during August and September, from
spring-sown seed, and is a desirable acquisition.

I feel quite sure that Portulaca grandiflora, the
Rose Moss, ought to be much higher up the list
than this, and it would be if I consulted only my
personal preferences. To me this hardy, free-
blooming little plant is a delight. It is a native
of South America, and grows about six inches
high, densely covering a space of ground fully
eighteen inches in diameter. Its flowers are
either double or single, the former being possibly
the handsomer if you consider only the individ-
ual blossoms, but the single form makes up for
this by giving us two or three flowers for every
one of the double. Its range of color is large,
and we have, in both single and double forms, a
profusion of white, straw, sulphur-yellow, yellow-
striped crimson, orange, salmon, rose, rose with
carmine stripes, scarlet, and purple flowers. It
thrives in a rich, light, sandy soil, when it gets

235

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

plenty of sunshine, and a summer drought, how-
ever prolonged, never affects the brightness of its
foliage nor the brilliancy of its bloom. The seed
may be sown in either spring or fall, but I never
had Portulaca in perfection until I let it alone
and permitted it to seed itself. Since then I
have always planted the seed in the fall, with re-
sults uniformly satisfactory. It is easily trans-
planted, and may be reproduced from cuttings
which quickly take root. It seems to me that
Portulaca is not at its best when planted alone.
I had a bed of Sweet Alyssum and Portulaca
growing together that delighted me every time I
looked at it. At a distance one saw only the
massed white of the Alyssum, but closer by one
could peer into the bank of snow, and discern the
brilliant colors of the Portulaca beneath. This
makes a good combination, as both plants seed
themselves. I have it also growing on a sunny
bank amidst the Aquilegas. As the Columbines
begin to lose their bloom, the Portulaca blos-
soms out and keeps the bank brilliant for the
rest of the season. It is a great labor-saver, too,
for once Portulaca establishes itself on a spot,
few of our ordinary weeds have any chance in
competition with it for space. In buying the
236

ANNUALS

seeds you will have to pay eight or ten times as
much for seeds of double flowers as you will be
asked for single varieties. Only a portion of the
flowers, however, will be double, even if you do
buy the double seeds, while if you get single seeds,
you will have some double flowers, if you enrich the
soil aboutthe plants when they area couple of inches
high. If you wish to have a bed all single or all
double, you can gradually secure this by transplant-
ing and setting out cuttings in place of the plants
taken away. I never buy the seeds of separate
colors, for they are not only very expensive, but, to
my taste, useless, as the bed is much finer contain-
ing all the varieties, and in any event only a small
percentage of the seeds will ever come true to color.

Linum grandiflorum, L. coccineum, L. rubrum,
Rep or ScarteT F Lax, is a half-hardy perennial
from north Africa, which blooms the first year
from seed, and therefore may be treated as an
annual. It grows one foot high, and bears bright
crimson-red flowers, one inch in diameter. Its
foliage is fine, and the delicate stems bearing the
bright flowers make it an attractive object in the
bed. It likes plenty of sunshine, and blooms
from July 18th to frost, and earlier flowers may
be obtained by sowing the seed in the fall.

237

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Bracyhcome iberidifolia, or Swan River Datsy,
is a rather attractive half-hardy annual from Aus-
tralia, of easy cultivation. It grows eight or nine
inches high, bearing light blue flowers, with a
paler centre, about one inch across. In shape
the flower is not unlike the Cineraria, and in
cultivation produces other shades of blue as well
as a variety in pure white. I have always planted
the seeds in early spring, though I still hope to
get a strain that may be planted in the fall and
survive the winter.

I cannot understand the almost entire neglect
of Asperula orientalis, or A. azurea setosa, as it has
many points of excellence to commend it to the
flower lover; yet few seedsmen notice it at all,
and those who do dismiss it with a line. It
grows twelve or fifteen inches high, has long,
slender stems, surmounted with clusters of small
blue flowers, which are delicately scented. It is
perfectly hardy, and blooms all summer from
spring-sown seed. You can, however, get stur-
dier plants and earlier bloom, by sowing the
seed in the fall. The seeds are not troublesome
to gather, and if you do not disturb the plants
they will sow their own seeds.

Ipomea purpurea, Convolvulus majus, C. pur-

238

ANNUALS

pureus, or Pharbitis hispida, the common, well-
known Mornine Guiory, though a_half-hardy
annual from tropical America, will succeed in the
open ground in northern Maine, but it is not
apparently well suited to this region, as it never
grows there with the luxuriance commonly seen
in more southern localities. I have always
planted my seeds in the open ground in May,
and doubtless would succeed better if the plants
were started under cover a month or so earlier,
but I hardly care to doit. The seeds will ger-
minate earlier if soaked in warm water for a
couple of hours before planting. I have tried
persistently the widely advertised ImpERraL Jap-
aNESE Mornine GLiories, giving them the best
possible position and soil, and carefully tending
them. ‘The flowers were of charming colorings,
but I got no blossoms that would measure more
than two inches across, instead of the four or five
inches promised by the seedsmen. There is also
a dwarf form, not a climber at all, which I have
tried and care nothing for.

Chrysanthemum coronarium, or Anthemis corona-
ria, the SuMMER CHRYSANTHEMUM, or CROWN
Datsy, is a hardy annual growing a foot or more
high. It is a native of southern Europe and

239

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

northern Africa, and in its wild form it bears a
single pale yellow or buff flower. In cultivation
it also produces a white form. Its seeds should
be planted in the fall, or if left alone it will seed
itself.

C. carinatum, or TRicoLorR CHRYSANTHEMUM,
is a native of northern Africa, bearing double
white or yellow flowers. The variety Burridge-
anum has showy rose-colored flowers with white
edges. Another variety, Dunnetti, has double
flowers in white, orange, yellow, or purple. This
latter strain is quite attractive. C. carinatum
is a tender perennial, but may be treated as a
half-hardy annual, sowing the seed in the early
spring.

C. segetum, or Corn Marico_p, ts also a peren-
nial that may be treated as a half-hardy annual. It
bears a yellow flower, and the seeds may be sown
in the fall. All these three species of Chry-
santhemums thrive best in a rich soil and in a
sunny position.

Rudbeckia bicolor, the half-hardy annual Cone-
FLOWER, grows about two feet high, is branching
in its habit, and bears bright attractive flowers
on its long stems, the disc being blackish purple
and the rays bright yellow with a brownish spot

240

TVAAWIY Lsddoy dH],

ANNUALS

at the base. It grows freely in any soil, begin-
ning to bloom in July and continuing until cut
down by frost.

Gaillardia pulchella, or G. picta,isan annual from
the southwestern portion of the United States.
It is easy to grow from seed, but the flower so
closely resembles the perennial G. grandiflora, and
is so inferior, that, having the latter, it is hardly
worth while to spend time or attention on the
other. G. picta Lorenziana, on the other hand,
is a double-flowering variety quite different in
Its appearance, but I confess its attractions were
not sufficient to induce me to continue its
cultivation.

Scabiosa atropurpurea, or SWEET ScaBIous, is a
hardy annual which, when its flowers are dark
purple or crimson, is called Mourninc Bribe.
Its colors vary from white through rose, scarlet,
crimson, and lilac to a deep dark purple. It is
either tall, about two and a half feet high, or
dwarf, from one to one and a half feet, and the
flowers are either single or double. In the rage
for doubling, single forms of this flower like the
Zinnia have almost disappeared from the seeds-
man’s collection, though, to my taste, the single
flower is much more desirable than the stiff un-

16 241

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

gainly double ones. I have always planted my
seeds in the open ground in early spring with
good results, and have not yet succeeded in get-
ting the seeds to live over the winter from fall
planting.

Mirabilis Falapa, Four-o’ctock, or Marve.
oF Peru, is a perennial plant in a warm climate,
but in northern regions it is treated as a half-
hardy annual. It grows to a height of about
three feet, bearing red, rose, crimson, white, lilac,
purple, or variegated flowers, about one inch in
diameter. It does best in the warm sunshine,
and it can be propagated either by saving the
roots in sand over the winter or more easily from
seeds. The seeds are large, and can be gathered
just as they are ready to drop, or from the ground
beneath.

