LANDSCAPE GARDENING AS APPLIED TO HOME DECORATION DEI L&ry»«4/» SB 473 M3 Landscape Gardening As Applied to Home Decoration BY Samuel T. Maynard Formerly Professor of Botany and Horticulture at the Massachusetts Agricultural College Second Edition] Rewritten and Enlarged Total Issue, Nine Thousand ^ rORK JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL: LIMITED 1915 Copyright, 1899, 19*5 BY SAMUEL T. MAYNARD PRESS OF BRAUNWORTH & CO. BOOK MANUFACTURERS BROOKLYN. N. Y. To the thousands of home-makers who are trying to beautify their homes and thus adding much to our already beautiful and prosperous country this little book is dedicated with the hope that it may aid many in the pursuit of knowledge of the most beautiful trees, shrubs, and plants and how to plant, train, and care for them so as to get the most enjoyment from their growth and cultivation. 456113 INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION THE great progress made in the past fifteen years in out- of-door house decoration, the large increase in the number of beautiful ornamental trees, shrubs, and plants from many parts of the world, and the very great increase in the "back to the country" movement, make it desirable that this little volume, which has met with such an appreciative re- ception, be revised and brought up to date. The Author has therefore revised and rewritten much of the text, re- placed many of the old illustrations and added a great many new ones. He has had the assistance of many specialists, whose advice will add much to the value of the volume. He is especially indebted to Professor A. C. Beal, of the New York State College of Agriculture, at Cornell University, for the revision of the chapter on hardy herba- ceous plants, roses, sweet peas, etc.; to Messrs. Chas. A. Green, Henry A. Dreer, Harlan P. Kelsey, "The Eastern Nurseries," and others for loan of cuts and assistance in obtaining them; to Mr. Frank A. Rugg for photographs, and to all who have so kindly assisted him in this revision. vii INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION IN no country in the world are there so many well-to-do people as in the United States, and so many who own com- fortable and even beautiful homes, and on every hand we hear the call for information as to the most beautiful decora- tive trees, shrubs, and plants and their proper use and arrangement to produce the most pleasing effects. The enormous trade in ornamental trees, shrubs, and plants among our nurserymen is an indication of the extent of the work of improvement and decoration that is going on among our people and the consequent need of knowledge and skill in order to make the best use of these materials. The agricultural and horticultural press of the country has done much and is increasing its efforts to diffuse the needed knowledge. The nurserymen and dealers in orna- mentals by their catalogues so profusely illustrated and scattered broadcast over the land are also helping on the good work, though in many cases by their undue praise of untried novelties they often lead the unskilled planter to make serious mistakes and suffer great loss. Landscape gardeners and architects have played a large and important part in developing the great beauty seen in so many of our country and suburban towns; the great majority of our people, however, those in limited circum- stances who are straining every effort to pay for the home they are building, are unable to avail themselves of their often costly advice, but must content themselves with ob- taining from other sources such knowledge as will enable them to properly care for the ornamental trees, shrubs, or ix x Introduction to First Edition plants that they may be able to procure, and to so group and combine them with the lawn, the dwelling and other buildings, and with the surrounding conditions as to make not only a beautiful home-picture, but also to harmonize with any beautiful homes or estates adjoining or near by, that the beauty may be as widespread as possible. While thus supplying the above call for knowledge in a concise and practical way has been the central idea in the construction of this book, the instructions in the principles of growth and care, grouping and arrangement, underlying successful work in home ornamentation are equally adapted to the more extended work of decorating large estates, parks, and other public grounds, and some few hints are given as to the management of public squares, school-yards, cemeteries, the construction of country roads, and roadside improvements. It has been the author's aim to give plain and simple descriptions of each tree, shrub, or plant recommended, to present those that are of real value under ordinary condi- tions, and to give full and careful direction as to soil best adapted to the growth of each, and the special care, train- ing, pruning, etc., required for their best growth. In presenting this book to the public it is with the view of supplying the knowledge so much needed and sought for in a practical, condensed form that shall enable the home- owner and -builder, occupied with the daily cares of busi- ness, to make beautiful his surroundings; and the author hopes that, after more than 40 years of experience in teach- ing and practising the art of ornamental gardening, he may be able to fill in a measure this long-felt want. Many imperfections will, no doubt, be found in the work, for which kind indulgence and friendly criticism is asked, that such imperfections may be remedied in a revised edition at an early date. S. T. M. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION \ . vii CHAPTER I LANDSCAPE GARDENING AND HOME ORNAMENTATION i Advantages of Home Ornamentation. Natural vs. the Artificial System. CHAPTER II ORNAMENTING NEW HOMES 7 Conditions of Locations Considered. Secure and Improve Strongly Marked Natural Features. Location of Buildings. Architecture of the House. The Cellar and its Use. Heating and Ventilating the House. Good Water. CHAPTER III PREPARATION OF THE LAND 29 Grading. Making the Lawn. Fertilizing and Care of the Lawn. CHAPTER IV TREES — THEIR PLANTING AND CARE 44 Importance of Trees and Shrubs. Improving Old Trees. Preparation of Trees for Planting. Planting and Care of Trees. The Arrangement or Grouping. Rules for Grouping. CHAPTER V SHRUBS, HEDGES, AND HARDY CLIMBERS 82 Methods of Grouping. Preparation of Land and Plant- ing. Pruning and Care of Shrubs. Hedges: their Impor- tance. Pruning and Training Hedges. Hardy Woody- Climbers: their Importance. Planting and Care of Herba- ceous Plants: their Importance and Use. Tender foliage or Flowering Plants. xii Table of Contents CHAPTER VI PAGE WALKS AND DRIVES 95 Importance. Extent, Width, and Distance. Construction. CHAPTER VII RENOVATING AND IMPROVING OLD HOMES 104 Preserving and Improving Old Trees. Renewing Old Shrubs and Hedges. Renovating Old Lawns. Removal of Fences and Walls. Farm Home Decoration. Combine Decoration and Forestry. Fruit-trees for Ornaments. Con- struction of Farm Roads. CHAPTER VIII COUNTRY ROADS AND ROADSIDE IMPROVEMENTS 119 Conditions Necessary for Good Roads. Broken Stone Roads. Repairing Roads. Care of Roadside Trees and Shrubs. Road- side Decoration. CHAPTER IX PARKS, PUBLIC SQUARES, SCHOOL YARDS, ETC 124 Suggestions as to Parks, Public Squares, School-yard Decoration. Cemetery Decoration. Renovating Old Ceme- teries. Back-yard Decoration. CHAPTER X DESCRIPTION OF TREES 153 Street and Avenue Trees. Upright or Round-headed Trees. Weeping Trees. Trees with Deeply Cut Foliage. Trees with Colored Foliage. CHAPTER XI EVERGREEN TREES 203 Importance in Home Ornamentation. Transplanting and Pruning. Best Varieties. Table of Contents xiii CHAPTER XII PAGE ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS 214 How to Use with Best Effect. Transplanting, Pruning, etc. Best Varieties of Evergreen Shrubs. Importance of Climb- ing Shrubs. Best Varieties of Climbing Shrubs. Hedge Plants. Roses. CHAPTER XIII HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS, TENDER BEDDING AND CLIMBING PLANTS, ETC 273 Transplanting and Care. Best Varieties. Tender Bedding Plants; Best Varieties. Tender Climbing Plants; Best Vari- eties. Sub-tropical Plants; Treatment; Best Varieties. CHAPTER XIV AQUATIC PLANTS, HARDY FERNS, AND ORNAMENTAL GRASSES . . . 306 Soil and Cultivation for Aquatic Plants; Best Varieties. Aquatic Border Plants; Best Varieties. Hardy Ferns; Use and Care of; Best Varieties. Ornamental Grasses; Impor- tance and Care of. CHAPTER XV INSECTS INJURIOUS TO ORNAMENTALS 32° Amount of Injury done by Insects. Remedies and Preven- tives from Injury by Insects. Insecticides and their Use. Fungi Injurious to Ornamentals. Rusts, Smuts, Mildews, Blights, etc. Fungicides and their Use. Spraying Pumps and Nozzles and their Use. CHAPTER XVI THE HOME FRUIT GARDEN 349 Amount and Kind of Land Needed. Location. Planting and Caring for Fruit-trees and Plants. Protection from Insects and Fungous Pests. The Best Varieties of Each Kind for Home Use. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ?IG. PAGB Covered Drive- Way, Porte Cochere Frontispiece 1 . Geometric or Artificial Decoration 4 2. Natural Arrangement of Rocks n 3. Natural Arrangement of Rocks 12 4. Unnatural Arrangement of Rocks 12 5. Natural Water View . . . 14 6. Underground Overflow of Lakelet 15 7. Open Overflow of Lakelet 15 8. Building Arranged at One Side of Lot 18 9. Method of Obtaining Grade 31 10. Method of Obtaining Grade 31 11. A "Well" about a Tree 31 12. Covering Roots on One Side 32 13. Improper Grading 34 14. A Well-graded Lawn 35 15. Grading to Rounded Surface 36 16. Grading to Rounded Surface 36 17. Grading to Rounded Surface 36 18. House under Large Oak . 46 19-20. Trees as often Found by Roadside 47 21-22-23. Trees as often Found by Roadside - 48 24-25-26. Pruning Roadside Trees 49 27. Old Tree Cut Back 50 28. Arrangement of Trees Along Narrow Roadway 53 29. Screen or Wind-Break: Too Formal 64 30. Trees in Natural Group for Screen 65 31. Large-growing Trees in Center of Group 65 32. Natural Grouping of Large and Small Trees 66 33. Trees and Shrubs Arranged, Walk and Drive 68 34. Trees and Shrubs Arranged, Walk and Drive 69 35. Trees and Shrubs Grouped at Fork of Road 70 36-37. Trees and Shrubs Grouped at End or Turn of Walk 71 XV xvi List of Illustrations FIG. PAGE 38. Trees and Shrubs Grouped at Long, Many Radiating Lines Affording Vistas in Many Directions 72 39. Affording Vistas Under and Through Trees 73 40. Screen at Different Elevations 74 41. Vistas Through Trees, Shrubs and Plants 75 42. Vistas Through Trees, Shrubs and Plants 76 43. Groups of Trees at Entrance 77 44. Groups of Trees at Crown of Rounded Surface 78 45. Shrubs and Plants Banked Against Veranda 79 46. Cutting Back of Hedge 87 47. Result of Cutting Back Hedge-plants 87 48-49. Correct Forms of Hedges 88 50. Incorrect Form of Hedge 88 51. Where Cuts Should be Made in Pruning Shrubs 88 52. Vine-covered Cottage 91 53. Flagstones in Place of Gravel or Concrete 96 54. Combined Walk and Drive 98 55. Semi-circular Walk and Drive 98 56. Method of Obtaining Curves 100 57. Location of Tile in Draining Road-bed 102 58. Location of Tile in Draining Road-bed 102 59. The Result of Too Close Planting 105 60-61. Old Shrubs Divided and Pruned 106 62. Form of Shrubs 106 63. Covering Bank Wall no 64. Turfing Against Wall in 65. A Well-decorated Farm House 115 66. Section of Ordinary Country Road 121 67. Section of Macadam Road 121 68. A Properly Constructed Bar 122 69. An Improperly Constructed Bar 122 70. An Improperly Gravelled Roadbed (1 124 71. A Properly Gravelled Roadbed 72. Roadside Decorated at Entrance i: 73. A Roadside Picture 130 74. A Roadside Picture— Natural Growth, Well-Cared-for 131 75. Back-yard Picture 135 76. Decorated Well-curb 136 77. Back Porch Decorated Well-curb 139 78. Combined, Ornamental and Useful 140 List of Illustrations xvii FIG. PAGE 79. Part of Fig. 78 140 80. A Substantial Village School House with an Abundance of Sunlight 142 81. 82, 83. Arrangement of School Yards 144 84. A Modern Cemetery — Weeping Willow, Aquatic Plants, etc. . 146 85. City Street Without Trees . 150 86. City Street Well Decorated with Trees 151 87. An Avenue of Elms 1 54 88. A Perfect Elm 156 89. Fringed Vase-formed Elm 157 90. Sugar Maple 158 91. Silver Maple 159 91'. Red Oak Pruned to make Branch High * 161 92. Norway Maple 166 93. Japanese Maples 167 1. Red-Leaved. 2. Cut-Leaved Weeping. 3. Green-Leaved. 94. Western Catalpa 171 95. Flowering Dogwood 172 96. English Hawthorn 174 97. Black or Italian Poplar 177 98. Lombardy Poplar 1 78 99. Magnolia Soulangeana 180 100. Oak-leaved Mountain Ash 184 101. White Oak 185 102. Pin Oak 186 103. Cut-leaved Maple 189 104. Cut-leaved Weeping Birch 191 105. Weeping Beech 192 106. Teas' Weeping Mulberry 193 107. Camperdown Elm 194 108. Fern-leaved Beech 197 109. Rivers' Purple Beech 200 no. Golden Elm, Weeping Birch, Chinese Catalpa 201 in. Douglas Fir, Stone Pine, Nordmann's Fir 204 112. Norway Spruce 205 113. Colorado Blue Spruce 206 114. Austrian Pine 207 xviii List of Illustrations FIG. PAGE 115. Japanese Plumed Cypress (Retinospera) 208 1 1 6. Japanese Pea-fruited Cypress (Retinospera) 210 117. Groups of Arbor- vitae and Flowering Apple 211 118. Author's Weed Killers 214 1 19. Japanese Azalea 217 120. Calycanthus Floridus 219 121. Clethra Alnifolia 220 122. Japanese Quince 222 123. Weigela (D. rosea) 224 124. Exochorda Grandifolia 225 125. Golden-bell 226 1 26. Hedge of Hardy Hydrangea 228 127. Pterostyrax 229 128. Mock Orange (Philadelphus) 230 1 29. White Fringe 231 130. Purple Fringe Smoke Tree 233 131. Stag-horn Sumac 234 132. Bridal Wreath. 236 133. Spiraea Van Houttei 237 134. Common Lilac 238 J35- Japanese Snowball 240 136. Bedding Roses 243 137. Moss Rose 244 138. Mixed Climbing Roses 245 139. Crimson Rambler 246 140. Japanese Rose (Rosa rugosa) 247 141. Dawson Climbing Rose 248 142. Mountain Laurel 251 143. Rhododendron 252 144. Rhododendron Prepared for Shipping 253 145. Vine-covered Cottage 254 146. American Woodbine 255 147. Japanese Woodbine, Boston Ivy 257 148. Japanese Clematis 258 149. Japanese Clematis, Jackmanii and Henry i 259 150. Japanese Honeysuckle 260 151. Chinese Wistaria 261 152. Kokwa VinetActinidia 262 153. Vine-covered Stable 264 154. Part of Stable Showing Fruit 265 List of Illustrations XIX FIG. PAGE 155. Privet Hedge 269 156. Unpruned Barberry Hedge 270 157. House with Vines, Herbaceous Plants in Foreground. . . . 271 158. White Day Lily 275 159. Japanese Iris 278 160. German Iris 279 161. Golden-banded Lily 282 162. Paeonia, Cut-leaved 284 163. Peony (P. albiflora) 285 164. Phlox Paniculata 287 165. Oriental Poppy 288 166. Yucca Filamentosa 291 167. Canna Indica 301 168. Castor Bean 302 169. Egyptian Papyrus 303 170. An Aquatic Garden 307 171. East Indian Lotus 310 172. Nymphaea rosea 311 173. Water Poppy 313 174. Group of Hardy Ferns 316 175. Ornamental Grasses 318 176. Eulalia, Japanese Plume Grass 319 177. Elm Beetle 328 178. Elm Scale 330 179. Maple Borer 331 180. Canker Worm (Fall) 333 181. Canker Worm (Spring) 333 182. Round Headed Apple Borer 334 183. Flat Headed Apple Borer 334 184. Peach Borer., 33 5 185. Rose Chafer 336 186. Rose Slug 33^ 187. Oyster Shell Scale 339 188. Maple Scale 342 189. Home Fruit Garden 350 190. Strawberry Bed 37* LANDSCAPE GARDENING CHAPTER I LANDSCAPE GARDENING AND HOME DECORATION COMPARED THE term "landscape gardening" properly is applied in the more extended meaning of the words to that larger work of making and decorating extensive estates, parks, etc., where distant views (landscapes) may be obtained within their limits and by the work of the gardener or landscape artist. Very little of this kind of work can be done in this country because of the small areas owned by most of our peo- ple, and the term "home decoration" or "home land- scape gardening" will more properly apply to most of the work done among us in this line. Yet when we consider that outside the limits of cities and large towns there are large and extended views which even the owner of the smallest estate may take in or shut out in a measure at will in the arrangement of his own decorative trees and shrubs, the work of home decoration becomes in a true sense land- scape gardening. We can and do to a greater or less extent include the whole landscape in the decoration of all home grounds if we wish to obtain the best results. There is hardly a 2 Landscape Gardening country or suburban home so shut in as not to afford some scope for the appropriation of outside vistas of beauty beyond its limits, and in many cases views for miles around may be found and improved or toned down or heightened by careful treatment in our own planting; and in more closely planted districts, by mutual understanding and cooperation, the real art of landscape gardening may have as broad scope as in the park and large estate. Knowledge of Materials Before considering so large a subject in detail, the neces- sity must be urged upon the reader of becoming thoroughly familiar with the materials to be used — i.e., the ornamental trees, shrubs, plants, grass, rock, and style of building to a certain extent — for until this knowledge is obtained it will be a very difficult matter to begin the work understand- ingly or to carry it out to successful results. In Chapter X will be found a brief description of the most beautiful trees, shrubs, and plants, their most appro- priate use, the soil best suited to their growth, the special treatment they each require, and in Chapter XV the dis- eases and insect pests they are subject to, with remedies for the same. Frequent reference will be made to these chap- ters, and for a full understanding of each case it will be advisable to give these references full consideration. A Plan Before any one, skilled or unskilled, begins to decorate a place, no matter how small, he must have some plan for the work, and the more complete and fully matured that plan the better. Many individuals who have a special love for the beauti- ful in nature, who are familiar with a large number of the Landscape Gardening and Home Decoration 3 most beautiful trees, shrubs, etc., and have studied the effects of their varying forms, size and colors, and who are about to bufld a home, are qualified to make a satisfactory plan for themselves, and a large amount of pleasure may be the result of this work. This study of art and nature is one of the best kinds of training of the perceptive faculties. Nothing can better train the eye and thoughts to see and love the beautiful than this work, and it has a most refining and elevating effect upon those who thus spend their leisure hours. If proper time is given to the subject, and the advice of those who have had some experience is sought, there need be no difficulty in making a good working plan by the amateur. The father and the mother should both be in- terested and plan together, and the children too should have a voice in the matter, for there is nothing that holds them to the old home as the trees and plants they have planted or helped to plant and care for. When cost is not an item of consideration, a complete plan made by a skilled landscape gardener who is willing to incorporate, as far as possible, the particular kinds of trees and plants and other features desired by the owner, will give the most satisfaction; but the value of the study and training to the individual is lost; therefore I would advise every home-builder to make a great effort to learn what are the best decorative trees, shrubs, and plants for home planting, and how best to succeed in growing them to the greatest perfection. Some failures will be made, but success will at last crown our efforts, and the things we have planted, the walks and drives we have located, and the other objects of beauty we have created about our homes will be ours in a sense that they cannot be if we build after the plan of others, and a most precious source of joy and comfort in declining years. Landscape Gardening Landscape Gardening and Home Decoration 5 The trees we plant may be a legacy that will last through many generations. The Natural versus the Artificial System In earlier times and in other countries much of the work in landscape or ornamental gardening was done in what is known as the geometrical or artificial system (Fig. i), where the work was largely laid out in squares, circles, or other geo- metrical figures; the changes in grade were largely obtained by steep terraces, the trees and shrubs trained to regular and often grotesque forms. In our own country the natural system is more largely used, and more and more in Europe it is coming into use, where all the work is done so as to represent the best and most beautiful in nature. By this system the walks and drives are laid out in graceful curves, the changes in grade made by graceful slopes and rounded surfaces, and the trees and shrubs are encouraged to take the most perfect natural forms, while they are so grouped as to give the greatest variety of natural beauty. Under some conditions, as in squares or city lots, close up to large, tall buildings, with paved roads and side- walks, on steep hillsides and abrupt slopes, or where the terrace or retaining wall is a necessity, the artificial system may not be objectionable, but in the country, with so much of freedom of thought and action, and so full of natural growth and beauty, the artificial style is not in good taste and should generally be avoided. The house and sur- rounding buildings, walks, drives, fences, etc., must of necessity be artificial, but even these may be toned down in their architecture and coloring so as to blend and harmonize with the natural ornamental features about them. Landscape Gardening New Homes and Homes Already Established In considering the subject of home decoration it becomes necessary to discuss it under two heads: ist. New homes where nothing has been done toward outside decoration; 2d. Homes already established. CHAPTER II ORNAMENTING NEW HOMES IN establishing and decorating new homes the following important points must be considered: first, situation and natural features; second, location of buildings; third, plans of the home. Situation and Natural Features LOCATION Everywhere about us, except in the heart of the large cities, are to be found building lots with more or less land for lawn and garden purposes. On hill and in dale, among the mountains, by the seaside, in the suburbs, and in the remote country, everywhere are places in such profusion that those of the most limited means, the most wealthy and of the most fastidious tastes, may find a location suited to their requirements. Whether one shall locate a new home in the city, in the suburbs, or in the country is a question that cannot be answered without a complete understanding of all of the conditions involved. Each has its advantage, and every side of the question should be very carefully studied before a decision is made, for not only one's own personal welfare and happiness is involved, but in many cases that of others near and dear, and when once located a change cannot be made without a great inconvenience and in some cases great loss financially. 7 Landscape Gardening HEALTHFULNESS OF LOCATION This is of the first and paramount importance, for with- out health no one can enjoy life or do his share toward making his own life or that of others of value. And first of all low and swampy or malarial land should be avoided. While much may be done by underdraining, and other means be employed to make such locations healthful, with so many thousands of acres about us free from these objections there is no necessity for a single dwelling being located on unhealthful ground. Rising land with good drainage, where the surface-water shall quickly pass off, where there shall be an abundance of moving air about the site, and an abundance of sunlight, is the most desirable. CONVENIENCE The location should be convenient of access not only for the occupants, but for all who may be in contact with them. Many a family have shut themselves out from society almost completely by building a home where friends can meet them only by making a very unusual effort. The leading idea of modern times is centralization; and the advantages of being near neighbors where social intercourse can be frequent, where the whole family will be brought into close contact with the surrounding world, are many; but it becomes a question if the individuality, the strong characters brought out by the self-reliance acquired by living in more isolated sections, are not worth consider- ing also. The electric railroad, penetrating far into the country, connecting town with town and country with town, the modern automobile now offered at a price not much above that of a good horse and carriage, will in a measure settle the question of the necessity for centralization and the depopulation of our rural districts. Ornamenting New Homes 9 Nearness to railroad, to school and church must be care- fully considered; but as the cost of building lots remote from these conveniences is much less, those limited in means will continue to locate in the less favored sections. The main street of the town or village has many advan- tages, but the cross or side streets have the advantages of greater quiet and allow of more freedom of action, besides being less expensive. ELEVATION AND SLOPE The height of the land above the sea-level and above the surrounding country should be considered. The higher the land the better and purer the air, the larger and more pleasing the landscape effect, and more perfect drainage may be obtained. There are, however, serious objections to extreme elevation and abrupt slopes which increase the effort needed to get to and from the place, and increase the cost of fitting the land and keeping lawn, walks, and drives in good condition. A southern or southeastern slope will afford much shelter where the prevailing winds during cold weather are from the north or northwest, and, if the landscape effect is equally good, should be selected in pref- erence to a western or northwestern slope. GOOD WATER Nothing can make home life more miserable than an insufficient supply of water or water that is of poor quality, and the most careful investigation of this question should be made before deciding upon a location. If there are any conditions that may lead to the contamination of the drink- ing-water, they should have the most rigid investigation. With the modern methods of analysis it is possible to know positively the condition of the water, but analyses should be 10 Landscape Gardening made at two or three different times to determine if the sup- ply is affected at one season of the year and not at another. In villages and near old buildings most dangerous sources of contamination may be found in sink-drains, cesspools, stable-yards, etc., and if any of the above are found within from 200 to 300 feet, according to the soil, of a well the water should be regarded with suspicion. These sources of contamination may not affect the water in a new well for many years, but sooner or later the sur- face-drainage will find its way down to the deep basins formed by our wells. The safest water-supply is that from a well-constructed and cared-for reservoir, brought in suit- able pipes to the house. In these open reservoirs the water becomes purified by long exposure to the air, but does not possess the sparkle nor the coolness of water from a deep well. KIND OF SOIL While the location as to surroundings, elevation, water- supply, etc., are matters of first importance, the success and more or less the cost of the ornamental planting depends largely upon the nature of the soil. It will hardly be possi- ble to find a soil perfectly adapted to the best growth of all kinds of trees, shrubs, and plants, yet any ordinarily good soil may be made to grow most of them without very great expense. The best soil for general purposes is a deep sandy loam, though a strong loam with a clay subsoil if thoroughly underdrained will often be satisfactory and, a thin soil, too, may be very much improved by deep working and heavy manuring, but in the latter two cases the expense of preparation and maintenance is very much increased. Ornamenting New Homes 11 Strongly Marked Natural Features, like Rocks and Water, Distant Views, etc. These prominent natural features often found on build- ing lots and surroundings should always be carefully con- sidered, for they may be made to add wonderful beauty and variety if properly handled. FIG. 2. — Arrangement of Rocks. ROCKS Large boulders and ledges should be preserved wherever possible, but the small boulders, loose rocks, and cobbles should all be put out of sight in well-kept grounds. The latter may be utilized as foundations for small buildings and for filling in the beds of walks and drives, or otherwise 12 Landscape Gardening disposed of where out of view. The practice of dumping them along the roadside, which we find in many country places, cannot be too severely condemned, for it renders the destruction of weeds and brush that come up among them FIG. 3. — Arrangement of Rocks. FIG. 4. — Unnatural or Inartistic Arrangement of Rocks. almost an impossibility. If all the loose stones and cobbles could be removed from the borders of our roadways through- out the country, weeds and other objectionable growth could be easily kept down and the roadsides be soon covered with grass and desirable trees and shrubs as shown in Fig. 73. Ledges and boulders serve as a nucleus around which to Ornamenting New Homes 13 group the ornamental trees, shrubs, and vines, and give an added naturalness and beauty that can be obtained in no other way. Large boulders may often be arranged in such a way as to give a steep embankment the appearance of a projecting ledge as in Fig. 2, and which shows them arranged upon both sides of a cut through which a drive or walk can be arranged with good effect. Fig. 3 illustrates boulders grouped on one side of a slope with very pleasing results. Fig. 4 shows a very unnatural and inartistic arrangement which would be greatly improved if trees, shrubs, and plants were planted around and among them. As much of the naturalness about these strong features as possible should be preserved. The trees, shrubs, and vines, the herbaceous plants and grass should be made to grow to greater perfection than in their wild condition, by careful attention and enrich- ment of the soil, and undesirable things should not be allowed to grow; thus will art and nature be combined and true beauty produced. WATER Close proximity to lakes, ponds, or streams may not always be desirable, but where there is open country about the place, with an abundance of sunshine and air, and the land is somewhat elevated above the water, few natural features can be made to produce so much beauty and pleas- ure. A vista of water, either moving or silent, through an opening in the shrubbery adds at once a quiet and a charm of which one seldom tires. Moving water gives more variety, adds life and vivacity to the landscape, while the peaceful lakelet or pond has a quieting effect. In places where there is much of the bold and strong in the decoration the surprise and variety given by the quiet lakelet is very pleasing, while where the quiet, graceful features predominate a little moving, active water 14 Landscape Gardening FIG. 5. — Natural Water Viewv Ornamenting New Homes 15 is equally valuable. In making confined sheets of water, if the source of supply is abundant, so that there is fre- quent renewal of the water within the basin, the outlet may be through an underground overflow as shown in Fig. 6. FIG. 6. — Underground Overflow of Lakelet. If the supply of water is limited and not likely to be fre- quently renewed, the open overflow or outlet, as in Fig. 7, should be made, so that any foul substances that accumu- late on the surface may be easily carried off. With the underground outlet it requires a tremendous volume of FIG. 7. — Open Overflow of Lakelet. water to carry such light surface-material down into the culvert even one or two feet below the surface of the water. The low murmur of the brooklet, or the dash of the cascade or waterfall, has charms for almost every one, and should be made a most prominent feature wherever avail- able. Even if not on one's own grounds, by a little manipu- 16 Landscape Gardening lation of shrubbery water- views from a long distance may often be secured through open vistas. The location of the home in the vicinity of stagnant water or where streams or ponds are likely to be contami- nated by sewage or undesirable surface-drainage should be avoided unless there is some certainty that the surround- ings can and will be improved. Increase in Value No thrifty person will think of locating in any place where, if by change of business or other circumstance he might be obliged to make a change in location, the prop- erty will not sell for something near its cost. In a great many localities, where near good railroads and thriving manufactories, property is almost sure to increase in value if a good selection is made and the home is economically built, while in others, more distant from business centers, real estate has gradually diminished in value, until we often find good home farms offered for sale for much less than the cost of the buildings upon them. Amount of Land to Purchase One of the greatest mistakes many people make when establishing a new home is in purchasing too much land, especially if they are persons of small means and little experience in caring for land. The amount that should be purchased ought to be limited to the actual needs of the purchaser. If means are abundant and extensive grounds and a large lawn with choice shrubbery are desired, or if more or less gardening is to be done, more land can be utilized, but even then the quantity should be limited to what can be well cared for. The home garden is one of the greatest luxuries con-* Ornamenting New Homes 17 nected with a comfortable home, provided one has the knowledge and skill to make the work a success and has the time to either do the work or to see that all the opera- tions of planting, cultivation, and harvesting are properly done. To the professional man, the business man, or mechanic of sedentary habit the physical effort necessary to successfully care for a small garden of fruits and vege- tables will be invaluable and one of the best means of secur- ing vigorous health, while the products of a well-kept gar- den have often been made to supplement many a meagre income and provide the most healthful and appetizing food possible to obtain. (See Chap. XVI.) But this caution should be observed: Do not undertake this work on a large scale until some skill or experience has been obtained. Small areas well tilled in all lines of agri- culture and horticulture generally give the best results, and only so much land should be given to garden purpose as can be cared for in the most thorough manner. If land is abundant, a part of it might be set off to the children for a flower-garden, for the planting of a few trees or vines, or for growing a few vegetables like melons, etc. In no way can so much of nature and her ways be taught to children and a real love for all her products be fostered, as well as a strong love be developed for the home which they have helped to build. Location of Buildings After deciding where to build a home, the first question to decide is where to locate the house. Nothing can be more important. In building a house it is with the idea of permanent occupancy or for a long series of years, and any mistake made at this stage is often irreparable. Wherever possible the house should be located at some distance from the street; the building will look better, and 18 Landscape Gardening more natural and beautiful decorations can be made than if it is almost on the street-line. In suburban districts where there are already many houses located, to place the building very much out of the line of those already built sometimes detracts from rather than enhances its beauty, but with an abundance of space between the houses they may be located at any distance from the street desired with- out detracting from their beauty. With an abundance of room between the house and street one is less troubled by Street FIG. 8. — Buildings Arranged on One Side of Lot. dust and noise, and better views of the building and grounds can be obtained from the street, and better opportunity is afforded for securing vistas of beauty and variety in look- ing from the house. Where the lot is long and narrow and small in extent, say less than one-fourth of an acre, greater variety may be obtained by placing the house somewhat at one side, as in Fig. 8. This affords better opportunity for decoration, the use of larger trees and shrubs, and greater extent of lawn. In places of larger area a central location may be more Ornamenting New Homes 19 desirable, as the balance of the picture or better symmetry is more readily obtained. Elevation of the House No more frequent mistake is made by builders than in the elevation of the house. It is very difficult for an inex- perienced person to judge how a house will look after the excavation has been made and the soil is brought up to a grade. The elevation should be such that there shall be perfect surface and sub-drainage, that all' surface water shall pass off quickly. The elevation must also be sufficient to secure a perfectly dry cellar. The view, too, must be considered, and it will be found that this is best when seen from a little above surrounding objects, and the beauty of the house and grounds is much increased if seen from a little below the level. The cost of excavation and filling is a matter that must be considered, and if the soil taken from the cellar is not sufficient to do the grading it must be obtained from the nearest source of supply of good material. Exposure of the House Whether the house shall be on the north, south, east, or west slope is a matter of great importance in our change- able climate. On the southern, southeasterly, or south- westerly slopes a little under a hill or in the lea of a shelter- ing grove, the fierce northwest winds, so common through- out the country, are greatly modified, but some of our most lovely views are often lost under such conditions, and it becomes a matter of serious moment which of the two con- ditions to adopt. Shelter is very easily provided, however, in a short time by planting trees of rapid growth. The location as related to the principal thoroughfare is a 20 Landscape Gardening matter that should receive attention. On the north side of a road leading east and west the front of the house will be open to the south, and the front rooms are thus exposed to the sun more fully than the rear rooms. If, however, more sunlight is desired in the rear rooms, a location on the south side of the street would be more satisfactory. Hall- ways and unoccupied rooms should be placed where there is the least sunlight. But whatever the exposure, the aim should be to obtain shelter if possible from the prevailing winds, to secure as much sunlight as possible and preserve the most beautiful views. Character of the Land The beauty that may be developed in any place depends largely upon the character of the land. If without char- acter, i.e., if perfectly flat and level, no marked or strong features can be obtained except at a greatly added cost. If, however, the land is uneven, with a valley here, a hill there, a ravine in one place or a mass of bold rocks in another, much more variety and much more beautiful views may be obtained. Whatever variety is obtained on a level building lot must be made by the contrast between the ornamental trees and shrubs and the architecture. Architecture In building a new house the architecture should be in keeping with the surroundings and within the means of the builder. The most unsatisfactory results are often shown where a large showy house is built in a quiet unpretentious place, or where the owner has put his last dollar into it and can do nothing toward decoration, but must leave the place in an unkempt and slovenly condition. Many a home is Ornamenting New Homes 21 built too large to be properly furnished or cared for, and thus becomes a source of anxiety and disappoint- ment. The simple, plain, well-built structure, with surround- ings neatly planted and kept up in a neat and finished manner, has more attractiveness, is more enjoyed by the occupants, and adds much more to the appearance of thrift and comfort of a community than the large showy build- ings without tasteful decoration and outside care. While beautiful trees and shrubs may be grown and artistic arrangement of all of the material for home decora- tion be just as well made about a dwelling that has no features of beauty in itself, more satisfactory results may be obtained if the buildings harmonize with the natural surroundings. If the buildings are already established, little can be done but adapt the decorations to their characteristics. Much greater beauty is added to the broad, low house by intro- ducing some slender, spiry trees than by using all low- spreading trees, while with the Gothic or other light, high styles of architecture many of the graceful and low-spread- ing trees may be grouped with some of the spiry kinds. In every case there must be a blending of the materials used for decoration with the architecture. Plans of the Home PLANS OF DWELLING-HOUSES So much is written at the present time on suburban architecture that no attempt will be made in this volume to give plans for such work. The reader is referred to the numerous works on the subject and to the many careful and well-elaborated plans to be found in our agricultural, horticultural, scientific, and literary papers which, with a 22 Landscape Gardening fair amount of taste in the decorative art and the assistance of a good builder, will enable one to decide understandingly what is needed and in many cases dispense with the expen- sive services of the professional architect. In cases, however, of extensive buildings of considerable cost it will be found economical to have a full detailed plan made by an experienced architect. With a full understand- ing of all of the needs of the family which are to occupy the dwelling, the skilled architect will be able to obtain desired results and save many mistakes that the inexperi- enced would be likely to make, often saving the owner many times the cost of a working plan. There is, however, a growing taste among our people for amateur architecture which should be encouraged, and many beautiful and well-arranged plans of all kinds of buildings have been produced by those about to build houses; and the pleasure experienced in building a house of one's own planning may more than counterbalance any saving in material or labor that might result from a plan made by a skilled architect. COST OF THE HOUSE It is the almost universal experience of those who build a house for the first time, especially those with limited means, that the cost largely exceeds the estimate, and this has led to the practice of adding 25 to 50 per cent to the estimate as it is ordinarily made. This deficiency may be accounted for generally by the fact that there are so many little things that go to make up the completed house that are overlooked or that are not incorporated in the builder's contract, and whenever a building is done by contract the most full and complete specifications should be made out. Where reliable, builders can be found who will look to the interest of the employer as well as their own, much more Ornamenting New Homes 23 satisfactory results may be obtained if the work is done by day labor than if by contract. The requirements for a healthful house are, first, GOOD DRAINAGE OF THE CELLAR A wet or even over-moist cellar is often the cause of much sickness and discomfort, for it serves not only as a place for the development of disease-germs, but also those that cause the decay of the woodwork and hasten the corrosion of any metal substances stored therein. It causes contraction and expansion of doors, windows, casings, and floors, and gives no end of trouble in many ways. From its long use for storing vegetables, etc., we have come to think that a cellar is almost a necessity, but it is not so much so at the present time as when almost every family put in a large supply of provisions for winter use. Now the provision-dealer puts in large supplies and is ready to deliver fresh vegetables and fruit in limited quantities every week, or even every day if desired. The cellar is useful in the modern house, however, not so much for storing winter supplies as for the location of the furance and the needed fuel. In the "good old times" our houses were heated by burning large quantities of wood in the fireplaces; then came the stove, one in each room; and finally we have come to centralizing all heating appara- tus in one furnace or boiler, which, until we come to the , condition where all heat can be supplied to our dwellings from outside central stations, either by steam, hot water, or electricity, is by far the most satisfactory arrangement we find now available. A well-drained cellar with a good furnace to dry out surplus moisture is a good place for storing fuel and other necessities, and is easily accessible for regulating the heat- supply. 