When San Francisco was destroyed by fire in 1906, many people predicted
that the city would never be rebuilt. A great number of men and women
packed their goods and chattels and hastily bade farewell to the still
smoking ruins of a City That Was, firmly believing that destiny had
determined that it should remain forever buried in its own ashes.
There was another class of men and women who were optimists. They
predicted that the city would be rebuilt, but that it would require from
twenty to thirty years.

A jolly-looking preacher is Jack, standing erect in his parti-colored
pulpit with a sounding-board over his head; but he is a gay deceiver, a
wolf in sheep’s clothing, literally a “brother to dragons,” an arrant
upstart, an ingrate, a murderer of innocent benefactors! “Female
botanizing classes pounce upon it as they would upon a pious young
clergyman,” complains Mr. Ellwanger. A poor relation of the stately
calla lily one knows Jack to be at a glance, her lovely white robe
corresponding to his striped pulpit, her bright yellow spadix to his
sleek reverence. In the damp woodlands where his pulpit is erected
beneath leafy cathedral arches, minute flies or gnats, recently emerged
from maggots in mushrooms, toadstools, or decaying logs, form the main
part of his congregation.

Sku: wildflowers02

In the descriptive ballad which follows, it will be evident that I have
endeavoured to preserve the style of a gossip, and to transmit the
memorial of a custom, the extent or antiquity of which I am not acquainted
with, and pretend not to enquire.
In Suffolk husbandry the man who, (whether by merit or by sufferance I
know not) goes foremost through the harvest with the scythe or the sickle,
is honoured with the title of “_Lord_,” and at the Horkey, or harvest-home
feast, collects what he can, for himself and brethren, from the farmers
and visitors, to make a “frolick” afterwards, called “the largess
spending.” By way of returning thanks, though perhaps formerly of much
more, or of different signification, they immediately leave the seat of
festivity, and with a very long and repeated shout of “a largess,” the
number of shouts being regulated by the sums given, seem to wish to make
themselves heard by the people of the surrounding farms. And before they
rejoin the company within, the pranks and the jollity I have endeavoured
to describe, usually take place. These customs, I believe, are going fast
out of use; which is one great reason for my trying to tell the rising
race of mankind that such were the customs when I was a boy.

Sku: wildflowers

Watermelon (Citrullus lantatus) belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae which includes squash, pumpkin
and cucumber. It is a popular dessert vegetable, with year round availability.
Watermelons vary in shape; from globular to oblong. External rind colour varies from light to dark green
and may be solid, striped or marbled. The pulp colour of most commercial varieties is red.
The fruit is generally eaten raw. Watermelon has a very high water content (93 ml/ 100g edible portion).
It contains carbohydrates (5mg), calcium (8mg), phosphorous (9 mg), ascorbic acid (8 mg) and vitamins
(0.64 g) per 100 g of edible portion.

Sku: watermelon01

This tomato is believed to have its origin in the Peru-Ecuador areas from where it spread as a weed throughout many parts of tropical America and then domesticated in Mexico. It was introduced into Europe early in the sixteen-century and the United States of America two centuries later. Tomato belongs to the family Solanaceae and its scientific name is Lycopersicon esculentum. Tomatoes can be considered one of the most important vegetables. The fruits can be cooked or eaten raw. Additionally, this vegetable is used extensively in the canning industry in the production juices, sauces, ketchup and paste

Sku: tomato

It is now fifty years since the celebrated Stillingfleet observed, “that
it was surprising to see how long mankind had neglected to make a proper
advantage of plants, of so much importance to agriculture as the
Grasses, which are in all countries the principal food of cattle.” The
farmer, for want of distinguishing and selecting the best kinds, fills
his pastures either with weeds or improper plants, when by making a
right choice he would not only procure a more abundant crop from his
land, but have a produce more nourishing for his flock. One would
therefore naturally wonder, after this truth has been so long published,
and that in an age when agriculture and the arts have so much improved,
that Select Seeds of this tribe of plants are scarcely to be produced.

