OCR Text |
Show COLOHIAL Qfk 1KNS WM&m$M IWW IWAP VffiCINIA inW or J j iW " - T '- ' -.w - -J -s " f Ij 4 -' V N' the estimation of most ft r'r F ' people, In this country nt "-N rvJ f i least, w ho take an Inter 4 t'"i '' l 'he subject of j72U' f". .'I '"""' ornamentation bv j-' 'r." V ' A mentis of lawns and gar 1 1 v'tfJ dens there is nothing , . -; uJril more slliacHvii and tip 1 - I v?"' pealing than a colonial iyrJLlXV Karden. 'I hat this tneth V 7(1 od of disponing natures V cV" bounty appeals to people "j fLzLl?. who have the mentis nnd facilities for Indulging a v" taste for nny sort of ornamental gar- 4 . ' denlng Is eloquently proven bv tho i' fact that n colonial garden has been a .V conspicuous feature nt the White XA' House for a number of years past. A.V Mrs. Koosevclt bad Ibis garden laid f- out Just south of If 1 (he presidential . N 'A mansion, and Im V' ' M mediately under Jyf "V ' . neuth the win- '.Vf, dow s of her prl- . , nms t vato spartments. " . ? .-.4 , - v v and' Mrs. Taft . -ft J? :Tp .V:" . ' was so Impressed with its beauty t(-, ? 'V when she bo- i.- '7' '"'V"'-"" came First Lady f - --. of the Land that f V--'v y ' -" .'--she not only con . ' fr.'",-r,nr" tinned the Mr " -" ''"'jH ' ,. de,, but had it , ( v; ,. ; ; J t tended and Im- -,r -".v t " W ht '' Hy a colonial j . . v ., t,'. '. : -A ftnrden Is meant. .:.(..'... f It will be under- J; ' - ' " ' ' stexid, the form j, - ,..'1 ..: , V. of flower plot . that wai the ap-, proved and ae- cepted fashion In - . Jj.. . - , ., the days of our treat grnndfa- J, .. , . i thers before tho ' . It e vol ntionnry - ' ' war. In mnnv r;. .' 1 1 - respects a colo- L- 'I Dial garden Is VL ' ' ' , .' tot u very dif- , ',' ;' ferent frtuo an I '' rl' V:''."' ' equal ftrea or nviSjf tyy flower beds of the average sort, Inasmuch as most of the flowers that have idace In a colonial garden are of the old fashioned hardy sort. There are. however, some features of the lay-out of the flower beds that render the colonial garden distinctive, and particularly Is this the case with the neatly trimmed little lodges that serve as borders for the various flower beds and In many Instances supply screens and boundary markers for tho garden. In tho case of many of the older gardens nil or n portion of these hedges are fonni d of the richly tinted snd sweet seentid box. Indeed It Is the presence of this shrub which Is likely to distinguish a genuine colonial garden from the newer sort of floral setting. For be It known tho box Is very di(!!etlt to transplant successfully-some successfully-some say Irr possible and it is of very slow growth. So much so. Indeed, that a handsome hedge of box Is more likely than not to represent the fruits of a century or more of care and attention. atten-tion. Withal the box will grow fairly well If left to Itself nsd only given time, but the watchful care of a gardener Is required if It Is desired to restrict It to certain limits, as. for Instance, the borders of flower beds. In the days preceding and following the Ilevo-lutlon Ilevo-lutlon there were colonial gardens In all the thlr-teen thlr-teen original states, but the finest of these were located In Virginia. Nor was this to be wondered won-dered at. for the Old Dominion was nt that time the seat of the most notable country seats In the new world. History tells of the magnificent es-' es-' tales maintained by Getfrge Washington. Thomas Jefferson, Madison, Monroe snd other prominent Virginians of that period, but there were doiens of other wealthy landed proprietors who. though perhaps not nationally as prominent, lived In thv tame baronial style on their expansive plantations planta-tions and bad the slave labor that contributed so much to the development of such estates. A colonial co-lonial garden was not only an Inevitable adjunct of a Virginia estate In those days of lavish living, liv-ing, but It was In many Instances the special pride and hobby of the lord or mistress of the manor house. Now, 'strange to say, a surprising number of there old colonial gardens retain to this day much of their old-time splendor. We ssy surprising, surpris-ing, because It must bs remembered that when the devastating tide of our great Civil war swept over Virginia It played havoc with many an ancestral an-cestral estate and It would be too much to expect that the gardens should not suffer as did the mansions. Furthermore, many of the old Virginia Vir-ginia families have been In greatly reduced circumstances cir-cumstances since the war and have not had the means to maintain the old gardens In the manner man-ner that their ancestors did. That In spite of these conditions the colonial gardens In the state known as "The Mother of Presidents" retain so much of their beauty and fascination la tribute to the advantage of this form of gardening. There are sotr.e formal gardens In old Vlr clnla, but for the most part the gardens are what are known as Informal, or suggestive of nature's own arrangement rather than masterpieces of the fancy gardener's Ingenuity. Only In rare In-stsnres In-stsnres do we see thp box or other hedge shrubs trimuxd and fashioned Into fantastic shapes to 4 1 -,,', . ' .'1 t '.' i .. .',. '!.'