Continuing our hints on shade in connection with landscape gardening, it may be remarked that not near as much advantage is taken of porches and piazzas in connection with house architecture as might be. The late Mr. E. S. San-ford, of New York, recently deceased, once built a suburban villa which had a three-story piazza all around the house. As a model of beauty it was not a success. When joked about it he would remark that it might be like a Chinese pagoda - it only proved Chinese pagodas were very comfortable places to live in. It is one of the misfortunes of American architecture that in copying European excellencies, the American climate has been forgotten. When our necessities in this respect have been remembered, the architect often forgets to so design the piazza that it harmonizes with the general character of the building. One of the best successes that we know of in making a piazza an effective feature in a harmonious design, is at Ridgelawn, the seat of L. V. Stone, Esq., an illustration of which we give on page 67. It will be seen that, aside from the pleasant coolness afforded by the vine-clad piazza, it heightens rather than detracts from the architectural appearance.

The entrance to Ridgelawn reminds us how much depends on tasteful entrance gates. It is like clothing to a man. When we get to know one well, it makes little difference to us how our friend is dressed. But the dress of a stranger is our first clue to his character. So we get the first impression from the entrance gate, and the landscape gardener should give it a close study.

Gate Approach to Ridgelawn.

We give with this a design that is considered chaste. No one, however, can copy well another's gate. The design should suit the surroundings, and what would be pretty in one situation may be out of all character in another.

Annual flowers should be sown as soon as possible, and yet not before the soil is so dry as to powder when pressed firm. Few understand the necessity of sowing seeds shallow and then firming the soil. The writer of these lines came across, recently, a paragraph he wrote fifteen years ago, and yet it will be as new to many as if written now. Thus runs the paragraph:

"The day is warm, and the surface soil just dry enough to powder when struck with the back of the trowel. We should not ask their company otherwise, for when the soil is sticky it won't do to sow seed. The ground has been dry several days before. The surface is now powdered and about the thickness of the trowel blade scraped off. The seed is then sown, the soil drawn back and beat firmly down on the seed. You see how near the top we sowed the seed, and how firmly we beat the soil over it, and we spoke about a 'first principle.'The principle is this: - Seeds want moisture to make them grow, but they must also have air - one is an evil without the other. If deep they get only water, in which case they rot. If entirely on the surface they get only air, and then they dry up. ' But, Mr. Hintsman, why beat the soil so firm?' Another principle, dear ladies, lies there. Large spaces in soil enable the earth to dry out rapidly; small spaces, on the other hand, hold water. Crushing earth, when dry, gives it these small spaces, or as gardeners call it, makes it porous; and thus you see we have set our seeds where they will be near the air, and fixed them so that they shall be regularly moist".

Ridgelawn: The Residence of L. V. Stone, White Plains, N. Y.

Prune shrubs, roses and vines. Those which flower from young wood, cut in severely to make new growth vigorous. Tea, China, Bourbon and Noisette roses are of this class. What are called annual flowering roses, as Prairie Queen, and so on, require much of last year's wood to make a good show of flowers. Hence, with these, thin out weak wood, and leave all the stronger.

To make handsome, shapely specimens of shrubs, cut them now into the forms you want, and keep them so, by pulling out all shoots that grow stronger than the others during the summer season.

The rule for pruning at transplanting is to cut in proportion to apparent injury to roots. If not much worse for removal, cut but little of the top away. Pruned properly, a good gardener will not have the worst case of a badly dug tree to die under his hands. In nursery, where these matters are well understood, trees " never die".

Box edgings lay well now. Make the ground firm and level; plant deep, with tops not more than two inches above ground.

Roll the grass well before the softness of a thaw goes away. It makes all smooth and level.

Hyacinths, Tulips, Liliums, and other hardy bulbs set out in the fall, and covered through the winter, should be occasionally examined, and when they show signs of active growth, must be uncovered; in this latitude this is not safe until towards the end of the month.

Automatic Entrance Gate.