Sku: botanistscompanion

The general design of the following sheets is to inlist Imagination
under the banner of Science, and to lead her votaries from the looser
analogies, which dress out the imagery of poetry, to the stricter ones,
which form the ratiocination of philosophy. While their particular design
is to induce the ingenious to cultivate the knowledge of BOTANY; by
introducing them to the vestibule of that delightful science, and
recommending to their attention the immortal works of the Swedish
Naturalist LINNEUS.
In the first Poem, or Economy of Vegetation, the physiology of Plants
is delivered; and the operation of the Elements, as far as they may be
supposed to affect the growth of Vegetables. But the publication of this
part is deferred to another year, for the purpose of repeating some
experiments on vegetation, mentioned in the notes.

Sku: botanicgarden02

The general design of the following sheets is to inlist Imagination
under the banner of Science; and to lead her votaries from the looser
analogies, which dress out the imagery of poetry, to the stricter, ones
which form the ratiocination of philosophy. While their particular
design is to induce the ingenious to cultivate the knowledge of Botany,
by introducing them to the vestibule of that delightful science, and
recommending to their attention the immortal works of the celebrated
Swedish Naturalist, LINNEUS. In the first Poem, or Economy of Vegetation, the physiology of Plants is
delivered; and the operation of the Elements, as far as they may be
supposed to affect the growth of Vegetables.

Sku: botanicgarden01

The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. (LamK) seemed to have originated in Tropical America, but, the
exact location is not known. This crop is now grown throughout the tropics for its edible tubers, which
are an important food source in many countries. Guyana is one of the tropical countries in which sweet
potato is cultivated. The Regions of highest production in Guyana, are Regions 3, 4, and 9, but it is also
grown in Regions 2, 5 and 6.
Sweet potato is primarily used as food. Generally it is consumed directly- the main type of preparation
being boiling, baking or frying. In processed form, the tubers can be prepared in many ways for human
consumption (canned, frozen, dehydrated or made into flour or starch).
For industrial uses, the tuber is a source of starch, glucose, syrup, vinegar and alcohol. The tuber and
plant tops are also a source of animal feed. The tuber is fed directly or in processed form and the leaves
are fed to livestock as fresh fodder or in the form of silage.

Sku: sweetpotato

Cucurbita maxima (pumpkin) is believed to have originated in South America, while the other species
became differentiated in the southern U.S.A, Mexico and Central America. Pumpkins are now grown all
over the world with the exception of Antarctica.
Pumpkin belongs to the Cucurbitacae family, which includes cucumber, melon and squash. Within this
family is the genus Cucurbita which includes all varieties of pumpkin.
Pumpkin plants are hardy creepers or soil surface runners, but able to climb where there are supports. The
fruits vary in shape, colour and sizes. They are monoecious and can be bred from pure lines.
Pumpkins are cultivated for their ripe fruit with the seeds in the central cavity and the yellow or orange flesh
being eaten. Pumpkin contains an important antioxidant, beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in
the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta-carotene performs many important functions in overhall
health. Research suggests that pumpkin seeds have unique nutritional and health benefits.

Sku: pampkin

What is Botany? The pupils are very apt to say at first that it is
learning about _flowers_. The teacher can draw their attention to the fact
that flowers are only a part of the plant, and that Botany is also the
study of the leaves, the stem, and the root. Botany is the science of
_plants_. Ask them what the Geranium is. Tell them to name some other
plants. The teacher should keep a few growing plants in the schoolroom for
purposes of illustration.Ask them what else there is in the world besides plants. By this question
the three kingdoms, animal, vegetable, and mineral, are brought up. It
will give occasion for a discussion of the earth and what it contains, the
mountains, formed of rocks and soil,