... t U 1 K , ' - ? r--A ' : ?, .Iff ,-' " v.J1 ' " ". aw"- , . ' v ' . v V . .""-.-'. ; r: s - , ,.1 , - r , ;-. , . ' , . - . - I " , ' - ;. IkJ-, r: : i -r-. - x a. v , j ' , at , w y - -'. ' '-' " l' . . 'Z 1 .: . ' --., counterfeit walls, arches - J and even miniature cas- ' I ties such as Is common I In the famous formal gar-' gar-' J dens of Kngland and . . .' i fi Jk which has latterly been y y copied In some of the " - ' 1 newer estates of our mul- 'r'AV tiffll f tlmillioiuiln s In the vicin ity of New York, In New Kngland and elsewhere. Whereas this form of horticultural sculpture is lacking the Virginia gardens are embellished by many en artistic touch. For Instance, the grassy or flow er banked terraces w liich ran be rendered so effective have bet n introduced w henever the character of the site s Pitted to render It advisable, and fountains, foun-tains, stone garden scats, etc., are to be found Just as In the gardens laid out In more precise fashion. The gardens of the Old Dominion also disclose a wide variety of pergolas, arbors and summer houses. Some of these are of rustic const ruction and almost all of them are unpretentious unpre-tentious In character compared with the ornamental orna-mental buildings to be found In twentieth century cen-tury gardens where money has flowed like water, bu' for diilet repose and the charm of sylvan solitude sol-itude and as trysting places for those who desire to exchange confidence in n sympathetic though secluded environment It I doubtful if there Is in the entire country anything to compare with these vine-covered nroks. Perhaps the Ideal time to visit an old Virginia Vir-ginia garden Is In the spring or early summer when the prim box hedges have tips on every branch, giving them a new coat of soft gre-en and Imparting the touch of feathers when the hand Is passed over the soft surface. Hose time Is bound to be a favorite season because roses were ever one of the most cherished charges of the old time gardeners In this favored clime, and here one may find In all tbelr glory a number of beautiful varieties, such as the Nelly Custls, which will not be rncountered elsewhere unless they have been transplanted from Virginia soli Hut In reality It is Injustice to praise the rose season above other Intervals In the prolonged blossom time. The chief ambition of the owner of a colonial garden In the Old Dominion has ever been to so select and arrange the flowers that the garden will be a continual mass of bloom from tho advent of the magnolia, the snowball and the lilac In the early spring until after the passing of the Virginia creepers, the Jesramlnes, the passion vines and the hardy chrysanthemums of the waning season. Th amount of :are necessary to keep a Virginia Vir-ginia garden In proper condition would be likely to surprise a resident of a more northerly stato not familiar from experience with the rapidity with which things l.'ow In this favored clime Kven the box heeges perhaps two hundred years old must be trimmed back every year If they are to be kett less than shoulder high so that they will not prevent visitors to the garden from obtaining general views of the labyrinth of greenery. The sverage colonial garden which has been maintained In anything approaching Its old-time glory has ft greenhouse attached In which plants may be given a favorable start esrly In the spring and later transplanted to the flower beds Many of the old gardens also have In one coner of the plot tiny ornamental building wed as seed house and toot house, wheress .n not few of these ancient floral domains do-mains 'oe time-honored sun dial bsa been made the central object In the garden and the flower beds ave been arranged around It as pivot. At many of the estates In Virginia, particularly particu-larly toos which were the boxes of men of ns- V 'Jf4S' aSF jannmxiMag.- " nj.i V I ' 'h.'llri HUtl lit) Ml flUjflf ' -Si. yAj tionnl prominence, it wiib the custom '!'. 