X—SHRUBS, VINES, FERNS, MOSSES, LICHENS
1. Shrubs—Flowering shrubs suited to the climate. What shrubs are best adapted for hedges locally? Do hedges pay? The grouping of shrubs on lawns, and the principles involved. Landscape-gardening and its history and local application.
2. Vines—Ornamental and fruit-bearing varieties. The Japan ivy, English ivy, woodbine. Care of vines and covering in winter. The enemies of vines. Pasteur and what he did for France. The English sparrow. Arbors and their construction and style. Value of the quickly growing vines, honeysuckle, moon-vine, etc.
3. Ferns—Local varieties. Description of tropical ferns. Ferns in the house, and their care. The Boston, sword, and asparagus ferns. Ferneries and how to make and care for them. Fern balls.
4. Mosses and Lichens—Description of varieties. Remarkable mosses of the arctic and the tropic zones. Edible mosses. The reindeer and its modern propagation.
Books to Consult—W. C. McCollum: Vines and How to Grow Them. N. L. Marshall: Mosses and Lichens. W. I. Beecroft: Who's Who Among the Ferns. D. C. Eaton: Ferns of North America.
This meeting may be made practical by considering how to beautify unattractive houses and grounds by the use of vines and shrubs. Inartistic verandas may be covered with Japanese ivy, unsightly fences taken down and replaced with hedges, and back yards concealed by screens of large shrubs. Photographs of transformed houses and yards may be shown.