Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-02-10
Flowers and their Culture.
BY N. B. BATEHAM AND !. WICK.

One OF the greatest wants f This
country is hoppier homes for the people.
This want IL especially manifest among
our rural population, as a means of coun-
teracting the spirit Of unrest and dscon.
tent, and the thirst for wealth aud dis.
play, which is Turing so many young
men and women TO iorsake their country
homes for the excitements and follies of
city life.
OF all the means for making home at
tractive, Fo,cers are among the best.
They are inexpensive, require but little
skill and labor for their production, and
their culture affords pleasing and health
Iul recreation tor the female and younger
members Of the household. The love OF
flowers, in family or community, il
everywhere regarded as both a means
and an evidence OF refinement aud ad-
vanced civilization.
1t is very gratifying to notice how
rapidly the taste for flowers has increas
ed in this country during the past few
years. In large cities the use of plants
and flowers for the decoration OF parlors,
and especially at weddings and parties,
has increased ten-fold within the pas,
five or six years. 1t is not unusual for
FIVE hundred or q thousand dollars to be
expended at fashionable wedding or
party for floral decorations. Not less
remarkable is the increased taste for
flowers and Horticulture among the peo-
pie OF our towns and villages, and also
among the hetter class of farmers.
throughout the country. The proper
tion OF households that now cultivate
flowers is AT least three times as great as
speed this good work, till every dwelling
in town and country shall have its flower
garden, or, if no garden, its balcony or
bay window of choice plants and flowers.
Let the press and pulpit lend their infiu-
ence 10 help on this movement, and let
the Agricultural and Horticultural Socie-
ties give encouragement to Horticulture
as one OF the useful brachcs of domestic
industry, remembering that oman shall
not live by bread alone"
The principal agents in this benefcent
work are the florists and seedsmen, who
are annually distributing seeds, bulbs,
and plants, at low prices for the million,
throughout the entire country, by means
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| formation about flowers and their culture,
by means of attractive catalogues and
floral guides of which hundreds of thou
s,uds are annually distributed. Mr.. j.
Vick of Rochester,, is justly regarded as
the apostle Of Horticulture in this cum
try. His Floral Guide for 1872 no
iiced in this paper, is marvel of beauty
and completeness. Ii the useful matter
it contains were spread ont in ordinary
book style, i. would make volume OF
800 pages, and cost not less than five
dollars.
The following practical hints on fori-
culture are furnished by Mr.. Wick, and,
mostly complied from his floral guide.
The engravngs are specimens Of humid
l. ed, in that work. NJ. B.R.
HINTS ON FLoRiCULTURE.
The location of flower beds should be
mostly near the front and sides OF the
dwelling, and in view from the parlur
and sitting room windows but there
should also be reserve flower garden, a
little in the rear, or in connection with
the vegetable or fruit garden, where a
liberal stock of ANNALS and other free
blooming plants should be grown tor
supplying cut flowers for the parlor and
dining room, sending to poor sick neigh
bors, or decorating the church or school
house. The beds Of cLoiee flowers near
the house should not be robbed tor these
purposes, though more than halt the
pleasure of growing flowers is derived
from seeing other people enjoy them.
M M The ground in front of a
AA Y dwelling should if possible
S VIZ be Iaaon, with few shade
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