24 Landscape Gardening In every case proper means should be provided for getting the coal and other fuel in and for taking out the accumu- lating ashes in such a way as not to necessitate crossing long distances of lawn with heavily loaded teams. The bulkhead or entrance into the cellar should therefore be located with this in view. As far as possible all vegetables and fruit should be stored in the cellar of some outbuilding or in some frostproof vegetable or fruit room above ground, and except for the furnace and the fuel-supply a cellar is not a necessity in building the modern house. Where perfect drainage can be obtained at little expense, under many conditions the cellar is desirable, and the space provided by its construction is much more cheaply obtained than in any other part of the building. Upon side-hills where basement rooms can be constructed, the space be- comes still more valuable for kitchen, laundry, and other purposes. The surface-drainage of all water from the roofs and all surrounding land should be first provided for by proper grading, so that it shall pass off quickly and without wash- ing of the soil. The water from the roof should never be allowed to fall from the eaves to the ground near the foun- dations, but should be conducted in pipes and gutters as far away as is possible. Where the slope is very abrupt from the house, underground conduits should be provided to prevent surf ace- washing. Subdrainage should be pro- vided along the inside of the cellar walls, and deep enough below the bottom to make it perfectly dry. If the soil outside is naturally wet or springy, a line of tile should be placed at such distance and depth as to make this satis- factory. With a cellar bottom thus drained outside and in, and carefully concreted with cement and sand, the most healthful condition possible will be provided. Ornamenting New Homes 25 PERFECT VENTILATION This is a very large subject to even touch upon in a work of this character and limit, but is one of so much impor- tance that no one who intends to build a home, however simple, should ignore it. The first condition to be provided is a large space for taking in pure and forcing out the impure air in sufficient quantities for healthy respiration of the inmates. This is best provided by having open fireplaces in each of the principal rooms, or by means of separate flues for the inlet of fresh air and egress of the foul air, a draft being created in the flues by heat produced by a lamp, a gas-jet, a coil from steam- or hot-water pipes of the boiler, or from a separate stack heater. Economy of fuel demands a close construction of the building by lining the walls with some non-conducting material like paper, building-felt, etc., and in very cold weather it is a matter requiring serious consideration how to heat the necessary amount of cold fresh air that we must have for health. The single thickness qf window around which so much fresh air would enter we pover with storm- sash, our doors we make close with weather-strips, and the only source of fresh-air supply must be through the cold- air box that leads into the furnace or ventilating flues. If this is sufficiently large and properly regulated, and a quick draft is made by the flue being heated with a fire, gas-jet, or hand-lamp in the grate or open fireplace, or a coil or other heating appliance in a separate flue, pure air will be constantly supplied; but if the cold-air box is kept closed and no adequate escape is provided, the closely built house becomes a place for the generation of disease and ill health. The most approved method of arranging the heat-supply and foul-air escape is to have the fprmer enter the room 26 Landscape Gardening near the ceiling and the latter to pass out near the floor in a separate flue on the same side, thus causing a full sweep and circulation of air in all parts of the room. If the heat enters on one side and passes out on the opposite side, the current of heated air may go directly across the room in a narrow current and the air at the sides of the room be imper- fectly renewed, HEATING THE HOUSE Steam, hot water, and hot-air furnaces are all largely used for heating dwellings, and each has strong advocates among practical and scientific men, but which of them will give the best results depends upon so many conditions that no attempt will be made to decide the question here. With either steam or hot water enclosed in coils or radiators separate systems of ventilation should be provided by the open fireplace or the separate flue. CONVENIENCE IN ARRANGEMENT OF ROOMS In many homes the loved inmates are often in a few years forced to travel many unnecessary miles or suffer great inconvenience because of the poor arrangement of the important rooms of the house. The house should be adapted in every way to the conditions of the inmates. If the housework is to be done by members of the family, the kitchen and dining-room should be easily accessible to the sitting- or living-room, and every possible arrangement for comfort and ease of doing the work should be provided. If servants are to be employed, and such often becomes a necessity, with the modern condition of living, then the kitchen should be as remote from the sitting-room as is possible to avoid odors and noise, but both kitchen and sitting-room should be easily accessible to the dining-room Ornamenting New Homes 27 It is the practice of most of our people to build too high. The house with most of the rooms on the first floor has a hominess and brooding character that is especially adapted to country life, and much time and effort are often saved to the inmates by this style of building, though perhaps the cost of building a given number of rooms may be some- what increased. In locations where the land is low and fogs and dampness are prevalent and where land is expensive the two- or even three-story building may be advisable. An abundance of shelf- and closet-room should be con- sidered as important as large rooms. Neatness, order, and economy of time are thus encouraged in all of the inmates by having a convenient place for everything and keeping everything in proper condition in its proper place. There should be an abundance of shed- and storage room in the outbuildings for the general comfort of all and for keeping up the necessary outside work of the home. Sunlight in every room of the house is necessary for good health and should be provided for by the location and architecture of the house. In the square-box house, though undoubtedly the cheap- est to build, some of the rooms will receive but little sunlight. But by arranging the rooms in more or less of the cross form, or by the addition of wings, bay windows, etc., the fullest amount of sunlight can be obtained. ,- The recent improvements in styles of dwellings and the adoption of large or numerous windows are steps in the right direction. With the present low price of glass, and sash and doors made so cheaply as they are in our large factories, large windows and many of them to provide an abundance of light need not add materially to the first cost of a dwelling, and by the use of storm-windows during the winter little or no increase in cost of heating need be ex- perienced. 28 Landscape Gardening PLUMBING Every possible attention should be given to the plumb- ing and sanitary arrangements of the house and outbuild- ings; the limits of this book, however, will not allow of an extended disqussion of the subject. The reader is referred to the many books written by practical men and women on this subject, such as "Home" Sanitation," by Mrs. Ellen M. Richards and Marion Talbot; " Sanitary Drainage of Houses and Towns" and "Principles and Practice of House Drain- age," and other works of Geo. E. Waring, Jr.; "Women Plumbers and Doctors," by Mrs. H. M. Plunkett, and many other works on the subject of house-drainage and plumbing should be carefully studied. The work of plumbing requires much skill and patience, and only skilful and practical men should be employed to do this very important work. The "plumber's bill" is proverbial, and the complaint often made against their exorbitant charges are in some cases founded upon facts, but there probably are as many honest men in the plumbing business as in many other lines of work. To have a nice, thoroughly fitted job of plumbing done requires time and the best material, together with skill on the part of the workmen, all of which are expensive. CHAPTER III PREPARATION OF THE LAND IN the preceding chapters the requirements of the house and other conditions have been discussed in a general way, and it now becomes necessary for us to take up in detail the preparation of the soil for the growth of the various kinds of trees, shrubs, and plants used for the outside ornamentation of the home. Before any decoration of the grounds can be begun the house must have been finished and the debris removed from the land. It must be fully understood that upon few, if any, places can there be found all of the varieties of soils necessary for the growth of all of the ornamental material that it may be desirable to grow, and often it will be neces- sary to procure from outside sources such materials as are needed to improve it. In many cases, however, we find the soil well adpated, with slight additions, to the growth of all the kinds of trees, shrubs, and plants that it is desirable to grow, in which case the cost of preparation is much reduced. Preliminary Grading When the excavation is made for the cellar, the surface- soil should be scraped to one side and the subsoil to another, that the former may be used to make the surface-covering over any places that may have been deeply filled in with poor material. Whenever fills are to be made of consider- able depth, as the foundation of the drives and walks, 29 30 Landscape Gardening basins and valleys, the surface-soil, if it is needed or can be utilized, should be first shovelled or scraped to one side and then be graded over such coarse material as may be used for this filling. The surface should slope away in all directions from the house, so that there shall be no surface-water standing at any time during the year within several yards of it, and in no place on the lawn should there be basins where the water shall stand for any length of time after heavy showers, or during heavy rains or melting snows in the winter and spring. In the latter case, especially if ice is formed upon the lawn, the grass will often be smothered (winter-killed) or drowned out, so that much labor will be required to reseed and bring it into good condition again. Thorough and deep underdraining will in a measure overcome this diffi- culty, but when the ground is frozen water will stand on the surface, the grass will be killed out, and a growth of wild grasses and weeds often come in that it is almost impossible to eradicate. The preliminary grading should be done as soon after the completion of the house as possible, that the land may become perfectly settled before sowing the grass-seed or setting the trees and shrubs. Obtaining the Grade To obtain the desired smooth grade, flowing outline, and curve of surface, where the services of the skilled civil engineer is not available, various expedients are resorted to. Many persons with a quick eye, trained to detect uneven- ness of surface or irregularity and unsymmetry of form, can obtain very good results without the aid of any instru- ments, but the majority will be obliged to call to their aid at least the carpenter's or mason's level and more or less small stakes. With this instrument resting on a box or Preparation of the Land 31 block with a broad base, one may obtain the levels at impor- tant points on the ground, and then by stretching strings from stake to stake, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, easily judge of the comparative height of each point, and make up the IB FIG. 9. — Illustrating Methods of Obtaining Grade. FIG. 10. — Illustrating Methods of Obtaining Grade. grade-lines and mark on the stake the necessary depth of fill or excavation to be made at each stake. In all this work the different grade-lines must be made to blend together so as to form a pleasing whole. Where the land is rough and more or less covered with 32 Landscape Gardening stones and stumps or the roots of large growing trees, much hand labor must be resorted to, spading and digging up the soil about the rocks, filling in with good soil where the surface-soil is poor and shallow, and rounding and smooth- ing up to the required grade. If the roots of living trees FIG. ii.— A "Well" about Tree with Roots Deeply Covered. are near the surface, deep working must be avoided, but where feasible a covering of six to eight inches of good soil over these roots will often prove the cheapest way of making a good surface for the lawn. Deeper covering than this must be avoided, as it often results in the death of the FIG. 12. — Illustrates Covering the Roots on Only One Side. trees. If it becomes necessary to cover deeper than the above, a "well" should be made about the trunk, as in Fig. n, until the roots have had time to work to the sur- face. This well may be from 4 to 8 feet in diameter, accord- ing to the size of the tree and depth of covering. After Preparation of the Land 33 two or three seasons of growth, when the roots have worked through the soil to the surface, this space may be filled in with safety. If the covering of soil is over only a part of the roots of the tree, as in Fig. 12, the roots coming to the surface on one side, little injury need be feared unless there is a great depth of soil about the trunk, in which case the "well" should be made. It is very difficult to make grass grow to great perfection under the shade of trees and where the tree-roots fill the ground, and the main dependence must be on surface-dress- ing with rich soil or compost and frequent seeding. The Lawn Upon no one thing does so much depend in making beautiful home grounds as upon a good lawn, and after the buildings and the preliminary grading are completed come the smoothing up and preparation of the soil for the grass carpet or "groundwork" of the home-picture, with- out which no picture, whether on canvas or made of living plant-growths, is complete. A good lawn cannot be made except on a rich soil, and if this is not the natural character of the land in hand the first thing to do is to make it rich and as deep as possible. MANURING THE LAWN Where the land is free from stumps, stones, or other obstructions, a liberal dressing — from 10 to 15 cords per acre — of rich compost should be ploughed under as deep as possible. If the land is full of tree-roots and large rocks, this material must be spaded in or worked into the surface in some way. In addition to the above application 2 or 3 cords of well-decomposed fine compost, or from J to i ton 34 Landscape Gardening per acre of any of the standard lawn fertilizers should be thoroughly worked in upon the surface. While commercial fertilizers alone often give good results, the effect of a heavy coating of stable manure is such as to make the land less subject to drouth. Fertilizers containing substances like nitrate of soda, muriate of potash, etc., should be used with caution, as they often injure the young grass plants. More failures in lawn-making come from a scanty supply of plant-food in the soil than from any other reason, and the poorer the soil the more liberal must be the supply of plant-food used. FIG. 13. — Improper Grading about Dwelling. MAKING THE SURFACE After the fertilizing-materials have been applied the land should be thoroughly worked and smoothed until a perfect seed-bed is obtained. In grading away from buildings a perfect level should be avoided. Fig. 13 illustrates a very unnatural and unsatis- factory grade, for the reason that the surface-water will not readily pass away, while the rounded surface that might be as well produced is much more natural and beautiful. If graded to a curved line running from the base of the build- Preparation of the Land 35 ing in this figure to the outer edge of the lot, much more pleasing results would be obtained. The perfectly flat surface is scarcely ever found in nature except on the surface of water or boggy lowlands, and is very FIG. 14. — Well-graded Lawn. difficult to ornament. The terrace also in the middle of Fig. 13 is an unnatural feature, and hard to keep in perfect condition. In Fig. 14 is shown a well-graded surface with flowing outline. The effect of a level or flat surface is to give the impression of limited extent, while the rounded 36 Landscape Gardening surface, as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, gives the impression of greater extent. The last figure illustrates a steeper grade FIG. 15. — Grading to Curved Surface, than is shown by Fig. 13, but even with the same grade or slope a much more pleasing effect is produced and the ground FIG. 1 6. — Grading to Curved Surface. made much more susceptible to beautiful decoration. Figs. 1 6 and 17 still further illustrate the receding and FIG. 1 7. — Grading to Curved Surface. rounded outlines desirable even if the grade be very great. In Fig. 17 greater variety of surface is produced, affording the appearance of much greater extent. Preparation of the Land 37 SETTLING THE SOIL To obtain a perfectly even, smooth surface, the land should be raked, then rolled, the depressions made by the roller filled up, then raked again, and this work repeated until a satisfactory surface and a good seed-bed are obtained. All trees and shrubs should, if possible, be planted before the grass-seed is sown. If planting cannot be done at this time, it should be delayed until the grass has become well established; otherwise the lawn will be very much cut up in the process of planting. LAWN GRASSES Only those grasses that make a fine spreading growth, i.e., tiller or spread by underground stems, give good results in lawn-making. The best kinds for general purposes are the bent grasses or redtop (Agrostis alba, A. mdgaris, and A. stolonifera) and June-grass or Kentucky blue-grass (Poa pratensis), all of which spread rapidly by underground stems, that quickly fill up any vacant spaces between the grass- plants and thus prevent the growth of weeds. They also succeed on a greater variety of soils than almost any other varieties. On very light land and under shade of trees there might be added to the above the wire-grass (Poa compressa) and sheep's fescue-grass (Festuca ovina) and its varieties, although the latter grows somewhat in tufts. White clover (Trifolium repens) is generally used in making a lawn, as it grows close to the ground and fills up all spaces not occupied by the grassroots, thus preventing the growth of weeds. None of the coarser grasses, like timothy (Phleum pratense), orchard-grass (Dactylis glomerata), tall fescue (Festuca elatior), and rye-grass (Lolium perenne), have been found satisfactory by the author except where immediate effect is of more importance than a permanent and fine lawn. 38 Landscape Gardening TIME FOR SEEDING While the spring is the best time in which to seed a new lawn, it may be done at any time if the proper conditions of moisture can be obtained. A very large amount of manure or fertilizer and a moist condition of the soil will enable one to seed a lawn successfully at almost any time of the year, but these conditions are not so certainly secured at any other time as in the spring. In fall seeding, unless done very early, the young plantlets are likely to be thrown out by the frosts and a second seeding be required in the spring. Another reason why spring is better than sum- mer for seeding is that weed-seeds do not grow so readily and abundantly at this time. Coarse stable manure should never be used upon the surface of the land, because as it is usually unfermented, it contains much live weed seed which will immediately start into growth; but, if turned deeply under, nothing can be better to hold the moisture in the soil and encourage deep rooting of the grasses. QUANTITY OF SEED REQUIRED The amount of seed to be used will depend somewhat upon the season when sown and the probable amount of weed-seeds in the soil that will germinate with the grass- seed. When sown in April, May, or September, less seed should be used than if sown in June, July, or August, and more seed will be needed when the land is full of weed- seeds than when it is comparatively free from such pests. It is always best to use an abundance of seed, as there may be some uncertainty of its all germinating. Perhaps the quantity per acre that will give the best results under the average conditions is 2 bu. of bent-grass, i.e., red-top or its varieties, 2 bu. of June-grass, and 10 Ibs. of white Preparation of the Land 39 clover. One-half of this quantity would be sufficient if it all was certain to germinate and if no weed-seeds started into growth. SOWING THE SEED After the land has been made perfectly smooth and fine by raking, rolling, and reraldng the seed should be divided into two or more lots. The first lot is then sown in strips or lands, as evenly over the surface as is possible, and then raked in, taking care not to move the soil from place to place, thus bunching up the grass-seed with it. The second lot of seed is then sown in strips crossing the land at right angles to the first sowing, thus securing the most even distribution of the seed possible. A rake with long teeth set about 2 inches apart is better than the common iron-toothed garden-rake. If nothing better can be obtained, the common wooden hay-rake will be found to work well. It is the general practice to roll the ground with the garden-roller after the seed is sown, but in extremely hot and dry weather, while the soil may be more thoroughly firmed about the seed by rolling, the smooth rolled surface leaves the young seedling so much exposed to the action of burning sun and drying winds that if a good seed bed has been made grass often does better if the surface is not rolled at all. BORDERING WALKS AND DRIVES WITH TURF Before the seed is sown, if the edges of walks and drives, flower beds, etc., are bordered with strips of fine turf on each side, much after labor will be saved, for it is very difficult to trim up the edges of a newly seeded lawn without destroy- ing much of the grass; and until the walk is completed and well settled there is more or less danger that the outline will 40 Landscape Gardening be changed or edges defaced by passage over them. Water is necessary to make a perfect lawn on thin soil, but watering a newly seeded lawn, unless the water is applied in a very fine mist, will do harm rather than good, as the surface is so com- pacted that evaporation is greatly increased. When water- ing an established lawn the water should be applied with a very fine nozzle and enough applied to wet down to the lower grass roots. If only an inch or two of the surface is wet the grass roots will grow toward the surface and be more injured if dry weather continues. LAWN MADE OF TURF Where fine, close turf composed of desirable grasses can be obtained, if the area is not very extensive, this is the best way to establish a good lawn. It has the advantage that it may be done with perfect success during the hottest weather, or at any time when the ground can be worked. The land should be as carefully levelled up and settled as for seeding and be made equally rich if the best results are desired, though a turf may be formed in this way on very poor soil, but it will soon run out under such condi- tions. In laying the turf it should be very firmly pounded down and settled into the soft soil under it; otherwise it soon dries up in times of drouth. If turf is not abundant, it may be laid in strips one or two feet apart and the inter- vening space be seeded, when the roots from these strips will spread and a compact turf soon be formed over the whole ground. Turf will grow better if it is laid so that after settling it is J of an inch below the grade, as water is better held and fine soil will soon fill the surface up to the grade. Great care must be exercised on a newly seeded lawn that it is not cut up or disfigured by walking over it or allowing teams or animals on its surface. The lawn-mower should Preparation of the Land 41 not be allowed upon it until the turf has become sufficiently firm to prevent the wheels from cutting in while turning the corners. The first two or three cuttings should be done with the hand-scythe or grass-hook. (Note turf on lawn in Fig. 14, p. 35.) CLIPPING THE LAWN Frequent clipping of the lawn, especially during the cool weather of spring and early fall, is necessary to make a fine close turf and allowing all of the clippings to fall on the ground to decay is the "perfection of cultivation." The lawn-mower should be run at least once each week, and in case of very warm moist weather it may be necessary to run it twice or more. If the grass becomes so tall and heavy that the clippings do not settle down at once among the growing blades, it should be caught in the basket attached to the mower or be raked up and car- ried away; for if a heavy growth is allowed to lie on the ground the roots of the grasses, are often destroyed dur- ing hot moist weather, and weeds will be prompt to start in their place. Clipping should be frequent enough that it may settle down among the grass plants. The modern improvements in lawn-mowers leave but little to be desired in the line of perfection, but which of the many machines is the best is a question I shall not attempt to settle here. The horse mower is a great-labor-saving machine where large areas are to be cut, though it is not always possible to do as good work as is done by the hand-mowers, and the tracks made by the horse, unless lawnshoes are worn, seriously disfigure a soft or newly made lawn. To enable the mower to run up close to shrubbery and borders to cut the grass so that no hand-clipping need be done, we have practised taking out a circle of turf about one foot from the trunk of trees or the edge of a clump of shrubs and 42 Landscape Gardening borders. This enables the machine to take all of the grass clean and leaves nothing for the grass-hook to cut. (See Specimen Lilac.) (Fig. 134, p. 238). DRESSING AND RENEWING THE LAWN Frequent dressings of fine compost or special fertilizers in the fall or spring are necessary to keep any lawn in good condition, and especially if on poor soil or under the shade of large trees, whose roots take up the plant-food in the soil with great rapidity. Covering the lawn with coarse manure in the fall, to lie more or less exposed to view, is very objectionable and unnecessary, as a fine compost is equally effective in pro- ducing good growth and gives off no offensive odors. Quickly soluble fertilizer, like nitrate of soda, sulphate of ammonia, muriate or sulphate of potash, and acid phosphate may be used in limited quantities — from 100 to 200 Ibs. per acre on an established lawn; but on a new one these salts cannot be safely used unless thoroughly mixed with the soil some time before seeding. Fine-ground bone, fine fish, cotton- seed meal and basic slag in place of the nitrates may be safely used under any conditions with no fear of injury to the roots or leaves of the young grasses. In place of acid phlsphate, basic slag may be used 400 to 800 Ibs. per acre. Special lawn-fertilizers, manufactured by nearly all of the large fertilizer-dealers, are composed of materials well suited to make a rapid growth of lawn-grasses, but the same elements used in their unmixed condition will cost very much less and give equally good results. The quickly soluble fertilizing-materials, i.e., salts of ammonia, soda, and potash, should be sown just as growth is beginning in the spring, while the less soluble, i.e., bone, fish, cotton-seed, basic slag, etc., may be sown in the fall or during the winter. Preparation of the Land 43 RESEEDING THE LAWN Fertilizing-materials alone will not keep the lawn in per- fect condition, but grass-seed should be frequently sown and raked in with the compost or fertilizers. Perhaps the best time to sow this seed is in August, nature's natural seeding-time, and in the early spring just as the frost is working out of the ground. The quantity to be used may vary from one to two bushels of seed per acre, scattering it most freely where the soil is the poorest or where weeds are most likely to come into the lawn. If a heavy roller is run over the established lawn surface after the seed and fertilizers have been sown, the seed will germinate more quickly and there cannot be any injury from its use as there would be on land newly seeded. CHAPTER IV TREES— THEIR PLANTING AND CARE THE lawn may be considered the canvas upon which the home-picture is to be made, and trees and shrubs, together with the buildings, make up the most important materials to be used in the work, and no comfortable or beautiful home can be made without them. No country can boast of so many beautiful trees and shrubs as the United States, and, with the addition of the choicest species and varieties from many countries now offered by our nurserymen, we have the greatest wealth of material for the most elaborate work of home decoration. In Chapter X will be found a brief description of the most desirable trees and shrubs for growth in the United States, giving special conditions required for perfect growth of each kind, to which the reader is referred. Shade Needed about the Home Some shade about the house is an absolute necessity for comfort during the hot days of our summer months, and much shelter may be afforded by them during our bleak and stormy winters. But, more than this, they are neces- sary in many places to cover up unsightly or unpleasant objects, without covering up desirable views, to form back- grounds for other ornamental materials, and also for their own individual beauty and the variety they afford in their varying shades of color and form. What beautiful shades and tints of color may be found in the foliage of different trees and in the same trees at different seasons of the year, 44 Trees — Their Planting and Gare 45 and when skilfully arranged and blended together what beautiful pictures may be made with them! Some of our trees produce beautiful flowers, others beauti- fully colored leaves; some take the spiry form, and others grow with well-rounded outline; some grow with a spread- ing or graceful habit, while others are close and massive in their build; some have thick and compact foliage, while others are provided with light and airy leaves; — and the true lover of nature will find much pleasure in the study of the numberless forms and varieties, and especially in arrang- ing them so as to obtain the most real beauty possible. A Plan Before any planting is done a plan of arrangement must be decided upon. As with plans for dwellings, much good work can be and is done by amateurs in making plans for ornamental planting, but unless one has made considerable study of the materials to be used and the results to be obtained by their combination, and has investigated all of the points as to the special requirements of soil, planting, training, etc., of each species or variety, the advice of an expert should be sought. While in making plans for the arrangement of ornamental trees, shrubs, etc., the money paid to a skilled landscape- gardener for a detailed plan often saves many times this amount, I would not discourage the study of the landscape art by advising every one to have a plan made by a trained landscape engineer; for the more general the knowledge among our people there can be upon any subject the better it will be for the whole community, while the monopoly of any line of education or knowledge by the few is a crime and an injury to the people as a whole; and many an ama- teur has been able to produce results that have not been reached by members of the profession. 46 Landscape Gardening Dwelling under a Large Tree The details of the plan of arrangement and what trees and how many to use must be largely settled by the require- ments of the place to be decorated and the conditions and tastes of the owner. On grounds of considerable extent FIG. 18. — Dwelling under a Large Oak. with an abundance of space large broad spreading trees in considerable variety can be used, while in the village lot few, if any, large trees are desirable. Yet under some con- ditions a single large tree not far from the dwelling, even on a small lot, may be productive of much comfort and pleasure, and, while very little variety may be obtained, the effect is often one of real beauty, Trees — Their Planting and Care 47 Improving Established Trees In Chapter VII brief reference is made to the treatment of trees already on the grounds. These, if large, should be very carefully considered, and not a single healthy FIG. 19. FIG. 20. FIGS. 19, 20.— Trees as Often Found by the Roadside. tree be destroyed unless for a positively good reason; for the most quickly growing trees that we have will not reach the size to afford much shade until they are fifteen to twenty years of age, and if what we have already growing are not quite what we wish we may preserve them until such a time as other and more desirable trees have grown up to take their place. Fig. 20 shows a perfect young tree. The condition of those trees often found growing by the 48 Landscape Gardening roadside, especially where they have grown closely together, is generally such that severe trimming and some training may be necessary to bring them up to the most beautiful and perfect condition; but trees with sound trunks and good roots in good soil even though large and ill-shaped may be made ornamental. Figs. 19, 22, and 23 illustrate trees as they are often found, growing by the road- FIG. 21. FIG. 22. FIG. 23. FIGS. 21-23. — Trees as Often Found on Building-lots. side or pastures, and the dotted lines a show where they should be cut or headed back to give them the proper start to renew their growth. Fig. 21 shows a very tall tree with branches and leaves so far from the ground that when the foliage is covered with moisture or the shoots with ice or snow it may be injured by bending to the ground; when if cut as shown at a to the height desired and a leader encour- aged to form the centre of the growth, with laterals at Trees — Their Planting and Care 49 intervals of from six to ten inches apart, as perfect a tree will be formed as if grown from seed in full exposure or obtained from the nursery (see Fig. 20). When cut off in this way, the branches should not be allowed to grow in a cluster at the top, as in Fig. 25, thus forming a fork which is sure, sooner or later, to break down from weight of foliage, crowding of branches, or ice and snow. Many trees grow up / FIG. 24. FIG. 25. FIG. 26. FIG. 24. — Trees as Often Found on Building-lots. FIG. 25. — Clustered Growth of Branches. FIG. 26. — Lines for the Proper Trimming of Fig. 25. with forked branches not very far from the ground, as shown in Figs. 22 and 23, which when they reach large size will split down and thus ruin the whole tree. In this case the smaller of the two forked, branches should be cut away at line a, the head be cut back if needed, and a perfectly formed tree will be the result. This fork is sometimes near the ground and (Fig. 22) the sooner one of the trunks (Fig. 23) is cut 50 Landscape Gardening away the better. In Fig. 19 is shown a one-sided tree, which may be put into condition to make a good form by cutting off the branches at the lines a, when with full exposure to air and sunlight it will take an upright symmetrical growth. Pruning Old Trees Fig. 27 illustrates an old tree which has been severely pruned. Before pruning, long straggling branches were FIG. 27.