The genus Amaranthus gives us some plants
which are useful under certain circumstances. JZ.
Henderi is a foliage plant growing two feet high,
with drooping leaves of rosy carmine, orange,
buff, golden yellow, and olive green. If planted
in rich ground in bright sunshine and given
plenty of room, it has a striking effect. 4. tri-
color, or JosEPH’s Coat, is a similar plant three
feet high with leaves of red, yellow, and green.

242

ANNUALS

A. caudatus, or Love-Lis-Bieepine, has long,
dark red, drooping flower spikes, and is not an
attractive plant to me. The best of the family
are coarse undesirable plants, except in certain
situations. All are easily raised from seeds sown
either in spring or fall.

Gypsophilla elegans, a variety of which is called
Covent GarDEN, is an annual having some of
the virtues of its perennial relative, G. paniculata.
If you have the latter well established, it is not
worth while to plant the annual species, which,
however, is easily grown from seed, and prefers a
dry, sunny situation.

Abronia umbellata is a tender trailing perennial
from California, with rosy purple, fragrant flowers
in clusters. It is rather attractive, easy to grow,
and thrives in a dry soil, or in the crevices of the
rocks in a sunny situation. It may be treated as
a hardy annual, and will seed itself, or the seeds
may be sown in the fall.

Godetia grandiflora, or G. Whitneyi, is a western
American flower of some interest. It grows from
one to two feet high, bearing numerous. flowers,
two inches or more in diameter, in shades of
pink, rose, blood red, or white mottled and
striped with red. The double-flowered rose

243

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

variety is attractive. It is easily raised from
spring-sown seed.

Rhodanthe maculata, or EVERLASTING, is a half-
hardy annual from Australia, about one foot high,
bearing white, pink, or crimson flowers, which are
especially remarkable for the length of time the
bloom lasts after being cut. They retain their
color and shape if dried and hence are ranged
with the Everlastings. They are easily raised
from seed sown in the spring, and bloom early
and continuously until frost.

Schizanthus pinnatus is nearly related to Sa/pi-
glossis, and is an attractive flower, being like its
relative also from Chili. It grows about one and
a half feet high, bearing rosy purple or yellow
blossoms, freely mottled, and about one inch in
diameter. The seeds may be sown in either
spring or fall, but the latter time is much the best.
It thrives in a rich, light, sandy soil.

Clarkia elegans is a hardy annual from Califor-
nia, of which I know only enough to say that it
is attractive, and suited to our climate. It does
well in the sun and also in partial shade. The
plant is two feet high, well branched, with long
racemes of double purple, rose, or salmon flowers.
The seeds should be sown in the fall where the

244,

ANNUALS

plants are to bloom, and in rather moist soil, not
too rich or fine.

I have raised Cleome grandis, Hibiscus Africanus,
and Specularia Speculum, or VeENus’ Lookinc-
GLASS, and having done so once am not tempted
to do so again.

245

CHAPTER Vill

SEEDS

<« Here’s a state of things! Here’s a pretty state of things!’

NDER each species of flowers described,

I have said something about the plant-

ing and gathering of the seeds, but I

wish to say here some further words upon the
general subject.

In nature a flower when its seeds are ripened
drops them upon the soil, where they germinate
at the opening of another season, and from them
plants spring up which in turn bloom and again
produce seed. Under ordinary circumstances,
then, the proper time to plant all seed would be
in the fall, as nature plants them; and this rule
would be invariable if all the flowers we attempted
to grow were natives of the same sort of climate
that we have in our own gardens. But the bota-
nist has brought flowers to us from all over the
world, and we are attempting to grow plants

246

SEEDS

which are natives of Iceland or Africa, Siberia or
Australia, Alaska or Mexico, introducing many
species to a climate quite different from their
original environment. As a consequence we are
compelled to treat varied species in a different
manner, so as to induce them to live and thrive
under new and strange conditions. We find by
experience that the seeds of some plants, coming
from tropical regions, are too tender to stand the
cold of our winters, and if subjected to it they
perish, losing all power of germination.

It will, therefore, I think be a convenience to
the growers of flowers if I give here these three
lists: 1. Annuals that should be planted in the
fall; 2. Annuals which may possibly be planted
in the fall; and, 3. Annuals which should be
planted only in the spring. As I have said
elsewhere, this information applies to a very cold
northern climate, and the farther south we go
the more species will we be able to take from the
second and third of these lists to add to the first.

1. ANNUALS THAT SHOULD BE PLANTED IN THE
FALL.

Abronia umbellata.
Alyssum maritimum, SWEET ALYSSUM.

247

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Amaranthus Henderi.

“ tricolor, JOSEPH’s Coat.

xc caudatus, LovE-LiEs-BLEEDING.
Asperula orientalis.

Calendula officinalis, Por Marico.p.
Centaurea cyanus, CORNFLOWER.
Chrysanthemum coronarium, SUMMER CHRYSANTHEMUM,
or Crown Darsy.
Chrysanthemum segetum, CORN MARIGOLD.
Clarkia elegans.
Coreopsis tinctoria.
¢¢ Drummond.
<¢ coronata.
Delphinium Ajacis, RocKET LarksPur.

Ke consolida, BRANCHED LARKSPUR.
Eschscholtzia Californica, CALIFORNIA Poppy.
Helianthus annuus, SUNFLOWER.

i argophyllus, SILVER-LEAVED SUNFLOWER.
Iberis umbellata, CANDYTUFT.

“© amara, RocKET CANDYTUFT.

Lathyrus odoratus, SWEET PEa.
Layia elegans.
Linum grandiflorum, RED or SCARLET FLax.
Matricaria inodora plenissima (Chrysanthemum inodorum).
Nicotiana alata.
Papaver Rheas, Corn Poppy of Europe.

<< somniferum, Or1uM Poppy.

“ pavonium, Peacock Poppy.

« — glaucum, Tutp Poppy.
Portulaca grandiflora, Rost Moss.
Salpiglossis sinuata.

248

SEEDS

2. ANNUALS WHICH MAY POSSIBLY BE PLANTED
IN THE FAL.

Brachycome iberidifolia, SwAN River Datsy.
Centaurea moschata, SWEET SULTAN.
Dianthus Chinensis, CHtNA PINKs,

Godetia grandiflora.

Schizanthus pinnatus.

3. ANNUALS WHICH SHOULD BE PLANTED ONLY
IN THE SPRING.

Callistephus hortensis, CHINA ASTER.
Cheiranthus Cheirt, W ALLFLOWER.
Chrysanthemum carinatum, TRICOLOR CRYSANTHEMUM.
Cosmos bipinnatus.
Gaillardia pulchella.
Gypsophilla elegans.
Ipomeea purpurea, Morninc Guory.
Matthiola annua, TEN-WEEKS STOCK.
“ — sinuata, INTERMEDIATE STOCK.
Mirabilis Falapa, Four o’ciock, or MarRVEL oF PERU.
Phlox Drummondi.
Reseda odorata, MIGNONETTE.
Rhodanthe maculata, EVERLASTING.
Rudbeckia bicolor, ANNUAL CONE-FLOWER.
Tagetes erecta, AFRICAN MarIGOLp.
“© patula, FRENCH MaricoLp.
“ signata, DwarF MaricoLp.
Tropaclum majus, CLIMBING, or Tom THums Nastur-
TIUM.

249

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Tropazolum minus, SMALLER, or Tom Pouce Nastur-
TIUM.
Tropaolum Lobbianum, Loss’s NASTURTIUM.

In planting flower seeds the first thing that has
to be decided, of course, is the location of the bed.
A flower that requires the bright sun will fail
utterly if planted in the shade. A preacher once
was telling his hearers that all men have special
capacities, and therefore special duties, and that
they never could develop properly if they refused
to do that for which they were best fitted, and
illustrated the idea by saying that that beautiful
flower, the fuchsia, required a shady spot and
would not thrive in the bright sunshine. While
greeting the members of his congregation after
service, one good woman warmed his heart by
taking his hand in hers and saying with moistened
eyes, “ Oh, Doctor, you do not know how I en-
joyed your sermon! I never knew before what
was the matter with my fuchsias.”