Sku: lessonsinbotany

Do you know what really happens when things rot? Have other garden
books confused you with vague meanings for words like “stabilized
humus?” This book won’t. Are you afraid that compost making is a
nasty, unpleasant, or difficult process? It isn’t.
A compost pile is actually a fast-track method of changing crude
organic materials into something resembling soil, called humus. But
the word “humus” is often misunderstood, along with the words
“compost,” and “organic matter.” And when fundamental ideas like
these are not really defined in a person’s mind, the whole subject
they are a part of may be confused. So this chapter will clarify
these basics.
Compost making is a simple process. Done properly it becomes a
natural part of your gardening or yard maintenance activities, as
much so as mowing the lawn. And making compost does not have to take
any more effort than bagging up yard waste.

Sku: organiccomposting

I wish to plant fruit trees on a sandy mesa well protected from winds
about a mile from the coast. The soil is a light sandy loam. I intend to
dig the holes for the trees this fall, each hole the shape of an
inverted cone, about 4 feet deep and 5 feet across, and put a half-load
of rotten stable manure in each hole this fall. The winter’s rains would
wash a large amount of plant food from this manure into the ground. In
March I propose to plant the trees, shoveling the surrounding soil on
top of the manure and giving a copious watering to ensure the compact
settling of the soil about and below the roots. The roots would be about
a foot above the manure.

Contents
Part I.     Fruit Growing
Part II.    Vegetable Growing
Part III.   Grain and Forage Crops
Part IV.  Soils, Irrigation, and Fertilizers
Part V.   Live Stock and Dairy
Part VI.   Feeding Animals
Part VII.  Diseases of Animals
Part VIII. Poultry Keeping
Part IX.   Pests and Diseases of Plants
Part X.    Index

Sku: questionsanswered

In the fall of 1890 Dr. George Vasey, then Botanist of the
Department of Agriculture, arranged with me to prepare a revision
of North American Cactaceae. Owing to the peculiar difficulty of
preserving material the family was poorly represented, even in
our leading herbaria. To secure a large amount of additional
material in the way of specimens and field notes the Department
authorized me to visit the region of the Mexican boundary during
the summer of 1891. Preliminary to this exploration it was
necessary to examine the Engelmann collection of Cactaceae, in
the possession of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Sku: northamericanspecies

Wherever there is soil, plants grow and produce their kind, and all
plants are interesting; when a person makes a choice as to what plants
he shall grow in any given place, he becomes a gardener or a farmer; and
if the conditions are such that he cannot make a choice, he may adopt
the plants that grow there by nature, and by making the most of them may
still be a gardener or a farmer in some degree.
Every family, therefore, may have a garden. If there is not a foot of
land, there are porches or windows. Wherever there is sunlight, plants
may be made to grow; and one plant in a tin-can may be a more helpful
and inspiring garden to some mind than a whole acre of lawn and flowers
may be to another.The satisfaction of a garden does not depend on the area, nor, happily,
on the cost or rarity of the plants. It depends on the temper of the
person. One must first seek to love plants and nature, and then to
cultivate the happy peace of mind that is satisfied with little.

Sku: manualgardening

Papaya (Carica papaya) is a quick growing perennial tree-like plant that is fast becoming a major crop in
Guyana with huge potentials for export.. It is a popular fruit in Guyana available throughout the year. Hybrid
papaya trees begin to produce fruits within nine months after transplanting depending on the cultivar, production
practices and weather conditions.

Sku: hybridpapaya

Formerly it was the custom for gardeners to invest their labors and
achievements with a mystery and secrecy which might well have
discouraged any amateur from trespassing upon such difficult ground.
“Trade secrets” in either flower or vegetable growing were acquired by
the apprentice only through practice and observation, and in turn
jealously guarded by him until passed on to some younger brother in the
profession. Every garden operation was made to seem a wonderful and
difficult undertaking. Now, all that has changed. In fact the pendulum
has swung, as it usually does, to the other extreme. Often, if you are
a beginner, you have been flatteringly told in print that you could
from the beginning do just as well as the experienced gardener.