— An Old Tree Headed Back. exposed to the hot sun and drying winds and the sap so retarded that very little new growth could be made. If these branches be headed back as shown in the figure, a new growth will soon be sent out, the trunk and branches soon be clothed and protected, and the form much improved. The best instance of the success of this kind of pruning to which I can call the reader's attention may be seen at the Trees — Their Planting and Care 51 Arnold Arboretum at Jamaica Plains, Mass., where under the skilful management of Prof. C. S. Sargent and Jackson Dawson, the large, more or less unsymmetrical forest trees upon the grounds when the planting of other trees began have become most beautiful and symmetrical trees. Covering Wounds Whenever large branches are cut off or wounds are made upon the trunk or branches, the injured part should be thickly covered over with asphaltum or linseed-oil paint. This will prevent very rapid decay of the wood, and when grown over the injured parts will remain comparatively sound for many years. Selection of Varieties In the selection of varieties the inexperienced especially must give the matter very careful consideration. Depend- ence cannot be placed on the often exaggerated descriptions found in the average nurseryman's catalogue. Especially is this true of new varieties, for no one can tell just how they will do under differing conditions and what insects or diseases may be found to destroy them as they grow toward maturity; and nothing should be planted, in the main features of the place at least, which has not been fully tested under many varying conditions. New and untried things should, if planted at all, be put where they may be replaced, should they fail, without injury to the main features of the grounds. , With the large numbers of parks, arboretums, and exten- sive planting on large estates, and especially the experiment- stations in all of our States, any one can learn what are desirable trees and shrubs for any given locality, and there 52 Landscape Gardening is no need for taking any risk in planting ornamental grounds with untried varieties. In selecting the varieties best adapted to one's own locality a few visits to some of the above-mentioned places, a careful inspection of such as may be found growing in the vicinity, and a study of their adaptability to the various kinds of soil will enable one to make a satisfactory selec- tion. Size of Trees The size to which different kinds of trees will grow must be fully understood, although this will vary very much with the condition of the soil in which they are planted. While young they occupy but little space, and the desire to have enough planted to give immediate effect often leads to too close planting. The larger the space to be decorated the more and larger trees may be used and the greater variety obtained. The reader is again urged to study carefully the descrip- tions in Chapter X. Distance for Planting Specimen trees should never be planted so closely that they will touch, even when fully grown; but if grouped for the formation of a grove, for dense shade, close planting is advisable, and the more closely planted the taller will they grow and the fewer will be the lower branches. While of small size it may be well to plant closely for immediate effect, removing the least desirable specimens before they touch so as to injure the more valuable. For avenues, for shade of walks and drives, the distance should be such as to give full development and yet produce the desired shade. Trees — Their Planting and Care 53 If the walk or roadway-space is narrow, the distance lengthwise may be much greater than across the space, as in Fig. 28. For the large-growing trees, like the elm and oak, and in deep, strong soil, 50 feet is about the best distance for roadside shade, and for the maples, poplars, tulip-tree, etc., not less than 30 to 40 feet. If shade is desired more quickly than can be obtained by full growth, the trees may be set out at half the above distances, and then when they come together so as to endanger the beauty of all every other one may be cut out. The great danger of this practice, however, is that we are liable to neglect the desired thinning out until too late. If this close planting is practised, it FIG. 28. — Arrangement of Trees on Narrow Streets, Drives, or Walks. must be borne in mind that two or more trees planted on a given space will require more plant-food and more care than one, but, on the other hand, in very exposed places one may serve more or less as a shelter for the others, and thus a better growth be obtained than if but one were planted. Where to Obtain Trees With the large number of good nurseries in the country no one need find any difficulty in obtaining good trees for planting. Other things being equal, the nearer home the trees are obtained the better, as there is a great deal of risk to run in buying trees from distant nurseries on account of the danger from injury by delay in transportation. If one is skilled in caring for trees in the nursery, small 54 Landscape Gardening seedlings or grafted trees may be obtained a few years before they are needed, and when ready for planting they will be in the most perfect condition for successful growth, as they may be dug one at a time and be planted with the least possible exposure of the roots to the air. The work of plant- ing also can then be done at the proper time. Much pleasure may be derived from this work in watching the growth of the young trees started from seed or very young grafted stock, and in training them into proper forms. Good specimens of the elm, maple, and other deciduous trees, and some of the evergreens, may often be dug from pastures and roadsides with success and if properly treated will make a satisfactory growth. The oaks, hickories, and others having a long tap-root and but a few fibres need to be dug around one or two seasons before transplanting, cutting a trench 2 feet deep and a foot wide and filling it in with good soil. This will cause fine roots to grow and then the trees can be more successfully transplanted. Time for Planting In light land not too much exposed to drying winds and in climates where the growth of the trees matures early the fall is the best time to transplant most of our decidu- ous trees, but in places much exposed to sweeping winds or in heavy soils much injury is often done to fall-set trees by this exposure. Except under the above favorable conditions spring is by far the most favorable season for transplanting. This should be done as early as possible, but not until the soil will work up fine and mellow. If possible, the trees should be on the ground ready for transplanting at the earliest possible moment, and if ordered from distant nurseries the order should be sent in in time for prompt and early shipment. If the orders are sent Trees — Their Planting and Care 55 during the rush of shipment, there are many chances for delays, and more injury will result from delay at this time than if shipped early in the season. If purchased in the fall and carefully heeled in in rather light, well-drained soil, a considerable part of the trunk covered with soil, and the tops protected by pine boughs or some other light airy covering, they will keep in perfect condition and be ready for planting at the earliest possible moment in the spring. Evergreens may be transplanted with success at any time of the year from April to December, when the ground will work up fine and mellow, if the weather is wet and soil moist; but in July and August there is often danger from drouth, and in November the ground often freezes up before the soil has become fully settled about the roots, therefore these months are not so desirable for transplanting as April, May and June. For transplanting evergreens a moist day, just after an abundant rain, gives the most perfect condi- tions. Perhaps the most favorable conditions for trans- planting evergreens will be found in the months of May and June. Preparation of the Soil Without a good soil properly prepared no one should expect to make newly transplanted trees grow satisfactorily. If the land is smooth and free from rocks, the subsoiling and manuring done when fitting the land for the lawn will be sufficient for a good growth of the trees, but if it has not been worked in this way special preparation must be given the soil for the roots of each tree. In a naturally rich soil, if the subsoil is worked up and partly replaced by the surface-soil, and good enriched soil be worked in around the roots, a vigorous growth may be expected; but if the soil be poor, some fine compost must be put in around them. 56 Landscape Gardening Unfermented manures in large quantities, or fertilizers containing the salts of potash or soda, should never be placed in contact with the roots, but, if used at all, should be spread on and worked into the surface-soil. The space to be prepared for the roots of each tree should be considerably larger than the spread of the roots, varying the size according to the soil; the poorer the soil the larger should be the space that is broken up. Where large holes are needed in hard rocky soil, dynamite may be used with success in making them. Digging Trees for Transplanting More trees die from injury received in digging than from any other cause, and the greatest care must be exercised in this work, as so much of the success in transplanting depends upon how well the work is done. Without a good root system, no matter how favorable the other conditions are, there can be but little growth. In digging the trees the first thing to be done is to remove the surface-soil down to the roots and then to cut a trench around the tree at a distance of from i to 4 feet, according to its size. With young trees, or those that have been transplanted once or more, cutting down with a sharp spade in a circle around the trunk will be all that is neces- sary, when, with the aid of a strong spade on each side and a strong man to pull, the tree may be loosened from the soil with a good supply of roots. If the trees be large, the soil must be removed from the trench to the depth of the low- est roots, which will be from one to two feet, and the roots be then loosened under the ball and freed from the soil, until the ball can be lifted from the hole or raised upon planks to be mounted on a stone-boat or low truck for moving it to the place of transplanting. Trees — Their Planting and Care 57 Sometimes this moving can be done best in the winter, the trench about the tree being dug in the fall and the ball allowed to freeze, when it can be more easily handled. But if proper care is exercised no difficulty need be experi- enced in moving large trees either in the fall or spring. Trees with trunks a foot or more in diameter may be moved if an excavation is made under the root system and a large ball of earth is taken up with the roots. To move such trees requires great expense, and appliances of screws and lifting-apparatus for raising and moving many tons of soil. Pruning Trees for Transplanting No matter how carefully a tree may be dug, many of the roots will be injured, and with trees that have been dug several weeks, as they often are when purchased from a considerable distance, nearly all of the feeding-roots are destroyed, and can supply but a small amount of sap to replace the moisture that evaporates from the large number of branches and buds, so that growth starts very slowly or the trees fail entirely. By removing some of the branches and buds in proportion to the injury of the roots a balance is created. Considerable heading in of the top should be done even if there are but few roots injured and only a small surface of branches and buds to be supplied with sap, for there will be a much better chance of the remaining buds starting, and these will grow with greater vigor than if no pruning were done. (See Fig. 24.) After a few strong active leaves have been grown vigorous new cells will be formed rapidly, instead of the weak sickly growth of the unpruned tree. Figs. 24 and 26 illustrate small trees properly pruned for planting, the dotted lines showing where the cuts should be made, 58 Landscape Gardening The Proper Height of Branches Pruning too at the time of transplanting is often neces- sary in order to start the branches at the desired height. If low-branching trees are desired, it is often necessary to head them in severely from the top, as in Fig. 21. This is especially the case with trees taken from swamps, pas- tures, and roadsides. If all the branches are cut off to a "bean-pole" condition, as is often done with very tall and top-heavy trees, much care must be exercised that the branches do not all come out nearly at one point, as in Fig. 25. A leader should always be started, as shown in Figs. 20 and 26; and the laterals must grow slowly and at considerable distance apart to prevent the formation of forks that will split down when the trees are heavily loaded with snow or ice. The height at which the main branches shall be started depends upon the surrounding conditions. For covering avenues or walks a height that will clear the heads of pedestrians when the branches are weighted with rain or snow is sufficient; and for a drive a height that will clear any carriage or loaded team that may be driven under them is sufficiently high, unless it is desirable to get views or vistas under the branches through to pleasing objects. With trees from the nursery less pruning is needed than if taken from the woods or roadside, as their root system is generally more compact, owing to transplanting and culti- vation; but it will be better to prune as much as is neces- sary to start the tree in proper shape, cutting out all shoots not in proper position to form a satisfactory head, and short- ening in all of the permanent shoots, always preserving and encouraging a leader whether the tree be naturally a round or conical-formed one; but this applies more especially to all avenue trees, which should be kept growing most vigorously Trees — Their Planting and Care 59 at the centre or top. In Figs. 24 and 26 the dotted lines illustrate where the cuts should be made. Pruning the Roots All ends of roots that are broken or injured in digging should be pared with a sharp knife to facilitate the forma- tion of new roots, and when large branches are cut off the wounds should be painted over with some waterproof cover- ing, like shellac, grafting-wax, asphaltum or linseed-oil paint, to prevent decay. Evergreen trees are not generally pruned much at trans- planting, but they will be benefited by some shortening in of the end branches, cutting out all but one leader, and removing any branches that are not needed to produce a symmetrical form. Planting the Tree No matter how well the soil may be prepared, how fresh the trees may be when received, or how well they may have been prepared for planting, if the work of planting is not properly done, they may fail to grow at all or grow so poorly as to give little satisfaction. Many failures in tree-planting result from the slovenly and imperfect way in which the work is done, and the nurserymen are too often blamed for the failures. In planting, the roots of all trees should have a fine mellow bed of good soil, which should be pressed firmly into contact with every fibre, leaving no air-spaces around any of them, and every one should be spread out in a natural position and so that no two shall touch each other. Imme- diately in contact with these roots good soil should be very firmly pressed with the foot or a tamper, so that new roots will be encouraged to start out at the earliest possible moment. 60 Landscape Gardening The late Peter Henderson, than whom there have been few, if any, more successful growers of all kinds of plants and trees, tells a story in one of his catalogues illustrating the benefit from the firm pressure of the soil about the roots. "A lady to whom he had sold some rose bushes wrote to him about the condition of her plants after she had spent much time in planting and caring for them, stating that only one out of a dozen had lived, and that one her husband, who weighed 240 Ibs., had accidentally stepped upon soon after planting." It is also sometimes said that the "heaviest man or the one with the largest feet is the best man to plant trees." Too much pressure may be given to the soil about the roots in planting, but generally the error is in the opposite direction. To crowd the soil under and around the roots and press it firmly, a pointed stick is often better than the foot. In planting, the tree is placed in the hole at the same depth it grew in the nursery if the soil is of the same char- acter, a little deeper if it is lighter, and perhaps a little nearer the surface if heavier, and after carefully spreading out the roots it is ready for the covering. Only fine, mod- erately rich soil should be used for filling in around the roots, and this should be carefully worked into placed with the hands and firmly pressed, until all the roots are covered two or three inches deep, when the work may be completed by treading down and tamping, taking care that the bark of the roots is not injured in the process. After the fine soil to the depth of three or four inches is firmly pressed in place that remaining is thrown loosely on top and not trodden at all, thus serving as a mulch. When the soil is compacted on the surface, it is in condition to carry off the moisture rapidly, but if it is light and mellow its capillary condition is broken up and the moisture cannot escape. Trees — Their Planting and Care 61 Watering at Planting If the soil is fairly moist and firmly pressed about the roots, there is no need of applying water to the roots of trees at planting; but if in a very dry state, water may be used in the hole before setting the tree, filling it up several times, and after it settles away put the tree in place. Another very good way of watering in a very dry time is, after the roots have been covered with three or four inches of soil, if water is filled in two or three times and be allowed to settle away, and then the surface-soil be filled in light and loose, better results will be obtained with a few pail- fuls of water than if large quantities are used on the surface after the tree is planted. Little benefit can result from the application of water to the surface after planting unless a large quantity is used, so as to saturate the soil down to the roots, for the diffusion of water through the soil when applied to the surface is so slow that it will take a long time to obtain this result; besides, this surface-watering compacts the soil so that after it is done the moisture escapes more rapidly than before. This evaporation after watering may in a measure be prevented, however, if the surface- soil is stirred up with a fine rake two or three inches deep, the fine soil serving as a mulch. Mulching Many newly planted trees start into growth in the early summer and then from lack of moisture fail to grow. Where water is not available a mulch of some coarse organic matter, like straw, meadow hay, corn-stalks, fine brush, weeds, or even planing-machine shavings or spent tan-bark, covering a considerably larger area than the size of the hole in which the tree was set, will aid in keeping the moisture from 62 Landscape Gardening escaping. This should not be put on more than two or three inches in thickness, for if too thick it causes the roots to grow near the surface, when they would be more liable to injury during the winter or in extreme dry weather. Keeping up an After-growth When the trees are planted, it must not be expected that the end of one's work has come, for unless the soil is naturally very rich or is made so by heavy manuring at planting, trees will not continue to grow without some additional plant food each year. When planted on the lawn, if the grass is clipped once or twice each week and liberally dressed in the fall or spring, little or no further fertilizing for the trees may be needed; but even under this condition a mound of manure banked against the trunks before the ground freezes in the fall will be of great protection to the collar or crown of the roots. This method of manuring trees in poor soil is advisable, a liberal supply being used, and in the spring spreading it around on the lawn about the trees. Com- mercial fertilizers, like ground bone and potash, fish and potash, or even the specially prepared fruit-tree fertilizers, may be successfully used. The Arrangement of Trees Trees are arranged or grouped together in ornamental gardening to accomplish the following results: for shelter from cold winds, for screens to shut out objectionable views, and in groups alone or combined with shrubs and the lawn for ornamental effect or to serve as a background for or setting to the house, thus completing or finishing the home- picture. Trees— Their Planting and Care 63 TREES FOR SHELTER Scarcely a location can be selected where there is not some point that needs protection or shelter from prevail- ing winds or from storms, and generally only those trees that are very hardy and provided with an abundance of thick tough foliage should be used. They are more com- monly planted on the north or west exposure, and should be set as closely as possible and have them grow to a good degree of perfection. About the average distance for planting evergreens: For high screen or shelter, Norway spruce 15 ft. high, 8 ft. apart; Siberian arborvitae 10 ft. high, 5 ft. apart. Distance for planting deciduous trees for high screen or shelter: Honey locust 10 ft. high, 4 ft. apart, 8 ft. high, 3 ft. apart. If immediate shelter is needed, close planting may be advisable, but the surplus trees should be removed as soon as they begin to interfere with the perfec- tion of those desired for permanent growth. It is always best to plant those that are the most desirable for per- manent growth at the proper distance for full develop- ment, and then arrange the more temporary kinds so that they may be finally cut out. In this work, as in all grouping of trees and shrubs, it is best to obtain as much contrast and variety of form and color as possible, and yet have a pleasant blending of all the characteristic features. Evergreens are generally planted for purposes of shelter, as they hold their foliage during the winter, though a mix- ture of deciduous and evergreen trees will give the most satisfactory picture in summer. The evergreens, especially when massed, produce a sombre effect, which is lightened and relieved by the introduction of some deciduous trees, like the birches, golden willows, etc. Fig. 29 shows a very good deciduous tree wind break, but should have branches lower, 64 Landscape Gardening and would be more ornamental if planted as in Figs. 30 and 31. The larger and more stately trees should be set at the rear of a corner group, or, as in Fig. 31, in the centre of isolated groups, the smaller or more graceful and orna- mental kinds being grouped about them, and if possible so that there may be a gradual diminution in size at all points of view from the centre to outside of the group. FIG. 29. — Trees for Screen Set in Too Formal Manner. The size of the trees to be used must vary with the extent of the grounds on which they are planted and the height of the desired shelter. On very small lots a single laige tree with a few smaller ones grouped around it will afford much shelter. TREES FOR SCREENS The useful and ornamental may be combined with good effect in grouping trees for screens, i.e., to cut off objec- tionable views or to enhance the beauty of desirable ones. The same rules should be observed in their arrangement as in planting for shelter. The effects to be obtained in this kind of grouping are many. Unsightly objects viewed from the house may be covered or hidden from view, as well as objects on the grounds that it is desired to screen from the house or from public view, as the clothes-yard, stable Trees — Their Planting and Care 65 FIG. 30. — Trees for Screen in Natural Group. '•-: * V-r - - FIG. 31. — Large-growing Trees Arranged in Centre of Groups. 66 Landscape Gardening and other outbuildings, etc. The quiet retreat where one may be away from the public gaze is a feature to be desired in every more or less thickly settled community, but the great mistake often made of planting a close hedge or screen around the entire grounds, shutting off all view from both inside and outside, should be avoided. The ornamental features of our grounds should be made FIG. 32. — Natural Grouping of Large and Small Trees. with the view of adding as much of beauty and comfort to them as possible, and if we succeed in creating anything of beauty or comfort others are entitled to share it with us to the extent at least of looking upon its beauty. Fig. 32 also illustrates natural grouping. Grouping for Ornamentation When neither shelter nor screens are needed, ornamen- tal trees are planted as a setting to the buildings or for the decoration of the grounds, and in this work much knowl- Trees— Their Planting and Care 67 edge of the various forms, colorings, and distinctively characteristic feature of trees is needed. The more one studies trees and shrubs and their artistic grouping the greater will be his success. But in this grouping the effect both of shelter or screens and of beauty may be obtained by careful study of materials and their skilful arrangement. NATURE AS A GUIDE In nature we sometimes find most beautiful illustrations of the grouping of trees, on knolls, in the shady dell or open field, and much may be learned by following this most versatile teacher. In many cases, however, art can improve upon nature. We can improve upon most of the effects we find about us by providing the best possible conditions of soil and surroundings for the development of each specimen. We can collect from all quarters of the globe the most beautiful of her treasures, and make each and every specimen of a group grow to its greatest perfection, which seldom occurs in nature's grouping. We can create nothing, but we can use all of nature's blessings so that beauty and good may be the result. TOO CLOSE PLANTING One of the greatest mistakes made in grouping ornamen- tal trees is too close planting, as has been suggested on a previous page, and shown in Fig. 59, and unless imme- diate results are desired each specimen should be given space sufficient for its full development. In this work as much variety is desirable as it is possible to obtain and at the same time secure harmony of forms and colors. 68 Landscape Gardening RULES FOR GROUPING i. Groups of trees of similar characteristics should gen- erally be avoided unless the place is of large extent. If we plant all conical trees, like the spruces, larch, Lombardy poplar, fastigiate oak, etc., all low-growing spreading trees, all trees with yellow foliage or those with purple foliage, by themselves, we do not get as pleasing results as if a variety FIG. 33. — Trees and Shrubs Grouped Along Walks and Drives. of forms, colors, and sizes are used and are arranged in a natural and artistic manner. In Fig. 32 we have a very pleasing arrangement of large and small trees and shrubs, as well as a pleasing blending of forms, each placed so as to bring out the peculiar features and all producing a pleasant picture. In Fig. 34 is illustrated the grouping of trees and shrubs along the borders of a walk or a curved roadway, in which vistas are left open. The larger and heavier trees are grouped in the centre and the smaller ones around them. Trees — Their Planting and Care 69 2. As in the arrangement for shelter or screens, so in the ornamental groups the tallest trees and those most spiry will be more pleasing if grouped in the centre or back- ground, with the lower, more rounded or graceful kinds placed in order of size, keeping in mind, of course, variety and contrast, and yet securing harmony of colors as much as possible. Trees with very heavy or dark foliage should not be planted by the side of those with light, feathery or very fine foliage, but something of an intermediate tone FIG. 34. — Trees and Shrubs Grouped Along Walks and Drives. should be introduced between them. So a very small tree should not be planted close up to one of large size if its branches are carried high, but if the branches come to the ground with a broad slope, as in Fig. 32, both a distant and close planting will be pleasing. 3. The trees having the greatest individual beauty should be put in such position that -their beauty will be enhanced by having a good background or a good setting. Thus the appearance of a purple-leaved beech will be improved if planted in front of or in the angle formed by silver maples 70 Landscape Gardening and golden poplars. The foliage of trees like the golden poplar, maple, or elm will be injured in effect if planted in contrast with trees of a bluish or very glaucous color, while trees with showy flowers will be made more conspicuous if FIG. 35. — Trees and Shrubs Grouped at Branching of Walk or Drive. planted with a mass of dark-colored foliage for a back- ground. 4. Specimen trees, i.e., those that stand out on the lawn conspicuously, should be those of characteristic beauty. The oak has the characteristic beauty of strength; the elm that of graceful, arching form; the purple beech, Nord- mann's fir, and the Colorado blue spruce great beauty of Trees — Their Planting and Care 71 coloring; the cut-leaved weeping birch and Japanese weep- ing cherry the beauty of graceful, flowing outline; and each and all of the more common ornamental trees have some characteristic beauty which it should be the study of the landscape artist to bring out in grouping them together. 5. Groups should not be planted so as to present a too solid appearance, and if arranged so as to give each speci- men its proper distance and setting there will be little danger of this result. To still further lighten up a group FIG. 36. FIG. 37. FIG. 36-37.— Trees and Shrubs Grouped at End or Turn of Walk. that has a tendency to too much compactness, small isolated specimens in the lawn at a little distance from the outside tree may be planted, as shown in Figs. 29 and 32. 6. Where the surface of the lawn is rolling, instead of arranging the trees, as in Fig. 29, much better effect will be produced by dividing the group, as shown in Fig. 30. In this way a much smaller number of trees will give more real beauty to the grounds than if all were planted in a line or a close group. 7. When planting along walks or drives, an effort should 72 Landscape Gardening FIG. 38. — Trees and Shrubs Planted Along Many Radiating Lines to Afford Vistas in Many Directions. Trees — Their Planting and Care 73 FIG. 39. — Trees and Shrubs Planted Along Radiating Lines to Afford Vistas. 74 Landscape Gardening be made to group as naturally as possible and, if the curve of the walk or drive is made to extend around and beyond what seems to be the natural and direct line of travel, to so place the trees or shrubs as to overcome the feeling that a greater distance is being travelled to go from one place to another than is necessary. A very good idea of this grouping is shown in Figs. 34 and 35. 8. Vistas or openings should be provided wherever inter- esting objects or views are presented, and the arrangement of trees and shrubs be in radiating lines, as shown in Figs. 34 and 35. In this manner vistas or pleasing views may FIG. 40. — Screen at Different Angles. be arranged from the prominent points of the house, as from the verandas, bay windows, or piazzas, from various points on the lawn, and the planting may be so made that the pleasing features of the grounds may be enjoyed by those outside. Considerable skill will be required sometimes to afford a screen at certain points from an intrusive public, to open views to others, and at the same time to secure the best of the outside beauty to the occupants of the house. Very pretty views or vistas are shown in Fig. 14, p. 35 and Fig. 41, p. 75, and Fig. 42, p. 76. 9. If the groups are planted near the house, trees or shrubs of small size will often cut off objectionable views which would require much larger specimens if planted at Trees — Their Planting and Care 75 i 76 Landscape Gardening Trees — Their Planting and Care 77 greater distance, as shown in Fig. 40. In case of large trees near the dwelling vistas may be obtained from under the branches, and a tree well headed up gives an abundance of shade and at the same time a good circulation of air, which are very desirable during the hot summer months. 10. The beauty and comfort obtained in all this work of grouping depend very largely upon how carefully every point suggested above is studied and viewed from all sides, and how fully the planter understands the height which each of the species planted will attain under different conditions FIG. 43. — Groups of Trees and Shrubs at Entrance of Grounds. of soil, exposure, etc. ; for while the trees are young the vis- tas and covering may be just right, it may take but a few feet of growth at one side or above the group often to hide from view some of the most beautiful features of the place. 11. Groups of trees are generally in good taste planted on both sides of a walk or drive at the entrance from the street, Fig. 43. Arranged in this way they serve to mark the exit or entrance in a definite way when seen from a dis- tance or during the night-time. 12. Corners or abrupt angles in the boundary-line may be filled up with trees and shrubs so as to present a most 78 Landscape Gardening pleasing effect, not secured if these features are left with- out decorations. 13. In nature we often find most beautiful groups of trees on the tops of rounded surfaces which we may well copy in this particular where such features of surface are found. This point is shown in Fig. 44, and if, as in this illustra- tion, some picturesque or strikingly beautiful tree is planted in the group it is sure to attract attention. FIG. 44. — Trees and Shrubs Grouped at Crown of Rounded Surfaces. 14. To cover up or to break the monotony of a straight line of trees, a hedge, or a bank wall, trees and shrubs may be grouped in a more or less irregular yet artistic manner some distance away with very pleasing effect. 15. In the grouping of trees and shrubs there should be an effort made to obtain vistas of as great extent as possible in one or more places. By such an arrangement even small places will appear of much larger extent than if only short vistas within the grounds are provided, and more pleasing Trees— Their Planting and Care 79 to the eye from the fact that a greater variety of objects may be seen at once. Also to cover porte-cochere or covered driveway, as in the frontispiece. 1 6. Ornamental grounds will be pleasing in proportion to the number of beautiful pictures presented. If all parts are seen at one time, interest is soon satisfied. It is possi- ble, however, to provide very many pleasing features on places even of small extent if the foregoing rules are care- fully studied. 17. As stated in a previous chapter the lawn is the most important part of the home picture and this feature should not be obscured by too close or too extensive planting of trees and shrubs. Two or three trees or shrubs planted near the border of the lot, a group of low shrubs or hardy plants close up to the house, Fig. 45, or stable, with a speci- men small tree with showy flowers or foliage will often give more of real beauty than if dozens were planted. Trees and shrubs should never be planted at regular distance apart, but in groups, the lawn in all cases pre- dominating, Grouping about Buildings — Banks of Shrubbery 1 8. Trees and shrubs, as well as some of the taller hardy herbaceous plants, may be used as a setting for the house or outbuildings, banked as shown in Fig. 45. Trees may be planted on either side of the front, in some cases, or only on one side with pleasing effect, if the buildings are small so as to be shaded more or less by the roof. If placed too close and the roof or sides are kept moist continually they cause decay of the clapboards or shingles. When the building faces the north, the shade should be located on the south or rear of the building. 19. The abruptness of outline between lawn and founda- tion may be very pleasantly broken by grouping small 80 Landscape Gardening I to "3- d £ Trees — Their Planting and Care 81 evergreens, flowering shrubs or even hardy herbaceous pe- rennials in masses close up to the underpinning, planting the taller ones in the rear and grading down to the very low ones in front next the lawn as in the above figure. If planted directly under the eaves some sort of a snowguard must be provided in sections where the fall is heavy, other- wise many of the plants will be broken down in winter. CHAPTER V SHRUBS, HEDGES, AND HARDY CLIMBERS SHRUBS may serve under some conditions, e.g., on small places, the purpose of screens when planted near the build- ings, or near the street when the land slopes upward toward the house, but in very few places can they be used for shelter. They are especially adapted to add finishing touches and cause a blending between the trees and lawn or for massing in ornamental groups on small grounds. They present a much greater variety in form, size, and color than the trees. Among them we have the most beautiful colors and variegations of foliage, the most beau- tiful grace of outline, and the greatest variety of forms and colors of blossoms, coming on more or less from the earliest spring to late summer or early autumn, which afford material for the most beautiful effects. Being small they will give a much greater number of forms and colors on places of limited size than can be obtained from the use of trees. For description of shrubs see Chapter XII. Preparation of Land, Planting, Grouping, etc. The preparation of the land, the pruning preparatory to and the planting of shrubs, are so similar to those required for trees that directions need not be repeated here. The same rules also as for trees should be followed in regard to individuals or groups as to distance, blending of colors and forms, etc. 82 Shrubs, Hedges, and Hardy Climbers 83 TWO METHODS OF GROUPING Two methods of grouping are commonly practised, i.e., ist, the grouping of many flowering varieties in one mass whereby some kinds may be in bloom at all times from April to November, and 2d, the arrangement of large masses of one species or variety together so as to produce very marked and distant effect. The former will generally give the most satisfaction on small grounds, but on places of considerable extent the most pleasing results will be obtained by planting many specimens of one kind in a group. For example, large groups of Forsythias, Spiraea Van Houttei, Hydrangea paniculata, Japanese snowball, etc., arranged in large masses by themselves, present beautiful views and strong contrasts that cannot be obtained in any other way. At the entrance of the grounds, as in Fig. 43, beside the walk or drive, or at their forkings, as in Fig. 35, groups of shrubs fix our attention and we pass on or change from one walk to another less conscious of the change of direc- tion than if only the plain walk was before us. Another use of shrubs may be found in their serving to give a reason for abrupt changes of direction or the termina- tion of a walk, as shown in Figs. 36 and 37, and also to make a curved walk on small grounds appear the most natural and the shortest distance between two points, as in Fig. 34. Change of curves in walks are made to appear more natural if the borders are more or less decorated with shrubs at points where there would be a temptation to cut across to shorten the distance, as in Fig. 34. They also serve to cover up and break the monotony of the walk by obscuring changes until it becomes necessary for one to make the turn to reach one point or another. A combined group of trees and shrubs illustrating the shrubs planted a little way from the trees is shown in Fig. 31. 