Having selected the spot, the soil is the next
consideration, and it must be adapted to the par-
ticular flower you wish to grow. I have attempted
to give some instructions on this point when con-
sidering the different species. When none are
given, it may be understood that the plants do

250

SEEDS

well in full sunlight or partial shade, and that the
best soil for them is a moderately rich loam.

I prefer to plant the seeds of all annuals where
the flowers are to bloom. Some species cannot
be transplanted at all, and it is injurious to all of
them, as it takes most plants some days or even
a couple of weeks to recover and get well rooted
once more. Having prepared the bed, I sow
very small seed, such as the Poppy, broad-cast,
and then press the earth down with a board or
the hand. A convenient board can be made
for this work very easily by any one moderately
skilled in carpentry. Take a_ half-inch pine
board, about eighteen inches long by nine wide,
and cut the corners off smoothly, so that it takes
the form of an ellipse. On the centre of one side
screw a wooden handle, and your “firmer’’ is
ready. With seeds a little larger than the
poppy, such as annual Larkspur or Eschscholtzia,
after casting them evenly upon the bed, I go
over the whole with the back of the rake, gently
pulling a little earth over the seeds, and then
pressing the whole down. Larger seeds still
must be planted in drills, but caution must be
exercised so as not to plant too deeply. More
good seeds fail to germinate from this cause,

251

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

probably, than from any other. A good gen-
eral rule is to plant a seed no deeper than
three times its diameter, and in following this
rule, you will find that the lightest touch of
the finger upon the soil in making the drill is
sufficient for all but the largest seeds. Of
course there are exceptions to this rule, and
these I have pointed out under the different
species. Thus the Nasturtium should be in the
ground an inch, and the Sweet Pea fully five or
six inches.

Every lover of flowers should gather the seeds
from his own plants, whenever possible. Only
by so doing can he learn the life history of
his plants, and only thus can he get the best
seeds. The best seeds are those from the
choicest flowers on the sturdiest plants, and
such should be marked when in bloom. Suit-
able tags are easily made, or they can be bought
ready wired at the seedstores, for about $1.50
a thousand. I do not use an indelible pencil
for this work, but simply ordinary lead, which
will be decipherable for the brief time it is ex-
posed to the weather, and later the marks can
easily be removed with a simple piece of rub-
ber, and thus the tag can be used again and

202

SEEDS

again. If the plants in a bed are all of the same
variety and color, and you wish only to mark
choice blossoms, a bit of colored worsted tied about
the stem will serve all the purposes of a tag.

When you come to gather your seeds, you will
need a quantity of paper bags of at least three
sizes, small, medium, and large. Bags are made
for this particular purpose without any gum
on the flap. Do not buy the envelopes made
for holding coins, for they are sometimes not
thoroughly tight, and are apt to come apart if
the seeds are slightly damp.

When you have a number of varieties of seeds
to collect which you wish to keep separate, and
can expect to get but a small quantity of each,
you will find it convenient to use these envelopes
for the seed-pods. Always mark the name on
the envelope Zefore you drop in the first pod,
and then you will not be trying to remember
what particular plant it came from. Where you
have larger quantities to collect of a particular
flower, small tin boxes about five inches long,
three broad, and two deep, will be found useful.
Such boxes — which should have hinged lids, by
the way —can be bought for a trifle, or you can
use the tin boxes which once contained tobacco

253

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

or cigarettes. A collection of the ordinary tin
cracker-boxes, in different sizes, you will often
find useful. Here, too, remember to mark your
seeds promptly. Write the name on a slip of
paper, and always drop it into the box before
you put a pod therein.

The best seeds of course are also those which
are fully ripe. You will notice when the capsule
has turned brown, and is just beginning to crack
open, and this is the proper time to secure
your seed. Taken earlier the seeds are not yet
thoroughly dry, or even not quite ripe, and un-
less given sunshine and fresh air are apt to
mould and prove worthless. If you delay too
long, you will find in many cases that the seeds
are nearly or quite gone, and that you are gather-
ing only empty pods. The best time to gather
seeds is probably soon after a period of cloudy
weather, when the sun has but just dried the
pods off sufficiently, for then you will find
many pods full of seed. You cannot easily
dislodge small seeds from a damp pod, but
when the pods are thoroughly dry you can
shake them out with little trouble, and with-
out the labor of dividing or crushing each in-
dividual pod.

254

SEEDS

To separate the seeds from the hulls and chaff,
you will need sieves of various sizes. I bought,
for a trifle, small pieces of woven wire cloth of
ten different sizes, from one eighth of an inch mesh
to the finest, and had a tinsmith remove the
bottoms from as many old tin tobacco-boxes
and substitute therefor the wire cloth. The
hinged lids should be allowed to remain upon
these boxes, as you will then be able to give
the pods a good shaking to dislodge the seed.
I numbered each box in rotation from the finest
mesh to the coarsest. It may be necessary to
pass the seeds through several sieves to clean
them satisfactorily. First use one so large that
all the seeds will pass through it, and thus get
rid of the hulls and larger particles of chaff, and
then use one so small that none of the seeds will
go through, and the smaller waste will dis-
appear. You should have at hand a good mag-
nifying glass, that you may examine your seeds
from time to time and become familiar with
their appearance. By its use you will quickly
learn to identify the perfect seed from the im-
perfect, or from the. powdered bits of the hull.
Choice seeds I put through the sieves again and
again, getting thereby possibly three grades of

255

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

large, medium, and small seeds, all clean and
all capable of germinating, but the larger giving
promise of the better flowers, and these latter
only do I use on my beds. With some seeds
sieving alone will not serve to separate them from
the chaff. This is the case with annual Coreop-
sis amongst others, and here, having cleaned the
seed as far as possible with the sieves, I place
them in a shallow tin box and, blowing gently
on the mass, easily dislodge the lighter chaff.
This chaff, of course, does no real harm to
the seeds, except that if kept for a time the
chaff is more apt to gather moisture, sponge-
like, and thus prove injurious, and also if you
allow the chaff to remain it is quite possible
that one portion of your bed may be sown
with chaff alone.

You will need a small brush to clean out your
boxes and sieves; an ordinary flat paint brush,
about three-fourths of an inch broad, will serve
the purpose. Use it freely and carefully to pre-
vent your seed getting mixed.

When your seeds are cleaned, put them in the
envelopes provided, marking them distinctly
with the name of the species, and its shape and
color, if in any way peculiar, together with the

256

SEEDS

date of gathering. Seeds kept over winter should
be placed in their envelopes in small wooden
cases rather than in metal boxes. They must be
kept perfectly dry, and moisture is apt to congeal
at times on tin boxes, and thus possibly injure
the seeds. The box should have several wrap-
pings of paper about it, to protect the seeds from
extreme heat or cold, and the whole should then
be stored away for the winter in a dry, cool place.
Much heat will dry out the seeds with compara-
tive rapidity and lessen materially the period
during which they will retain the power of ger-
minating. On the other hand intense cold will
freeze the life out of the seeds of tender annuals,
and many varieties, subjected to a temperature
of zero, are thereby rendered absolutely worth-
less.

I have thus urged you to gather your own
seeds, not because seeds cannot be bought, but
because the seeds you gather and care for are far
better than any you can buy. It 1s reasonable to
presume, and my personal experience confirms it,
that seeds raised in a particular region naturally
do better there than those coming from a distance.
Thus I found that poppy seeds which were ap-
parently perfectly good if sown in the spring,

17 257

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

would fail to survive the winter if planted in the
fall. It took me, for instance, several years to
get a race of Tulip Poppies that would bloom
satisfactorily from seed planted in the fall. I
have planted in the fall a thousand poppy seeds
which came from a distance, and had but a beg-
garly dozen of plants the next season, yet appar-
ently all of the seeds I afterwards gathered from
these plants survived the following winter and
germinated in the spring. This is not an excep-
tional instance, but has happened over and over
again in my experience, and with almost every
species of hardy annual I have raised.