CONTENTS

I     INTRODUCTION
II    WHY YOU SHOULD GARDEN
III   REQUISITES OF THE HOME VEGETABLE GARDEN
IV  THE PLANTING PLAN
V   IMPLEMENTS AND THEIR USES
VI   MANURES AND FERTILIZERS
VII  THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION
PART TWO–VEGETABLES
VIII  STARTING THE PLANTS
IX    SOWING AND PLANTING
X     THE CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES
XI    THE VEGETABLES AND THEIR SPECIAL NEEDS
XII   BEST VARIETIES OF THE GARDEN VEGETABLES
XIII   INSECTS AND DISEASE, AND METHODS OF FIGHTING THEM
XIV  HARVESTING AND STORING
PART THREE–FRUITS
XV   THE VARIETIES OF POME AND STONE FRUITS
XVI   PLANTING; CULTIVATION; FILLER CROPS
XVII  PRUNING, SPRAYING, HARVESTING
XVIII BERRIES AND SMALL FRUITS
XIX   A CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS
XX    CONCLUSION

Sku: vegetablegardening

First, you should know why a maritime Northwest raised-bed gardener
named Steve Solomon became worried about his dependence on
irrigation.
I’m from Michigan. I moved to Lorane, Oregon, in April 1978 and
homesteaded on 5 acres in what I thought at the time was a cool,
showery green valley of liquid sunshine and rainbows. I intended to
put in a big garden and grow as much of my own food as possible.
Two months later, in June, just as my garden began needing water, my
so-called 15-gallon-per-minute well began to falter, yielding less
and less with each passing week. By August it delivered about 3
gallons per minute. Fortunately, I wasn’t faced with a completely
dry well or one that had shrunk to below 1 gallon per minute, as I
soon discovered many of my neighbors were cursed with. Three gallons
per minute won’t supply a fan nozzle or even a common impulse
sprinkler.

Sku: gardeningirrigation01

Abelia.–Very ornamental evergreen shrubs, bearing tubular,
funnel-shaped flowers. They succeed in any ordinary soil if the
situation is warm and sheltered, and are readily raised by cuttings.
Height, 3 ft. to 4 ft.
Abies _(Spruce Firs)_.–Among these ornamental conifers mention may be
made of the beautiful Japanese Spruce Ajanensis, which grows freely
in most soils and has dual-coloured leaves–dark green on the upper
surface and silvery white underneath; this makes a grand single
specimen anywhere. The White Spruce (_Abies Alba Glauca_) is a rapid
grower, but while it is small makes a lovely show in the border; it
prefers a moist situation. Of the slow-growing and dwarf varieties
Gregorii is a favourite. The Caerulea, or Blue Spruce, is also very
beautiful. Clanbrasiliana is a good lawn shrub, never exceeding 4 ft.
in height. The Pigmy Spruce (_A. Pygmea_) is the smallest of all firs,
only attaining the height of 1 ft. Any of these may be increased by
cuttings.

Sku: gardeningformillion

A taste for floriculture is spreading amongst Anglo-Indians. It is a
good sign. It would be gratifying to learn that the same refining taste
had reached the Natives also–even the lower classes of them. It is a
cheap enjoyment. A mere palm of ground may be glorified by a few radiant
blossoms. A single clay jar of the rudest form may be so enriched and
beautified with leaves and blossoms as to fascinate the eye of taste. An
old basket, with a broken tile at the top of it, and the root of the
acanthus within, produced an effect which seemed to Calimachus, the
architect, “the work of the Graces.” It suggested the idea of the
capital of the Corinthian column, the most elegant architectural
ornament that Art has yet conceived.
Flowers are the poor man’s luxury; a refinement for the uneducated. It
has been prettily said that the melody of birds is the poor man’s music,
and that flowers are the poor man’s poetry.