84 Landscape Gardening PRUNING SHRUBS In pruning shrubs they should be allowed to take their most natural and perfect form; and, when branches become old and weak, they should be cut away from the inside, thus thinning out and allowing new vigorous shoots to grow to take their place, as at a, Fig. 51. The practice of shearing shrubs on the outside only, without thinning out any of the inside branches, cannot be too severely condemned, for it not only gives them an un- natural form in which there is little or no beauty, but it causes an increase in the number of small and imperfect shoots at the end of every branch cut, thus shutting out the sunlight and resulting in a very imperfect growth, that produce very few, if any, flowers. The best blooms of some kinds of shrubs are borne on wood of two or more years' growth, and the annual winter or spring pruning as often practised destroys much of this growth and forces the shrub to make wood at the expense of blossoms. In the case of the Hydrangea and Hibiscus, however, which bloom late in the season and from the new shoots, annual spring pruning of the old wood will result in larger and better flowers. Early-blooming shrubs like the spirea, weigela, forsythia, lilacs, exochordia, etc., may be trimmed in early summer just after blooming with the best results; while the hydrangea, althea, and clethra, etc., should be pruned in late fall, winter, or early spring. If a long time unpruned, whether in groups or planted singly, most shrubs become irregular in form and lose their beauty, but by careful pruning and proper arrangement, beds or groups of shrubs may be made to keep as good form and appearance for many years as if newly planted. The larger- growing shrubs should be planted in the centre or front and the smaller ones on the border of the groups, each kind thus Shrubs, Hedges, and Hardy Climbers 85 showing its natural size and beauty if given space for full development. Hedges* The arrangement of trees or shrubs in the close form of the hedge is under some conditions desirable and can often be done with pleasing effect, though generally only the very low hedge — one to three feet high — can be con- sidered decidedly ornamental. For the complete seclusion of the nursery and play- ground, the clothes-drying yard, etc., or where the space is very limited, the large hedge is sometimes allowable, though difficult and expensive to keep in perfect shape after eight or ten years old. PREPARATION OF LAND To make a satisfactory hedge, the ground is to be as well prepared as for the growth of trees or shrubs under any other conditions, and as the plants are set out more thickly than where grouped for ornamentation, it should be made richer by an additional supply of suitable plant- food. If trees and other shrubs are growing on the same grounds annual dressings of plant food like fine stable ma- nure, or lawn fertilizers should be made to keep them all in a vigorous growing condition. AVOID CLOSE PLANTING One of the greatest mistakes made in planting hedges is in the distance at which the trees or shrubs are planted. When set one foot apart or less, as is sometimes practised, if the kinds of plants used naturally grow to large trees, as with the hemlock, spruce, arbor-vitae, honey-locust, etc., * See description of hedge-plants, page 216. 86 Landscape Gardening some of the plants will grow more rapidly than the others, some will die out, and all will be seriously injured by the attempt to grow them in so contracted a space. The dis- tance best for planting must vary with the variety, but they should have room enough to enable them to make a suffi- cient growth to keep them in a healthy condition. Norway spruces, hemlocks, large forms of the arbor-vitaes, honey- locusts, etc., for a hedge six to eight feet high, should be planted five feet apart at least, and be forced to spread out and grow laterally by cutting in at the top until strong main branches are formed near the ground. If a low hedge or immediate effect of a high hedge is desired, the plants may be set closely, and when they crowd be transplanted again with a little greater distance between them, or every other one be taken out. In this way, if plants are set over only one-half of the line desired at first, as they crowd the line can be extended at less expense and with better results than if the whole distance were planted at once with trees of larger size. REQUIREMENTS OF A PERFECT HEDGE The first requirement of a perfect hedge either for beauty or for a perfect screen is numerous main branches close to the ground, and at transplanting, unless the plants have been specially prepared in the nursery, they should be cut back severely to encourage this condition of growth. It is not often possible to obtain hemlocks and spruces in proper condition for a perfect hedge, they not having been cut back while small, and they cannot be so severely pruned as can the deciduous trees; but the Japanese quince, buck- thorn, privet, etc., can and should be cut down to within six inches of the ground at planting, even if of consider- able size, and be kept low until sufficient strong lateral branches are developed to insure a close and healthy growth Shrubs, Hedges, and Hardy Climbers 87 near to the ground. This may seem like severe treatment, but, as all trees or shrubs when planted closely tend to grow only at the top, in no other way can a perfect hedge be made that will grow a long time without becoming broken and irregular from dying of some of the branches or even the whole plants. After the necessary lateral growth has been obtained the top should be cut a little higher each year until the desired height has been reached. The point at which to cut and the results of this pruning are illustrated in Figs. 46 and 47, the dotted line a showing the point of first pruning. FIG. 46. FIG. 47. FIG. 46. — Illustrates Cutting Back of a Hedge. FIG. 47. — Illustrates Results of Cutting a Hedge. The effect of this pruning is shown in the three trees at the right, the line a' showing where the second pruning should be made. FORM OF HEDGES Of the many forms to which hedges are pruned, a satis- factory and permanent growth will be obtained only by the triangular or conical shape, Figs. 48 and 49. When the sides are pruned perpendicularly, as in Fig. 50, there can be but little growth except at the top, as at a; while in the conical or triangular form the tendency will be to grow upward from all points along the sides, as in the above figures, the sides being thus kept well covered with foliage and new growth. Landscape Gardening PRUNING HEDGES As in pruning specimen shrubs, continual shearing at the ends will cause a more or less close, defective, and unhealthy growth, and here and there over the hedge weak branches should be removed at considerable distance toward FIG. 48. FIG. 47. FIGS. 48, 49. — Correct Form of Hsdgs; FIG. 50. — Incorrect Form of Hedge. FIG. 50. FIG. 51. — Where Cut should be Mads in Pruning. the inside, which, as shown in Fig. 51, will result in new shoots from near the centre of growth and thus the vigor of the plant will be renewed. A hedge pruned in this way may not present quite so solid an outline, but it has a more graceful appearance, and will keep in a healthy condition much longer than when pruned only at the ends of the branches. Fig. 156 shows an unpruned hedge of natural growth, while Fig. 155 shows a closely pruned hedge. Shrubs, Hedges, and Hardy Climbers 89 TIME FOR PRUNING HEDGES If it is desired to check the growth, as when the hedge has reached the desired height, the pruning should be done in June or July; but if more growth is desired, i.e., while the hedge is in the formative stage and to produce a lateral growth, the spring, just before growth begins, is the best time for pruning. IMPLEMENTS FOR PRUNING For the preliminary pruning or cutting out of branches from the inside the long-handled shears, the common hand prun- ing-shears and a large pruning-knife are all that are needed, but for giving permanent finished outline the long-bla-ded hedge-shears are indispensable. To obtain a true outline, strong twine stretched very taut and held in place by stakes is the simplest and most satisfactory method. If the sur- face of the ground on which the hedge is grown is curved, the top line of the hedge should generally take the same curve, thus making it the same height throughout its length. A MIXED HEDGE Hedges of flowering shrubs, where the flowers are the most desirable feature, should be pruned as directed for other flowering shrubs, but the close solid hedge cannot be obtained by this method of pruning. ADAPTABILITY OF SOIL AND LOCALITY As with trees and shrubs under all other conditions, the different kinds used for hedges will only succeed under proper conditions of soil and exposure. Thus the hemlock will succeed only when planted in a moist, cool soil, in a cool yet somewhat sheltered location. The arbor-vitses and 90 Landscape Gardening all other evergreens are also often seriously injured if planted where exposed to extremely hot sun, heavy winds, or where passers-by will come in contact with them when frozen. The pines and spruces will grow well in light land. Most of the deciduous trees and shrubs used for hedges succeed better in exposed places than the evergreens and under more varied conditions, but each must have a suit- able soil to grow to the greatest perfection. Almost any soil may be so changed at little expense as to be adapted to the needs of most kinds of shrubs and hedge-plants. If the soil is too light, liberal dressings of stable manure or other organic matter will enable it to retain moisture sufficient for a good growth. If very heavy, sand or gravel worked into it will make it more light and porous. If very wet, thorough drainage will remedy this defect. The annual dressing of manure or fertilizer recommended for trees and shrubs should be put about the trunk of each plant before the ground freezes, and all leaves and rubbish that will attract mice or other vermin be removed before the ground is covered with snow. No weeds or seedling trees or shrubs should be allowed to get a foothold about the hedge, and in very much exposed places a protection of pine boughs set up about them during the winter until the plants have become fully established will be found very beneficial. Hardy Climbing Shrubs * The part that hardy climbers play in the landscape or ornamental art is often very important. As a summer covering for pergolas, verandas and arbors nothing possesses so much natural beauty. They supply the beautiful green so pleasant to the eye, and by constant evaporation of moist- ure from their leaves produce a cool shade that no artificial *See description of hardy climbing shrubs on pages 256-266. Shrubs, Hedges, and Hardy Climbers 91 92 Landscape Gardening material can supply. Some of them possess most beautifully cut or shaded foliage^ while others produce most beautiful flowers, and when once planted they grow on for many years with but little care. Some of them, like the wistaria, aristolochia, actinidia, bitter-sweet, etc., will twine about large pillars or other supports, some will support themselves on brick or stone walls by their sucker-like tendrils, while many, like the clematis, etc., require the support of the trellis, the single wire, or the wire netting. If grown too abundantly or trained too closely to the building, vines often render the dwelling damp and unhealth- ful and cause rapid decay of the woodwork. As to cultivation, they require the same care and fertility of soil as recommended for upright shrubs. Fig. 52 shows a vine-covered cottage in June. PRUNING CLIMBERS In addition to the pruning required to keep climbing vines within proper limits, which can be done largely by pinching and light clipping during the summer, they require in some cases the cutting back of the old wood of the laterals in order to produce fresh clean shoots and foliage, and in other cases the heading in of the young wood to encourage development of the blossom-buds. In a few cases as with roses winter protection should be provided by tying straw around them or covering them with loosely tied matting. Any covering of this kind, however, unless very neatly done, detracts from the appearance of a veranda or arbor and should be avoided if possible. Hardy Herbaceous Plants * No class of plants affords more beauty and pleasure for so little expenditure of labor and money as the hardy her- * See list of hardy herbaceous plants on page 273. Shrubs, Hedges, and Hardy Climbers 93 baceous plants. They are especially adapted to small places, and with a background of low trees or shrubs some very beautiful pictures can be formed. As with shrubs and trees, some kinds require special conditions of soil and exposure to be grown successfully, while others succeed on a great variety of soils. Some of them will grow a long time in one place without renewal of soil, but most of them need dividing and transplanting every three or four years to insure the most vigorous growth and the best flowers. They may be arranged in groups of the same kind, or in mixed groups, as may be desired, with good effect; but on large places generous groups of one kind like paeonias, phloxes, etc., with striking characteristics will be the most satisfactory, while on small places the mixed arrangement may, perhaps, give the most pleasure. Tender Foliage or Flowering Plants * BEDDING PLANTS For many years past it has been the fashion to grow, more or less largely, brilliantly colored foliage or flowering plants in large masses; and while the pleasure obtained by the growth and study of these plants is often very great, the effect produced is sometimes not quite in keeping with the quiet beauty of the refined home. It often partakes more of the nature of "loud dress," much avoided by all people of good taste. Gaudy pattern-beds covering large areas standing out conspicuously on the lawn with nothing to cause a blending of color cannot be considered in good taste, but if placed so that more moderate colors grouped near may tone down their intensity they may not be objec- tionable. Small groups of the more brilliantly colored foliage-plants * See list of bedding-plants on page 295. 94 Landscape Gardening or of those with beautiful flowers placed in retired nooks with a good background, along the borders of walks, or close up to the veranda with a good extent of lawn often add to a scene brightness that can be produced in no other way. These bedding-plants, well started under glass, pro- duce effect early and during the entire season which cannot be obtained from perennial plants or shrubs. They often show color or begin to bloom soon after setting out and con- tinue until cut off by frost. They are comparatively inexpensive if purchased from the commercial grower, or many of them are easily and cheaply grown with only the facilities of a small hotbed or a few sunny windows. Intricate figures and designs often seen in public grounds and large estates should not be attempted on small places, for, besides being unsuited to such limited areas, they will detract from other features whatever of beauty they may in themselves possess. CHAPTER VI WALKS AND DRIVES GOOD, dry, and smooth walks and drives are a necessity for comfortable getting about on either the home or public grounds, but they can in themselves add nothing to the naturalness or beauty of any place. One of the first points for consideration, after the house and outbuildings have been located and built, is how to get to and from them, or, in other words, where shall the necessary walks and drives be located. If we could always walk or drive on the velvety grass of a good lawn without getting our feet wet or killing the grass, gravelled or concrete walks or drives would not be a necessity, we should save much expense, and the beauty of our grounds would be greatly increased; note the lawn in frontispiece; but we can do neither of these; some walks and drives are, therefore, from this point of view, a necessity. We may compromise this matter by using flagstones which will make a very good walk that can be kept in good condi- tion with little expense, Fig. 53. A properly located walk or drive, however, may be made an attractive feature, as it invites us by its smoothness and dryness to walk or drive over it to the house, or from the house to our daily toil or pleasure. It adds an air of comfort and hospitality to the home that without it would seem cold and inhospitable. Walks and drives in themselves add no beauty to grounds devoted to the growth of choice trees, shrubs, and plants, 95 96 Landscape Gardening and, as they are unnatural features of the landscape art, only such should be made as are actually required by those FIG. 53. — Flag-stones in place of Gravel or Concrete Walk. who frequent the grounds. Besides, a good walk or drive is expensive to construct, and requires constant attention as to border and surface to keep in good condition. Walks and Drives 97 Location of Walks and Drives The location of walks and drives should be where they will be most convenient, and as nearly as possible give the shortest distance between the points to be traversed, and yet, unless the distance is very short, the straight line should be avoided. Graceful curves, taking one from place to place about one's ground, give the idea of quiet and leisure that is conducive to the study of beautiful objects about us; and by a little variety of material and skill in the arrangement of it in ornamenting the borders of walks, thus obliging us to move out of the straight line to reach a certain point, we may not be conscious of the fact that the curved walk is any longer than a straight one would be, and much beauty is gained. This is illustrated in Fig. 34; were it not for the groups of shrubbery along the border there would be a feel- ing of restraint at going over so much distance to reach a point directly ahead, but we are attracted in part by their beauty to pass among them, and, being between us and the objective point, the feeling of restraint disappears. The Entrance to Drive or Walk There should always be a walk leading more or less directly to the main entrance of the house; and where a drive must also be provided to the front door and to reach the stable, if space is limited, the two may be combined for more or less of the distance by making that part along the side of the drive intended for the footpath (see Fig. 54) with a little finer gravel or by paving or concreting it. Where the grounds are small and a "turn around" is needed, this plan is often followed, thus preserving more of the lawn for ornamentation and reducing the cost of con- struction and care. Landscape Gardening Direction of Walks and Drives The direction of the walk leading from the house to the street should conform to the needs of the occupants. Thus, if the direction of travel is equally to the right and left from the street entrance, the walk should run nearly in a direct line from the main entrance of the house to the street, as in the dotted line, Fig. 55, or in a semicircular direction, as in the same figure; but if the direction of FIG. 54. FIG. 55. FIG. 54.— Combined Walk and Drive. FIG. 55.— Semicircular Walk and Drive. travel is largely to the right or left, then the drive or walk can be directed to the right or left at the entrance, as desired. Width of Walks and Drives The width of the walks and drives must vary with the amount of usage. If there is much passing to and from the house, the walk may be made from 5 to 6 feet wide, so that two or three persons may walk abreast or pass each other readily; but if two persons would not be likely to meet frequently, a width of from 3 to 5 feet would be suffi- cient. For a drive where only one team would pass over the road at a time 8 to 10 feet is sufficient width; but if two teams must frequently pass over it at once, 15 to 18 Walks and Drives 99 feet will be none too great a width. The walks and drives, however, ought not to be wider than are absolutely needed, for the wider they are the more they detract from the ornamental features of the place and the greater will be the cost of construction and maintenance. The Turn-around Where the butcher, the baker, grocer, etc., visits the house frequently or where one drives in and out frequently the turn-around should be provided. The center of this turn- around may be decorated by a single large tree, by a group of shrubs, the taller planted in the middle, or by herbaceous, or even annual bedding plants. Small evergreens are not very satisfactory in such places as they are likely to be injured in the winter when frozen, by teams, dogs or other animals running against them, or by the burning sun in summer if planted on the south side. Obtaining the Curves Too much care cannot be exercised in laying out and forming the curves of walks and drives, for when completed with a proper foundation it is difficult to make a change of location or direction except at large expense. Most inexperienced persons find some difficulty in obtain- ing graceful and proper curves, but to the professional landscape-gardener it is a simple matter. The point of start and termination must be decided upon and also the prcminent features that may be brought to view along its course. The walk should be made to pass if possible where pleasing features will be seen, and not where those of an unpleasant character will be brought to view. Many means are employed to obtain the desired curve. If an engineer is employed, this is quickly and very accu- 100 Landscape Gardening rately done with surveying-instruments; but for all ordinary work it can be done with sufficient accuracy by the eye, setting up small stakes at regular intervals, as in Fig. 56, and sighting along until the line is covered (the more abrupt the curve the closer the stakes must be set), then viewing the stakes backward and forward once or twice, changing here and there until a satisfactory curve is obtained. The FIG. 56. — Method of Obtaining Curve. desired width at all points is then obtained by measuring the same distance from each of the stakes to the opposite side of the walk. On large grounds a carriage driven rapidly and skilfully over the surface will make very regular and graceful curves. The bicycle also may be brought into use for this work, or a stiff rope or rubber hose laid on the ground and moved until the desired curve is obtained, the mark to be made by pressing it into the soft soil with the feet, or if in grass the curve made in the above way may be located by setting up small stakes at frequent intervals along the line of rope or hose. After the curve is laid out Walks and Drives 101 permanent stakes should always be set firmly enough so that they may not be moved until the work of grading, filling, trimming, and smoothing off is completed. Construction of Drives and Walks A good walk or drive cannot be made on a poor founda- tion, any more than a bridge or a house. A foundation must be provided that will not allow of settling unevenly by the action of frost. Standing water under the walk will also cause uneven settling, and one of the first steps to take in providing for the foundation is the removal of any sur- plus water. If not naturally underdrained, a tile or stone drain should be laid not less than 3! feet below the surface, and if the land is very wet and the walk wide a line of tile on each side, Fig. 57, may be necessary. On a side-hill a deep-laid drain on the upper side, Fig. 58, a little distance from the walk will often be more effective than if laid directly under it. If the whole lawn is well underdrained, no other drainage need be provided except that obtained in con- struction. To provide a walk that shall be dry at all times and especially after very heavy rains, the material of which it is made should be of very porous character. This condi- tion is best obtained by excavating the whole space to be covered from one to two feet deep and filling in first with boulders and rocks, then with smaller stones and coarse gravel, and finally with gravel from which most of the sand or loam has been screened. The rocks and boulders should be first packed as closely as possible, then the small stones filled in about them, and then the coarse gravel packed and tamped down thoroughly. If a heavy roller is obtainable and can be used at the differ- ent stages of construction, this will be the best means of 102 Landscape Gardening compacting each layer, but if not, a heavy iron or wood tamper, used skilfully, will do good work. A walk constructed as above described will remain firm and dry for a great many years, and will require little labor to keep it in a neat condition and free from weeds. The surface of such a walk may be made nearly flat, while if wmmmm FIG. 57. — Section of Walk or Drive Showing Location of Tile. good material is not available and a good foundation is not provided it must be made crowning in the middle, and the poorer the material the more crowning it must be and then not be wholly satisfactory. The materials of which the walk is constructed should not be filled above the level of the lawn on a sloping surface unless found necessary, as the FIG. 58.— Section of Walk or Drive on Side'Hill. surface-water during heavy showers would accumulate, washing out the gravel. Should such a form be necessary, this danger should be provided against by making a gutter along the upper side of the walk, with catch-basins into drain tile or a tile culvert to carry the water under the walk. This gutter may be made as a part of the walk with paving- stones or asphalt, Fig. 58, or a very good one can often Walks and Drives 103 be made in the turf without disfiguring the lawn (see Fig. 57). To prevent washing, care should be taken that no basins be formed by the walks or drives as they pass through the valleys or turn along the face of a slope, and if such become a necessity culverts of stone or tile should be put under them so that the water may pass to the other side before there is much accumulation. The edges of the walks and drives will need more or less attention at all times to keep the grass from growing in and forming irregular borders, and trimming is best done with the "edging knife." The surface also will need an occa- sional raking or smoothing over, and once in two or three years a dressing of screened fine gravel or sand will greatly improve the surface and keep it filled up to the level of the lawn. If the workmen employed cannot cut the edges to true curves by the eye, the garden-line should be stretched and stakes set at frequent intervals along the curve until a complete and perfect curve is outlined. All weeds should be removed before they become so fully rooted as to require the hoe or hook to remove them. On the drives all loose stones or those projecting above the surface should be removed at once, for, besides the discomfort they cause the traveller, they are seriously injurious to both the carriage and the road. CHAPTER VII RENOVATING AND IMPROVING OLD HOMES THE established home is often far more difficult to treat than where the land is clear and new material only is to be used. It often is also the case that there are objectionable features that must be removed before anything like real beauty can be evolved; as, for example: ist. Trees, shrubs, and vines may be so closely planted and so entangled that none of them can ever be made beautiful objects. This is shown to some extent in Fig. 59. 2d. There may be un- natural embankments, slopes, terraces, or basins. 3d. Bank walls, unsightly fences, and improperly located build- ings. 4th. Unnaturally located and unnecessary walks and drives. In other cases much valuable material may be found in a condition that, with a little proper care, may be easily improved so as to become objects of great beauty in a much shorter time than if new trees or shrubs were planted. When a place is taken that has for a long time been under neglect or improper care, the walks overgrown and trees and shrubs more or less a tangled mass, there seems to be but one of two things to do, i.e., to either cut down everything on the place, clear up and grade the land, and begin as in a new place, or to thin out some of the least desirable and trim up those of value and plant other desir- able trees and shrubs in proper relation to each other among those standing (removing, of course, such as will absolutely prevent the growth of the new ones), give them careful 104 Renovating and Improving Old Homes 105 I 166 Landscape Gardening fertilization, and then remove the old trees as soon as the new ones have made growth enough to serve the desired purpose of ornamentation. Preserving and Improving Deciduous Trees In some cases deciduous trees may be found that by severely heading in, as in Fig. 24, at the dotted lines a, in a few years will become symmetrical and well-formed trees, as in Fig. 20. Such trees as the elm, oak, maple, and many others are very easily renewed in this way, but the ever- greens when once they have lost their lower branches can never be renovated without great expense and loss of time. Renewing Shrubs and Hedges Overgrown shrubs may be more easily renewed than large trees, as they will stand more severe pruning. If very much overgrown and in clumps, a part of the main clump 'a FIG. 60. FIG. 61. FIG. 62. FIGS. 60-62. — A Shrub Divided and Pruned for Transplanting. may be dug up and the remainder severely headed back, when a wholly new top will be formed. This is illustrated in Figs. 60 and 61. If the soil be then enriched and a little pinching in of the strong-growing branches that tend to out- grow the others be done during the summer, bushes of large size may be made in a very short time to take perfect form, and often with far less labor and expense than if yqurig Renovating and Improving Old Homes 107 shrubs were planted. After being well established, the after pruning given should be in the direction of the dotted line a, Fig. 47. Hedges like the honey-locust, Osage orange, buckthorn, privet, and Japan quince, which have long been neglected, may often be renovated by a little heroic treatment. Fig. 61 is a sectional view illustrating the condition in which neg- lected hedges often are found. By cutting this hedge at the dotted line, and then as the young shoots grow unevenly pruning off the ends of the most vigorous, a uniform height and a low-branching condition may be soon attained, with- out which no hedge is either ornamental or useful. A hedge is under some conditions an ornamental feature of a landscape view and often serves as a screen from some unsightly object; but generally there is little of the orna- mental or useful about it. Where growing on old places in nine cases out of ten it will be found that more pleasing effects may be obtained by the removal of such a hedge, and grass and a few naturally formed trees and shrubs planted about the place occupied by it than by trying to renew its growth as a hedge. Evergreen hedges, when not too large, may be renewed by the heroic treatment, but it takes several years after heading in for them to become again covered with foliage so as to be ornamental. For full description and care of hedges see Chapter V. Renovating Hardy Herbaceous Plants On many an old place may be found more or less of those most interesting and desirable hardy herbaceous plants, like peonies, phloxes, larkspur, iris, etc., that may be utilized in the decoration of a home. Generally they are root- bound among grass and shrubs, and can never be made of any value unless taken up and transplanted to good, clean, well-enriched soil. In doing this only the strong 108 Landscape Gardening young roots should be used, and all grass and weeds should be carefully separated from them. The fall is a good time for this transplanting, though it can be done successfully early in the spring before much growth has taken place. If the land in which they are to be transplanted is not in a proper condition, the plants may be put in good garden-soil for a year or two, where they will be greatly improved and be ready for removal when a proper soil-bed is ready for them. If the owner of a newly purchased old place is not familiar with the trees, shrubs, and plants on the grounds to be renovated, he should consult some one who can tell him of the value of each, that only those of value may be saved. Renovating the Lawn The lawn or the grass in and about the grounds of most old places has generally been so long neglected that weeds and wild grasses have taken possession and driven out the finer kinds that give the green velvety carpet, without which any place, no matter how lavishly planned or grandly built, looks unfinished. The first thing to do with the old lawn, if under such conditions that the land can be ploughed or otherwise worked deeply, is to turn the sod under, manure heavily, cultivate thoroughly for one or two years until the wild grasses and weeds are subdued, and then reseed in August or April with i to 2 bu. June-grass, i to 2 bu. red-top, and 8 Ibs. of white clover per acre.* But it more often is the case that there are numerous trees and other objects on an old place that prevent this thorough treat- ment, and the cultivation of the land to the very doorsteps, for even one or two years, is not a very pleasant thing to contemplate; therefore some other method of renovation * See Chapter III on Lawns. Renovating and Improving Old Homes 109 must be resorted to. Under these conditions the surface must be graded by shaving off the projections as far as possible, raising up the turf and filling up under it where there are depressions, or grading over the uneven surface with good soil, so as to present an even and flowing outline. Then grass-seed of the same kind and at the same rate per acre as for the new lawn, i.e., 2 bu. red- top, 2 bu. June- grass, and 8 Ibs. of white clover (the poorer the soil the more seed should be used), should be sown, raked in with a liberal dressing of fine manure, or fertilizer made as fol- lows: 1500 Ibs. of fine-ground bone, 300 Ibs. of muriate of potash, and 200 Ibs. of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, per acre. Treated in this way, if an abundance of water is used and if the grass is frequently cut during the summer, a good lawn may be obtained in one or two years, For new seeding the potash and nitrate of soda should be thoroughly worked in with the -soil some time before the seed is sown. The specially prepared lawn-dressings are equally good in place of the above fertilizers, but more expensive. Smoothing Abrupt Slopes and Embankments As far as possible all abrupt slopes and embankments should be graded down into well-rounded and graceful out- lines. Such grades are much more beautiful than abrupt terraces or slopes, more easily cared for, and there is no danger from injury by the turf sliding down or being broken down by stepping upon it in the spring as the frost is working out of the ground. It is often possible to remove unsightly bank walls and grade over the place with graceful rounded outlines that are more natural and beautiful, and wherever possible this should be done. By excavating in front of the bank wall, 110 Landscape Gardening as in Fig. 63, a space may be obtained in which to cover up the stones if they are needed for no other purpose, when the surface may be sloped off at line BB. In some cases, however, where the house is located on a very steep slope and very near the street, a retaining-wall becomes a necessity, under which condition the only way that the unnaturalness of the surface can be hidden is by covering the wall with climbing vines like the Japanese woodbine (Ampelopsis Vietchii), Fig. 147, page 257, or by FIG. 63. — Covering Bank Walls. planting a row or border of shrubs, like Japanese barberry, or small evergreen trees in front of the wall. Evergreen trees and shrubs succeed best on a cool northern exposure unless too much exposed to cold winds. Deep ditches and basins that cannot be easily graded over with material at hand often serve as a place for dumping rocks and other materials that may be gathered about the place or along the roadside, thus working great improve- ment in two directions. The small stones also will serve as the best kind of foundation for the walks and drives, while the .firooH soil removed from the walk or road-bed will serve Renovating and Improving Old Homes 111 for grading or dressing over the uneven surfaces in other parts of the grounds or by the roadside. Removal of Fences ness, All fences are objectionable in view of their unnatural- lack of beauty, the expense of building and keeping in repair, and wherever they can be dispensed with it is economy to remove them. Except in the village lot, where footpaths are likely to be formed by constant crossing, there is no good reason why fences may not be wholly dispensed with. It is sometimes FIG. 64.