THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 393 



undue heat or excessive watering:, and you will fnul tliat they Avill not seem to 

 mind whether the sun shines or not, or in what position or direction you train 

 them. Indeed, so much will they do of themselves to render a room charming, 

 that I would rather have an unlimited number of them to draw upon, tlian 

 anything eke in nature or art. Do you wish the ugly plain doors that shut off 

 your tiny entry from your parlor were arched or curved like those in the draw- 

 ing-room of your rich neighbor? Buy a couple of brackets, such as lamps for 

 the burning of kerosene are sometimes placed in, and screw them on the sides 

 of the door. Put in each a plant of English ivy, the longer the better, then 

 train the plants over top, against the sides— indeed, any way your fancy dictates. 

 You need not buy the beautiful but costly pots the flower dealer will advise; 

 common glazed ones will answer every purpose, for by placing in each two or 

 three sprays of Coliseum ivy, in a month's time no vestige of the pot itself can 

 be discerned through their thick screen. 



THE CARDINAL FLOWER. 



The spikes of the Cardinal Flower found in low woods all over Michigan are 

 strikingly beautiful, but are rarely found in cultivation, although the plants are 

 easily grown in the garden. The American Garden in speaking of this plant 

 says: We find it advertised in some seed catalogues, among the novelties of 

 the season. This is a move in the right direction, and this brilliant and gor- 

 geous flower which has been growing wild in our meadows and along our 

 brooks ever since man first set loot on our soil, and no one knows how many 

 millions of years before, is probably a novelty to many who have lived a life- 

 time within a short walk of its native habitat. We search the wide world over 

 for "novelties," while here they are growing arouud us in splendor and bril- 

 liancy. Nothing more dazzlingly beautiful can be imagined than a bed of Car- 

 dinal Flowers in autumn, when in full bloom, grouped in a shady spot on a 

 smooth, velvety lawn with a group of Cannas or Rhododendrons as a back- 

 ground. 



THE WHITE ALYSSUM. 



In selecting plants for the window garden, be sure to obtain a plant or two 

 of the Double White Alyssum. It is similar in every way to the well-known 

 Sweet Alyssum, but possesses the desirable quality of having double flowers, 

 and thus remaining in blossom for a much longer period. As a plant for the 

 flower-border, it is indispensable, and it is valuable for cut flowers at all seasons 

 of the year. Propagation is effected by cuttings, which should be taken from 

 those plants that produce the most perfect double flowers. — [Kural New Yorker. 



