Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-07-12
Memories Of Old. Time Gardens.

. Red balm and camomile are there.
/ But best Of all that memory brings
Ia Mothers tender, loving face;
And my heart happy child-note sings,
| AS her dear lineamonts / trace.
Memory thou art next Of kin
To Faith, which brings the next world neal
And thus the flowers Of whathath.been,
Are twined with buds of may appear.
Bishop Coke said, "Flowers are word
that even babe can understand" The
who can fail to read love in the heart o
the "red, red rose that's newly sprunj
in June? and "pansies are TO
thoughts" you know, and look up at 20,
with their bright eyes as If they knew j
themselves.
Phoebe Cary said:
az know not which love the most,
Nor which the comel!est shows,
The tim!d, bashful violet,
| Or the royal hearted rose,
1.-THE papsy In her purple dress,
| The pink with cheek OF red,
Or the faint, fair heliotrope who hangs,
| Like bashful maid, her head.
| "For love and prize you, one and all,
| From the least, low bloom Of spring,
To the lily fair. whose clothes outshine
| The raiment Of king"
not only remember my mothers old.
fashioned garden, but those of all the
neighbors, also, especially the one al
the old Hathaway house with its abund.
ance of roses of all shades and both
double and single, and such lovely sweet
Williams and pinks and feverfew! Where
shall l stop? and there was our Betty
Ryerson's wonderful garden! mostly the
overflow from that of Madam Carter on
Paris Hill, for none of us farmer women
and girls ever thought of buying seed
or plant in those days, but as our plants
increased at the roots or seeded, We d.
vided with our neighbors.
The first "black-eyed Susan" l ever
saw grew 10 Job Ryerson's field, and
Betty called it "Job's rosy" which
name it held for years until some botan-
ist told us its true name. Botanists
were STEW and far between as angels
visits" in those days. Mrs. Partridge
had the grandest red peonies, iris and
lily 20 the valley. Mrs. Curtis raised the
tallest red mallows and richest colored
"butter and eggs" Mrs. Hanson had
some enormous berberry bushes, COM
frey, lady grass, aud the old red roses
bloomed beside her garden wall. All
used to SOW seeds in spring OF bachelor
buttons, ten o'clocks, wax-pinks, mari
Colds, four-o' clocks, high camomile,
(once Mrs. Ryerson got more high
toned name for that, of Mrs. Carter,
called it golden emerald" but 1t smell.
ed bitter all the same, and when stepped
cured the stomach ache just as well),
Princes feather, China asters, (some call
cd them "Chaney Oysters" but don't
think they obtained that name from
Madam Carter.)
Wouldn't il be nice plan for every
growing child, girl or boy, to have a
garden in which to grow such plants as
interest them most?-ether flowers,
fruits, grains and corn, or garden vege-
tables. 1t is very entertaining to hunt
about and gather in a collection of wild
perennials for a border, or of wild shrubs
for hedge-row. One of my brothers
got up one of each, and they were fine.
We have a boy in the house now who
often brings in some wild plant for me
to name, and he sees all the beautiful
growing things in Natures garden, en-
joys the bird music and does not stone
the birds nor disturb their nests, 30 am
not afraid that he will smoke cigarettes
or drink whiskey, for his thoughts are
above such things. My brothers were
like him, and never smoked anything
worse than a cob pipe filled with catnip
and grew up temperance men, both.
There are many useful lessons to be
learned from cultivating garden. We
must prepare the ground with care,
plant and SOW in hope and faith, wait
with patience and keep the hoe going,
and learn to keep up stout heart under
disappointments, not give up il we don't
succeed at first, but let perseverance
rule our lives, and what We can't &C
complish this year try for again next
year. Through disappointments We
learn that God knows best what Is best
for US.
Eternity is before us and probably
many years of this temporal life, then
why not start some perennials this year
right away? In only one year, If they
are planted in rich ground and kept
moist until we'll started, they will give
you fine harvest of beauty and sweet
ness, and for years after be a joy.
Even if you hire rent and have to
move next spring-dump your peren-
mails in box and take them with you.
Sweet Williams are the best to CON-
mence on, as they will not notice trans
planting even when in bloom, and will
grow anywhere, even wild in the fields
Japan pinks and pansies are the same
about transplanting also, and rosemary,
red balm and southern wood as we'll as
moss camomile are easily moved, and
you always have fragrant sprig at hand.
Roses are long lived, but not 80 sure
to bear trausplanting, yet l have the old
white that has been moved many times
/ from one farm to another since my mar.
riage in 1865. 1t was an off-shoot from
one my mother brought when bride ir
1888 to the old Ripley homestead neal
Crocker Hill. 1t is the very queen OF
roses. None of the new varieties car
match it for beauty nor in perfume, YET
/ il is as hardy as an oak tree. Next to
, that in sweetness is the old damask rose
! once so common at nearly every farm
aud now sometimes found in old fields
and pastures beside the everlasting stone
I walls built by the early settlers. Their
there is the wild rose.
"a watt from the roadside bank tells where the
wild rose mods"
Bayard Taylor said, and gathered some
seed of one several years ago and nov
have the pretty, clear cut buds ant
flowers in my garden.
Peonies are very beautiful but more
than uncommon fnicky, and you have Il
buy them of the seedsmen or raise then
from seed yourself, because they resen
being divided, and will sulk for a year o.
two after it. and give no flowers. WheI
you obtain new plant, dig hole in TIT
ground as big az bushel basket ant
work in old fine barnyard dressing will
the earth al you push it back in, thel
put in the centre some soil from Glove
sod or from beside stone wall, or lea
mold from the woods, set IN your peOn!
so after covering two inches deep their
will be little brown mound that will
shed water, for IL water stands over
peony it will rot the crown and kill it
and dressing must not come in direc
contact with the roots, but after the frs
year 1t will need some spread around
In the fall but not over it. Be generous
with peony and respectful towards il
and it will reward you with abundance
of bloom.
Many plants do not succeed at Sou,l
Paris that grow well on higher land, be
cause of our long season OF frosty night
betw cen the time snow is gone until tn
middle of June, when danger of frost !