There is, however, another reason why your
own seeds will be the better. They are fresh!
Some seeds, of course, retain their power of ger-
mination for a long time, but all seeds deteriorate
to a greater or less degree for every day they are
kept. I told you above, that you should mark
on your packages of seeds the year in which they
were gathered. Even when I wrote that line I
deemed it an unnecessary detail, for I believed
every amateur seed-grower would do this instinc-
tively, as in his eyes the date would be almost as
important as the name. Yet I know of but one
seedsman in this country who makes even a pre-

7 red

SEEDS

tence of giving a date for his seed, and he simply
says, ‘All the seeds I offer are of the growth
of 1899.” There may be others who make such
a declaration, but if so I have no knowledge
of them. That old seeds are sold, and that
they are often entirely worthless, there is no
reason whatever to doubt. As I said before, thé
period that it takes to render a seed worthless
varies materially. One variety of seed may re-
main comparatively good for years, while another
is useless in a few weeks. Take the perennial
Phlox paniculata, or decussata, for instance. I
bought the seeds of this plant year after year,
first by the package and then by the ounce, and
planted them carefully, and yet not one seed
ever germinated. Why I failed I found out
later, when I learned that one cannot expect
these seeds to germinate at all, unless planted
almost immediately after becoming ripe, that is,
during the fall they were produced. Do the
seedsmen tell you this? By no means, and yet
they sel] you the seeds knowing them to be
months, or possibly even years old, and presum-
ably knowing, also, that they are worthless. Is
this a harsh statement? It may be so, but it is
not more so than that which the members of the
259

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

trade say of themselves, or rather of each other.
One of the largest growers in the country has for
his motto the astounding words, “ Blank’s Seeds
Grow!” It is on every one of his catalogues,
on all public advertisements, on circulars, on his
letter-headings, and in great letters it is painted
on the walls of his warehouse. Think of what
this implies! It can mean nothing at all unless
it be true that the seeds usually sold, or at least
Frequently sold, by the trade are known to be in-
capable of germinating. What would be thought
of a man who advertised “ Blank’s Lamps can be
Lit;” or what would be said of Brown if he were
to advertise that his “‘ Shoes can be worn,” or of
the furniture man who should announce that his
“Beds can be Slept in,” or of another who
should declare that “‘ Uwanta Biscuits can be
eaten”? Would not such advertising be deemed
absurd, simply because it is generally recognized
that a// lamps can be lit, shoes worn, beds slept
in, and biscuits eaten? But in the seed business
the converse must be the case if such words prove
to be good advertising ; yet why do you buy seeds
if not with the expectation and belief that they
will grow into plants and produce flowers, vege-
tables, or fruit?
260

SEEDS

Now seedsmen are by no means modest in ex-
tolling the excellence of their wares, but use an
extravagance of phrase in commending their
goods, such as is only indulged in by the adver-
tiser of a circus. They omit one essential thing,
however, the absence of which makes all other
claims worthless, for they give you no assurance
that the seeds they sell will reproduce their kind.
Here is what one of the largest dealers in Amer-
ica has to say on this point:

“While we exercise the greatest care to have all
Seeds, Plants, and Bulbs pure and reliable, we do not
give any warranty, express or implied. If the pur-
chaser does not accept the goods on these conditions,
they must be returned at once, and the money that has
been paid for same will be refunded.”

Here is what another leading firm has to
say :

“We wish it to be distinctly understood that although
we continue to take all possible pains to supply only
New, Genuine, and Unadulterated Seeds, we still give
no warranty, express or implied, as to description, quality,
productiveness, or any other matter of any of the Seeds,
Plants, or Bulbs we send out, and will not be in any
way responsible for the crop. Every order received for
articles named in this Catalogue will be’ executed on

these conditions only.”
261

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

Of course it would be difficult to make lan-
guage stronger than this, and what does it mean?
It means that if I send these gentlemen $2.50 for
a dozen choice Gladiolus bulbs, and they think
best to send me common bulbs or even plain
ordinary onions in their place, under the terms
of the sale I can have no redress whatever.

These seedsmen may, and do, make the most
extravagant claims for their goods, yet they tell
you at the same time that they will not and do
not warrant one single word of it to be true.
You are to understand, also, that these terms are
not mere matters of form. I ordered from a repu-
table house an ounce of the seed of the early sum-
mer-blooming Cosmos, and the package which they
forwarded to me, to the best of my knowledge,
did not contain a single seed of the variety I had
paid for. All were of the common, cheaper, late-
blooming variety, absolutely worthless to me. I
reported the matter to the dealers, but they have
never offered to return the money I had paid
to them. |

It is only fair to say that all seedsmen do not
attempt to run their business on such extraordi-
nary terms. Here is what one grower says: “ We
guarantee that all seeds are First-Class, True, and

262

SEEDS

Pure, and of strong germinating power in so far
that should any prove otherwise, we will re-fill
the order free, or refund the price paid.” This
is not an unfair offer. Another says nothing at
all about a warranty, but declares that his seeds
are fresh, of the finest strain, the best quality, and
can be depended upon to grow and to produce
the finest flowers, and he promises that “if mis-
takes occur they will be cheerfully corrected.”
There may be others offering terms as just as
these to their customers, but, unfortunately, I
know of but few.

When a .seedsman acknowledges no responsi-
bility whatever for his statements, it makes very
little difference what he says or leaves unsaid, for
by his own declarations his assertions are unworthy
of consideration. From those, however, who are
willing to be bound in some degree at least by
their public statements, seed-buyers have, I
think, a right to ask of them further information
upon certain other points. Ifa dealer states that
all of his seeds are the growth of a particular
year, that covers the point of freshness fully, but
in many cases this is not possible, nor indeed is
it necessary, as many seeds several years old may
still be considered fresh and good. It would be

263

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

only just, however, for the dealer to do for his
customers what he doubtless does for himself,
that is, mark the date of growth upon the pack-
age. This is easily done, and the buyer would
then know just what he was getting as far as
freshness was concerned. Another serious diff-
culty in the matter of seeds refers to the question
of quantity. When one buys seeds by weight,
he knows how much he will get for the price
asked, but when he buys a “ package” the
amount he will get is entirely unknown. I once
paid fifty cents for a package of carnation seeds,
and found upon opening it that I had received
just exactly six seeds. On remonstrating with
the dealer I was told that I had received one seed
more than I was entitled to, five being the limit
for that special variety. Perhaps it was just as
well that I didn’t get any more of these seeds,
for none of the six germinated; but why did not
the dealer tell his customers that there were but
five seeds in such a package? Was it because he
believed that if he did so people would not buy
these packages? I can conceive of no other
reason for the concealment. Some dealers do
state the number of seeds in a package when the
seeds are large, and others, besides offering seeds by
264

SEEDS

the ounce, also put up packages containing 1000
seeds ; and if this is possible why is it not equally
possible to sell still smaller definite quantities, or
why should not each package contain 100 or 50
seeds, or any number, so that a “ package” might
become a definite or known quantity? In case
of inexpensive seeds, a package might contain a
double measure, and more costly varieties could
be put up in half measures, or any fraction you
choose, stating the fact plainly in the catalogue
and upon the package. It makes but little differ-
ence what the standard may be, but it is of the
first importance that there should be some stan-
dard. Another important point which should
also be stated, is the place from whence the seeds
come. Now, when one buys seed he has no
means of knowing whether it was grown in
Europe or America, in Florida or in Maine, in
1900 or before the war.

There is much room for improvement in the
ordinary seedsman’s catalogue. There is some
attempt at classification, to be sure, but almost
invariably annuals, biennials, perennials, and
vines are still jumbled together in a single section,
and the compiler moreover often omits to note
whether a plant zs annual, biennial, or perennial,
265

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

and whether hardy, half hardy, or tender. Every
plant should be entered under its proper botan-
ical name, with cross references from the common
name. I know of but two seedsmen who in-
variably do this. One enters a flower always as
CanpyturT, while in another's catalogue you
must look for it under the head of Jderis, and it
is common also to see the perennial varieties of
some species entered under the botanical name,
while the annuals are found under the common
title in the same catalogue. I have three cat-
alogues before me now in which one flower is
entered as Mirabilis, another has it headed Four-
o’cLock, while in the third you will find it under
the head of Marver or PERu.