Sku: flower-gardens

LIFE-SKETCH:
Birth-place–The Forest (a poem)–Conviction of sin–Baptism and
Resolutions–Experience–Diary notes in verse–Sufferings–Last poem–
The One Name and The Adieu (poetry)–Death

RURAL SCENES:

The Walk in June.
An Evening Meditation.
Nature’s Resurrection.
The Bird’s Nest.
Gather Violets.
To a Dandelion.
To a Robin.
God is There.
The Canadian Farmer.
The Return.
The Old Sugar-Camp.
To a Rabbit.
The Old Man.
The Fading and the Unfading (prose).
On Receipt of some Wild Flowers.
The Sick Girl’s Dream.
The Last Song.
An Evening Scene.
Autumn Teachings (prose).
The Watcher.

Sku: canadianwildflowers

Weary of boarding at seashore and mountain, tired of traveling in search
of comfort, hating hotel life, I visited a country friend at Gooseville,
Conn. (an assumed name for Foxboro, Mass.), and passed three happy weeks
in her peaceful home.

CONTENTS

I.-     FROM GOTHAM TO GOOSEVILLE
II.–    AUCTIONS
III.-    BUYING A HORSE
IV.–  FOR THOSE WHO LOVE PETS
V.–   STARTING A POULTRY FARM
VI.–  GHOSTS
VII.-  DAILY DISTRACTIONS
VIII.- THE PROSE OF NEW ENGLAND FARM LIFE
IX.–   THE PASSING OF THE PEACOCKS
X.–    LOOKING BACK

Sku: abandonedfarm

A BOOK OF
Fruits & Flowers.

SHEWING
The Nature and Use of them, either
for Meat or Medicine.
AS ALSO:
To Preserve, Conserve, Candy, and in Wedges,
or Dry them. To make Powders, Civet bagges,
all sorts of Sugar-works, turn’d works in Sugar,
Hollow, or Frutages; and to Pickell them.
_And for Meat._
To make Pyes, Biscat, Maid Dishes, Marchpanes, Leeches,
and Snow, Craknels, Caudels, Cakes, Broths, Fritter-stuffe,
Puddings, Tarts, Syrupes, and Sallets.

Sku: fruitsandflowers

Comprehensive history of Charles Darwin’s knowledge on flower types. Showing his knowledge of the world around him in great detail.

INTRODUCTION.

CHAPTER I.
HETEROSTYLED DIMORPHIC PLANTS: PRIMULACEAE.

Primula veris or the cowslip.–Differences in structure between the two forms.–
Their degrees of fertility when legitimately and illegitimately united.–P.
elatior, vulgaris, Sinensis, auricula, etc.–Summary on the fertility of the
heterostyled species of Primula.–Homostyled species of Primula.–Hottonia
palustris.–Androsace vitalliana.

CHAPTER II.
HYBRID PRIMULAS.

The oxlip a hybrid naturally produced between Primula veris and vulgaris.–The
differences in structure and function between the two parent-species.–Effects
of crossing long-styled and short-styled oxlips with one another and with the
two forms of both parent-species.–Character of the offspring from oxlips
artificially self-fertilised and cross-fertilised in a state of nature.–Primula
elatior shown to be a distinct species.–Hybrids between other heterostyled
species of Primula.–Supplementary note on spontaneously produced hybrids in the
genus Verbascum.
CHAPTER III.
HETEROSTYLED DIMORPHIC PLANTS–continued.

Linum grandiflorum, long-styled form utterly sterile with own-form pollen.–
Linum perenne, torsion of the pistils in the long-styled form alone.–Homostyled
species of Linum.–Pulmonaria officinalis, singular difference in self-fertility
between the English and German long-styled plants.–Pulmonaria angustifolia
shown to be a distinct species, long-styled form completely self-sterile.–
Polygonum fagopyrum.–Various other heterostyled genera.–Rubiaceae.–Mitchella
repens, fertility of the flowers in pairs.–Houstonia.–Faramea, remarkable
difference in the pollen-grains of the two forms; torsion of the stamens in the
short-styled form alone; development not as yet perfect.–The heterostyled
structure in the several Rubiaceous genera not due to descent in common.