— Turfing against Bank Wall. the case in the country that cattle must be driven along the roadway every day to and from pasture, when a fence may be needed, but where there is only small chance of injury it is better to suffer the lesser of two evils. A stone wall may often be covered from view by a bank of soil against it, as in Fig. 64. Whatever fence is maintained should be as simple and inconspicuous as possible. Improperly Located Buildings The greatest source of difficulty in improving established home grounds is often found in improperly located buildings. We can easily dig up here and there a tree or prune them to 112 Landscape Gardening good form and transplant shrubs and herbaceous plants with little cost, but to relocate buildings often entails great expense. One of the greatest mistakes made in locating buildings is in placing them too near the street and too closely together. The main buildings can seldom be moved or changed without considerable cost, but the relocation of small build- ings can often be easily made. If possible, all the buildings should be located some dis- tance from the street and far enough from the boundary- line to allow of some decorative trees and shrubs on every side of them, to serve as a setting for the central part of the home-picture, the house. In case the buildings are nearly or quite on the line all the view to be obtained must be dependent upon that pro- vided or allowed by neighbors, and the only thing that can be done to improve the beauty of the buildings is to plant vines to grow upon the wall or upon a trellis very close up to it. If possible, the outbuildings should be located in the rear of the dwelling, at some distance from it, and more or less screened from the latter and from outside view, unless they are more or less ornamental in character. The exposed view of a neat, comfortable stable is not objectionable, as it may be so arranged as to give the air of substantial com- fort and extent to the grounds not to be found where only the house is in view. Improperly Located Walks and Drives Another frequent fault to be found on an old place is improperly located walks and drives. The proper location of these necessities of comfort is of the greatest importance, and the reader is referred to Chapter VI, where the matter is more fully discussed. Renovating and Improving Old Homes 113 It must be borne in mind in the construction of roads and walks, under all circumstances, that a good road cannot be made, no matter what the material used, unless the road- bed is thoroughly underdrained, and the surface of the road or walk must have more or less curve or slope toward the sides to carry off the surface-water. The finer and poorer the material used, the greater this curve must be. Wherever it is possible one or more lines of tile should be placed under the road-bed, at least three feet deep, with a good fall and free outlet for drainage. The extent of the walks and drives should be limited to the actual needs of the place. The fewer the gravelled walks or roads the better; yet a place without at least a walk up to the front door, or a smooth drive to the stable, would look inhospitable or almost uninhabited. While there is no beauty in walks and drives in them- selves, yet if they are well laid out in graceful curves just where they are needed, and well cared for, the variety they afford and the air of comfort and the inviting hospitality they give to a place make them very important factors in all home landscape work. In many cases the relocation of walks and drives is sim- ply a matter of ploughing up the old one, grading a little and relocating, as a majority of these walks are made on the surface of the ground without previous subsoil preparation. If, however, a road-bed has been formed by excavation and filling in with stones, the work will be more expensive. In relocating, the rules given in Chapter VI for the estab- lishment of new roads and walks will be equally applicable. An already established place that needs improving may be likened to an unfinished picture the details of which must be filled out and retouched and any defects covered up, while in the new place we have but the canvas — the colors and other material are all new and fresh, i.e., the 114 Landscape Gardening land, the rocks, water, buildings, grass, trees, shrubs, etc. The result in the first case depends largely upon how much and how good is the work that has been done, and how skilful the artist in adapting himself to the ideas already started, and in remedying defects. In the second case the results largely depend on the artist alone. Farm-home Decoration The decoration of farm homes is a subject not often dis- cussed in works on landscape gardening, but there is no place so susceptible of ornamentation as the average farm, and possibly no place where so little is done to improve the beauty of the home surroundings. Generally there is an abundance and a great variety of land, also a wealth of materials in the way of trees, shrubs, and plants that may be used, and the tools, teams, and labor with which to bring about the ornamental results. Fig. 65. Most Home Owners Attempt to Cultivate too Much Land Most of our farmers and home makers have too much land, and they would in many cases grow rich faster if they cultivated less land and planted the less productive places, the odd bits, the rough stony fields and abrupt slopes, the small irregular lots in the angles formed by roads or fej*ce lines, with trees that would be a source of beauty and in time add value to the property. Such decoration would be a source of pleasure to those doing the work and to all of the occupants of the home, and the pleasant associations and memories of the farm home, where beauty and utility are thus combined, will do much to make home the dearest of all places, and especially prevent the young men from leaving the farm for city life. Renovating and Improving Old Homes 115 The rules for planting, arrangement, and care of trees and shrubs to be followed in this work are given in previous chapters. Many unsightly objects can be easily hidden from view, and the more beautiful features in the picture FIG. 65 —A Well-decorated Farm Home. from the dwelling be brought out more prominently and improved. Windbreaks for the house and other buildings may be easily provided, as well as shelter for the stock in the pas- ture against the fierce storms of spring and autumn and the burning sun of the summer. A few majestic oaks, chestnuts, or other spreading trees 116 Landscape Gardening in the pasture, or here and there dotted about the farm or near the buildings, add much to the beauty and character of the farm landscape, and every effort possible should be made to encourage the growth of such and preserve any that may be already established. Fruit-trees as Ornaments Fruit-trees on suitable land in many cases may be used in work of decoration on the farm, thus serving a double purpose. The apple, pear, and plum require a strong; well-enriched soil and an avenue of them just inside the road boundary, bordering large mowing lot or farm roadways, if properly cared for so as to make well-formed heads, would be a source of great beauty when in blossom, and again when loaded with fruit in the autumn. The cherry and peach require a lighter soil with a full exposure of air, as on the brow of a hill or a western or northwestern exposure, and nothing is more beautiful than an avenue of pyramidal cherry-trees when in bloom early in the spring, while the beauty of the peach blossom and its ripening fruit have not been too highly praised in song and story. The labor and expense required to produce the few touches of beauty on many of our farms to make them homes of comfort and beauty are very small, and the skill and taste acquired in this work will enable one to become more skilful in other directions, i.e., in growing and preparing many of the profitable crops for market. It is generally conceded that the most successful and thrifty farmers are those who have a love for the beautiful, who keep their premises in a neat condition, who have every tool kept in its proper place when not in use, and who never allow anything to be out of place longer than is necessary. No waste, no leaks are allowed, and if weeds or Renovating and Improving Old Homes 117 brush interfere with their growing crops, or with ornamental or fruit trees, they are despatched. Love of order prevails everywhere, about the barn, by the roadside, as well as about the home-buildings, and beauty and thrift go hand in hand. We are largely creatures of habit of thought or of labor, and anything done thoroughly, systematically, beautifully in one direction helps us more or less in all other lines of work. Farm-roads Good farm-roads are a necessity for quick and easy trans- portation of the products of the farm. The principles of construction of such are the same as for other roads,* and where there is an abundance of stones they may be utilized for foundation and unsightly objects removed from the sur- face of the land or roadside. Road-making is very expensive business, and few farmers find profit enough in their work to warrant the expense of long lines of roadway. Only such roads as are absolutely needed should be made, and the expense of construction will be felt less if only a short length is constructed at one time. Whenever stones are being picked up from the land, a convenient way of getting rid of them is to excavate a piece of roadway and cover with a dressing of gravel on top. This is far better than dumping them along the road- sides or in some other equally conspicuous place, where brush and weeds will grow up through and about them in such a manner that they cannot be eradicated except by finally removing the stones and tearing them out root and branch. * See Chapter VIII, on Roads and Roadside Improvements. 118 Landscape Gardening / Removal of Stone Walls and Fences Except around permanent pastures and to protect fruit and other plantations from trespass, walls and fences are no longer a necessity. The ordinary fence is not ornamental no matter how nicely made, and is very costly to construct and keep in repair. They occupy a great amount of land, and the average stone or wood farm-fence gives harbor to mice, squirrels, and other vermin. It is also almost impossi- ble to keep weeds and brush from getting such a foothold along their line as not to be easily dislodged, and ornamental trees and shrubs are much more subject to insect and fun- gous pests, making it very difficult to grow them successfully where such harbors for these pests exist. If one is located near a large and growing town or city, stone walls can be disposed of for building purposes, and the "stone crop" of many farms often becomes a large source of income. Pond-holes and boggy meadows may be filled up with the accumulating small stones, covered over with soil, and thus land of some value be produced, while the stones are put where they will never cause further trouble. CHAPTER VIII COUNTRY ROADS AND ROADSIDE IMPROVEMENTS IT is often said that the condition of the roads in any community is an "index of the intelligence of its people"; and while this may not be wholly true, the roads are an index of their thrift and prosperity, for without good roads frequent and easy communication cannot be had, farm crops and manufactured products cannot be taken to market at the same cost on poor as on good roads, because of increased time required for transportation, and the greater wear and tear of horses and carriages. Then there is little pleasure or comfort in riding over muddy, rough, and unkept roads. In many sections the amount of money appropriated for the constuction and repair of roads is sufficient to keep them in good condition, but this money is often expended with such poor judgment as to leave a large part of the roads practically uncared for. The work, too, is often let out to parties who know nothing of the principles of road- making, or whose greatest care is to make as much profit from the work as possible. The Conditions Necessary for a Good Road To construct a good road three things are necessary, viz., (i) well-under drained soil, (2) a good foundation, and (3) good road material for the surface. i. In ordinary road-making very little attention is given even to surface-draining, much less to underdraining, 119 120 Landscape Gardening yet nothing would improve our roads at so small a cost as tile or stone drains under the road-bed: and no matter how good the surface material, a perfect road cannot be made without perfect drainage. If the land is very wet and full of springs, a line of tile on both sides of the road-bed, not less than 3^ feet below the surface, may be needed. See Figs. 57 and 58. If the road is on a slope, the tile should be placed a little above the upper gutter to cut off all water that would flow to the surface. 2. A layer of stones from six inches to one foot in thick- ness placed at a depth of two or three feet below the level of the road and well packed in at the bottom, provides good drainage for a time and makes a very solid foundation upon which to place smaller stones and a top layer of gravel six to eight inches deep. But for ordinary road-making this foundation will not be required if the surface-drainage and underdrainage are well attended to. 3. Good materials for road-making are often difficult to obtain without considerable expense, but with the good foundation resulting from thorough drainage fairly good roads are sometimes made with poor surface material. Broken-stone Roads The best material for a permanent road is undoubtedly broken stone, and it will generally be found the cheapest in the end; and next to this is clean sharp gravel with more or less small stones intermixed. To make the broken-stone road requires the investment of considerable capital in stone- crushers and heavy steam-rollers, which is beyond the means of small towns. The assistance now being offered by many States to suburban districts in the construction of State roads made on the most approved principles will lead to rapid progress Country Roads and Roadside Improvements 121 in correct ideas of road-making; and the large number of automobiles and bicycles now in use will furnish another incentive to further improvement. In this volume no attempt will be made to give detailed instructions for the construction of broken-stone roads (Fig. 67), but the discussion will be confined to the making and improving of ordinary gravel roads. Surface of the Road The most noticeable feature of the ordinary country road is its flatness and unevenness of surface and the little atten- tion given to surface outline and underdrainage, both of FIG. 66. — Section of Ordinary Country Road. which defects can be easily remedied. A section of the ordinary road, as often seen, is shown in Fig. 66, where the shoulders are higher than the road-bed and with depressions or basins here and there, caused by settling from the weight FIG. 67. — Section of Macadam Road. of traffic or from the displacement by frost. Such a road will wear out rapidly where the water stands, will be unpleas- ant to drive over on account of uneven surface and mud, and the worn particles of the road will not be washed out to the side, but become fine dust during dry weather. Fig. 67 illustrates the modern macadam road with well-rounded surface and gutters; but whether the road be constructed 122 Landscape Gardening of broken stone or not, the rounded surface and gutters are a necessity for a good road. The surface of the road must be given more or less crown- ing, according to the material used. The poorer or more loamy the material the more must it be crowned or rounded. FIG. 68,— A Properly Constructed Bar. The shoulders made by the settling of the centre of the road, and by growth of grass and washing of the fine particles from the centre, should be removed whenever they are so high as to interfere with the quick passage of the surface-water to the side gutters. Gutters or ditches must be provided along the roadsides to prevent surface-water from washing FIG. 69. — An Improperly Constructed Bar. up on the road surface and to catch and carry off quickly the wash from the road. These ditches must have frequent outlets and be without basins in which the water will stand. On hillsides frequent light bars should be made, and be kept in such condition at all times that no water will run over them into the middle of the road. They should start from the mid- dle of the road and run diagonally to each side (Fig. 68) and Country Roads and Roadside Improvements 123 not diagonally across the whole road. If made as in the first case both wheels will strike the bar at once and no side jolt will be felt, while if constructed as in the second case a very unpleasant side jolt is produced and carriages are often seriously wrenched. When the auto is used these bars must be made more solid and shallow than where carriages are used. On the upper side of a side-hill road good and frequently cleared gutters are needed to prevent washing, and also frequent culverts to carry the water across to the lower side; for if the water runs over the roadside and a long distance in the middle of the road, it often gains such momentum as to do a great amount of damage during heavy rains. Width of Road-bed The width of the road-bed as constructed by our road- makers is very variable, some making them from 15 to 20 feet, while others would make them only from 8 to 10 feet wide for the same amount of traffic. On most main roads between large towns and cities the width need not be over 15 feet, or only wide enough for two teams to pass readily, with rounded, sloping, well-turfed sides which will not be injured by an occasional turning out upon them, and crown- ing sufficiently to allow the surface-water to pass off quickly. In less thickly settled districts a single width of road-bed, i.e., from 8 to 10 feet wide, will be as much as is needed, and will be much less expensive in construction and repairs than if made wider. Repairing Roads One of the greatest mistakes made in repairing roads is in using poor material for dressing them over, when good material may be obtained at only a little additional cost. The best gravel that is to be had within reasonable dis- tance will generally be found the cheapest in the end. 124 Landscape Gardening A great mistake is often made also in spreading the repair material evenly over the whole road surface, is in Fig. 70, when one-half of the material placed in the centre with the shoulders of the road removed, as in Fig. 71, would give far better results. If the material is put on flat, the road-bed will remain flat, or grow more and more depressed in the middle, and none of the fine-worn material can pass FIG. 70. — An Improperly Gravelled Road. off, but remains to make mud and dust ; while if well rounded in the centre it will retain its form for some time, the fine- worn material or dust will be washed to the outside of the road, and less trouble will be experienced with mud and dust. The gravel placed in the center of the road will work to the outside as fast as it is needed to keep the form of the FIG. 71. — A Properly Gravelled Road. road-bed, and there is scarcely ever any good reason for spreading it more than from 6 to 8 feet wide in a road-bed of a single width, or 12 to 14 feet in a double-track road. As far as possible when dressing over a road the coarser material should be kept spread or raked forward as each succeeding load is added and well covered with the finer material. Road-repairing should be done in the spring before the Country Roads and Roadside Improvements 125 ground has become fully settled that the repair material may settle into the soft soil. If the shoulders (a, Fig. 71) of the road are kept worked off by the road-scraper or plough, and a thin coating of gravel be put on in the centre each season, any ordinarily well under- drained road can be kept in good repair at a very small cost. Road-scrapers when properly used are great labor-savers, and in sections where ordinary soil must be used — and there are many such — they save a great amount of labor and expense. Where the unworn material on the edges can be used to advantage, or for the purpose of breaking off the shoulders, the rounding of the surface of the road in the spring, the road-scraper will do the work quickly and thor- oughly, but to use it during the summer for any other purpose than for scraping off the worn material will result in more harm than good. The practice of turnpiking or scraping poor material, like turf and loam, into the middle of the road during the summer will largely account for the poor condition of many of our roads. All turf turned up by the road-scraper or plough should be removed from the road-bed entirely and used for filling in over steep enbankments, deep gutters, or in levelling up and otherwise improving the roadside. Roadside Improvement In the rush and hurry to gain wealth or fame we Americans often forget everything but our immediate surroundings, and our roadsides, even in the vicinity of many well-kept residences, are in a state of utter neglect — not only this, but the roadsides are made a dumping-place for rubbish of all sorts. It would require but little time or expense to put the 126 Landscape Gardening roadsides in our towns and villages into a state of great beauty and neatness if all would work together in the right way. Perhaps the first and most important consideration in roadside improvement is that all shall refrain from dump- ing rubbish of any kind along the roadside, and the highway surveyor or road commissioner or agent should first set the example, and whenever trees are trimmed up or brush is cut along the roadside, or stones picked up or dug out of the road-bed, that all shall be removed entirely from within the road boundaries. All accumulations of stone or other rubbish should be removed, so that desirable trees may be improved and undesirable trees, shrubs, or weeds, can be easily eradicated. The expense of this work need not be very great, for almost everywhere there may be found pond-holes, ditches, ravines, etc., where such materials may be dumped and covered up. The next important matter is the smoothing and evening up of the surface of the roadside. Here again those in charge of the repairs of the roads should take the initiative, and all turf and loamy soil not suitable to be put on the road-surface should be used for smoothing up and making gracefully curved or sloping roadsides. Preserve Native Trees and Shrubs The native trees and shrubs should next have considera- tion. No country possesses so many beautiful woody plants as the United States; they are generally found growing where they thrive best, and any desirable kinds found growing by the roadside that can be made to produce a proper form of growth should be preserved and improved. The laws passed by some of our States for the protection of shade-trees, whereby it is made the privilege (it should be the "duty") of the town or city authorities to mark Country Roads and Roadside Improvements 127 such trees and shrubs as it is desirable to have preserved, and making it a criminal offence to destroy those thus marked, are steps in the right direction, and should be adopted in every State. 128 Landscape Gardening There is nothing which adds so much to the comfort of the travelling public as well-shaded streets, and a compara- tively short time is required for our most rapidly growing trees to reach the size to afford considerable shade; but, whether we live to enjoy or see others enjoy their beauty and shade or not, we are certain that if properly planted in suitable soil more than one generation will be benefited by them. If every landowner would trim up and care for a few trees found growing by his roadside, or plant a few each year where none are now growing, it would be but a short time before our country would be noted for the beauty of its roadways, as well as for the general comfort and beauty of the homes of its common people. Trees found growing by our roadsides will often be of many varieties and will seldom be in such exact lines as if planted, but often more real beauty will be the result of this variety and irregularity of line and spacing. In many cases very beautiful results will be obtained by this irregular arrange- ment; at many points along a roadway interesting views of extended landscapes or glimpses of water are brought to view that would be hidden if the line of trees was unbroken. Fig. 73 shows a beautiful roadside picture. Along almost every country road may be found young trees that have sprung up from seed planted by nature in the shelter of the stone wall or fence and hedge-rows. These trees are generally well rooted, and if allowed to grow and are given proper care as to pruning and protection while young they will make better formed, more hardy and long- lived trees than those grown in the nurseries. Should the trees have been injured by growing too closely, their form may be remedied as described in Chapter VII on "Renovat- ing Old Places." Country Roads and Roadside Improvements 129 Fruit-trees along Roadways As a matter of economy fruit-trees along the roadsides are advisable, for they generally grow with great luxuriance with little care, produce large crops of fruit, and, in a measure, serve the purpose of ornamentation, but they do not give the desired shade, such as is produced by the elm, maple, oak, and other tall-growing ornamental trees, and which is one of the main objects of roadside tree-planting. Planting Avenues In almost every section of our country we find beautiful avenues of shade-trees along the roadsides which have been planted by public-spirited citizens, and such avenues are grander monuments to their memory than stone or marble; but the amount of roadway thus decorated is very small as compared with that which is bare and possessed of little or no beauty. Village improvement societies, Arbor-day plant- ing, planting-bees, etc., are doing much to encourage and increase the good work. The expense of the trees is very small, and it requires but an hour or two to obtain and plant a tree, and every landowner will find a few hours spent each year in thus adding to the beauty of his sur- roundings often the most profitable hours of his life, adding to the value of his property and building a monument that shall stand long after his face has been forgotten. Ornamental Shrubs and Flowering Plants along the Roadsides The great variety of ornamental shrubs, vines, and plants that we find growing along our country roads, 130 Landscape Gardening even when growing in neglect, are often very beautiful features, and with a little care might be made to give as .6 8. .§ a, < * PQ i 8 beautiful results as are often obtained by planting on the lawn. Country Roads and Roadside Improvements 131 The planting of exotic or imported species under such conditions seems not in good taste and cannot be recom- mended. FIG. 74. — A Roadside Picture. Natural growth well cared for. Grass alone under roadside trees and shrubs unless well trimmed is not a very ornamental feature, but is necessary to a perfect finish and setting of the trees and shrubs. 132 Landscape Gardening If the land is smooth and free from stones and can be ploughed through to the roadway, the surface can be very easily graded up and finished around the ornamental plant- ing, but generally the smoothing and levelling must be done by the slow process of digging off the projections and filling up the depressions. The same smoothness that we find on the lawn is not to be expected or desired, but there should always be a well- rounded gutter between the road-bed and the border. As with trees, we find also a great many shrubs, ferns, and flowering plants already established along the roadsides, and but little care is needed to put them in condition of perfect growth. Shrubs can be more severely pruned and more quickly grown into perfect shape than trees. This work, however, should not be left to the irresponsi- ble road commissioner or agent, but should be in the hands of the village improvement society or some one who can be depended upon to trim out only the undesirable varieties and preserve such as are the most ornamental and of the best form. Should the soil be very poor, a light dressing of compost or fertilizer should be used, but generally the road-wash can be so utilized as to make the best of top-dressing and pro- duce the most perfect growth. If we take the ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, etc., as we find them along our roadsides, we are pretty sure that the soil in which they are found is well suited to their growth, but if we transplant to fill up places not properly provided we must be sure to set out such as are suited to the soil and exposure of the place. Some species will only do well under conditions of a close tangled growth and such conditions must be provided for them, while those that only reach per- fection in full exposure on all sides should be planted accord- ingly. Country Roads and Roadside Improvements 133 The custom in many sections of our country of regarding everything growing along the roadsides as common property will need some reform before roadside decoration can be carried out to its fullest extent, but the process of education is going on in our public parks and squares, in cemeteries and school-yards, and there has been a great improvement in the respect that our people have for public decoration, they realizing more and more the great benefit such work is to the community. Removal of Walls and Fences The removal of walls and fences wherever not needed to keep stock in the pastures will do more than anything else to help on the cause of roadside improvement. Stone walls and other fences are not needed except under the conditions mentioned on a previous page. They are a great source of expense to build and keep in repair, and in many sections of the country are being removed from the roadsides and along cultivated fields. Where the land is valuable, this is an important item, as considerable areas are made available for cultivation, besides greatly improving the roadsides and reducing the number of insects and vermin that neglected roadsides harbor. If a fence is decided to be necessary along the roadway or near dwellings it should be made as inconspicuous as possible. A woven-wire fence on gas-pipe or steel posts painted green will be the least conspicuous from all points of view and in the end not more expensive. CHAPTER IX PARKS, PUBLIC SQUARES, SCHOOL-YARDS, ETC. THE limits of this work will allow of very little discus- sion of the above lines of ornamental landscape-work, but it is a subject that is attracting so much attention and so much progress is being made in this kind of work that some of the principles involved will be briefly touched upon. Nearly all of the parks connected with large towns and cities are under the direction and management of skilled engineers and landscape artists, and little that can be pre- sented within the limits of this volume will be of value to them, but in many towns and cities we find so much imper- fect work, and so much of a tendency to attempt more than the available funds will warrant or more than the managers can master, that we cannot but offer the sugges- tion that if less were attempted and the more natural fea- tures were developed and improved instead of trying to ape the larger parks which are far beyond them, there would be less of the shoddy work done and more that is really artistic and beautiful because of its perfect natural- ness. The well-kept village green with a good lawn and a few large well-grown trees in perfect condition and with no fence around it is a thing of real beauty easily and cheaply cared for, far exceeding many squares or small parks fenced in with expensive iron or wooden fences, entirely unnecessary for any purpose whatever, or elaborate fountains, and attempts at statuary. 134 Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 135 136 Landscape Gardening FIG. 76— Decorated Well Curb. Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 137 When the natural features of any park, square, common, or village green have been made as perfect as possible, and all made to blend and harmonize with the surroundings, then it is time enough to think of adding artificial objects. Let every tree, shrub, vine, or plant be made as perfect as possible. Let every rock or ledge too large to be easily removed be decorated with suitable natural growth of shrubs, vines, and plants. Let any body of water, stream or brooklet, be carefully and neatly decorated, and there is hardly a park, square, or green that will not be beautiful, that will not possess merit that will please any one with true artistic taste. No work of decoration however small should be under- taken unless it can be done well, for half work is often worse than no work at all. No community need go to a great expense for plans or advice upon the subject of oranmenting public grounds, for there are many skilful men connected with the park systems of neighboring cities who will be glad to help on the cause of the ornamentation of public grounds. There are also men of skill and experi- ence connected with the colleges and experiment stations of each State to whom they can go for advice, and our agri- cultural and horticultural press abounds in illustrations and suggestions for such work. What is most needed is some patriotic and energetic person or persons with a real love of nature and the beautiful who will take the lead and work unceasingly until success is attained. Such individuals are to be found in almost every community, and their efforts should be seconded and supported by substantial aid. The old-time "planting-bees" should be revived, or the substitute for this, Arbor-day, when the planting of public grounds by the united effort of every one who can give a few hours to the good work, would soon result in beautifying all of our public squares, village commons, and roadways. 138 Landscape Gardening Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 139 Back-yard Decoration The "back yards" of most homes may be decorated so as to present many pleasing pictures. Trees, vines, shrubs and grass may be made to grow with great vigor if properly fed, and most back yards naturally receive much plant food material from the wood pile, the ash pile and other materials FIG. 78. — Combined Useful and Ornamental. Grape Vine above Golden Glow below. scattered about the woodshed, the stable doors and other outbuildings. Where poultry is kept the soil is often too rich in nitrogenous matter and may need improving by the addition of potash and phosphate that may be obtained from wood ashes or from chemical fertilizers. Fig. 76 shows the decoration of a " well curb " which may be used either in front or back of the house. Fig. 75 shows a variety of shrubs used to cover the lower part of old buildings. 140 Landscape Gardening FIG. 79. — Combined Useful and Ornamental. Part of Fig, 78, Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 141 Vines occupy little ground space, and the over-supply of plant food in the soil will cause a very vigorous growth. Where there is but little passing over the walks, turf may be made hard and fine by frequent cutting and rolling and is much more comfortable and easy to walk upon than concrete, cement, gravel, etc. The grass walk is much more easily cared for and more beautiful. School-yard Decoration Much has been written in the past few years on the sub- ject of the decoration of our public-school yards or play- grounds, and some progress has been made in teaching the average village schoolboy that there are some things about our school buildings and grounds that he ought to respect. Very little, however, can be done in this direc- tion until the pupils come to see and understand the effect of beautiful surroundings and acquire something of a love for neatness and beauty, both inside of the school-house and on the play-grounds. This may be accomplished in a measure if nature-studies are taught to our younger pupils in the public schools, or better still if at home they learn something of the beauty and wonders of the natural world about them, and of the necessity of some effort and restraint on their part in obtain- ing and preserving the things of comfort and beauty that they are permitted to use. One of the first conditions or requirements of successful decoration of school-yards is an abundance of land. The quarter or half acre upon which school buildings are usually located is by far too small to provide space for large num- bers of children to play football, baseball, and other vigorous games and have any space for decoration, and it is useless to attempt anything more than the planting of a few large 142 Landscape Gardening Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 143 trees upon such grounds that will withstand the attack of the crowd in their rush or run for the goal. On larger grounds where a liberal space can be assigned for the play- ground decoration of greater or less extent with smaller trees, shrubs, or plants may be attempted at points some distance from the play-ground and in the angles where there is no necessity or excuse for the pupils crossing the grounds. It is always advisable to have the play-grounds and the sanitary accommodation of the boys and girls separated, especially in graded schools of the older pupils, which necessitates a larger area of land and more extensive decora- tion, and for a school of from 100 to 200 pupils not less than i to 2 acres will provide adequate space. This large extent of land is often difficult to obtain, but it will be found one of the best investments that can be made for our school- children, especially in thickly settled villages, and where the buildings are located near stores, railroad stations, etc. If the sanitaries are placed in the basement of the school- building, as they should be and are in most modern build- ings, and the grounds are where they command full view from school doors or windows, the play-grounds need not be separated more than by an occasional group of small shrubs to distinctly mark the boundaries. Reading-rooms, gymnasia, and other sources of enter- tainment and instruction provided for the pupils of our public schools will be found to aid greatly in the moral, physical, and intellectual training of our youth. Neatness and comfort should prevail everywhere, that each pupil may feel encouraged in every effort at self-control and good pur- poses. Figs. 81, 82, and 83 illustrate how school-yards of various forms may be divided into two separate yards and the arrangement of the trees and shrubbery. The arrange- ment of shade- trees around the border is a desirable feature, whatever the size or form of the grounds, and if trees of 144 Landscape Gardening large size are properly planted they will not be often injured unless it is done wantonly, and with very little care are sure Street Street FIG. 81. FIG. 82. FIGS. 81-82. — Arrangement of School-yards. Street FIG. 83. — Arrangement of School-yards. to give very satisfactory results. If the pupils can be interested in the work of decoration by the observance of Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 145 Arbor Day and field days, there will be little or no difficulty in keeping the sentiment of the school up where care will be taken that no injury is done to the ornamental material planted. If all the pupils of a school can be encouraged to take up the study of the science of botany, and beds or plots of ground provided for the germination of seeds or growing of interesting plants, it will be a source of instruction and pleasure and lead often to more extended decoration; but where only one class takes up the work, the feeling of class jealousy is often such that work of this kind is not safe from molestation. As in tree-planting by the roadside or on the lawn, the mistake is very often made of planting too closely for full and perfect growth. They should not be planted so close to the building as to shade the windows and cut off the light. No nuisance or objectionable views should be permitted near the school-house, and if distant views of beauty and interest can be preserved and unpleasant features shut out in the arrangement of the trees and shrubs, as they often can be, it should be done. The more beautiful and attrac- tive features that can be brought together about our school- houses and grounds the more easily will the pupils be gov- erned, and the greater will be their progress in everything that makes for good citizenship and upright, honorable lives. Cemetery Decoration i The decoration of the resting-places of those loved ones who have gone before has always received much attention, and special grounds in every village and hamlet have been set aside sacred to this purpose. In the earlier days of our country the space devoted to 146 Landscape Gardening FIG. 84.— A Modern Cemetery. Weeping-willow and Aquatic Plants. Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 147 this use was very limited and the geometrical style of orna- mentation employed. The grounds, being enclosed by more or less pretentious fence and the trees and shrubs ar- ranged in a stiff, formal manner, often presented the most gloomy and uninviting features possible, instead of that quiet beauty and rest that we love to think of as the most appropriate resting-place for the bodies of our loved ones. Within the past twenty-five or thirty years, however, great progress has been made in beautifying these grounds, and to-day we have some of the most beautiful examples of natural landscape or ornamental gardening connected with our park cemeteries to be found anywhere in the world. In the selection of the location for cemeteries naturally beautiful grounds, with more or less seclusion and quiet, away from the hurry and bustle of the village or city, and with a dry, rather light, porous soil, are most desirable. The more natural features of beauty that can be found the more easily and cheaply beautiful and finished work can be done. All such natural features should be preserved as far as possible, and no attempt be made to bring naturally rounded slope to the level. In case of very abrupt embankments some grading down must be done, but often by introducing large rocks and boulders into the face of the embankment the appearance of naturally projecting ledges or boulders may be produced, that will be far more beautiful than any rounded slope can possibly be made. In most cemeteries the main source of income is from the sale of lots, and the great danger to be feared is that, in the desire to secure a large number of lots, the orna- mental features will suffer, and too many lots with regular sides or too many geometrical walks will be produced. Economy of space may perhaps be obtained by the arrangement of the ground into squares, but the lots with 148 Landscape Gardening curved borders are susceptible of greater beauty in ornamen- tation. There is much greater ease and comfort in getting around by means of gracefully curved walks, and by the blending of all of the ornamentation into one system and under one management that the whole may be made to reach much greater beauty than if each lot were ornamented separately. The care and ornamentation of cemeteries should be under one management, and with authority vested by the condition of the sale of the lots to compel each owner to keep his lot in a neat and orderly condition, or to have it done at his expense by the managers. All the planting must be done within certain limits and rules be made and carried out that no one shall plant any tree, shrub, or vine that shall in any way mar the beauty of the whole. Under the conditions of a great variety of soil and a large number of people of different ideas of the beauty of the many kinds of trees and other plants that can be used with success in cemeteries, there is much danger of unsuitable trees being planted, and the superintendent must be a man of large experience as to what will give the best satisfaction under varying conditions and who has tact for dealing with the patrons of the grounds. A boundary fence is often necessary, but not so often as is generally supposed, for almost everywhere, except in the extreme country districts, animals are obliged by law to be kept within proper enclosure, and when driven along the roadway to be kept as far as possible within the road limits, and the grounds can be made more beautiful if the fence is dispensed with altogether. If one must be put up let it be a simple gas-pipe, or steel posts and wire fence painted green. Near large cities, where more or less injury is done by irresponsible or vicious people, the fence becomes a necessary protection. Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 149 No fences, kedges around the lots, or other unnatural obstruction to the view of the whole grounds should be allowed, but in the arrangement of the general ornamental features secluded and quiet beauty should predominate. The more distinctly graceful and ornamental trees and shrubs should be used in preference to the sturdy and grand trees, unless the extent of the grounds is very great, when the broad-spreading oak, chestnut, hemlock, and white pine may be used. For directions for the care of the ornamental features of the cemetery, i.e., the lawn, walks, and drives, trees, shrubs, and plants, the reader is referred to the suggestions and rules laid down in Chapters III to VI. An abundance of .water is an absolute necessity for suc- cess in cemetery decoration, and service-pipes with faucets at frequent intervals should be provided if a supply of running water can be obtained, for the best growth of lawn, shrubs, or plants cannot be cbtained, especially in time of drouth, without its frequent use. If the supply of water is sufficient, sprinklers should be kept playing on some part of the lawns all the time during extreme dry weather. The quiet lakelet, the rippling brook, and the fountain are features that are especially appropriate for cemetery decora- tion. Renovating Old Cemeteries Many of the old cemeteries of the country are of especial historic interest, as they often contain the only records to be found of much of our history, written on the tombstones found therein, and every effort should be made to save them from oblivion and make them interesting features of our sur- roundings. Not having been laid out in any formal style with walks, drives, etc., most of the old cemeteries present very favorable 150 Landscape Gardening conditions for renovation to at least neatness and some show of quiet beauty. There are generally no boundary-stones to mark each lot, and the best and simplest way to produce beautiful results is to level down all mounds and projections FIG. 85. — Typical City Street without Trees. (From the Tree-planting Association of New York City.) with sharp spades, fill up all depressions with good soil, and make the surface a smooth and green lawn. After levelling and smoothing up the surface a dressing of fine rich com- post or fertilizer should be given and an abundance of fine Parks, Public Squares, School-yards, Etc. 151 lawn grass-seed be sown and raked in. The headstones should then be placed in position, cleaning, repairing, and relettering such as are becoming obscure. The moss and lichens which indicate their age, however, should not be Fig. 86.— A City Street well Decorated with Trees. destroyed if it can be avoided. The trees, shrubs, and plants found growing in such cemeteries are often in a sad state of neglect and need much care and attention. They should be treated in accordance with the methods described 152 Landscape Gardening in Chapter VII on renovating old places, to which the reader is referred for suggestions. A few large spreading trees well cared for add much to the impressiveness of the scene, while large numbers of imperfectly grown specimens only invite neglect, and offer no attractions to those who wish to stroll about the resting-place of their ancestors or study the history of past generations. Many of these old cemeteries are located in the very heart of thriving, hustling cities or villages, and while there are many sacred associations connected with the places, the noise and bustle of the town together with the inappropri- ateness of the location make it desirable and proper that they should be removed to other locations with more quiet and peaceful surroundings. In this work every feature of the old grounds should be preserved as far as possible. The headstones should be set carefully in the same relative position in which they stood before being moved, and when so much is to be gained by removal no sensible person should object to what is a step in the direction of true honor and respect for our beloved dead. Any place that is beautiful, quiet, and peaceful will have its influence on our hearts for good, and especially when in connection with so sacred a place, but the noisy street for- bids any such influence, and the sooner these old cemeteries are moved to better surroundings and kept in proper con- dition the better, and the friends of* the loved dead should rejoice that such conditions can be provided, CHAPTER X DESCRIPTION OF TREES IN this and Chapters XI to XIV, inclusive, are given brief descriptions of the most valuable and beautiful trees, shrubs, and plants, and an effort will be made to point out in as few words as possible any peculiarities they possess or special treatment they may require for their most suc- cessful growth. For convenience of reference they are arranged in the following groups: Street- or avenue-trees. Upright or round-headed lawn-trees. Chapter X 1 Weeping trees. Trees with fine or cut foliage. Trees with colored foliage. Chapter XI Evergreen trees. I Ornamental shrubs. Chapter XII \ Climbing vines. I Hedge-plants. Chapter XIII Hardy herbaceous plants. Ornamental grasses. Bedding-plants. Chapter XIV • Subtropical plants. Aquatic plants. Hardy ferns. 153 154 Landscape Gardening FIG, 87. — Avenue of Elms, Description of Trees 155 Street- or Avenue-trees * Nothing adds so much to the beauty and comfort of our streets and roadways, especially in the summer, as well- grown trees on both sides, and we find many towns and cities throughout our country noted for the large number and beauty of their street- trees. City streets are difficult to decorate, yet by constant care trees may be made to grow as is shown in Fig. 86, while without the results are as in Fig. 85. The following list includes those best suited for this pur- pose: Elm, fringecWace form. Ash, White. Elm, American vase-shaped. Oak, Red. Elm, Slippery, fringed. Oak;/Scarlet. Elm, European, urn-shaped. Chestnut, American. Maple, Sugar. Hickory, White. Maple, Silver. Tulip-tree. Walnut, Black. Cucumber Magnolia. American or White Elm (Ulmus americand), Fig. 88. — This is unquestionably the finest street or avenue shade- * The appended list of trees is offered by the Tree-planting Asso- ciation of New York City as being the most suitable ,to . select from for growth in that city: Norway Maple. Tulip Tree or Tulip Poplar. Sugar Maple. Balsam Poplar. Silver Maple. Lombardy .Poplar. Carolina -Poplar or' Cotton wood. American White Elm. Scotch Elm. American Linden (or Basswood). Pin Oak. Lime (or European Linden). Red Oak. Nettle- tree (Hackberry). American White Ash. Oriental Plane-tree. Sweet Gum (or Liquidambar). American Sweet Chestnut. American Plane-tree (Buttonwood Common Horse-chestnut. or Sycamore). Hardy Catalpa. If the Ailanthus is desired for planting, use only pistillate trees, as they give no unpleasant odor. 156 Landscape Gardening tree in the world. Its high arching branches spreading gracefully over the lawn, drive, walk, or roadway give an abundant shade, and yet a chance for air to circulate freely FIG. 88.— A Perfect Elm. under its branches. It varies greatly in form, from the broad round head, a perfect elm, Fig. 88, to the very upright and strict fringed vase form, Fig. 89, etc., all of Description of Trees 157 them, however, assuming more or less the graceful arching growth. It grows to the greatest perfection in a deep, moist, alluvial soil and is very easily transplanted. It is often taken from the swamp or pasture and transplanted to the open lawn or roadside with success, though nursery-grown FIG. 89. — Fringed Vase Form Am. Elm. (Green.) trees if tall and clean with the branches 10 to 12 feet from the ground are more satisfactory. It is rather difficult to know what special form a young tree may take, but the seeds from trees of specific form are likely to take the forms of their parents. When young trees are 3 to 4 inches in diameter we can judge, by careful study, pretty nearly what form they will take as they reach maturity. In training a young tree a forked growth should be avoided, 158 Landscape Gardening Figs. 22 and 23, and a single leading shoot encouraged with lateral branches established at intervals on opposite sides of the main trunk, as in Fig. 20. If allowed to make the forked growth, they are certain sooner or later to be split down by the weight of snow or force of storms. This should receive especial attention with trees taken from the woods or FIG. 90. — Sugar Maple. A. saccharum. (Green.) rcadsides, and cut back to the "bean-pole" condition, as is often practised, and all of the lateral shoots be kept headed back until the leader has full control, as in Fig. 20. To succeed in growing shrubs, bedding plants, bulbs, etc., under the branches or in the shade of a large elm, the soil should be dug out with a sharp spade, taking out all of the fine roots for a foot or more in depth and filling in with turfy soil. In case of a very dry season, apply water enough to wet Description of Trees 159 down below the soil filled in. This treatment must be repeated each season to be a continued success. Slippery-elm (Ulmus fulva). — This species is of a broader FIG. 91. — Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) . (Green.) growth with larger leaves, but not quite the graceful form of the white elm, nor is it quite so large, but a valuable tree under some conditions. European Elm (Ulmus campestris). — More upright and 160 Landscape Gardening compact than the American species, and valuable where a less spreading tree is desired. AH of the elms are subject to the attack of the elm leaf-beetle, canker-worm, the elm-scale, and other insects, and need close attention to prevent their being seriously injured. See chapter on insects, page 261. Sugar-maple (Acer saccharum) , (Fig. 90). — Perhaps no tree is so largely planted for streets and roadways as this, and it has many valuable qualities. It is clean, up- right, easily transplanted, and grows rapidly, but is some- what subject to disease and the attack of the maple-tree borer, maple-louse, and other insects and fungous pests which have often destroyed large trees and broken into many a fine avenue of stately growth. Silver Maple (A. saccharinum), Fig. 91. — This rapidly growing tree is being largely planted in many places. It is a clean tree of great beauty, and thus far has shown no tendency to disease or the attack of insects. The tendency it has of forming several main forked branches must be overcome by heading in all but the central leading branch, until the tree has become well established, as with the elms, shown in Fig. 26. This species thrives on all kinds of soil, but makes the best growth in a rather moist, deep soil. White Ash (Fraxinus americana). — In growth this tree is very much like the sugar-maple with a little less of the conical form. The foliage is of a dark, rich color and free from insects and fungous pests. It is rather easily broken down by ice and wind-storms, and requires a heavy soil for its best development. Red Oak (Quercus rubra). — Of the oaks this and the next species are the best for street decoration, but they can be used along narrow roadways by training only the branches high. This is best done by keeping the lower branches clipped in, as in Fig. 910, and when strong main branches have been formed high enough to be above all danger Description of Trees 161 of striking passing teams the lateral ones may be cut away entirely. Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea). — Somewhat like the red oak in habit of growth, but with thinner and more deeply-lobed leaves and producing more brilliant colors in autumn. The oaks are rather slow and heavy in growth, but when they become well established are especially v FIG. 9 i a). The European White Water-lily (N. alba var. candidis- FIG. 172. — Nymphaea Rosea. sima) produces rather larger flowers than our native species, is equally hardy, and a more abundant bloomer. Tender Water-lilies. — The flowers of this group of water- lilies give a greater variety of forms and colors than those last described. They bloom more freely, showing flowers from July to September, if planted in shallow warm-water 312 Landscape Gardening ponds or basins. They can also be grown in tubs with good success, but the roots must be wintered in a green- house-tank or be purchased at the beginning of every season. If considerable skill is exercised by covering the plants with barrels, then with leaves and straw, they may be carried over winter in the tank or pond. They may be divided into two groups: i.e., first, those blooming during the day, opening m the morning and closing at night; and second, those opening in the evening, remaining open during the night and until toward noon the following day. The best of the DAY-BLOOMING varieties are: PURPLE ZANZIBAR OR AFRICAN LILY (Nymphoea Zanzibarensis) , ROYAL PURPLE AFRICAN LILY (N. Z. var. azurea), SUPERB AFRICAN LILY (N. Z. superba). These species may be had in bloom constantly from July to September, if planted in rich soil in shallow, warm water in ponds, basins, or tubs. For the best results in tubs they should be placed on the south, southeast, or southwest shelter of buildings or shrubbery, where the sun will strike them for 6 to 8 hours per day. A bright, sunny exposure is also desirable for the location of the pond or tank, that the water may be kept as warm as possible. The best varieties o£ the NIGHT-BLOOMERS are : The DEVONIAN WATER-LILY (Nymphcea Devoniensis), one of the choicest and most beautiful, with bright rose-colored flowers and scarlet stamens. EAST INDIAN WATER-LILY (N. rubra). WHITE AFRICAN WATER-LILY (N. dentata), one of the most free bloomers, with flowers of large size and very easily grown. ROYAL WATER-LILY (Victoria regia), the largest of all the water-lilies, its leaves often measuring 4 feet across and the flowers a foot in diameter. Very few persons succeed in blooming this royal flower, and then it is done only where artificial heat is introduced from some Aquatic Plants, Hardy Ferns, Etc. 313 greenhouse or other steam or hot-water plant near by. But where such facilities are available the results generally well repay the effort, for nothing of an aquatic growth can exceed the grandeur of the immense floating leaves and large gor- geously colored flowers of this plant. J- FIG. 173. — Water-poppy (Limnocharis Humboldtii). Many other water-loving plants besides the water-lilies may be used with good effect in aquatic gardens. These may be divided into those growing directly in deep water and those growing in the moist soil on its borders. Of the first are the Water-hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). — The flowers of this plant resemble those of the common light-blue hyacinth, 314 Landscape Gardening and by some it is likened to a species of orchid-blossoms. It grows freely in shallow warm water, each plant, after separating from its parent, floating, driven about by the winds or currents from one side of the pond or basin to the other. It blooms freely and the very abundant floating roots and inflated petioles or leaf-stalks are very interesting. Water Poppy (Limnocharis Humboldtii), Fig. 173. — The bright lemon-colored flowers of this little plant add very greatly to the beauty of any collection of aquatics. Plants set out in June grow rapidly and bloom freely. Salvinia (S. Braziliensis). — A very pretty little float- ing plant with light-green, almost heart-shaped leaves, covered with many soft hairs. It grows freely, and floating about among the larger plants has a very pleasing effect. Papyrus or Reed Paper-plants (Papyrus antiquorum). — This plant has already been described under " Sub tropi- cal Plants," but is equally useful and beautiful for the borders of ponds and fountain-basins. It is one of the most beautiful of plants, wherever grown, its graceful umbrella-like clusters of leaves being entirely unlike any foliage of the temperate zone. It grows equally well on the banks or in the water at the border, and makes a beautiful centre plant for a group of other upland aquatics or in large clusters by itself. Variegated Flag (Acorus gramineus var. variegatus). — Our native "sweet flag" is familiar to most persons, and this plant is very much like it except that it has most beauti- fully variegated green and white leaves. It is perfectly hardy and grows freely. Porcupine Plant (Scirpus Taberncemontani var. zebrina). — A beautiful hardy plant with round leafless stems, beauti- fully marked in sections of white and green, giving it some- thing of the appearance of the quills of the porcupine. This plant and the variegated flag can be so grouped with Aquatic Plants, Hardy Ferns, Etc 315 the light- and dark-green, the broad- and the narrow-leaved aquatics as to produce most beautiful effects. Parrot's Feather (Myriophyllum proserpinacoides). — This beautiful plant will serve so many purposes for water decoration, makes so rapid growth, and is so easily grown that it should be cultivated more often than it now is. It makes a most beautiful border-plant for ponds and fountain-basins, and planted in the pans of large fountains its drooping growth in with the falling water produces most charming effects. It may be successfully grown in hanging baskets or basins and over the stones in aquaria. It is so easily propagated that even small shoots, taken off and placed in rather warm water, root in a very few days. Wild Rice (Zizania aquatica). — A rapid-growing grass of large size and graceful form. It is easily grown, in fact in some places it spreads so rapidly from self-sown seed as to become a nuisance unless heroically weeded out in the early summer. Many native plants are useful for decorating borders of ponds and streams, among the best of which are the fol- lowing: CAT-TAIL (Typha latifolia), BUR-REED (Spargan- ium simplex), WATER-PLANTAIN (Alisma plants go-aquaticd), ARROWHEAD (Sagittaria laiifolia), SCOURING-RUSH (Equise- tums sp.\ BULRUSH (Scirpus sp.), PICKEREL- WEED (Ponte- deria cordata), BUR-MARIGOLD (Bidens sp.\ and many species of sedges (Car ex), all of which are found in or about our ponds and streams and many may be easily trans- planted to more cultivated locations. Some of them, like the Bidens and Typha, etc., seed very freely, and a little heroic thinning will be needed to prevent them from over- running the space needed for more desirable plants. FIG. 174.— Group of Hardy Ferns. 316 Aquatic Plants, Hardy Ferns, Etc. 317 Hardy Ferns There are many hardy species of large-growing ferns that are beautiful and easily grown and especially suited for the decoration of moist, shaded places. They thrive best in a rather moist soil, but if in the shade many of them will grow luxuriantly in even thin soil if some compost is put about the roots in the fall. They are easily transplanted and may be moved from the woods or roadside at almost any time if a large clump of roots and soil is taken up, but perhaps the best time is when they are beginning to grow in the spring and early summer. Fig. 174. Among the best are MAIDENHAIR FERN (Adiantum peda- tum), ROYAL OR FLOWERING FERN (Osmunda regalis), CINNAMON FERN (Osmunda cinnamonea), INTERRUPTED FERN (Osmunda Claytoniana), WOOD OR SHIELD FERNS (Dryopteris marginale and spinulosa), CHRISTMAS FERN (Polystichun acrostichoidcs), OSTRICH FERN (Onoclca slruthiopteris), RAT- TLESNAKE FERN (Boirychium virginianum), BLADDER FERN (Cystopteris bulbiferd). POLYPODY OR WALL FERN (Poly- podium vulgarc), and Woodsia Ihcnsis and obtusa are espe- cially useful for rocks and dry wooded places. Ornamental Grasses Fig. 176 shows a very pretty grouping of grasses about the underpinning of the house. A number of hardy and very ornamental grasses may play an important part in home lawn decorations, either in masses by themselves or planted with groups of other decorative plants, trees, or shrubs. They are easily grown from seed and propagated by division of the clump; one clump of two or three years' growth may often be divided so as to make a score or more plants. The great advantage of these grasses is that most of them are perfectly hardy and require but little care, Among the best are the following: 318 Landscape Gardening Pampas-grass (Cortaderiaargentea), not quite hardy north of New York City, JAPAN PLUME-GRASSES or EULALIAS (Fig. 127), Miscanthus sinensis, M. s. var. zebrina, M. s. var. Aquatic Plants, Hardy Ferns, Etc. 319 variegatus, and M s. var. gracillimus.) The eulalias all make beautiful winter decorations arranged by themselves or with other " immortelle " flowers. GIANT REED (Arundo Donax), requiring some protection at the North, both FIG. 176. — Japanese Plume-grass Miscanthus sinensis var. zebrina.} plain and variegated, etc., and RIBBON-GRASS (Phalaris arun- dinacece), plain and variegated, are ornamental. The last species spreads rapidly and should be kept within bounds by spading up and pulling out all the suckers or stolons as soon as they get beyond the limits of the bed or space it is desired that it shall occupy. CHAPTER XV INSECTS AND FUNGI ATTACKING ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ETC. ONE of the greatest difficulties one has to contend with in the care of ornamental trees, shrubs, etc., is the injury caused by insects and fungous pests, and in this chapter a brief outline of the most destructive pests will be given, with the best and most easily applied remedies. The injury done to ornamentals by the above pests is very great, though not so large as that to fruit and garden crops. It is the history of all cultivated plants that the longer and more largely any one kind is grown the more rapidly will its natural enemies, i.e., insects and parasitic fungi, increase, and the more ornamental homes we have the more need there will be to resort to protective or remedial measures to secure satisfactory growth. No attempt will be made at a strictly technical descrip- tion of species, but the author will endeavor to give a brief, plain description such as will enable the practical gardener or home-owner to detect the pests that may be injuring his pets and to apply remedies that shall save them from de- struction. In making up this list the author is indebted to the many carefully recorded results given in the bulletins of the experiment-stations published by several States, which together with a large practical experience in the care of nearly all species and varieties of ornamental trees, shrubs, etc., he hopes will enable him to present the latest and best 320 Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 321 methods of preventing serious loss from the above pests. The reader is referred to the popular bulletins published by the various experiment-stations often giving illus- trations of destructive insect or fungous pests with full treatment for their destruction. If one finds a pest at work and is not familiar with it, specimens should be sent at once to the entomologists or botanist of the station of his state for identification and advice as to remedies. Insecticides (Insect-destroyers.) Practically there are but very few of the common insecti- cides needed or of much value in the preservation of farm, garden, or ornamental crops, and these are Paris green, arsenate of lead, Pyrethrum powder, hellebore, lime and sulphur solution and soluble oils, whale-oil soap, and tobacco water. The first four are used for the destruction of chewing insects and the others for sucking insects. Paris Green is a deadly poison and should be used with extreme caution, and never be applied in large quantities to crops used as food or be kept in such places as to be accessi- ble to irresponsible persons or children. Pure Paris green contains but a small per cent of soluble arsenious acid, and can be used without injury upon most plants in sufficient quantities to destroy any insects that feed by biting or chewing the parts. Samples containing more than 4 per cent of soluble arsenious acid should be used with considerable caution. Paris green alone can be safely used only at the rate of i pound to 250 or 300 gallons of water. This, however, is a very small quantity, and to enable more to be used lime is added to neutralize the soluble arsenious acid. Two pounds of lime slaked in water and added to 25 gallons of water will enable us to use as much as i pound of Paris green 322 Landscape Gardening to 100 and even 50 gallons of water without injury to the foliage. When the Bordeaux mixture (see " Fungicides ") is used, the lime in that mixture has the same effect, and i pound of Paris green to 50 or 100 gallons of the mixture may be used without injury to the foliage (except upon the peach and cherry trees), and the work of destroying insects and fungi thus reduced one-half. Arsenate of Lead is similar in effect to Paris green, but is a combination of arsenic with lead instead of copper. It is less soluble than the former, adheres longer to the foliage and will not burn the leaves when used in large quantities. It can be used with the Bordeaux mixture or the lime sulphur solution, and being in the form of a white powder or paste may be more readily detected upon the leaves. In cost it is about the same per pound as Paris green, but about twice as much is needed to do effectual work. Arsenate of lead may be used as a dry powder with lime or flour or in water. Lime-sulphur Solution. — This is a solution that kills scale, aphides (plant lice), etc., by contact, many brands of which are to be found in the market. It is unpleasant to use on account of its caustic properties, and in spraying it is best to apply with the wind. It is effectual as a fungicide used at the rate of from 3 to 5 gallons to 50 gallons of water while the trees are dormant, or i to i^r gallons to 50 of water when in foliage. SELF-BOILED lime- sulphur is made by slaking fresh caustic lime in a small amount of water and when at its highest adding an equal quantity of fine sulphur. Cover and let boil until a molasses- like liquid is formed, which is to be diluted as for the com- mercial lime-sulphur solution. P'" Soluble Oil is made by treating crude petroleum so as to make it soluble in water. This kills scale insects, aphides, etc., and all sucking insects by contact. Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 323 For scale insects it is applied to the trees at any time after the leaves fall in the autumn until growth begins in the spring. Both this and the lime-sulphur solution are equally effectual in destroying scale and other insects, but the oil spreads more evenly over the small branches and buds and does not require quite as much care in application. In the application of both insecticides and fungicides the directions given upon the packages should be carefully followed. Hellebore Powder. — This is a fine powder made from grinding the roots of Veratrum album, and will kill most chewing insects. It, however, is more expensive and does not adhere so well to the foliage as Paris green and arse- nate of lead, even if used in lime solutions or water. It will not, however, injure the foliage, and is not nearly so poisonous — not dangerously so unless taken into the lungs or stomach in large quantities. It is best used in water or dusted on while the foliage is wet with rain or dew. Kerosene Emulsion. — Formula: | pound common bar soap, 2 gallons water, 2 gallons common kerosene. Dissolve the soap in the hot water; while still hot, add the kerosene and churn back and forth with a garden- pump or syringe until a milk or cream-like liquid is formed. When cold, dilute with water to make from 10 to 25 gallons of liquid. This is used for the destruction of sucking insects like aphides (plant-lice), scale insects, etc. Whale-oil Soap is very frequently used as an insecti- cide at the rate of from i pound to 3 to 5 gallons of water, according to the insect to be destroyed. Pyrethrum or Persian Insect Powder. — This substance is made from the flowers of two or three species of pyrethrum or feverfew (chrysanthemum), the flower-heads of which are ground to a fine powder, known in the markets as pyre- 324 Landscape Gardening thrum, Dalmatian, Persian, or Buhack insect powder. When dusted upon some kinds of insects in the latter part of the afternoon or evening, it will paralyze them and those remaining under its influence during the entire night are killed. Many of these insects would soon recover if it were applied in the morning or middle of the day. Young insects are more susceptible to its effect than older ones, but as most of the aphides and other sucking insects are short-lived, several applications at intervals of a few days or a week will destroy most of them. Fungicides (Fungus-destroyers.) The use of fungicides becomes necessary to protect many of our trees and shrubs from fungous growths, i.e., mil- dews, rusts, blights, etc., which often do serious injury, and lime sulphur solution or copper in one form or another is the substance most commonly used to destroy these pests. When once a fungous growth has become established in the tissues of a plant, nothing will kill or dislodge it that will not destroy the host plant, but the spores or seeds of the fungus may be killed or be prevented from germinating by a very small amount of copper solution or other fungicides coming in contact with them. To prevent the growth, therefore, of the spores of rusts, smuts, mildews, etc., it becomes necessary to have the fungicides on the parts of the plants likely to be affected whenever the spores (seeds) come in contact with the plant under conditions of high temperature and moisture. These spores are produced in immense numbers, an illustration of which may be seen in mass of spores forming the large fruit- bunches of the "corn-smut" or the dust of the puffball, the black substance of the first and the fine gray powder of Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 325 the last being composed of myriads of spores or seeds. These spores are very small, so small in fact that they are individually scarcely perceptible to ordinary vision and are carried about by the slightest breath of air. Much may be done to prevent the growth of fungus pests by keeping the trees or plants in a vigorous, healthy growth. This may be done by good cultivation and an abundance of plant-food, under which condition the grow- ing spores are not so likely to gain a foothold in the tissues of the host plant; but even with the most vigorous growth we sometimes find that if the weather is unusually hot and the atmosphere very moist the spores will gain a foothold and we must have the fungicide on the surface of the plant to prevent the growth of the spores should the plant not be able to withstand their attack. Some seasons, and often for a series of years, our trees escape injury from fungus pests, but we cannot hope to escape always, and it is the part of wisdom to learn with what pests we are threatened, what is the best remedy, and how and when to apply such remedies as to most certainly destroy each pest. Among the best fungicides are the following : Copper Sulphate (Blue vitriol). — Copper has long been known to be destructive to the spores of nearly all kinds of moulds, mildews, rusts, etc., but not until within a few years has it been largely used for the purpose of destroying these growths on cultivated trees, plants, and farm crops. The form in which it is most used is that of copper sulphate or blue vitriol, in which the copper is united with sulphuric acid and is in the form of blue crystals (blue stone). In this form it is quickly soluble and very injurious to the growing parts of plants unless used in a very dilute form; i part of copper sulphate to 150 or 200 parts of water being as concen- trated as it can be used without injury. In this form it is 326 Landscape Gardening quickly washed off by heavy rains, and to prevent this lime is used with it, forming what is known as the Bordeaux Mixture. — Formula: 4 pounds copper sul- phate, 6 pounds caustic (unslaked) lime, and 50 gallons water. By combining the copper and lime it is found that the copper sulphate may be used more freely and with less injury than if used alone, and that it will adhere a long time to the foliage. To make the Bordeaux mixture, dissolve the copper in hot water (or if placed in a coarse sack or basket and suspended in a tub of cold water it will dissolve in two or three hours, while if put in cold water on the bottom of a tub or vessel it remains undissolved for a long time). Then in a separate tub slake the lime thoroughly and when both are cold pour the two together, stirring constantly. Dilute with water to make 50 gallons of liquid. In this form it is more difficult to apply than a simple solution, but the lime causes it to adhere for a long time and spray- ing need not be so frequently done. Before using, the mixture should be strained through a burlap or fine wire strainer to take out the coarse particles in the lime. The Vermorel or some other adjustable nozzle that will throw a very fine spray or mist must be used to distribute the material evenly and without waste over the surface of the plants. If insects are found attacking the plants to be treated for fungous growths, Paris green or arsenate of lead may be added to the Bordeaux mixture at the rate of from 5 to 8 pounds to 100 gallons of the mixture, and, as stated on a previous page, the lime will prevent this large quan- tity of the arsenate from burning the foliage and two pests be destroyed at one spraying. Arsenate of lead has largely taken the place of Paris green as an insecticide, as it can be used in larger quantities. In water 5 to 7 pounds may Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 327 be used in cases of large numbers of insects and 3 to 5 pounds if used with the Bordeaux or lime-sulphur solu- tion. Pumps, etc., for Applying Insecticides and Fungicides For the application of insecticides and fungicides there are a great many pumps, machines, and guns made, and any of those made by reliable and long-established firms may be relied upon to do good work if rightly handled. In every case it is desirable, if possible, other things being equal, to obtain a pump made as near home as possible, that parts may be replaced or repairs be made in case of breakage, with as little delay as possible. Nozzles The number of nozzles made for distributing insecticides and fungicides is as great as that of pumps, and there are many good ones. To do the best work the nozzle must discharge a fine mist-spray that will settle upon the foliage and other parts sprayed in very small particles and not run off. The one that gives the finest spray without clogging is the most satisfactory. The disk nozzles of which the " Friend" is a type are now made by most pump makers, and is generally found to be the best. The nozzle should be attached to the pole or rod at an angle of 45° for the best distribution of the spray material. To carry the spray to the tops of trees of medium height the bamboo extension-rod or J-inch brass pipe from 6 to 10 feet long can be used with success, but in spraying very tall ones the hose must be carried up into the tree and the insecticides or fungicides distributed therefrom. With a large pump worked by two men or a small engine two or three streams may be thrown at once and the work be done rapidly and cheaply. 328 Landscape Gardening Some Common Insects Injurious to Ornamentals Elm Leaf-beetle (Galerucaxanthomelana), Fig. 172. — This insect (k), a beetle of yellowish-brown color, about J inch long, somewhat resembling the striped cucumber-beetle, comes Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 329 out from its hibernating places in early summer, feeds upon the foliage for a time and lays its eggs on the under side of the leaves soon after they unfold. These eggs are bottle- shaped, of orange color, are laid in clusters of from 5 to 20, and attached to the leaf by the larger end (e). The eggs soon hatch, and the larvae (g), of a slender form, about J inch long when fully grown, and yellowish-brown color with a yellow line or band along the back, feed rapidly and in from two to four weeks descend to the ground, where they pupate under some convenient shelter. In some sections of the country as many as three or four broods are reported in a season, but in northern New England it has not been proved that more than one brood matures. Remedy. — This pest is best destroyed by spraying with arsenate of lead from 3 to 5 pounds to 50 gallons of water. The time for spraying is the last of May or early in June for the destruction of the beetles (this date will vary with loca- tion, whether North or South), and again about the middle of June for the larvae, and if all the larvae are not destroyed by the first spraying one or two more applications at inter- vals of a week or ten days should be made. Elm-scale (Gossyparia ulmi), Fig. 178. — Very little seems to be known about the life-history of this insect, and yet it is one of the most widely distributed and injurious insects attacking the elm. It is a small, soft-scale insect of a whitish color (/) that attacks both the American and European species of the elm. It is found on the under side of the branches, and when crushed leaves a stain on the fingers or clothing much like that of iron-rust. It injures the trees by sucking the juices of the young shoots and small branches. In many sections in Massachusetts they were so abundant during the season of 1895 that the leaves and bark of almost every tree were badly covered with a black substance resulting from the dust of the atmosphere 330 Landscape Gardening adhering to the sticky exudations made by the insects deposited upon them, and from a black fungous growth similar to that found in the exudations of the pear-tree Psylla in our pear orchards. The leaves were also of a sickly yellow color and the trees made a very small growth. Remedy. — It has been found to be destroyed by the kero- Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 331 sene emulsion, applied thoroughly at the time when the young are being produced and moving from near the parent scale to other parts of the tree for permanent location, and again from five to ten days later. By close attention about June ist the best time can be easily determined. The lime sulphur solution used at the rate of i gallon to 50 of water will probably also destroy it. Maple-borer (Plagionotus speciosus), Fig. 179. — In most sections where the sugar-maple thrives, this insect is more or less injurious, though it is said to sometimes attack FIG. 179. — Maple-borer. (Saunders: sth Report U. S. Ent. Com., p. 375, Fig. 137.) other species. It is a very dangerous insect enemy, because its work is difficult to detect until serious harm has been done. The perfect insect is a beetle nearly an inch long, the head is yellow, the thorax black, with transverse yellowish spots, and the wing-covers are yellow, and black. The beetles appear in July and August, and lay their eggs on the bark during the latter part of the last-named month. The eggs soon hatch and the larvae or young work a short distance under the surface of the bark, the first season throwing out chips and droppings from their holes. If not molested, the following season they go on feeding and working deeper through the bark and sapwood, making a tortuous burrow 332 Landscape Gardening not far from the surface, often nearly J of an inch in diameter and sometimes girdling the tree. As many as twenty have been found in a single tree. Remedy. — The only effectual remedy is to dig the borers out before they have done much harm, i.e., the first fall or following spring after the eggs are laid. This may be very easily done with little or no injury to the tree. The bark should be carefully scraped and after a few days the surface carefully examined, when the exuded dust or chips will enable one to quickly detect the location of the borer. If the insects have already done serious harm to the tree, all holes or channels made by them should be filled up with putty, grafting-wax, or a thick paint. Possibly the paint- ing of the trunk with lime or Portland-cement wash con- taining Paris green or arsenate of lead at the rate of 4 ounces to the gallon may prove effectual in destroying many of the larvae as they work their way into the tree. Canker-worms (Anisopteryx pometaria and Palceacrita vernata), Figs. 180 and 181. — These insects extend over a wide area of the country, and are very injurious to the elm, apple, and some other trees. The male (a) insect is a grayish moth of about J inch stretch of wings and flies in the night, while the female (b) has no wings. The female crawls up the tree and lays its eggs in clusters on the branches during the night at any time from October i5th to April i$th when the ground is not frozen and in warm, moist nights. The eggs hatch out about the time the buds unfold, and unless destroyed the larvae soon eat all of the leaves but the skele- ton and midrib, giving the trees the appearance as of a fire having burned off the foliage. For the past ten years this pest has done very little injury, but has again made its appearance and many cases of large injury have been re- ported the past season. Remedy. — The remedy so generally used of putting bands Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 333 of tar or printer's ink, or of tin or other kind of troughs with oil in them, around the trees to prevent the female insects from reaching the branches is effectual provided the band is kept covered with soft ink, tar or tanglefoot, or the trough is well filled with oil when the insects are moving, FIG. 1 80. — Canker-worm. (Riley: Circular No. 9, 2d Series, Dept. Agr., Fig. i.) i.e., at any time when there is no frost in the ground, on warm nights from November i5th to April i5th. The more satisfactory remedy, except for very tall trees, however, is to give the insects no attention until the eggs begin to hatch out, and then to destroy the larvae by spraying with Paris FIG. 181. — Canker-worm. (Riley: Circular No. 9, 26. Series, Dept. Agr., Fig. 3.) green or arsenate of lead used as for the elm-beetle, making two applications, one when the first eggs hatch and then again in from five to eight days, according to the weather, or when all of the eggs are hatched out. Success in this work depends upon how much arsenate is used and how thoroughly the foliage is covered with it. For the amount of arsenate to use 334 Landscape Gardening and method of application see "Treatment of the Elm- beetle," pages 328 and 329. Borers. — The maple-borer, Fig. 179, has already been a FIG. 182. — Round-headed Apple-borer. (Chittenden: Circular No. 32, 2d Series, Dept. Agr., Fig. I.) FIG. 183. — Flat-headed Apple- worm. (Chittenden: Circular No. 32, 2d Series, Dept. Agr., Fig. 3.) described, but there are many ornamental trees besides the maple that are injured by borers. The thorns, flowering apple, mountain ash, amalanchier (shad bush) and some other Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 335 trees are injured by the ROUND-HEADED APPLE-BORER (Saperda Candida), Fig. 182, and the FLAT-HEADED BORER (Chrysobothris Jemorata), Fig. 183. The flowering peach, plums, and cherries are injured by the PEACH-BORER (San- nina exitiosa), Fig. 184. Willows, lindens, poplars, locusts, and many other trees are also injured by borers. These are to be destroyed in the same manner as the maple-borers, i.e., by digging them out, carefully examining all trees twice each season — in June and August. FIG. 184. — Peach-borer. (Marlott: Circular No. 17, 2d Series, Dept. Agr.