The description should be written in plain
English, and not always in the superlative
degree. The compiler having exhausted all his
adjectives of praise on the ordinary or even
inferior flowers has nothing left with which to
describe plants of real merit. There is entirely
too much indiscriminate praise given to all sorts
of inferior plants, and when a flower is too in-
significant to excite the enthusiasm of the cat-
aloguer he generally says “it is stately,” if
tall, or if dwarf, he falls back on the assertion

266

SEEDS

that “it has a neat habit of growth.” In this
they remind me of the Professor who when
shown by a proud mother a baby far from beau-
tiful, exclaimed with apparent ee “What
an alert face!”

In most of the seed Uerauies there is a
section devoted to novelties, generally printed
upon a vivid-colored paper, probably to keep
pace with the flaming descriptions. In my ex-
perience, not one in ten of these so-called novel-
ties is worth planting at all, and not one in ‘ten
of these ten ever produces a flower that bears a
near resemblance to the description. Of course,
now and then, a new variety of real merit is
introduced, and naturally it first appears on these
pages, but the prizes are so few and the blanks
so many that it is not worth while to risk money
on this sort of gambling. The seedsmen are
straining every nerve to produce something new
and good in flowers or vegetables, for in the
event of success the profits are large, and the
effort is in every way commendable, but, failing
to obtain a plant of real merit, the temptation to
invent one is strong. Every one knows that in
certain localities and under exceptionable con-
ditions old and well-known flowers have been

267

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

known to reach marvellous proportions in the
size of both plants and flowers, and in the pro-
fusion of the bloom. The heliotrope, with its
dwarf plants and small blossoms, has been car-
ried to California, where it grows so large as to
be almost a tree; but would it be fair to sell us
the seeds on a description based upon its appear-
ance there, accompanied by a photograph show-
ing its colossal size and profusion of bloom?
Yet, if it were a comparatively new or unknown
plant, this is exactly what one might expect to
see done. In referring to this matter one of the
oldest seed houses in America, says:

“Tt really seems as if the creature, man, was as
anxious to be deceived in seeds as in quack medicines,
for we do not hesitate to declare, upon our reputation as
seedsmen of repute, that nine-tenths of the so-called
new sorts advertised at high prices are, so far as merit
goes, rank humbugs, and it is time the public were told
so. One tires of reading the adjectives of superlative
degree used in describing them; and one becomes still
more worn to find, after months of watching and
waiting, that the highly extolled are no better than old
familiar sorts.”

Had I the inclination I could not write any-
thing harsher than this. All readers of seed
catalogues have been impressed by the “ adjec-

268

SEEDS

tives of superlative degree” to which this writer
refers in the annually recurring lists of novelties ;
and to give an example of it, let us suppose that
some genius of a grower, failing to produce his
longed-for novelty, and finding his beds burdened
with an overstock of sofrel, should in a moment
of inspiration conceive of the idea of disposing
of his surplus weeds to the always gullible buyers
of seeds and plants. In attempting to ascertain
how an artist in this class of advertising would
be likely to describe such a novelty, we need not
call upon the imagination at all, for the seedsmen
have done the work for us, and every sentence
and phrase in the following description is taken
from the catalogues of certain well-known dealers
who are most careful to declare that they give
no warranty, express or implied, as to their own
descriptions. Let me note, in explanation, that
the proper botanical name for sorrel is Rumex
acetosella, so that there is actually no deception.

A Granp New Rumex.
Frau Corie MaRELLI.
(Rumex acetosella, var. Boddlepopsteri.)

Without doubt the most sensational new
plant introduced for many years, and entirely
269

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

distinct from anything heretofore offered. It
has been produced by Pan Boddlepopsteritch,
the famous Polish Rumexist, who for this striking
novelty was awarded a first-class certificate by
the floral committee of the Royal Perfidical
Society at Oohiskeywitch. This is undoubtedly
the greatest gain in hardy perennials yet in-
troduced. It is a strong robust grower, the
lance-oblong or halbert shaped leaves forming
bold clumps of the most brilliant green, making
the plant a most striking object in any well-kept
lawn. The remarkable floriferousness and the
great size of the spikes of flowers compared to
the delicacy of the stem gives the whole plant
a lightness, grace, and elegance difficult to describe,
and makes it certain that it is destined sooner or
later to find its way into every garden. Begin-
ning to bear its graceful and airy heads of flowers
early in June,.the stems are still completely
smothered with soft rosy pink blossoms when
the frosts of the coming winter have laid prostrate
all less hardy plants. A bed containing about
5000 plants of this variety eclipsed anything we
ever saw. We can convey but a faint idea of the
beauty and distinct warm coloring of this splendid
270

SEEDS

acquisition. We have succeeded in working up
a large stock which enables us to offer it at a
popular price.

Good young plants, 50 cents each, $5.00 per
dozen.

271

POSTSCRIPT

“¢ Deliver all with charity.””

myself a little unpleasant about our flowers
and their seeds. Possibly I have been
thinking only of the woman who has saved a

I WONDER whether I have not been making

trifle out of the market-money to buy her few
seeds, and for her self-denial has received little or
maybe nothing.

The story is told of an American Bishop who
had been staying at an English country house,
and left one morning in company with a young
gentleman who had also been a visitor at the
same place. When they alighted at the station,
the Bishop hurried to the train, while his com-
panion searched in vain for his gun, which it
appeared had been left behind. He abused the
servant roundly, using language fitted only for
the ceremony of excommunication, and at the
last moment leaped on board the train to find
himself face to face with the Bishop. He colored

272

POSTSCRIPT

slightly as he said, “I beg your pardon, my
lord” (even Yankee bishops are lords in Eng-
land), “ for my language, but I am a plain-spoken
man and always call a spade a spade.”

“Indeed,” said the Bishop, “I’m surprised at
that. From your conversation just now, I might
have supposed that you would call it a d——d
old shovel.”

Have I been calling honest spades excommu-
nicated old shovels? If I have, then let me beg
pardon of the spades. Flowers are too beautiful
to quarrel over, but let us instead all cordially
join hands, and try to make them bloom ever
more beautifully, more bountifully, and where
they never bloomed before.

When I first came to Insley very few flowers
were to be seen thereabouts. Only a geranium
or two in a window testified to the love of
flowers by the inmates; but as the years have
passed the flowers have increased, and now dot
most of the lawns about the dwellings in the
village, and near the farmhouses by the lake. In
this I have helped where and when I could, and
little packages of seeds found their way to those
who longed for them. Do not let this be deemed
a hint to others to turn to the island for seeds,

” 273

AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED

for I have no wish to injure the business of the
seedsmen, but only to make it better for the
flower-lovers, and, in the end, ever so much
better for the seedsmen themselves.

Every year very many people who are
strangers to me land upon the island, and wander
about its shady walks or down upon the terraces.
Very many others who might have done so have
for some reason refrained. Those who came
gave me pleasure, because they found pleasure in
coming; while those who stayed away disappointed
me, for I could not but think that either they
did not love flowers, or else believed that I would
not willingly have them look upon the flowers
that we both loved.

From early spring till late fall I am very busy,
planting, transplanting, weeding, or gathering
seed, so that it is not always or often easy for me
to stop and try to entertain chance visitors, but
let it be understood that zo one is ever entertained
on the island, though all are welcome to come,
and see, and walk, and enjoy, aye! and to pluck
the blossoms also, if they will but be kind and
tender to the plants.

274

INDEX?

Abronia umbellata, 243, 247-

Achillea ptarmica, 176.

Agrostemma coronaria, 164.

ALKANET, 178.

ALLEGHENY HOLLYHOCK, 143.

Alsike Clover, 27.

Althea rosea, 142-145.

Alyssum, 179, 225, 226, 232, 233,
236.

