The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-05-17
From.the Scientific American
COlOriNg of Nature and Art.


beauties of rural life in the arrangement of
their garden and the cultivation of flowers.
This is delightful and elevating recreation,
for there is implanted in our constitution the
same capacity for deriving pleasure from
viewing colors by the sense of sight as from
drinking-in the strains of musc-thev impart
most pleasure when arranged most har,no-
n'ouSly with regard to their several hues.-
This harmony is governed by laws with
which too many are unacquainted; few
words, therefore, on this topic will not be
inapplcable at present
That which we call c01or, in flowers. -
simply their powers Of rejecting and trans
mitting the rays Of light which fall upon
them. There are three primary colors in
natnre-red, blue, and yellow; and these
must always be associated together to
produce harmony. On this subject Chevre
nj, the distinguished French chemist saws
THE principal rule to be observed in the ar.
rangement Of flowers is to place those which
are blue next to those of orange; the violet
next the yellow, while red and pink are ney
er seen to greater advantage than when sur
rounded by verdure, or by white flowers.-
The latter may also be advantageously dis
persed among groups Of blue and orange. also
Tiolet and yellow flowers" These associa-
tons of color stated by the French author
promote harmony and do not offend the
taste by the mingl;ng of dscordant hues.-
This is study which affords wide scope
tor observation. "Complcmentary" colors
always harmoniZe; and colors are said TO he
complementary, when they form white
beam in combination. Thus red and green
are complementary, because the latter is
composed of bll and yellow, which, with the
red, embrace all the primary colors in arav
OF light. Crimson and orange are also com
Elementary; and 50 with other combination.
Green foliage and flowers are complementa
ry, and pature has provided these hues with
/ no misery hand. Roses and geraniums
with their green leaves are great favoritcs
/ and mid winter ripe red berries are fire.
quently seen peeping out from among ever
green bowers, i'll order to replace with their
! modest beauty, the sleeping roses Of departed
summer. Some persons may Suppose, from
what has been stated. that the green leaves
OF flowers may sometimes destroy the prop
eF effect arising from the contrast OF color;
hut Chevreul asserts that green leaves are a
proper ground fer ali flowers, and never pro-
duce discord in the vision
This subject has lately engaged the atten-
ton OF some great minds Sir Gardner
! Wikenson, in his recent work ''On Color
! and the Necessity for General Diffusion of
Taste among all Classes" devotcs larre
space to the arrangement Of flowers in gar
dcns, as itregards their color and forms
The principal colors which he recommends
are blue, red, pink, purpcl, lilac yellow, or
ange, white and ,arlct, and ne gives ia
bic covering nine pangS, containg the names
! Of many plants with their different colors
! and periods of blooming. When arranged
in beds, he recommends that each pIot
should all have flowers ofthe same size.
and that they should all bloom at the same
period. In this view he is correct; ; vet this
is 4 feature in gardening which is continual
ly overlooked. Large and tall, small and
short flowers are frequently planted helter-
ske'ter, in beds apparently upon the prnci-
pie that proflsion is the very essence of
beauty. In contracted spaces the flowers
selected should be small, while in larger car-
dens they may be more stately. The rea-
son of this is obvious A few large flowers
by occupying large space, must convey an
impression Of dwartishness to a small gar
den, but it is far otherwise when modest lit
tie flowers are chosen for their blushinr
beauty as suitable to such situation.
The beautiful in nature is gift which
may be and should be enjoyed by the hum
blest as well as the highest The mechan-
les cottage with its little flower-garden may
he enriched with all the harmonleS Of color,
and the latter may exhibit in tasteful minia-
ture the best arranged gardens of the veal
thy. 1t affords us pleasure to state that
most of our gardeners and many of our Ia
dies and mechanics are well acquainted with
the cultivation ofhowers, and they exhibit
great taste in their arrangement, but very
few Of them sounded the law of simultaneous
contrast Of color, and hence they frequently
place together flowers of colors that produce
discord; whereas, by just arrangement in
the same beds, they would produce pleas
ing effect. In regard to the effects of color,
we conclude by quoting the following elo-
quent passage written by Sir David Brew
ster:
ale who exhibited such matchless skill in
the organization Of material bodies, and such
exquisite taste in their formation, has super
added that ETHEREAL beauty which enchances
their permanent qualities, and presents them
to us in the ever-varying character of the
spectrum. Without this the foliage of veget-
able life might have filed the eye and foster
ed the fruit which it wells, but the youthful
green of its Spring would have been blended
with the dying yellow Of its autum. If the
objects Of the material world had been illum
mated with whitelight, all the particles off
which possess the same degree of refraneibil-
ity, and were equally acted upon by the
bodies on which they fall, all nature would
shine with lea,len hue, and all the cornbi- /
nations of external objects, all the features