CHAPTER IV.
HETEROSTYLED TRIMORPHIC PLANTS.

Lythrum salicaria.–Description of the three forms.–Their power and complex
manner of fertilising one another.–Eighteen different unions possible.–Mid-
styled form eminently feminine in nature.–Lythrum Graefferi likewise
trimorphic.–L. hymifolia dimorphic.–L. hyssopifolia homostyled.–Nesaea
verticillata trimorphic.–Lagerstroemia, nature doubtful.–Oxalis, trimorphic
species of.–O. Valdiviana.–O. Regnelli, the illegitimate unions quite barren.-
-O. speciosa.–O. sensitiva.–Homostyled species of Oxalis.–Pontederia, the one
monocotyledonous genus known to include heterostyled species.

CHAPTER V.
ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING OF HETEROSTYLED PLANTS.

Illegitimate offspring from all three forms of Lythrum salicaria.–Their dwarfed
stature and sterility, some utterly barren, some fertile.–Oxalis, transmission
of form to the legitimate and illegitimate seedlings.–Primula Sinensis,
illegitimate offspring in some degree dwarfed and infertile.–Equal-styled
varieties of P. Sinensis, auricula, farinosa, and elatior.–P. vulgaris, red-
flowered variety, illegitimate seedlings sterile.–P. veris, illegitimate plants
raised during several successive generations, their dwarfed stature and
sterility.–Equal-styled varieties of P. veris.–Transmission of form by
Pulmonaria and Polygonum.–Concluding remarks.–Close parallelism between
illegitimate fertilisation and hybridism.

CHAPTER VI.
CONCLUDING REMARKS ON HETEROSTYLED PLANTS.

The essential character of heterostyled plants.–Summary of the differences in
fertility between legitimately and illegitimately fertilised plants.–Diameter
of the pollen-grains, size of anthers and structure of stigma in the different
forms.–Affinities of the genera which include heterostyled species.–Nature of
the advantages derived from heterostylism.–The means by which plants became
heterostyled.–Transmissionplants.–Final remarks.

POLYGAMOUS, DIOECIOUS, AND GYNO-DIOECIOUS PLANTS.

The conversion in various ways of hermaphrodite into dioecious plants.–
Heterostyled plants rendered dioecious.–Rubiaceae.–Verbenaceae.–Polygamous
and sub-dioecious plants.–Euonymus.–Fragaria.–The two sub-forms of both sexes
of Rhamnus and Epigaea.–Ilex.–Gyno-dioecious plants.–Thymus, difference in
fertility of the hermaphrodite and female individuals.–Satureia.–Manner in
which the two forms probably originated.–Scabiosa and other gyno-dioecious
plants.–Difference in the size of the corolla in the forms of polygamous,
dioecious, and gyno-dioecious plants.

CHAPTER VIII.
CLEISTOGAMIC FLOWERS.

General character of cleistogamic flowers.–List of the genera producing such
flowers, and their distribution in the vegetable series.–Viola, description of
the cleistogamic flowers in the several species; their fertility compared with
that of the perfect flowers.–Oxalis acetosella.–O. sensitiva, three forms of
cleistogamic flowers.–Vandellia.–Ononis.–Impatiens.–Drosera.–Miscellaneous
observations on various other cleistogamic plants.–Anemophilous species
producing cleistogamic flowers.–Leersia, perfect flowers rarely developed.–
Summary and concluding remarks on the origin of cleistogamic flowers.

–The chconclusions which may be drawn from the observations in this volume.

Sku: FlowDarwn

Full & comprehensive gardening guide to seeding, grafting, planting, and garden management.

• Soil, fencing, laying out of gardens
• Making of hot beds & houses
• Propagation & cultivation
• Vegetables & herbs
• Fruit, flowers
• Bedding, suckers, slips, grafting

And more…

Sku: AmericanGardener