( Fig. i.) Rose-bug or -chafer (Macrodactylus subspinosus), Fig. 185. — This insect needs no description, and no one insect is more injurious to so many kinds of trees and shrubs and none more difficult to destroy or prevent from doing much harm. Remedy. — Where arsenate of lead can be safely used, as it can be upon all trees and plants producing flowers that are not cut for house or personal decoration or that produce no edible fruit, this is the most certain remedy. On roses it can be used until the blossoms are nearly open and longer if the flowers are allowed to remain on the bushes until the petals fall. Pyrethrum powder dusted over the bushes each forenoon and again late in the afternoon in bright weather 336 Landscape Gardening will drive the beetles away, but they soon return and the remedy must be repeated each day until they are done working. If this powder has been kept over one season or a considerable time in an open package, it loses its strength. It should always be kept in a sealed can or glass-stoppered bottle, and a fresh supply be obtained each season. Where rose-bushes are but few, these insects can be kept from FIG. 185. — Rose-bug or -chafer. (Riley: "Insect Life," Vol. II., p. 295, Fig. 61.) doing serious injury by hand-picking; the easiest way to gather them being to take a broad, shallow tin basin, put in a little water with a tablespoonful of kerosene on top, hold the basin under the part of the bush examined, and touching the insects they will fall into the pan and be destroyed. Rose-slug (Monostegia rosea), Fig. 186. — The rose-slug is the Iarva3 of one of the saw-flies. The perfect insect comes out of the ground the last of May or early in June. Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 337 The eggs are laid under the epidermis or outer covering of the leaf, and the larvae appear in about two weeks, feeding upon the soft green parts of the leaf and leaving nothing but the midrib, veins, and epidermis on one surface. It is of a greenish color, nearly transparent, the head much larger than the posterior part of the body. It feeds rapidly and must be attended to soon after the eggs hatch. Remedy. — Dusting or spraying with hellebore or pyre- thrum powder is a certain remedy. If the dry powder is used, it must be applied when the foliage is wet with rain FIG. 186. — Rose-slug. (Riley: "Insect Life," Vol. V., p. 274. Fig. 37-) or dew. When used in water, i tablespoonful to a common 2-gallon pail of water is about the right quantity. It is most effective if applied just before dark in the after- noon. Also use arsenate of lead or Paris green. Rose-leaf Hopper (Typhlocyba rosed}. — This insect is small, almost white in color, and flies or jumps about when- ever the trees or bushes are suddenly jarred. It feeds upon the green coloring-matter of the leaf, sucking out the juices, making very numerous small white spots until the leaf becomes very light green or almost white. This is the most serious rose insect and causes the dead brown leaves seen everywhere in the late summer. It is especially injurious 338 Landscape Gardening to the rose, grape-vine, etc., though it attacks some other shrubs and trees. Remedy. — The remedy is thorough spraying with kero- sene emulsion, or by the use of pyrethrum applied just at night it may be kept under control. Red Spider (Tetranicus telarius). — This insect is so minute as to be difficult to detect with the naked eye, except by the closest inspection, until it has done con- siderable mischief, when its work is shown in the light green or grayish color of the leaves attacked. It works only in very dry and hot weather, when it increases very rapidly and attacks a great many kinds of trees and shrubs. Remedy. — As this insect cannot exist in a moist, cool atmosphere, the spraying of the trees with cold water applied with considerable force is a certain remedy, a heavy thunder-shower often completely checking their work. Dusting the foliage with flowers of sulphur when the leaves are wet will also have a beneficial effect. Aphides (Aphis sp.). — There is hardly a species of tree or shrub that is not more or less affected by aphides (or plant-lice so called). One season they are abundant and do much harm, and another very few and do little injury. These insects increase with astonishing rapidity; a single pair, it is said, may be responsible under favorable conditions of food and temperature for millions of progeny in a single season. They injure plant-tissues by sucking the juices of the tender parts, and when numerous all of the terminal shoots are stopped in growth and the tree or plant has a stunted, sickly appearance. When the leaves alone are attacked, they curl and roll up, and are soon covered with black substances collected from the dust of the atmosphere coming in contact with the sticky surface caused by the exudations of the aphides. Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 339 Remedy. — The application of kerosene emulsion with force enough to drive it under the curled leaf is the most satisfactory remedy. Strong tobacco water is also effectual in its destruction, On small trees and shrubs, where the FIG. 187.— Oyster-shell Scale. (Howard: "Year Book," Dept. Agr., 1894, P- 257, Fig. 26.) branches can be bent down, dipping the ends into the emulsion would be most satisfactory, or the strong solution may be applied with a soft paint-brush. If only a few of the leaves are curled up these may be picked off and burned or otherwise destroyed before spraying. 340 Landscape Gardening Scale Insects. — These are among the most destructive of the sucking insects, and several species are very abundant. Among those most to be feared are the OYSTER-SHELL SCALE Fig. 187, and the SAN JOSE SCALE. The former (Mytelaspis pomorum), is very common on ash, willows, lilacs, hawthorn, etc., and on the flowering apples. In shape it resembles the oyster-shell, is of a brown color, about J of an inch long by Y& wide, and injures the tree by sucking the juices from the growing shoots and branches. At c it is shown natural size. The eggs hatch out from under the parent shell the last of June or early July, and the young swarm out and soon fix themselves on other branches, feeding at this point until they reach full size, when they die, leaving the young or eggs protected by their dead bodies. Remedy. — This pest may be destroyed by painting during the winter with a very light coat of linseed-oil, by washing with strong caustic potash, \ pound to 4 quarts water, by strong whale-oil soap, 2 pounds to i gallon of water, applied while the trees are dormant, or by kerosene emulsion used just after the young insects have left the cover of the parent scale and have a very delicate covering. Soluble oil and lime-sulphur solution as used for the San Jose scale is a remedy for this pest. The San Jose Scale (Aspidiotus perniciosus), so destruc- tive to all kinds of fruit and many ornamental trees in California and the South, has been largely distributed about the country, having been found in every State in the Union, and has proved a most destructive pest. The perfect insect is circular in outline, of a gray color, vary- ing from -3*5- to TQ of an inch in diameter, and generally with a black spot in the centre. It is so small as to escape notice until it has increased to great numbers, and it prop- agates very rapidly. It injures plant-growth in the same way as the last by sucking the juices of the tender parts. Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 341 In its earliest stage of growth it is yellow and crawls about until it finds a good place to feed, when it becomes fixed and does not move away during the remainder of its life. A single pair may produce millions of young. It attacks all of our fruit trees, currant bushes, gooseberry bushes, and many ornamental trees and shrubs. There are many species of scale insects so closely resembling this pest that when insects of this kind are found they should be sent to the experi- ment station entomologists for identification and suggestions as to remedies. Remedy. — This pest has been destroyed in some cases by the same, but more concentrated, remedies as used for the oyster-shell scale. The applications should be made more thoroughly with more frequent use of the kerosene emul- sion during the summer. If promptly attacked when first discovered it may be kept under control at small expense. The most effectual remedy is the lime-sulphur solution, applied in December or March, or just before the buds have started in the spring. The formulas and full directions for these applications may be found in the reports of the experiment stations, or upon application to the entomol- ogists of these institutions. Maple Woolly Scale (Pseudococcus aceris), Fig. 188. — This comparatively new insect pest has appeared in several sections of the country, but thus far has been found only on the soft maples. In Europe it is reported to be injurious to the linden, elm, chestnut, etc. (see " Bulletin N. H. Ex. Station, No. 36 "), and should it increase in this country will prove a very troublesome pest. It is some- what of the nature of the scale and aphis, sucking the juices of the plant upon which it feeds; its body and the masses of eggs which it lays being covered with a white cottony or woolly substance, from which it takes its name. Remedy. — While no experiments have been made, or at 342 Landscape Gardening least reported, to prove the value of the various common insecticides in destroying this pest, from the nature of the FIG. 1 88.— Maple-scale. (Howard: Circular, No. 3, Dept. Agr., 2d Series, Fig. i.) insect it seems probable that the kerosene emulsion and soluble oil will be effectual if applied with considerable force, so as to throw it in under the mass of insects and eggs Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 343 which are so nicely protected by the woolly cover that is of a somewhat oily nature, thus preventing watery liquids from adhering to the bodies of the insects or penetrating the masses of eggs. The Browntail Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhea) . — A moth very similar in size to the Gypsy moth, but nearly white and more destructive in that it feeds for about a month in the fall and then again in the spring and early summer, and that the female moth can fly a^great distance. The egg clusters, which are laid on the under side of the leaves on the extreme ends of the branches in August and September, are covered with brown hairs much like those of the Gypsy moth. The eggs soon hatch and the larvae feed for several weeks, when they draw the edges of the leaves together, making a water- proof nest in which they pass the winter, and from which they come out in early May and feed on the young leaves of the oak, apple, wild cherry and a few other trees. It is destroyed by cutting and burning its " nests " during the winter, and by spraying with arsenate of lead when the leaves begin to show in the spring, or in the fall about the time the eggs begin to hatch. The Gypsy Moth (Porthetria dispar). — This pest is becoming so widely distributed over New England and a few other sections that, notwithstanding the fact that the female moth can scarcely fly, it is one of our most destruc- tive insect pests. It feeds upon most of our trees and shrubs, on the lawn, in the garden and in the forests. The work, which is almost pure white in color, lays its eggs in the early fall in brown, hair-covered clusters of from 200 to 400 in crevices of the bark, on the under side of branches, in stone walls, rail fences, sides of buildings or other secluded places. These eggs hatch out in early summer, the larvae feed voraciously for about a month, when they go into the chrysalis state for about another month and then come 344 Landscape Gardening out perfect insects to lay another brood of eggs. They are destroyed by saturating the egg masses with creosote at any time during the fall and winter and by spraying with arsen- ate of lead as soon as they begin to feed in the spring upon the young leaves. The Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina). — Among the more recent insects injurious to ornamental trees and shrubs is the leopard moth. This pest was first found by Mr. R. W. Curtis, of the Arnold Arboretum, in 1909. Soon after this date it was found upon the elms and other trees in the grounds of Harvard College. It feeds upon nearly every ornamental tree and shrub except the evergreens. Its eggs are laid singly or in small groups under the bark and in crevices of the trunks and main branches. The young larvae are very small, but at maturity are nearly 2 inches long. They feed upon the smaller branches, causing many of them to break off. The best remedies are spraying the trunks and main branches with a strong mixture of arsenate of lead at the time the eggs hatch, and digging out the larvae while they are small. If discovered upon one's trees aid should be called from the experiment stations or the Entomological Bureau of the Department of Agriculture. There are a great many other less injurious insects that often appear in small numbers on single trees or within limited localities, sometimes increasing rapidly for a time and then disappearing; but the limits of this volume will not allow of further space for their description. We may briefly say that in a general way the remedies already described may be applied to all insect pests, i.e., all chew- ing insects to be destroyed by the use of arsenate of lead and hellebore, and all sucking insects by the kerosene emulsion, lime-sulphur and soluble oil. " \Whenever a new insect appears, if doing harm to any Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 345 crops, specimens should be sent to the entomologist of the experiment station of the State in which it is found, and the instruction given for its destruction be followed. These stations are established for the purpose of aiding the people to overcome all difficulties in the growth of ornamental or useful crops, and every citizen should feel free to ask for instruction and aid whenever needed. Fungi Injurious to Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, etc. The fungous growths that are injurious to growing plants belong to the group of plants known as parasitic fungi and take their food from their host plant, i.e., the plant upon which they grow, but organize no plant-food for them- selves, and often they feed and grow with such rapidity as in a short time to destroy the host plant or seriously weaken it. Most of these parasites propagate from very minute seed-like bodies already described. They grow under favorable conditions with the most incredible rapidity, as may be illustrated by the short time in which the leaves of a pear or poplar tree are destroyed by the pear-blight or the poplar-rust. It often takes but a few days of warm, moist weather to cause the destruction of all of the leaves of a tree, when perhaps the growth of but a few spores only began the work of destruction. It is during hot, moist weather that they grow most rapidly, and while we may sometimes escape if we do not use fungicides, the wise gardener will be prepared and make application of the fungicides described on previous pages. Among the many fungi injurious to ornamental trees, shrubs, etc., the following are among the most destructive: Rusts. — This term has been applied in more or less of an arbitrary manner to a large group of fungi that produce masses of spores on the surface of the leaves or stalks, gen- erally yellowish or brownish in color, but when of a white 346 Landscape Gardening color they are often called the " white rusts " or mildews. The spores germinate on the surface of the leaves, their roots or feeding-parts (called mycelia) penetrate the leaf through the stomata or breathing-pores, and after feeding and developing for greater or less time, according to the species or the condition of the weather, fruit (spores) is produced on stalks or in masses on the surface of the leaf, and scattered by the slightest breath of air. Of the true rusts I shall mention only a few of the most important, with the remedies most effective, but many others of a similar character may be destroyed or prevented from doing harm in the same manner. POPLAR-RUST' (Melanosporium populina), ROSE-RUST (Phragmidium mucronatum) , HOLLYHOCK-RUST (Puccinia malvacearum) , LINDEN-RUST (Cercospora microsora). — The growth of all of these pests takes place under about the same conditions, i.e., a weakened growth of the tree or plant from any cause, and in close, moist, hot weather. Strong- growing, healthy plants are less liable to attack than those of a weak growth, though a too vigorous and soft growth may be produced by too much enrichment of the soil, and is as much to be avoided as the other extreme. Remedy. — If copper in even minute quantities or lime- sulphur solution is on the leaves and branches so that it will be distributed over the surface whenever it rains or is wet with dew, the spores cannot germinate, and the remedy to apply is to spray the branches thoroughly with Bordeaux mixture 4, 5, 50, before the leaves unfold, when all of the earlier spores upon them will be destroyed The great advantage of the Bordeaux mixture is that it holds the copper firmly to the leaves and with every rain or heavy dew minute quantities are dissolved and the spores are prevented from germinating. The lime sulphur used for the destruction of scale insects is also a fungicide, but can be Insects and Fungi Attacking Trees, Etc. 347 used only in a dilute form, \ to i gallon of the solution to 50 gallons of water, according to the kind of trees to be sprayed. To the above solutions may be added arsenate of lead 4 to 6 Ibs. to 50 gallons of the mixture for the destruction of insect pests. Leaf-blights. — The leaf-blights are unlike the rusts in that they attack and destroy small portions of the leaves, and when these spots or places of attack become numerous the whole leaf is destroyed and it soon falls off. Among the most destructive of the leaf-blights are the CATALPA- LEAF SPOT (Phyllosticta catalpGe), CHERRY- AND PLUM- LEAF BLIGHT (Cylindrosporium Padi\ MAPLE-LEAF SPOT (Phyllosticta acericolor), SYCAMORE-LEAF BLIGHT (Glceo- sporium nervisequum) , ROSE-LEAF SPOT (Actinonema rosa), etc. Remedy. — As with the rusts, the copper must be on the plants to destroy the spores when they come in contact with it, but when the parasite has become fully established nothing will destroy it that will not destroy the host plant. The treatment is the same as for the rusts. Mildews or White Rusts. — As the name indicates, these are parasites which produce white spores and more or less white patches on the leaf or other parts. As with the two previously named groups, they grow under conditions of moisture and hot, moist weather, and as a rule they appear later in the season. Among the most destructive of this group are the ROSE- MILDEW (Spharotheca pannosa), POWDERY MILDEW OF THE HAWTHORN, PLUM, AND CHERRY (Podosphcera oxy- cantha), DOWNY MILDEW OF THE WILLOW (Uncinula solids), DOWNY MILDEW OF THE LILAC (Micros pheer a Alni D. C.), etc. Remedy. — Coming on later in the season than the brown rusts, two or three applications with the Bordeaux mixture 348 Landscape Gardening will be effectual, but no application need be made generally until the middle or last of July. The lime sulphur is also a good remedy, i to 50. Flowers of sulphur if dusted over trees and shrubs will often reduce the mildews, but not often wholly destroy them. As with new insects, fungi new to any individual that may appear to be doing serious harm may be sent to the experiment stations for identification or for suggestions as to the best remedies. CHAPTER XVI THE HOME FRUIT-GARDEN IN Chapter II some of the advantages of the fruit- and vegetable-garden to the owner of a home were briefly men- tioned, and as the aim of this book is to give practical in- formation along all lines of outdoor home ornamentation and comfort, a chapter on fruits will not be out of place, for the fruit-garden may be made to serve also as an impor- tant feature of the home ornamentation. What can be more beautiful than fruit trees when in bloom, or again when laden with highly colored fruit? And they may be trained to as perfect and beautiful forms as many of the trees used only for ornament. The shade afforded by a broad-spreading apple-tree is quite as dense and satisfactory as that from many other species. The fruit that is obtained from the home garden is so much superior to that obtainable in the markets that it is worth a great effort and considerable annoyance to have on one's table an abundance of such choice, fresh, ripe fruit. Size of the Fruit-garden The amount of land to be devoted to the fruit>garden must depend very much upon size of the lot, the number and locality of the buildings, and the amount of other ornamentation attempted. For the supply of a large family with a liberal amount of all the fruits in their season will be required a garden of considerable area, though it is surprising what a quantity can be grown on a small area 349 350 Landscape Gardening FIG. 189. — The Home Fruit-garden. The Home Fruit-garden 351 when skilfully managed. An estimate of what will be the average yield of the different kinds of fruits under the best conditions is as follows: Apples, per tree, 30-40 ft. apart, at 10 yrs. from planting, 3 bbls. Pears, " " 20 " " " 10 " " " - 3 bu. " " 8 " " " i to 3 bu. bu. in N. « « a 5-10 {\ bu. in N. E., 1-2 bu. so. of N. Y. Cherries " " 20 " " " 8 " " " i bu. Quinces/' " 12 " " " 8 " k< " i bu. Grapes, per vine, 8 by 10 ft. apart, at 3 yrs. from plant- ing 5 Ibs. Raspberries and blackberries in rows 7 ft. apart, at 3 years from planting i bu. per sq. rod. Currants and gooseberries, 3 by 6 ft. apart, at 4 years from planting, i bu. per sq. rod. Strawberries in rows 4 ft. apart, at i year from planting i to 3 bu.per sq.rd. Location In locating the fruit-garden that part of the lot with a suitable soil should, if possible, be selected, and be located in a rather secluded part, as more or less of the material used and some of the crops grown are not of a distinctly orna- mental character in all stages of growth; besides, some seclu- sion is desirable when carrying on the work of planting, cultivating, fertilizing, or even harvesting the products. Fig. 189 illustrates the fruit-garden of about i acre located in the southwest corner of the lot. In this garden the large and small fruits may be grown more or less grouped together, as shown in the above figure, though for the best results each kind should be planted entirely distinct from the others. The arrangements in rows as shown in the figure is made that the work of cultivating may be largely done by the horse-plough and cultivator and wheel hand cultivator. 352 Landscape Gardening The Soil Much of the success of the work in the fruit-garden will depend upon the character of the soil. That which is best for the greater variety of fruits is a deep sandy loam not easily affected by drouth. Should the soil in the different parts of the garden vary, the apples, pears, quinces, and red raspberries, currants, and gooseberries should be planted on that which is the most moist; while the peach, cherry, grape, plum, and blackberry will succeed in lighter soil. Any kind of soil, however, may be improved somewhat in character at a little expense. Thus a light soil may be made more retentive of moisture by ploughing under stable manure, leaf-mould, peat, or other organic matter, while the moisture in all kinds of soil may be conserved and plant food developed by deep ploughing in the spring and frequent stirring of the surface-soil during the summer. Very heavy soils may be improved by underdraining, by deep ploughing, by the application of sand, or by ploughing the land into beds with rounded surfaces so that the surface-water will run off quickly. The slope of the land also affects some crops very materially: thus a southern, southeast, or southwest slope is most favorable to the growth and maturity of the grape and to the early ripening of the other fruits, while the peach, quince, and raspberry succeed better when planted on a northern exposure. A close sheltered place is not desirable if peaches, cherries, plums, and grapes are to be grown, as fungous diseases are more liable to attack them under such conditions than if planted upon high land. The grape is less subject to late frosts in the spring or early frosts in the fall, while in low land the fruit-buds are often destroyed by these frosts. It will often be found that the garden selected is not The Home Fruit-garden 353 suited to the growth of some of the fruits, while it is especi- ally adapted to the others, in which case it will be found better economy to devote the space to those that do succeed, and purchase such as cannot be grown economically. Tools The tools required for the cultivation of a small garden are not very numerous, and the best will be found none too good and the cheapest in the end if well cared for. They should be light and strong, and after using should always be cleaned and put carefully away where they will be ready for use at any time. If the garden is of considerable size and all the work is to be done by those on the place, the following list of tools will be needed: i good side-hill plough and i small landside plough. i Planet Jr. cultivator with its various attachments will answer all purposes for harrow, cultivator, and marker. i one-horse cart or wagon will be needed unless the heavy work is to be hired done. i seed-drill with cultivator attachment will be found a very useful tool. Spades, spading-forks, manure-forks, square-pointed shovels, iron rakes, wooden rakes, hand-roller, garden line and hoes, in number according to the amount of work to be done. A good wheelbarrow or hand-cart will also be found useful. See Fig. 118, the author's weed killers. A spraying-pump of some sort must be provided for the application of insecticides and fungicides. The common hand garden-pump or the knapsack pump will be sufficient if only a few trees are to be treated, but the barrel-pump mounted on wheels will be found much more serviceable and economical in a garden of considerable size. 354 Landscape Gardening Arrangement of the Garden It is generally best to have all the fruits or vegetables in the home garden grouped compactly in the rear part of the grounds, and some distance from the house, though this part of the grounds should be made to blend with the more ornamental features. Specimen trees of the large fruits may be grouped by themselves or among the ornamental trees, as shown in Fig. 189. Grape-vines, Fig. 153, may also serve to ornament the buildings, verandas, pergolas, or trellises that may screen the garden from too full exposure. This plan shows the ornamental features of about an acre lot with the fruits grouped more or less in the rear of the house. In the garden proper are arranged 5 apple-trees, 40 ft. apart, with 2 pears, 2 plum, and 3 peaches, 20 ft. from each of the other trees, planted so that all may have clean cultivation; while on the west and north border as well as in two groups between the house and barn others are located, which must be grown in turf. These more or less blend with the ornamental trees and shrubs. On the north- east border of this garden are planted grape-vines to serve as a cover to the trellis that screens the garden from the house. Raspberries, blackberries, currants, and gooseberries are planted in rows in the line of and between the trees. The strawberry-bed is located on the north side of the orchard. An asparagus-bed is also chosen on the south side. Turf Culture One great advantage of close grouping, as has been stated, is that the soil about the trees and plants may be cheaply and thoroughly cultivated, thus preserving the moisture and making it unnecessary to apply as much The Home Fruit-garden 355 plant-food as if they were grown in turf. If, however, the lawn is kept mown once or twice each week and a more liberal supply of plant-food is applied, the growth of the trees will be found to be satisfactory. Should it be found necessary to plant on turf land where a hay crop is to be taken off, much less growth must be expected and a much more liberal application of plant-food be required than where the land is cultivated, and in times of drouth a mulch of hay, straw, or other material, 2 or 3 inches in thickness, should be used under the trees as far out as the branches spread to prevent serious injury. Where to Obtain Trees and Plants As a rule, where only a small quantity of trees or plants is desired, it is best to buy of the nearest reliable nursery- man who has the varieties wanted growing on his grounds. Those selected should be young and vigorous, and it will generally be better for the purchaser to go to the nursery during the growing season and make his selection, having them marked for delivery when they are wanted, or if inex- perienced in such matters the selection may be left with reliable nurserymen, specifying that the stock shall be of good size, young, and vigorous. Travelling agents, unless known to the purchaser, should not be patronized. If the local nurseryman has not the stock wanted, a specific order stating the variety, age, and size of trees or plants wanted sent in early to any of the many reliable nurserymen will be certain to receive prompt attention. If the quantity ordered is not large, such orders should be sent by express, as small packages sent by freight are often delayed in transportation. 356 Landscape Gardening Preparation of the Land If the land is new, i.e., if it has been in turf for some time or if under neglect, and the preparation can be begun in the fall, deep ploughing should be done by following the common plough with the trench- or subsoil-plough, whereby the soil may be loosened from 15 to 20 inches deep. This will make a light soil more retentive of moisture and a heavy soil more porous and furnish a deep and well- pulverized bed for the roots to penetrate. Digging the Holes for Planting In digging the holes for the reception of the trees, where the land has been deeply worked as above, only a space large enough to hold the roots fully spread out need be excavated, throwing out the subsoil, however, and replac- ing it with good surface-soil. On the lawn or in grass land holes considerably larger than the spread of the roots should be made and the subsoil be dug up deeply or partly thrown out if poor, and be replaced with good soil. The turf removed in digging, if any, may be placed in the bottom of the holes with good results. Holes are now made deep and with soil well loosened by the use of dynamite, ^ to \ of a stick will loosen the soil but not scatter it about. These require cleaning out before the tree is set, but the soil is well loosened and trees will grow more rapidly than in holes that are dug with a spade. Preparation of the Trees for Planting No matter how carefully trees may be dug from the nursery, a large per cent of the fibrous roots will be destroyed and many of the larger roots be broken, and if the tree is planted without the removal of some of its branches when The Home Fruit-garden .' 357 it starts into growth in the spring the number of buds is so great that the supply of moisture from the roots will be insufficient to sustain a vigorous growth, and all may finally fail; while if the larger part of the branches had been removed the few buds that remain would start vigorously and sufficient moisture be supplied to sustain continuous and rapid growth until new roots and vigorous leaf-surface is formed, without which good growth cannot take place. In pruning young fruit-trees for transplanting all branches not needed for the formation of a symmetrical head should be removed, and those remaining be shortened in more or less, according to the amount of injury to the roots. Young trees with few lateral branches are often trimmed up to a "whip-stock." This is especially the practice with peach- trees. In planting young trees the roots should be spread out as much as possible, placed at the depth they stood in the nursery, and fine rich soil worked in closely about them and tramped firmly. No chemical fertilizers should be put in contact with roots, but an abundance of finely ground bone may be used. Planting Fruit-trees, Vines, and Plants The best time and the methods of planting have already been discussed on pages 53 to 61, which see. All trees should have been ordered in the fall or very early in the spring, and everything if possible be in readiness for planting when the trees arrive. Trees or plants never should be planted when the soil is so full of moisture as to be sticky or compact into solid masses when pressed, but be in condition to crumble finely when turned over with the spade or plough. The subsoil thrown out in digging the holes should never be put close about the roots, but after planting be spread about on the surface and only good soil be used about the roots. 