Benthami compactum, 225.
compactum erectum, 225.
procumbens, 225.
maritimum, 225, 226, 247.

perennial, 179.
Amaranthus caudatus, 243, 248.
Henderi, 242, 248.
tricolor, 242, 248.
Amberboa moschata, 209, 210.
odorata, 209, 210.
AMERICAN IRIS, 165, 166.
Ampelopsis quinquefolia, 159, 105.
Anchusa Stalica, 178.
ANNUALS, 189-245.
Annuals, only in the Spring, 249,
250.
planted in the Fall, 247, 248.
Anthemis chamomilla flor plena,
212.
coronaria, 239.
tinctoria, 180.
Anthericum liliastrum, 176.
A quilegia, 134, 135, 236.
Arabis albida, 176.

Arbor Vitz, 29.

Ash, Mountain, 28.
Asperula azurea setosa, 238.
odorata, 186, 187.
orientalis, 238, 248.

ASTER, CHINA, 208, 209.

BABY’sS BREATH, 166, 167.
BACHELOR’S BUTTON, 217-220.
Balsam Fir, 29.
Baptista australis, 178.
Beds for flowers, 250, 251.
BEE BALM, 152.
LARKSPUR, I4I.
Bellis perennis, 169, 170.
Best seeds, 252, 254, 257, 258.
BIENNIALS, PERENNIALS
AND, 131-188.
Birch trees, 24, 25, 27, 28.
Birds, 89-119.
Books on, 70.
BIRTHROOT, 184, 185.
Black Duck, ror. ~
BLANKET FLOWER, 132, 133.
BLEEDING HEART, 160, 161.
BLUEBOTTLE, 217.
BLUET, 217.
Bob White, 112, 113.
Bocconia cordata, 174.
Japonica, 174.
Books, Children’s, 71, 72.
criticisms on, 78-88.

1 Chapter headings are printed in CAPITALS, the common names of flowers in
SMALL CAPITALS, the botanical names in 7fadics, and all other references in

275

ordinary type.

INDEX

Books for a Summer Library, 61-| Centaurea moschata, 209, 210, 249.

88.
First Choice, 63-68.
Second Choice, 75-77.
of Reference, 72, 73.
Out-of-Door, 69, 70.
Boxes for seeds, 255, 256.
Brachycome iberidifolia, 238, 249.
BROMPTON STOCK, 233-
Brush for seeds, 256.
BUNCHBERRY, I85.
Bush ESCHSCHOLTZIA, 224.
BUTTERFLY PEA, 181, 182.

Calendula officinalis, 220, 221, 248,
CALIFORNIA Poppy, 223-225, 248.
Calliopsis, 211.
Callirhoe involucrata, 175, 177.
Callistephus Chinensis, 208, 209.
hortensis, 208, 209, 249.
Campanula calycanthema, 140.
carpatica, 153, 154.
glomerata, 154.
grandifiorum, 173.
latifolia, 154, 155.
Medium, 40.
pyramidalis, 154.
Campauulas treated as biennials,
154.
CANDYTUFT, 226, 227, 233, 248.
perennial, 179.
CANTERBURY BELL, 140.
CARNATION, 182, 183.
CARNATION-FLOWERED POPPY,
190, 195.
CARPATHIAN
154-
Cedar trees, 29.
Ceilings, 7, 8.
Centaurea chameleon, 209.
cyanus, 217-220, 248.
imperialis, 209.
Margarita, 209.
montana, 178, 179.

HAREBELL,

153, }

suaveolens, 209.
Centrosema grandifiora, 181, 182.
Chaff in seeds, 255, 256.
CHAMOMILE, 180.
Cheiranthus cheiri, 235, 249.
Chickadee, 98.
Chickens, 114-116.
Children’s Library, 71.
CHIMNEY CAMPANULA, 154.
Chimney-Swift, 96, 97.
CHINA ASTER, 208, 209, 249.
PINK, 207, 208, 249.
CHINESE PONY, 172.
Chipping Sparrow, 100.
Chrysanthemum Burridgeanum,
240.
carinatum, 240, 249.
coccineum, 153, 167.
coronarium, 239, 248.
Dunnetti, 240.
inodorum plenissimum, 213,
248.
lacustre, 163, 164.
latifolium, 163.
maximum, 163, 164.
segetum, 240, 248.
SUMMER, 239, 248.
TRICOLOR, 240, 249.
uliginosum, 163.
Clarkia elegans, 244, 245, 248.
Classics, 73-
Cleome grandis, 245.
Climate of Maine, 120, 121.
COLUMBINE, 134, 135.
CONE-FLOWER, 173,
240.
Convallaria majalts, 149.
Convolvulus majus, 238.
purpureus, 238.
Coreopsis, 136, 169, 211, 212.
atropurpured, 212.
atrosanguined, 212.
coronata, 212, 248.

174, 240,

276

INDEX

Coreopsis Drummondit, 212, 248.
GOLDEN WAVE, 212.
lanceolata, 136, 169.
nigra speciosa, 212.
tinctoria, 211, 212, 248.

CorRN-BOTTLE, 217.

CORNFLOWER, 217-220, 248.
perennial, 178, 179.

CorN MARIGOLD, 240, 248.

Corn Poppy, 194-108, 248.

CORNEL, Dwarf, 185.

Cornus Canadensis, 185.

Cosmos bipinnatus, 210, 211, 249.

COVENT GARDEN GYPSOPHILLA,

243.

Criticisms on Books, 78-88.

Crown Daisy, 239, 248.

CRUCIFERA, 233.

CuPID SWEET PEA, 203.

Daisy, Crown, 239, 248.
ENGLISH, 169, 170.
GIANT, 163.

SWAN RIVER, 238, 249.
Date on seed packages, 257-260.
Day LILY, 158, 159.
Delphinium Ajacis, 215, 248.

candelabrum, 215.

cardinale, 14l.

cashmerianum, 14.

cheilanthum, 14l.

Chinense, 141.

consolida, 215, 248.

elaltus, 141.

elatum, T4I.

formosum, 14t.

grandifiorum, I4l.

Imperialis, 215.

majus, 215.

minus, 215.

nudicaule, 41, 142.

Sinense, 141.

Zalil, 14l.

Descriptions of Flowers, 266, 267.

Dianthus barbatus, 133, 134:
Chinensis, 207, 208, 249.
fleddewigti, 207, 208.
plumarius, 155, 156.
Stnensis, 207, 208.

Dicentra spectabilis, 160, 161.

Dielytra, 161.

Digitalis purpurea, 137-139.

Dock WEED, 170.

Docwoop, Dwarr, 185.

Duck, Wounded wild, 171, 172.

Ducks, Tame, 116.

DWARF CORNEL, 185.
Docwoop, 185.

Elm trees, 28.
EMPRESS CANDYTUFT, 227.
ENGLISH Dalsy, 169, 170.
Pheasant, 108-112.
SCARLET Poppy, 194, 196.
Envelopes for seeds, 256, 257.
Eschscholtzia aurantiaca, 224.
BUSH, 224.
Californica, 223-225, 248.
Crocea, 223, 224.
alba, 224.
flor plena, 224.
mandarin, 224.
rosea, 224.
Douglasit, 224.
GOLDEN WEST, 224.
maritima, 224.
EVENING PRIMROSE, 180.
EVERLASTING, 244, 249.

Fall planting, Seeds for, 247, 248.
FALSE INDIGO, 178.
FEVERFEW, 153.
Fir, Balsam, 29, 31.
Fireplaces, 10-12.
Fish, Books on, 70.
FLAX, Perennial, 167, 168.
RED or SCARLET, 237, 248.
FLEUR-DE-LIs, 166.

277

INDEX

FLOWER-BEDS, 120-130.
FORGET-ME-NOT, 145, 146, 169.
FOUR-O’CLOCK, 242, 249.
FOXGLOVE, 137-139.
FRAGRANT BALM, 152.

Fresh seeds, 258-260.

funkia, 159.

Gaillardia aristata, 132.
grandiflora superba, 132, 133-
picta, 241.

Lorenziana, 241.
pulchella, 241, 249.

Galium trifolium, 186, 187.

Garden, Books on the, 69.

GARDEN PINK, I55, 156.

Gathering seeds, 253, 254.

Geese, Wild, 170, 171.

GERMAN IRIs, 166.