11 )i 11 mIi. I ) ars ago or mom to Invito ' - I distinguished guests to plant, trees, ! ' ' i.r M shrubs or flowers as mementoes of j f 1 their visits. We see the fruits of this 'j I custom in the historic plantings .'j "-. I which have been perpetuated at - J'-'.jM Mount Vernon- the trees planted bv k '.' f ' If Lafayette nnd Thomas J fferson and V" I he rose bush planted and named for his mother by Gen. Georgo Washing-v Washing-v ton. It Is the outgrowth of this same custom which has prompted many of r'7 our presidents and distinguished for ' elgn visitors to plant trees In the White House grounds at Washington. Attached to the flower garden proper on many an old Virginia estate Is a scries of terraced beds which were used in the old days, if not at present, pres-ent, for growing small fruits and veg "TZ 3 etables ior the ime of tho household WdJvj ,n ni;"iv Instances these kitchen gar-in gar-in VMlWf J denswere i ' mm screened with boxnnd the gravel walks were neatly bor- jl dered with the '5 - A IK same rlch-hued , .. VVf Vie Mirub so that 1 t f lr the general ef- - tft-l was almost V .j , .Vi i,g pleasing ns , yx-' - -r. ,h,it ,nf, ,h; " . -('V v '-i'V B,'v t)(il them- 'f ( Tf Not the least , of the factors :Aa jftt-ft.fflniJr-4 - ,vrtr j .a ,.-"1 that go to make ' '1 .'.' ,:'V'' ul' r,t'ftU,'p - , ' of a colonial v.:-' ' ' garden In Vir- old trees that In most every Instance surround or overshadow tho space allotted to flowers the limbs trimmed to a sufliricnt height from the ground to allow tho entrance of plenty of sunshine. Such trees are, alike to tho box, only to bo attained as the heritage of time and consequently they are lacking lack-ing in many a newly established garden upon which money has been expended without stint. All tho summer houses, the trellis, etc., which one stes in these old Virginia gardens are of friime construction, the wood usually being painted paint-ed white, and tho garden walls which on somo estates supplement the hedges aro of brick. Tho ' gardens were established too long ago to admit j of the Introduction of tho concrete products which have done so much for the embellishment j of the latter-day garden. Almost without exception, excep-tion, however, garden structure's are so heavily vino clad that the material of their construction makes very little difference in appearances. Out- j side the strictly tropical vegetation there are few flowers or trailing vines that will not grow lux- uriantly In the kindly Virginia climate and this fact accounts for the variety of vegetation iu tho old gardens. 1 Kr I tM r m 1 rtr r " I Paris Siege Bread t e4Fllf4l-lFf4iti4FlflF4!4flt3 A collector of curiosities In Roston shows with pride a piece of bread that was baked In Paris during the siege. Of course. It Is now harder than a brick, and looks unpalatable. Kmlle Hergerat, the son-lnjaw of Gautler, Is writing his memoirs and the first volume "Souvenirs "Sou-venirs d'un Enfant de Paris Ies Annees de Ibv heme." has Just been published. Recollecting events of the siege he has much to say about the bread. "I think some persons must have kept theirs, for 13 years afterward I saw pieces of bread In a glass rase. I was stupefied for two reasons. In the f.rst place. In the severest days and after January Jan-uary 15, there was for each month only a mouse's ration. Ue)0 grams. This was utter starvation. Tho Parisian, as Is well known. Is great bread eater; he can deprive himself of anything else, but ordinarily be must have at least bis 4.10 grams." Hergerat. In the second place, does not believe that the substance could survive the armistice. Chemistry could do nothing with It. Rorthciot ns-sured ns-sured Gautler that be ate the bread without understanding un-derstanding It. "This bread was Dantesque and net tn he an-alyied. an-alyied. If I had been Jules Farre at Ferrleres. I should have simply thrown biscuit on tho table In front of Hlsmarck and said: 'Smell it. The city Is yours.'" No one knew what this bread was made of, says the lukers Weekly, or If anybody knew he did not dare to tell the secret Tho animal kingdom king-dom supplied material after the vegetable was exhausted, snd the mineral succeeded the animal. In the bakery once kept by Ik-rgerat's father ft blacksmith forged bread. Huyers broke their teeth on nails. The report was circulated that bones from the catacombs were at last used. A SIMPLE SYSTEM. "How did Hrown come to be ao highly esteemed es-teemed as a weather prophet?" "Hy bis optimism. When there Is a drought ho keeps predlrlng rain, and when It s mining fce says it Is jolr.g to clear off." |