358 Landscape Gardening Forming the Head and Pruning When trees are set closely and where small fruits are planted between them, the head or main branches must be carried higher than if only trees were planted in order to facilitate comfortable working among them. The main branches in this case must be started about 5 feet from the ground. On the lawn and where nothing is grown under the trees the branches may start at 2 or 3 feet from the ground unless it is desired to have them higher for shade or for obtaining views under the branches. If used as a screen, it is desirable to have them branch from the ground up, and low-headed trees are much more easily cared for, the fruit more easily gathered, and they will generally live longer. The amount of after-pruning required, if properly formed at planting, is very small if the trees have full exposure on all sides; and if the trees are examined several times during the growing season perfect form may be produced with only the finger and thumb and a small pocket-knife, and this without the loss of any growth of wood, which would be the result if pruning is done at the end of the growing season only. Up to the tune of fruiting all the pruning fruit-trees properly cared for will need is that mentioned above; but after they begin to bear, some of the branches will often droop so much as to require removal, or they may cross one another so as to be injured, but in no case should large branches be removed when it can possibly be avoided, as every cut made on the trunk or main branches of a tree will more or less shorten its life. Broken branches should be cut back to the solid wood and all dead branches be removed, but every wound made in this work should be covered at once with linseed-oil paint, grafting wax or some other preservative. Where large branches must be removed, the saw should be The Home Fruit-garden 359 used and never the axe, as the latter cracks the wood more or less and decay will follow much more quickly than if the saw is used. In removing large branches always cut on the under side of the branch first, that when it falls the bark may not be torn from the trunk. Some of the suckers that come out along the main branches should be removed while they are soft and can be easily rubbed off, that the growth that would go into them if allowed to remain may go into the permanent growth of the tree. Some of these suckers or sprouts should be allowed to grow, especially those on the lower main branches, to renew and take the place of those that are weak. The tops of trees that tend to grow too tall and spind- ling should be pinched off before they have made much growth, thus forcing the growth into the lower branches, where it is much more desired. Cuts made at the ends of the branches do little or no harm to the vitality of the tree. The rule should be to prune from the top branches rather than from the lower branches. Many old trees are much benefited by cutting large branches from the top and center, thus forcing growth into the lower branches where they may be more easily sprayed and the fruit picked. Special Treatment for Growing Fruits THE APPLE This is one of the most healthful and easily grown of all of the fruits of the temperate zone. It succeeds best in a deep moist loam and begins to bear crops of some value at from five to ten years from planting. For the best result it should be planted at from 30 to 40 feet apart, according to the variety and nature of the soil; such varieties as the Baldwin, King, Roxbury Russet, Gravenstein, etc., on rich land will need the larger space, while on a light soil the 360 Landscape Gardening smaller distance may be sufficient. The Fameuse, Porter, Astrachan, etc., may be planted even on a rich soil at 30 feet apart. Any of these trees may be kept within a less space if necessary by keeping the end branches headed in. The varieties that will give the best results vary some- what in different sections of the country, and those who are thinking of planting should consult successful growers in their own vicinity. This will apply to all kinds of fruits. The author suggests the Astrachan, Gravenstein, Baldwin, Mclntosh, Wealthy, Rhode Island Greening, Button Beauty, and Roxbury Russet as generally succeeding. Fertilizers. — One of the most important conditions in securing good fruit is sufficient plant-food to give the tree a moderately vigorous growth and healthy foliage. To give these results on the average soil will require, according to the size of the tree, 5 to 10 pounds of basic slag, sown in the fall or winter, 2 to 5 pounds of nitrate soda, sown just as growth is beginning in the spring, and 3 to 5 pounds of sul- phate of potash, sown at any time during the winter or early spring. These materials may be mixed and sown together or put on separately; 10 to 20 pounds of finely- ground bone, according to size of tree and the soil, may be applied in place of the basic slag and nitrate of soda; 25 pounds of hard-wood ashes with from 2 to 5 pounds of nitrate of soda per tree will also make a good dressing. A dressing of stable manure under the trees, at the rate of from 5 to 10 cords per acre, according to the soil, will also give a good growth, but some potash will also be needed. In all cases the fertilizing-materials should be spread as far as the branches extend. If other crops are to be grown on the same land with the apple trees, as in this garden-plan, sufficient plant-food must be added to the above formula to provide for the growth of all. Either of the above formulas will be suited The Home Fruit-garden 361 for the other fruits, used at the rate of about \ to f ton per acre, but varying them somewhat according to natural con- dition of the soil. If sufficient growth does not result, more fertilizer should be used, and if the growth is too great reduce the amount of nitrate. Thinning the Fruit. — The apple, like most of our fruit- trees, has the habit of producing fruit only on alternate years, which is the result of exhaustion of the tree by its large crop of fruit, and it takes one year at least for it to regain sufficient vigor to produce another crop. To over- come this condition, the trees should be allowed to bear only a moderate crop and the land be kept in a condition to produce a moderately vigorous growth of the tree. It is the practice of many of the most successful fruit-growers to thin their apple as well as other fruit-crops so that the trees will not be weakened by overbearing. This thinning is done when the fruit is about one-third grown, removing all the wormy and imperfect fruit, and, in some cases, one- half or two-thirds of all on the tree. The result of this is that there will be little poor fruit to pick and sort; what remains will be larger and of better quality, while the quantity will probably be as great as if all had been allowed to remain on the tree, and the tree will not be exhausted, for it is the production of the numerous seeds in the fruit that weakens the tree more than the production of the pulp or soft part of the fruit. Insects and Fungous Pests. — The limits of this chapter will not warrant a description of the many insects and fun- gous pests that are injurious to the apple or the other fruits, and the reader is referred to such books as Saunders' "Insects Injurious to Fruits" and "The Spraying of Crops" by Lodeman, etc., and to the directions for the use of insecti- cides and fungicides on pages 320-327. On these subjects the bulletins of the experiment sta.tigns give the best and 362 Landscape Gardening up-to-date information that can be obtained from any source. These bulletins can be had for the asking. THE PEAR Although the pear is not so largely grown or highly prized as the apple, it is distinctly a home fruit and is easily grown. The trees should be planted about 20 feet apart and succeed best in a rather heavy soil, but will do fairly well on any but a very thin soil if abundantly fertilized. The tree grows in a regular pyramidal form and begins bearing earlier than the apple. The treatment it requires as to prepara- tion of tree for planting, the planting, and care are the same as for the apple and need not be repeated here. To obtain fruit of the largest size and the best quality, the trees should make a vigorous growth and the fruit be thinned as directed for the apple. The fruit ripens better, is of better color and quality, if picked before quite ripe. The time for this work is indicated by the wormy specimens changing color and becoming mellow. For home use it is best to gather the fruit as it matures, each time pick- ing the largest specimens while they are still hard. The varieties suggested as likely to be most satisfactory are Clapp, Bartlett, Sheldon, Bosc, Seckel, Hovey and Lawrence. THE PEACH The peach can be profitably grown only on high, rather light, well-drained land. It sometimes succeeds when planted on low land with a northern exposure if located near the house, where the cellar wall gives perfect drainage and the building affords some shelter from severe cold, but generally unless on elevated land the blossom buds are destroyed by severe cold in most northern sections during the winter. While it may not be advisable to plant the The Home Fruit-garden 363 peach with expectation of profit on low land, the trees cost but little, the buds sometimes escape and a single good crop from a peach-tree in the home garden will well repay the labor and care of growing and the long years of waiting. Peach-trees cannot be expected to live very long in any sec- tion of the country; the average life of the trees throughout the country is probably not more than ten to twelve years. If the land on which the trees are planted is very rich, it will be well to plant some other crop among the trees to check a too-rapid growth, or grow in turf especially while the trees are young, though when a crop of fruit has been set there is little or no danger of making the soil too rich. A moder- ately vigorous growth from the beginning to the end of the season gives the best and most hardy wood and the finest flavored fruit, and the latter should always be ripened on the tree, if possible, as it is much better flavored than if picked before ripe. The best distance for planting is 15 feet apart, and the varieties that probably will give the best satisfaction are Mountain Rose, Crawford Early, Crawford Late, Elberta, Oldmixon and Carman. THE PLUM Although plum trees are found in most home gardens, there is but little profit or satisfaction in their growth unless one is skilful in caring for them. To succeed in their growth, the trees should have an abundance of room — 15 by 15 feet or 15 by 20 feet — and be planted where there shall be a good circulation of air about them. The trees must be sprayed in the spring before the buds start, then again as soon as the blossoms have fallen, with lime sulphur i to 50, and arsenate of lead 3 pounds, and also when the fruit is about one-half grown with the Bordeaux mixture, one-half strength, i.e., 2 copper sulphur, 364 Landscape Gardening 3 lime, 50 water. Then as the fruit approaches maturity the lime sulphur solution i pound to 50 gallons of water must be used. The black knot fungus should be cut off as soon as it appears, and if large wounds are made on the sides of the branches they should be painted with linseed-oil paint with a little kerosene in it. If the plum-curculio is abundant, it should be destroyed by spraying with lime sulphur solution i to 50 of water and 3 pounds of arsenate of lead. Thorough cultivation or an abundance of plant-food rich in lime, potash and phosphoric acid must be given, especially when the trees are heavily loaded with fruit. Thinning must be practised to improve the size and quality of the fruit and save the trees from being injured by over- bearing. The fruit should be allowed to become very nearly ripe upon the trees before picking for the best quality, though for canning purposes they are sometimes picked as soon as fully grown and well colored. The varieties that may be recommended are the Bradshaw, Lombard, Imperial Gage, Green Gage, German Prune (Fellemberg), and Damson of the European plums, and the Wickson, Abundance, Burbank, and Satsuma of the Japanese plums. The last-named variety is valuable only for canning. In the Mississippi Valley States where the above classes of plums do not thrive varieties of the native plums should be planted. Among the best of these are De Soto, Hammer, Hawkeye, Maquoketa, Miner, Pottawattamie, Rollingstone, Surprise, Wayland, Wild Goose, and Wyant. THE QUINCE Two or three quince-trees in the home garden will be often a source of much satisfaction. If there is a low place about the grounds, yet where there is no standing water with especially rich soil, the quince will succeed under such conditions; 12 X 12 feet is a good distance for planting, The Home Fruit-garden 365 and it generally succeeds best where the land is frequently cultivated. The quince is usually free from serious diseases, but in very wet and hot seasons the cedar-apple rust, leaf-blight, and fire-blight sometimes does considerable injury. Spray- ing thoroughly with the Bordeaux mixture before the leaves unfold and again after the fruit has set will be greatly beneficial. The flat- and round-headed apple-borers some- times are seriously injurious, and the trees must be ex- amined once or twice each year and the borers dug out. The varieties suggested are the Orange, Reas, and Cham- pion. THE CHERRY Very few persons succeed in growing the cherry on a small scale from the fact that the birds get the largest share of the fruit, or that the fruit as it approaches maturity is often destroyed by the brown rot if the weather is warm and moist. Very low trees, like those of the sour cherries, can be easily covered by a netting, and the birds prevented from taking all the fruit, and the use of the Bordeaux mixture while the cherries are small, lime sulphur and arsenate of lead, as for the plum, while the fruit is ripening, will largely prevent the rot. The black aphis is the most destructive insect, causing the leaves to curl up and seriously checking the growth of the young shoots. The remedy for this pest is kerosene emulsion, strong whale-oil soap solution or strong tobacco water sprayed with sufficient force to reach the insects under the curled leaves. Where there are only a few trees the curly leaves may be picked off and destroyed, when the remaining insects can be easily reached by the spray material. The trees will live much longer if planted in turf land than if in cultivated garden soil, and as they make very 366 Landscape Gardening regular and shapely trees are well suited for growth upon the lawn or by the roadside. The amount of fertilizers needed is what is just sufficient to make a fairly vigorous growth, too rapid growth often resulting in the cracking of the trunk on the south side and an early decay of the tree. Among the best varieties may be mentioned Napoleon, Gov. Wood, Black Tartarian, and Windsor of the sweet cherries, and Early Richmond and Large Montmorency of the sour kinds. The fruit should be gathered in dry weather and be picked with the stems attached, so that it shall not be crushed or bruised; otherwise it will decay quickly after gathering. THE GRAPE This is especially a home fruit, from the fact that it can be grown on a lot of the smallest size, as it can be trained over the veranda or porch, upon a trellis along the side of the house or stable, walls or rocks with a southern exposure, and produce a large quantity of the most delicious and healthful fruit. It succeeds best in a very warm location and in rather poor soil, but if planted where it is close and moist, with but little air and sunlight, it is sure to be attacked by mildews, rots, and anthracnose. The conditions of success in growing the grape are a moderately vigorous growth of vine well spread out to the full sunlight and air; forcing the growth into a few canes — those bearing the fruit the present season and those that are to bear the fruit the next season — all other parts of the vine being prevented from growing by pinching as soon as they have made one new leaf after the last pinching; and thinning the fruit so that the vines shall not be exhausted by overbearing. The fruit is borne on the wood of the present season's growth, and the more vigorous this growth the larger will be the size of the bunches and the quantity of fruit. The Home Fruit-garden 367 The best support for the vines to run on is made of No. 14 or 1 6 galvanized iron wire, as the tendrils of the vines will cling to this, it is less expensive, and the vines require less tying to keep them in place than if trained to a wooden trellis. If trained against the building, the vine should be kept 6 to 10 inches from the wall, that the air may better circulate among the leaves and fruit, thus preventing disease of the vine and the decay of the woodwork. In very wet seasons mildew will attack the leaves, and rot and anthracnose the berries, and spraying becomes a necessity to insure a crop under these unfavorable condi- tions. The Bordeaux mixture should be used up to the time the fruit is one-half grown, making two applications according to the weather. Among the best varieties for sections north of New York City may be mentioned, Concord, Campbell's Early, Wor- den, Winchell (Green Mountain), and the Delaware. South of this latitude many other choice kinds may be grown. THE BLACKBERRY Of all garden-fruits none is so easily grown and yet so often a failure as the blackberry. The conditions of suc- cess are a good new soil, if not a deep sandy loam, then a deep well-underdrained clay loam. Plant in the fall or very early in the spring in rows from 6 to 8 feet apart or in hills 4 by 6 feet, allowing a space of from 10 inches to i square foot for each cane, and all suckers not desired for the next season's fruiting must be treated as weeds. It is best to allow the suckers not wanted to grow 6 inches to i foot, and then pull them up rather than to hoe or cut them off. The critical time of growth is when the fruit is ripening, a large amount of moisture being needed to produce the best fruit, and to secure this the surface-soil should be stirred once or twice each week or a mulch of 368 Landscape Gardening hay, straw, or other material 2 or 3 inches thick be spread over the surface. At the end of the fruiting season the old canes should be cut out and the small weak new canes be cut or pulled, so that the whole growth may be forced into the canes for the next season's fruit. It is the practice of most growers to pinch the ends of the new canes when they are 3 to 4 feet high, which causes them to grow more stocky and require less support. In the more northern sec- tions the canes are bent over and covered lightly with soil to prevent winter-killing. This is a simple matter, and the canes need not be broken if the soil is loosened a little on the south side with a spading fork and they are bent over with a strong pulling motion. They should be bent over toward the south, that the sun during the winter may not strike them with direct rays, and should be uncovered and placed upright as soon as the frost is out of the ground in the 'spring, as they start into growth earlier when lying on the ground than if standing upright and are thus less liable to be injured by late frosts. To keep the canes upright when loaded with fruit, they may be tied to stakes or be supported by tying the canes in from opposite sides, one cane thus supporting the other. No. 14 or 1 6 wires stretched on each side of the rows from 12 to 15 inches apart serve as good supports. When grown on a strong soil, the canes if made to branch by pinching will be large enough to stand up without support. The varieties that succeed at the north are the Agawam, Snyder, Eldorado and Taylor, while further south the Early Harvest, Wilson, and Erie may prove more satisfac- tory. Under good cultivation the blackberry is very little troubled by insect or fungous pests, but it will generally be best to spray the bushes before they start into growth and again just before the blossoms open with the Bordeaux The Home Fruit-garden 369 mixture for the leaf-blight, rust, and anthracnose, which are sometimes destructive in very moist and warm weather, especially if the growth is rather weak. THE RASPBERRY The raspberry is successfully grown under about the same conditions as the blackberry, but perhaps needs a somewhat richer soil, and as the canes make a shorter growth may be planted a little closer, i.e., in rows 5 to 6 feet apart or in hills 3 by 6 feet. The fruit of the red raspberry should be gathered every day, for if allowed to remain long on the bushes after ripening it is attacked by insects and decays quickly in moist weather. The pruning, training, and care are practically the same as for the blackberry, and clean cultivation or mulching rather more of a necessity. The varieties that will probably give the best results are the Cuthbert, Loudon and Herbert. THE CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRY There is scarcely a home garden to be found in which an attempt is not made to grow the currant, but in most cases the bushes are planted in some out-of-the-way place where they suffer from neglect, and the fruit, while of some value for making jelly, is not desirable for table use because of its small size and seedy character. There is no fruit that can be improved so much in size and quality by good cul- tivation as the currant. Vigorous young plants one or two years old should be planted in rich, rather moist soil in hills 4 by 6 feet apart. Thorough and clean cultivation must be given and an annual dressing of two or three shovefuls of good stable manure be put about the bushes in the fall or an equal value of some good fruit-fertilizer be applied in the spring. This fertilizer should be put at least 2 feet from the crown of the 370 Landscape Gardening plants, as if put close up to them it causes weeds and grass to grow in among the canes which are difficult to get out. The pruning needed consists in cutting out the old wood, i.e., that more than three or four years old, in such a way as to give the bushes an upright form and produce young and vigorous wood, upon which only large and fine fruit can be grown. During the time of ripening much fruit will be saved from being spattered with soil if a mulch of 2 or 3 inches is put around under the bushes. For home use the best varieties are the Wilder, Red Cross, White Imperial and Diploma. The currant- worm is the only insect seriously injurious to this fruit, but unless it is destroyed will generally ruin the crop. It comes on with the early unfolding of the leaves, works rapidly, and requires only a few days to com- pletely denude the bushes of foliage. Close watch must be kept, and at the first appearance of this pest powdered hellebore must be applied while the leaves are wet or be put on in water, a large tablespoonful to a pail of water, with the watering-can or spraying-pump. A second brood of these insects appears in about two weeks from the first, when a second application of hellebore is necessary. Spraying with the Bordeaux mixture just before the blos- soms open, and again after the fruit has been picked, will prevent the leaf-blight that often seriously weakens the bushes. The gooseberry requires the same treatment as the currant, but must be planted in a rather more airy place to prevent the mildew that often ruins the fruit. Spraying with the Bordeaux mixture will sometimes prevent this disease. If the currants and gooseberries are planted together, the first brood of the currant-worms will be found largely on the latter while the second brood will be on the former only. Varieties recommended are, Columbus, Downing, Josselyn. The Home Fruit-garden 371 THE STRAWBERRY This is pre-eminently a home fruit, because it is so easily grown, comes into bearing at one year or less from the time of planting, and produces a large quantity of fruit that is much superior to that which may be found in the markets. All that is required for success is a deep, rich, new soil, thorough cultivation, and a good supply of moisture at the time of ripening. A yield of one bushel of fruit to the square rod is of very common occurrence, while two or three bushels are sometimes produced under the most favor- able conditions. A clover sod turned under makes about the best condition, but the soil should be cultivated at least one, aaaaaaaaaaaa'aaaaa xaxaxaxaxaxaxaxax aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa FIG. 190. and better two years with some hoed crop to drive out the white grub, the larvae of the May beetle. Unless this is done these grubs will eat all of the roots on the newly set plants. The land should be made rich by ploughing or spading under manure at the rate of from 10 to 15 cords per acre, and be made fine and mellow before planting. To this amount of manure should be added, at the rate of from J to J ton per acre, any good fruit-fertilizer, and after being thoroughly worked in to the surface soil the plants be set as early in the spring as the land will work up fine and mellow. The plants — only young plants with white roots should, be used — may be set in rows from 3 to 5 feet apart and from i to 3 feet in the rows, according to the system of growing practised. The best berries, perhaps, and a large quantity of them, will be produced if the plants are set 2 372 Landscape Gardening feet by 3 and three rows of runners be rooted, as shown in Fig. 190, where x illustrates the old plants and a the new plants. Every fourth row is left unplanted for a path. After the bed or row has thus been established all other runners must be pulled or cut off as soon as started, and the land b2 kept cleanly cultivated up to the time the ground freezes in the fall. During the winter the bed should be covered with a light mulch of hay, straw, or other material, free from weed-seeds, to prevent the alternation of freezing and thawing when the ground is not covered with snow. In the spring after growth begins this covering should be drawn from the crowns of the plants into the space between the rows, where it will serve as a mulch and protect the fruit from becom- ing covered with soil during heavy rains. All weeds that appear in the spring must be pulled out by hand, as stirring the soil with the hoe at this time is not advisable. The varieties are so numerous and vary so much under different kinds of soil and location that no list of varieties of much value can be given that will be successful in all locations, and the reader should consult some successful grower in his vicinity and plant the varieties found most valuable. The varieties suggested that may be generally satisfactory are the Minute Man, Brandywine, Sample and the Marshall under high culture. The insects or fungous growths that are seriously injuri- ous to the strawberry may be largely overcome by thorough and clean cultivation. INDEX A PAGE Abele, silver poplar 176 Actinidia 263 Advantages of home garden 349 mixed hedges 89 Alternanthera 296 Alyssum 296 Amaranthus 296 Amount of land required 16 Andromeda 253 Anemone Japonica 273 Aphides 338 A plan of ornamentation 2 Apple-borers 334 Apple, best varieties 360 , Chinese double-flowering 179 , fertilizers for 360 , insects and fungi injurious to 361 , Parkman's double-flowering 179 , pruning 358 , thinning the fruit 361 Apple-trees for shade 358 Aquatic border-plants -. 315 plants 304-315 Aralea, Hercules'-club 218 , Japanese 218 Arbor-vitae, American 211 , globe 212 , golden 212 , pyramidal 212 , Siberian 212 Architecture of the house 20 373 374 Index PAGE Arrangement of fruit-garden 354 rooms 26 trees and shrubs 62-81 for shelter 63 screens 64 Arrowhead plant 308, 315 Artificial system of decoration 5 Ash, American 160 , aucuba-leaved 175 , European 175 , weeping 193 Asters, native 273 Avenue-trees 155 , lists of 155 Average yield of fruits 351 Avoid too close planting of hedges 85 trees 67 Azalea, flame-colored 216 , Ghent 217 , Japanese 217 , pink 216 , Vaseyii 216 B Back-yard decoration I35-I39 Balsams 297 Banana, Anyssinian 304 Bank walls, removal and covering iio-in Barberry, purple-leaved 218 , dwarf, Thunberg's 219 Bedding-plants 295 Bedding-roses 242-243 Beech, American 174 , copper-leaved 199 , European 175 , fern-leaved 197 , Rivers' purple 199 , weeping 193 Birch, canoe 169 , cherry or sweet 170 Index 375 PAGE Birch, European white 170 cut-leaved weeping 190, 191 , gray 170 , purple-leaved 196 , Young's weeping 190 Black walnut 162 Blackberries 367 Bladder-fern 317 Blight, catalpa leaf 347 , cherry-leaf 347 , maple-leaf 347 , plum-leaf ". 347 , remedy for 347 , rose-leaf 347 Bloodroot 274 Blue-gum tree 304 Blue spruce, Colorado 206 Bordeaux mixture 326 Bordering walks with turf 39 Borers, apple 334 , maple 331 > peach 335 Box-elder 165 Boxwood 250 Broken-stone road 120 Buckthorn 268 Buildings, location of 17 , relocating and improving old 104 Bulletins relating to insecticides and fungicides 321 Bulrush 315 Bur-marigold 315 Burning Bush , 225 Bur-reed 315 C Cacti 304 Caladium 303 Calendula 297 Calliopsis 297 Calycanthus 220 376 Index PAGE Camperdown elm 195 Canary-bird flower 299 Canker-worm . 332 Oanna 300 Carnation 288 Careful study of art of landscape gardening 3 Care of cemeteries 149 roads 119 Castor-bean 302 Catalpa 171, 199 Catalpa-blight 347 Cat-tail 315 Cedar, prostrate 209 , red 207 Cellar, drainage of 23 Cemeteries, care of 149 Centaurea, dusty-miller 296 Character of land 20 Characteristics of trees 51 Cherry, care and cultivation of 365 , flowering 172 , Japanese weeping 192 Cherry-blight 347 Cherry-mildew 347 Chestnut, American 170 , horse 169 China- wood 175 Chinese cork-tree 181 wistaria 263 Christmas ferns 317 Cinnamon ferns 317 Clematis, Japanese sweet-scented 259 , purple 258 , Virginian 258 , white 259 Climbers, hardy 253 Climbing roses 244 tender plants 299 Clipping lawns 41 Close-planting, avoid 67 Index 377 PAGE Closet-room, abundance of 27 Cobea vine 299 Coffee-tree, Kentucky 175 Coleus 296 Colorado blue spruce 206 Colored foliage, trees with 198 Columbine 275 Conditions for a good road 119 Construction of farm-roads 117 roads 101 walks and drives 95 Convenience in location of house 17 Copper sulphate 325 Cork-tree, Chinese 181 Cost of house 22 Covering bank walls 1 10 -i 1 1 wounds on injured trees 51 Cranberry-shrub 241 Cucumber tree 163 Cultivation of fruit trees 354 , too much land 114 Currant, care and cultivation 369 Curves of walks and drives 99 Cut-leaved ash 196 beech 196 birch 190 green Japanese maple 196 oak 196 paeonia 286 purple Japanese maple 196 silver maple 190 sumac 232 variegated Japanese maple 196 Cypress, Japanese 210 thread-like 211 Cypress-vine, , 299 D Dahlia , 294 Daphne , , . . , , 223 378 Index PAGE Day-blooming water-lilies 312 Day-lilies 276 Deciduous trees, improving 106 Decorating farm-homes 114 school-yards 141 Decoration, home and landscape-gardening i Description of trees 153 Deutzia, double-flowered 223 , slender 223 Digging holes for planting trees 356 trees for planting 57 Direction of walks and drives 98 Distance for planting trees and shrubs 53 Dogwood, flowering 173 red 173 , red 221 , weeping 192 Drainage of cellar 23 surface- and sub-soil 24 E Elder 235 Elevation of house 19 land for home 9 Elm, American 155 , Camperdown 195 , European 159 leaf-beetle 328 , Scotch 188 , slippery 159 Elm-scale 329 Emulsion, kerosene 323 Eschscholtzia 296 Eulalia, Japanese 318 Evergreen shrubs 249 , list of 250 trees 203 , improving and pruning 203 , list of 205 Exochorda. . . .226 Index 379 Exposure of house 19 Extent of walks and drives 113 F Farm-homes, decoration of 114 Fences and walls, removal of in Ferns, bladder 317 , Christmas 317 , cinnamon 317 , hardy 317 , maidenhair 317 , ostrich 317 , rattlesnake 317 , rock 317 , wall 317 Fertilizers for apples 360 home fruit-garden 360 lawn 42 strawberries 371 trees and shrubs 62 Feverfew, golden 296 , hardy 290 Filbert, purple 221 Fir, Nordmann's 207 Flag, variegated 314 Flowering plants, tender 93 Forms of hedges 87 Fraxinella 276 Fruit-garden, arrangement of 354 , home 349 , location of 351 , plan of 350 , size of 351 Fruit-trees along roadways 129 Fungi and fungus-destroyers 324 , nature of, and condition of growth 324 Fungicides 324 Fungi injurious to ornamentals, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,....,,,,,,,,,,,,, 345 380 Index Geraniums 295 German iris 279 Gladiolus 295 Globe arbor-vitae 212 Golden arbor-vitae 212 oak 202 poplar 199 Golden-bell 226 , Fortune's 227 , weeping 227 Golden-glow 290 Grade, how to obtain 30 Grading about buildings 34~36 , preliminary 29 Grape, importance of 366 , methods of cultivation, pruning, etc 366 , varieties of 367 Grass for lawn : 37 Grass-seed, quantity of 38 Grouping or arrangement of trees 62-81 trees for ornamentation 66 , nature as a guide 67 H Hardy climbers 253 ferns 317 , list of 317 herbaceous plants 273 , transplanting 107 Harris's lily 283 Hawthorn 173 Hawthorn mildew 347 Healthf ulness of home location 8 Heating the house 26 Hedges 85 , forms of 87 of flowering shrubs 272 , plants, list of 267 , renewing 106 Index 381 PAGE Hellebore 323 Hemlock 267 Hercules' club 218 Hibiscus 227 Hickory, white 162 Holly, American 250 Hollyhock 277 Hollyhock-rust 346 Home, decoration of , 5 , decoration of farm 114 , location of 7 Honey-locust 175 Honeysuckle, Japanese 260 , Tartarian 230 Hop-tree 183 Horse-chestnut, common 169 , red-flowered 169 House, architecture of 20 , elevation of 19 , exposure of . . 19 , heating of the 26 , location of 17 Hyacinth, water 313 Hydrangea, hardy 227 , tender 270 I Implements for pruning 89 Importance of evergreen trees 203 hardy climbers 90 shrubs 214 walks and drives 95 Improperly located buildings in walks and drives 112 Improvement of evergreen trees 107 Improvement of roads 113 roadsides 125-133 Improving deciduous trees 47 old homes 104 Increase in value from ornamentation 16 382 Index PAGE Indian currant 239 Injury caused by fungi 324 insects 320 Insecticide 321 , bulletins relating to 321 Insects, common injurious. 328 Introduction v-vii Iris, German 279 , Japanese , 278 J Japanese anemone 273 aralia 218 azalea 217 clematis, sweet-scented 259 cypress 210 , thread-like 211 hydrangea 227 iris 278 lilies: 282 maples 167-169 plume grass (Eulalia) 318 quince 222 roses 247 snowball 241 sumac 235 tree-lilac 240 woodbine » . 256 Juniper (red cedar) 207 , prostrate , , , , '. 209 K Keeping up aftergrowth of trees, etc .. . . 62 Kentucky coffee-tree ... :. . , ... 175 Kerosene emulsion 323 Kind of soil for home grounds 19 Knowledge of materials for ornamentation 2 Kokwa . ,.,.. . ,., . , .263 Index 383 L PAGE Laburnum 173 Land, amount needed for home ornamentation 16 , elevation and slope of 9 , strongly marked features of 1 1 Landscape gardening and home ornamentation i , a careful study of the art needed 3 Laurel, great. 251 , mountain 250 Lawn, clipping the 41 , dressing and renewing 42 , fertilizers for 42 , grading about building 26-36 , grass and fertilizer on old 109 , importance of the 33 , made of turf 40 , making surface of 34 , manuring the land for 33 , mowers for cutting the 41 , quantity of grass-seed for 38 , renovating old ' 108 , reseeding the 43 , settling the soil : 37 , sowing grass-seed on 39 , time for seeding 38 Lawn-grasses 37 Laws relating to ornamental trees 126 Leaf-blight of catalpa 347 cherry. . . 347 maple . . 347 plum 347 sycamore 347 Leaf-spot of the rose •••••• 347 Lilac, common 239 , downy 240 , Japanese , 240 , Josikea , 240 , Persian 239 Lilac-mildew , 347 Lilies. . .281 384 Index PAGE Lily, Bateman's 283 , Easter 282 , golden-banded 281 , hardy water 309 , Harris's 283 , lance-leaved 282 , Ions-flowered 283 , plantain 276 , tender water 311 , Turk's cap 283 Lily-of-the-valley 293 Linden, American 182 , European 182 , white-leaved 183 Linden-rust 346 List of aquatic plants 308-309 avenue-trees 155 colored-leaved trees 198 cut-leaved trees 195 deciduous shrubs 215-216 evergreen shrubs 249 trees 205 hardy climbers 256 ferns 317 hedge plants 267 ornamental grasses 318, 319 rounded-headed trees 164 tender bedding-plants . 295 climbers 299 weeping trees 190 Location and extent of walks and drives 95 of buildings 17 of fruit-garden 351 of home, convenience of 8 , healthfulness 8 , near schools, etc 9 , on main or side street 9 Locust, honey 175 Lotus, species 309 Index 385 M PAGE Macadam or broken-stone road 1 20 Magnolia, cucumber 1 79 , showy 1 70 , Soulange's 1 79 , swamp 181 , umbrella 1 79 Maidenhair fern 317 Making surface of lawn 34 Manuring the land for lawn 33 strawberries 371 Maple, English 165 , Japanese 167, 169, 195, 196, 198 cut-leaved green 196 purple 196 variegated 196 golden 202 purple-leaved 198 , Norway 165 , red 167 , Reitenbach's 198 , Schwedler's 165, 198 , silver 160 , sugar 160 , sycamore 166 , Tartarian 167 , Wier's cut-leaved 190 Maple-borer 331 Maple-scale 341 Marigold 296 Mignonette 297 Mildew 347 of cherry 347 hawthorn 347 lilac 347 plum 347 rose 347 willow 347 , remedies for 347 Mist-plant 232 386 Index Mock-orange, fragrant 230 , golden 232 , large-flowered 232 Mountain ash, American 183 , European 183 , oak-leaved 183 laurel 250 rhododendron '. 252 Mulberry 181 , weeping 194 N Nasturtium 296 Natural vs. artificial systems 5 system explained 5 Nature as a guide in planting 78 Nelumbo, East Indian 309 , Egyptian 309 , native 309 , striped Japanese 309 , white Japanese 309 Night-blooming water-lilies 312 Nordmann's fir 207 Norway maple 165 spruce 205 Nozzles for spraying-pumps . . 327 O Oak, chestnut -187 , English 187 , cut-leaved 187 , fern-leaved 187 , golden-leaved • 202 , purple-leaved 187, 202 , pyramidal 187 , variegated : 187 , pin 186 , red 160 , scarlet 187 Index 387 PAGE Oak, swamp white •> 185 , white ... 185 Old trees, improving 47 Ostrich fern 317 Oyster-shell scale 340 P Pampas-grass 318 Pansy 297 Papyrus 303 Paris green 321 used dry 321 with Bordeaux mixture 321 plaster, flour, etc 321 water 321 Parkman's flowering apple 1 79 Parks and public squares 137 Parrot's feather 315 Pea, sweet .' 298 Peach-borer 335 Peach, best varieties 363 , flowering 178 , land best suited for growth of 363 Pear, best varieties 362 , land best suited for 362 Peony, Chinese , 286 , cut-leaved 286 , tree , , 285 Pepper-bush, sweet 220 Persian insect-powder 323 lilac 239 Petunia 296 Phlox, garden 286 , (moss-pink) 287 Pickerel-weed 315 Pin oak 186 Pine, Austrian . 209 , long-leaved 209 , stone 209 , white or Weymouth 209 388 Index PAGE Pink, carnation 288 moss 287 Plan of arranging ornamental trees 45 Plan of fruit garden 350 house 21 strawberry-bed 371 Plane-tree 176 Planting fruit-trees for ornament 116 in home garden 351 ornamental trees 59 unprofitable land with ornamental and forest trees 116 Plum, best varieties 364 , cultivation of the 363 , flowering 1 78 leaf-blight 364 , purple-leaved 200 Plum-mildew 364 Plumbing 28 Plume-grass, Japanese common 318 zebrina 318 gracillema 319 variegated 318 Poplar, black 177 , Bolles' 176 , golden 199 , silver 177 , Lombardy 177 Poplar-rust 346 Poppy, oriental 289 , plume 288 , water 314 Porcupine-plant 314 Portulacca 296 Preparation of land for fruits 356 ornamental trees 55 shrubs 85 Preserve choice native trees and shrubs 128 Privet 268 Prostrate juniper 209 Pruning hedges 88 Index 389 Pruning hedges, implements for 89 , time for 89 old trees 50 roses 242 shrubs 84 trees for transplanting 57 Pumps for the use of insecticides and fungicides 327 Purple clematis 258 Purple-leaved barberry 218 beech : 199 birch 198 filbert 221 maples 198 oak 187 Pyramidal arbor-vitae 212 Pyrethrum 290 Pyrethrum-powder , , , f , , f , , , , , 323 Q Quince, best varieties 365 , common 364 , Japanese 222 R Raspberry, best varieties 369 , cultivation of 369 Rattlesnake fern 317 Redbud 1 73 Red cedar 207 dogwood 221 oak 160 spider 338 Red-fruited elder 235 Red-twigged willow 182 Reitenbach's maple 198 Removal of fences and walls in Renewal of old evergreens „ 107 Renewing old shrubs and hedges 106 Renovating old cemeteries 149 Reseeding lawns 43 390 Index PAGE Retinispora 61ifera 211 picifera 210 Ribbon-grass 319 Rivers' purple beech •. 199 Roads, and roadside improvements 125 , broken stone or macadam 120 , conditions necessary for good 119 , construction 101 of farm ! ..• 117 , repairing 123-124 , surface of 121 , width of 1 23 Roadsides, as a dumping-place : 126 , Care of trees along 126 , fruit along ,.. 116 , improvement of ' 125 , laws relative to trees along 1 26 , ornamental shrubs along 1 29 , removal of fences along 133 Rocks and ledges in ornamental grounds . n Rocky Mountain columbine 375 Rose, insects injurious to the 335~339 Rose of Sharon 227 Roses 241 , bedding 242 , climbing 244 , Japanese 247, 268 , moss 247 , pruning 242 , varieties 242 , winter protection. ... 242 , yellow ; 244 Rose-chafer 335 Rose-flowered water-lilies 309 Rose-leaf hopper 337 Rose-mildew 347 Rose-rust 346 Rose-slug 336 Round-headed trees, list of 165 Rudbeckia 290 Index 391 PAGE Rules for grouping trees 68 Rust, hollyhock 346 , linden 346 , poplar 346 , rose 346 , remedy for 346 S Salvia, scarlet 296 Salvinia 314 Scale insect, oyster-shell 340 , San Jose 340 Scarlet oak 187 School-yards, decoration of 141 Schwedler's maple 165 Scope of home ornamentation 2 Scotch elm 188 Scouring-rush 315 Screens, trees for 64 Seed, grass 37 , quantity per acre 38 , sowing grass 39 Seeding lawn before planting trees, etc 37 , time for 38 Selection of varieties of trees, etc 51 Settling the soil 37 Shadbush 169 Shed-room in outbuildings 27 Shelf-room in house 27 Shrubs, evergreen 249 , list of varieties 215 , ornamental 214 , planting and pruning ' 84 , preparing land for 82 , renovating old 106 , two methods of grouping 83 Siberian arbor-vitae ... 212 Silver-thorn .....; » 225 Silver -bell ; 227 Silver maple 160 392 Index PAGE Silver poplar 176 Silvery actinidia 263 Size of fruit-garden 351 Slender deutzia 223 Slippery elm 159 Slope of land for fruit-garden 251 Snapdragon 296 Snowball, common 241 , Japanese 241 Snowberry 239 Soil for aquatics 308 fruit-garden 352 ornamentals -. 10 Spider, red 338 Spirea, Anthony Waterer 239 , bridal-wreath 235 , Bumald's 236 , golden 235 , lobed 236 , Thunberg's 238 , Van Houtte's 239 Spot, rose-leaf 347 Spraying-pumps 327 Spruce, Colorado blue 206 , Norway 205 , weeping 206 , white 205 St. John's wort, shrubby 229 Stone walls, removing 118 Strawberry . 371 , cultivation and care of 371, 372 Strawberry-bed, plan of 371 Strawberry-tree 225 Street- and avenue-trees. . 155 , list of 155 Striped nelumbo 309 Strongly marked features, preserve n Subtropical plants 300 Sugar-maple 160 Sulphate of copper 325 Index 393 PAGE Sulphate of copper solution 325 Sumac, cut-leaved 232 stag-horn ..... 235 Japanese 235 Sunflower, hardy 291 Sunlight in all rooms 25 Surface of roads 121 Surface- and sub-drainage 102 Sweet birch 1 70 gum 179 pea 298 pepper-bush 221 Sycamore or plane-tree .- 176 leaf-blight 347 maple 166 Syringa 230 Systems of landscape gardening, geometrical 5 , natural 5 T Tartarian maple 167 Tender bedding-plants 295 climbing plants 299 foliage and flowering plants 295 water-lilies 309 Thurlow's weeping willow 195 Transplanting hardy herbaceous plants 107 trees and shrubs 59 Trees, arrangement or grouping of 62 , avenue or street 155 , avoid too close planting 67 , characteristics of 45 , classification of varieties 153 , covering wounds on 51 , deciduous, improving 106 , description of 153 , digging for planting 56 , distance for planting 52 , evergreen ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.,, rr ,,,,, , - - . . . 203 394 Index . PAGE Trees, evergreen, transplanting and pruning 203 for screens 69 for shelter 63 , improving old 47 , keeping up an aftergrowth 62 , nature as a guide . . 67 , plan of arrangement 45 , planted along narrow roadways 53 , planting before seeding lawn 39 , preparation of soil for planting 55 , pruning and transplanting 57 , pruning old 47 , rules for grouping 68 , selection of varieties 51 , size of trees to plant 52 , time for planting 54 , watering and mulching '..'.'.' '..".' 61 with colored foliage 198 cut foliage 195 round heads 164 weeping forms JL 190 Trumpet-creeper 264 Turk's cap lily , , ,,,,,,.,,. .'.'.' 283 U Umbrella magnolia 179 Use of cellar 23 V Van Houtte's spirea 239 Variegated cut-leaved maple 196 dogwood 221 flag 314 Japanese plume-grass 318 oak 187 weigela 223 Varieties of apples 360 blackberries 368 cherries 366 currants , , , , , 370 Index 395 PAGE Varieties of evergreen shrubs 250 grapes 367 peaches 363 pears 362 plums 364 quinces 365 raspberries 369 strawberries 372 Vasey's azalea 216 Virgin's bower 258 W Walks and drives 293 bordered with turf 39 , construction of 101 , direction of 98 , how to obtain curves of 99 , importance of 95 , improving old 112 , location of 97 , width of 98 Walls and tences, removal of 133 Walnut, black. 162 Water, good supply of 9 , open outlet of lakelet 15 , underground outlet of lakelet 15 Water-hyacinths 313 Water-lilies, European 311 , hardy 309 rose-flowered • 309 yellow-flowered 311 , tender day-blooming 31,2 night-blooming 312 Water-plantain 315 Water-poppy 314 Watering trees after planting 61 Weeping ash 193 birch, cut-leaved 190 , Young's 190 dogwood 192 396 Index PAGB Weeping elm, Camperdown 195 golden-bell 227 Japanese cherry _ 192 maple, Wier's cut-leaved 190 mulberry 194 trees, list of 190 willows, Babylon 194 , purple 195 , Thurlow's 195 "Well" about roots of trees 32 Whale-oil soap 323 White clematis 259 Japanese nelumbo 309 oak 185 pine 209 spruce 205 wistaria 263 White-fringe 232 -leaved linden 183 Width of roadbed 1 23 Wild cucumber 299 Wild rice 315 Winter protection of evergreen shrubs 249 roses 242 strawberries 368 Wistaria, Chinese 263 , white 263 Y Yellow roses 244 Young's weeping birch 190 Yucca or Adam's needle-and-thread plant 292 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BRANCH OF THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW 1 1929 UCD 3 5m-8,'26 45611? SB473 Maynard, I PUT. H3 iiandsoa] >e gardening 1915 as applie< L to home decoratioi •- 4uoll3 *4^S.