Germinating power of seeds, 258-

260.

GIANT DAIsy, 163.

GLOBE AMARANTH, 217.

Godetia grandiflora, 243, 244, 249.

Whitney2, 243.

GOLDEN MARGUERITE, 180.
WEST ESCHSCHOLTZIA, 224.

Gomphrena globosa, 217.

Grass seeds, 26, 27.

Guinea Fowl, 116.

Gypsophilla elegans, 243, 249.
paniculata, 166, 167, 243.

Hackmatack, 3o.

Hallways, Is.

HARDY GARDEN CARNATION,

182, 183.

“ HARDY HELIOTROPE,” 179.

Hardy seeds, 257, 258.

Helenium autumnale, 174.
Bolandert, 174.
LToopesti, 17 4.

flelianthus annuus, 229, 248
argophryllus, 229, 245.

Helianthus Californicus, 230, 231.
cucumerifolius, 229.
debilis, 229.
globosus fistulosus, 230.
macrophyllus giganteus, 230.
multtiflorus, 230.
nanus flor pleno, 230.
sulphurus, 230.
Peruvianus, 230.
variegatus, 230.
Perennial, 183.
“ HELIOTROPE, HARDY,” 179.
flemerocallis flava, 158, 159.
Sulva, 159.
middendorfit, 159.
minor, 159.
Hibiscus Africanus, 245.
HOLLYHOCK, 142-145.
HongEsTyY, 181.
HONEYSUCKLE, 159.
HooKEr’s) EARLY-FLOWERING
Poppy, 196, 197.
House-building, 6-9.
Humming Bird, 97.

Ibevris amara vat. coronaria, 226,
248.
perennial, 179.
umbellata, 226, 248.
ICELAND Poppy, 146-148.
IMPERIAL JAPANESE MORNING
GLORY, 239.
INDIA PINKS, 207, 208.
INDIGO, FALSE, 178.
INTERMEDIATE STOCK, 233, 249.
IN THE BEGINNING, 1-31.
Ipomea purpurea, 238, 239,
249.
Tris Germanica, 166.
Kaempferi, 166.
levigata, 166.
pseudacorus, 166.
Virginica, 165, 166.

278

INDEX

Jacox’s LADDER, 178.

JAPANESE HOLLYHOCK, 143.
Tris, 166.
MornNING GLORY, 239.
Ros, 162.

JosEPH’s Coat, 242, 248.

KAISER-BLUMEN, 217.

Keeping seeds, 257.

Kentucky Blue-grass, 27.

Kingbird, 100.

Kingfisher, 98-100.

KNAPWEED, MOUNTAIN,
179.

178,

LAMP FLOWER, 207.
Larch, American, 30.
LARKSPUR, BEE, I4I.
BRANCHING, 215, 248.
EMPEROR, 215.
Perennial, 141, 142.
ROCKET, 215, 248.
Lathyrus latifolius, 164, 165.
odoratus, 200-203, 248.
Lawns, 24-26.
Layia elegans, 231, 248.
Leaf-mould, 129, 130.
Library, Books for a Summer, 61.
Lilium auratum, 156, 157.
candidum, 158.
croceum, 158.
longiflorum, 158.
speciosum, 158.
tenuifolium, 157, 158.
tigrinum, 157.
var. splendens, 157.
LILY-OF-THE-V ALLEY, 149.
Linnea borealis, 183, 184.
Linum coccineum, 237.
grandiflorum, 237, 248.
narbonnense, 167, 168.
rubrum, 237.
Logps’s NASTURTIUM,
250.

204-206,

| Location of Flower-beds, 250.
Lonicera Periclymenum, 159.
Loon, 102-104.
Love-Li&s-BLEEDING, 243, 248.
Lunaria annua, 181.

biennis, 181.
LuPIN, 168, 169.
Lupinus polyphyllus, 168, 169.
Lychnis celi-rosa, 164.
coronaria, 164.
Sulgens, 207.
grana@ifiora, 207.
Haageana, 207.

MACHET’S PERFECTION MIGNON-
ETTE, 210.

MALLOW, 175.

Malva moschata, 160.

MAMMOTH FRINGED ALLEGHENY
HOLLYHOCK, 143.

Maple trees, 28, 30.

MARGUERITE, GOLDEN, 180.

MARIGOLD, AFRICAN, 221-223,

249.

Corn, 240, 248.

FRENCH, 221-223, 249.

POs; (220;) 225.
MARVEL-OF-PERU, 242, 240.
Matricariainodora plenissima, 212—

215, 248.
Matthiola annua, 233, 234, 249.

incana, 233.

sinuata, 233, 249.

MAYWEED, 212-215.

MEN OF MAINE, 32-60.
MIGNONETTE, 210, 249.
MIntT, 187.

Mirabilis Jalapa, 242, 249.
Monarda didyma, 152, 153.

fistulosa, 152, 153.
MoRNING GLORY, 239, 249.
Moss PINK, I51.

Mountain Ash, 28.
MouNTAIN KNAPWEED, 178, 179.

279

INDEX

MourRNING BRIDE, 241.

MULLEIN LYCHNIS, 164.
PINK, 164.

Musk MALLow, 160.

MusTARD Family, 233.

Myosotis alpestris, 145, 140.
palustris, 145, 146.

semper florens, 145.

Rehsteineri, 146.
sylvatica, 145, 146.

Names of Plants, 265, 266.
NASTURTIUM, 204-207, 249, 250.
LVicotiana affinis, 231.
alata, 231-233, 248.

GIANT RED, 232. *
NIGHTSHADE, THREE-LEAVED,

184, 185.
Novelties in Plants, 267-271.

Enothera biennis, 180.

Old seeds, 258-260.
Olive-backed Thrush, too.
Opium Poppy, 189-194, 248.
ORIENTAL Poppy, 148, 149.
OswEGo TEA, 152.
Out-of-Door Books, 69.
Owls, 108.

Packages of seeds, 264, 265.

Paonia albifiora, 172.
Moutan, 173.
officinalis, 172.
peregrina, 172.

PONY-FLOWERED Poppy, 190.

PAINTED TRILLIUM, I85.

PANSY, 131, 132.

Papaver bracteatum, 148.
glaucum, 198, 199, 248.
Hookeri, 196, 197.
Murselli, 190.
nudicaule, 146-148.
orientale, 148, 149, 168.
PAONY-FLOWERED, 190.

Papaver pavonium, 198, 248.
Rheas, 194-198, 248.
somniferum, 189-194, 248.
umbrosum, 197.

Paper bags for seeds, 256, 257.

Paridisea liliastrum, 176.

Partridge, 105.

Peabody Bird, 94, 95.

PEA, BUTTERFLY, 181, 182.

PEACOCK Poppy, 198, 248.

Pea-fowl, T17-119.

PEA, PERENNIAL, 164, 165.

PEA, SWEET, 200-203, 248.

PEARL ACHILLEA, 176.
STOCK, 234.

PERENNIAL FLAx, 167, 168.
PEA, 164, 165.

PERENNIALS AND BIEN-

NIALS, 131-188.

Pharbitis hispida, 239.

Pheasant, 108-112.

Phlox decussata, 150.
Drummondit, 149, 216, 217,

240.
Jrondosa, 151.
maculata, 150, 151.
LVelsont, 151.
nivalis, 151.
paniculata, 149-151.
reptans, 151, 152.
stolonifera, 151.
subulata, 151, 152.
suffruticosa, 150.
verna, 151, 152.

Pine trees, 24, 28, 31.

PINK, CHINA, 207, 208, 249.
GARDEN, 155, 156.

HER MAJESTY, 155.
INDIA, 207, 208, 249.
Moss, 151.
SCOTCH, 155, 156.
Place of growth of seeds, 257,
258.
PLANTAIN LILY, 159.

