The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-24
BEAUTFYING A SPHAGNUM BOG
GlRDIN NOM nOHtN mn
~ mn IONDITIONS
FroG HoI~S Tee That Be~amr IA, Ponds
DraIninE aud Durh tuttInk amt
~uppinS ln Nar>h Plants which Grew
sf Thrm-rI,r- Transformed the spot


frog holes with a sluggish hts'e brook
trtckhng through s-ttd a won,Nn the
i-.Autv ~ who's. summer home ~ the
admiration 81 all her friends
There wera two farms lying side by
side and both FOR sale when went hunt
ing for an tu.Npensivr summer home
Wnen nv friends heard that had decided
an tho cnstpar of ~. two they said II
was ,gst like a woman tn take the plac"
costing Ia-s money without any regard
q IN. value ~ the property For the
raltrv sum IT slun had passed over a
good farm. every acre high and dry, to
nuv a place with half IT the land swamp
and hog holes For the first two years
they thought Il very WITTY to maui ~
about my mosquito ranch, to want TO
know the characteristics 81 the different
breeds don't believe | could have
induced one Of them to visit ms u ! In d
invited them. which I determined not To
do until could prove that ] and not
they had the long head
The hrs, summer | moved IN devoted
IN getting the farm IN order After dong
about all that could be- done N one year
to the orchards and Veg"tahl" garden
put nv hired man towork on the swanps
knowing there was nothing - tsar from
the sphagnum hog m the way of malaria
/ mad HIM hacin 10y draining the muck
SWAMP m which the two frog holes
were situated By cutting a often along
the lowest line the hrookI"t d"v"l-
oped into brisk little stream which
in time | am sure might have carried OF
the green scum that covered th' two
frog holes.
Having different intentions for thos"
two particular holes ! had the ditch
extended in such a manner A. 20 leave
them 20 one side This drained on water
enough To make them workable ! had
tho larger ~ the two increased IN size
until n measured iuO feet long nv from
rs ~ " IN width and feet deep In"
smaller was about half IN" size and two
fe~, deeper A. the earth was removed
hpd II placed in piles near the two holes,
whore u remained all wintsr
W lille the hired man wRs working m
IN. muck swamp was giving my Stten-
tIon 10 the -phasnum hog To begin
with after roofing out the poison OK
growing sbout the hog there vas nothing
tn do IN the way Of preparation 4
srhagnum bog IL the healthie-t We,
hoe not only contain no bacteria hut 10
strongly sntIseTtiC Al ! had To do IN
making my happy garden wss To send "a
nursery whore hog plants are a speciality
and get the varieties that were not already
th"re
They came pscke1 in damp moss and
paper and planted them according to
th. directions on each variety Some ~
a. l.
There Was no cultivation. nothing hut
putting them IN end waiting for results
Thst l. Why | call u my happy garden
LAT" IN IN" sImme. some Of the pitcher
plants and orchids which | planted In
the early spring gave ma fine blossoms.
and they have been doing better each
year -IuC"
The plants added To the spha gnum
hog that first wear we're two Of tho South
81, -arracenias rubra and Java, the
twin flower. creeping snOwberry. Wild
Gala. cotton grass and marsh rose mary
! also put m several roots - III" Sara
coma purpurea and two varieties ~
hardy orchids. hat nothing came - them
that wear and the next spring they still
failed 10 appear - believing they had
not survived long enough 10 h" killcd
hv th. frost= put IN others This second
planting Was a perfect -ilccess. and sine"
then they hav" he.n among the i'autIe~
az my happy garden
Each year ! add neS treasures 90 my
hog some bought ~ nurseries where
hog gardens are made "A speciality ~
Others sent me Nv friends who have tIk"n
them from their native habitat with
their own hands, while still others ] col
I"ct from m" woods around my farm
There - nothing after planting them.
they grow IT they don't. and that ~ all
there - To- ~
My muck swamp - quite another
story The first thing did after return
ing tO the farm that second spring was
90 have clay spread over the bottom
- the two enlarged holes over the
clay | had a mixture - muck and manure
put m TO about the depth " On" foot In
making tins miNtur" ! used the muck
that had h,-en taken from the holes the
previous summer In this bed | planted
with my own hands the lilly roots which
wsr" bought - "A nursery AZ ] wanted
only hardy varieties ! confined my SeleC
ton 10 the rice field water lily, the Cape
cod pink the tuberous water lily and
a few chromat"llas
They were large. knottv RI OTIS and
rea he'd ne IN fin" condition packed m
damp moss ! put them in about ~
would have any other roots. hacking the
wet earth about them as firmly a. the
sVIerabuudan''' 81 WoIstur" would per
NIT after 'hI- for III" sake ~ appear
sn,"s I had = thin LAYER of whit" sand
spread on Then IN. ditch was cat and
the waters Of III" It'll" brook allowed to
d. the rest
Within two Veaks IT the planting
which was made "A tout H." middle - NAV
the surfao" 81 the larger Of tho two ponds
was dotted with the leaves Of water
hl"s Some of each variety planted had
RESPONDED TO my treatment In July
and August the blossoms came. not
many ~ them that year. hut enough 20
Lot - know that We had all m" varieties
which u" had ordered In N. smaller
Toud. which We had mad" d"~per Ia ac-
.pmmodate lotus. were only two Of the
xix u"lumhiums which We had planted
her. was a pretty show Of hug" vivid
green l.ave> and Late IN the season three
stately. long stemmed flowers ~ rDSy
pIuk
Ia the damp soil around the lily
PONDS ! planted cardinal flower. fringed
gan'ian. marsh gold. tall blue lnbelia
hdWIgia. dwHf evening primrose. Wild
fp-. sweet gale. winterh-rry. dOgberry
and bareback Many of them did not
grow ~ the first planting. 80 ] r"planted
.t,H year until now my lily ponds are
surrounded Ivy wilderness OF bloom
framed ~ the natural forest OF maple.
l.. A. -