280

INDEX

Plant names, 265, 266.
novelties, 267-271.
Planting seeds, 251, 252.
Platycodon autumnale, 173.
grandifiorum, 173.
mariesit, 173.
Plumbing, 20.
PLUME Poppy, 174.
Polemonium ceruleum, 78.
Polygala lutea, 217, 218.
Poppy, AMERICAN FLAG, IgI.
BLACK KNIGHT, IOI.
BRIDE, 192.
CALIFORNIA, 223-225, 248.
CARNATION-FLOWERED, 190
195.
CoRN, 194-200, 248.
CRIMSON KING, 191.
DANEBROG, 192.
DaNISH FLAG, 192.
EIDERDOWN, I90.
ELDORADO, Io1.
EMPRESS OF CHINA, 192.
ENGLISH SCARLET,
196.
Farry BLusH, 191.
FAYAL, 193.
FIREBRAND, Iol.
GIGANTEUM, 193.
HooKeEr’s EARLY FLOWER-
ING, 196, 197.
ICELAND, 146-148.
IRRESISTIBLE, 196.
Laby-IN- WHITE, I9g1.
LAVENDER BEAUTY, IOI.
MAID-OF-THE MIST, 193.
MAJESTIC, 195, 196.
MIKADO, 191.
OPIuM, 189-194, 248.
ORIENTAL, 148, 149.
ORIENTAL BEAUTIES, 193:
PAONY-FLOWERED, 190, 191.
PEACOCK, 198, 248.
PLUME, 174.

194,

Poppy RANUNCULUS-FLOWERED,
194, 195.
Rosy Morn, tot.
SHIRLEY, 194-196.
SNOW-BALL, tol.
SNow-DRIFT, 190.
TULIP, 198, 248.
WHITE-SWAN, 190.
WILKs’s IMPROVED, 197.
Portulaca grandiflora, 235-237,
248.
POSTSCRIPT, 272-274.
PoT MARIGOLD, 220, 221, 248.
PRIMROSE, EVENING, 180.
Prohibitory liquor laws in Maine,
38-43.
PYRAMIDAL STOCK, 234.
Pyrethrum roseum, 153, 167.
uliginosum, 103.

Quail, 112, 113.

Quantity of seeds in a package,
264, 265.

QUEEN STOCK, 233.

RAGGED SAILOR, 217.
Ranunculus acris, 217.
RANUNCULUS-FLOWERED POPPY,
194, 195-
Red-breasted Nuthatch, too.
Red-eyed Vireo, 100.
RED FLAX, 237, 248.
Redstart, 95.
Red-top grass, 27.
Reference, Books of, 72, 73.
Reseda odorata, 210, 249.
Rhodanthe maculata, 244, 249.
Ripe seeds, 254.
Road-making, 25.
Robin, 89-94.
ROCK-CRESS, 176.
ROCKET, 233-
CANDYTUFT, 226, 227, 248.
LARKSPUR, 215, 248.

281

INDEX

Rosa lucida, 163.
rubiginosa, 162, 163.
rugosa, 162.

RosE CAMPION, 164.
Moss, 235, 248.
OF-HEAVEN, 164.

Roses, 161-163.

Rudbeckia bicolor, 173, 240, 241,

249.

GOLDEN GLOw, 173, 174.

laciniata, 173, 174.
Ruffed Grouse, 105-108.
Rumex acetosella, 269-271.

Salpiglossis sinuata, 203, 248.
Scabiosa atropurpurea, 241, 242.
Caucasica, 136.
SCARLET FLAX, 237, 248.
Scarlet Tanager, 100.
Schizanthus pinnatus, 244, 249.
ScoTcH PINK, 155, 156.
Second Choice of Books, 75-77.
SEEDS, 246-271.
Seeds, Catalogues of, 265-267.
Cleaning, 255, 256.
Date of, 257-260.
Fresh, 256-260.
Gathering, 253, 254.
Keeping, 257.
of Novelties, 267-271.
of the Poppy, 199, 200.
Place of growth of, 257, 258.
Planting of, 251, 252.

Quantity in a package of, 264,

265.
Ripe, 254.
Stale, 150, 259, 260.
The best, 252, 254, 257, 258.

Seedmen’s terms of sale, 261-263.

Servants, Household, 17-20.
Shelldrake, ro2.

SHIRLEY Poppy, 194-196.
SIBERIAN CorRAL LILY, 157, 158.

Sieves for seeds, 255.
SNEEZE WEED, 174.
SNEEZEWORT, 176.
Soil for flower-beds, 123-125.
SOME BIRDS, 89-1109.
SORREL, 269-271.
Sparrow, Chipping, 100.
White-throated, 94, 95.
Specularia speculum, 245.
SPEEDWELL, 178.
SPIDERWORT, 179, 180.
Spring planting, Seeds for, 249,
250.
Spruce trees, 24, 28, 20, 31.
Stairways, 12-14.
Stakes for flowers, 144.
St. BruNO’s LILY, 176.
STEEPLE BELLFLOWER, I54.
STOCK, 233, 234, 249.
Storing seeds, 257.
SUMMER CHRYSANTHEMUM, 239,
248.
SUNFLOWER,
248.
GIANT RUSSIAN, 230.
GLOBE-OF-GOLD, 230.
MAMMOTH RUSSIAN, 230.
Perennial, 183.
STELLA, 230.
SULPHUR GEM, 230.
THOUSAND-FLOWERED, 230.
SwAN RIVER DaIsy, 238, 249.
SWEET BRIER ROSE, 162, 163.
ALYSSUM, 225, 226, 247.
PEA, 200-203, 248.
SCABIOUS, 241, 242.
SULTAN, 200, 210, 249.
WILLIAM, 133, 134.
WooprRuFF, 186, 187.

Annual, 229-231,

Tagetes erecta, 221-223, 249.
patula, 221, 222, 249.
nana, 222.

282

INDEX

Tagetes signata, 221, 249.
pumila, 222.
Tags for flowers, 252, 253.
Tamarack, 30.
Tanacetum vulgare, 187, 188.
TANsY, 187, 188.
TEN-WEEKS STOCK, 233, 249.
Terraces for flowers, 125-127.
THE VESTIBULE, 61-88.
THREE-LEAVED NIGHTSHADE,
184, 185.
Thrush, roo.
Time to gather seeds, 254.
Tokio HOLLYHOCK, 143.
Tom Pouce NASTURTIUM, 204.
THUMB NASTURTIUM, 204-
207, 249.
Tradescantia Virginica, 179, 180.
Transplanting Flowers, 251.
TREE PAZONY, 173.
Tree transplanting, 30, 31.
Trellis for Sweet Peas, 201.
TRICOLOR CHRYSANTHEMUM,
240, 249.
Trillium, 184, 185.
cernuum, 185.
erectum, 185.
erythrocarpum, 185.
grandifiorum, 185.
PAINTED, 185.
Tropaoclum Lobbianum, 204, 250.
majus, 204, 249.
minus, 204, 250.
TuLip Poppy, 198, 199, 248.
TWIN-FLOWER, 183, 184.

Valeriana, 179.
Vegetables, 128, 129.

VENUS’ LOOKING-GLASS, 245.
Veronica spicata, 178.
VICTORIA ASTER, 208.
Viola odorata, 181.

tricolor, 131, 132.
VIOLET, 181.
VIRGINIA CREEPER, 150, 165.
WAKE-ROBIN, 184, 185.
WALLFLOWER, 233, 235, 249.
Warranty of seeds, 261-263.
Water works, 20-24.
WHITE Day LILY, 159.
White-throated Sparrow, 94, 95.
WILD BERGAMOT, 153.
Wild Flowers, 183-185.
WILD ROSE, 163.
WILKES’s IMPROVED

Poppy, 197.

Willows, 30.
Windows, 9.
WOODBINE, 159, 160, 165.
Woop-Lity, 184, 185.
Woodpecker, 100.
Worthless seeds, 150, 259, 260.

RHAAS

Yankees, 32.
YARROW, 176.
YELLOW BACHELOR’s BUTTON,
218.
Day LILY, 158, 159.
IRIs, 166.
Vucca filamentosa, 181.

Zinnia elegans, 227-229.
robusta plenissima, 228.

283

\ Ni

MT Ae
paWiuh

yay

vy a i :

ie
HH)

yi

ia!

; : YOR) x
a oi

ae

LIBRARY CONGRESS
ll
2

AT Titi
0 022 253 498 2