296 TKANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 



lovely liiirbingers of hope; silent mementoes of an Eden lost and a 

 Paradise to be regained. Beautiful flowers! They wreathe the cra- 

 dle, the marriage altar and the tomb. From the far-away shores of 

 the ice-bound North, whei-e the rose carnation creeps, shivering, from 

 its crystal couch of snow, to the spicy isles of the ocean, to Araby's 

 "land of the blest,'" the air is filled with the redolent perfume, and 

 our eye is gladdened with the entrancing beauty of flowers. They 

 peer at us from the wayside, from the moss-grown lane and the 

 shadowy forest; in the dwellings of the rich and the lowly cottages 

 of the poor are found " nature's mute ministers,'" giving peace and 

 resignation to the suffering and a balm to the broken hearted. 



Our rarest flowers bloom with the greatest perfusion in other 

 lands. We open our hearts in sympathy for the lonely, home-sick 

 Swedish boy as we hear him rehearse his entrancing story of the 

 lovely forget-me-not. In ancient Egypt the favorite flower was the 

 lotus or rose of the Nile, the nyphia lotus of modern botany. Tt has 

 a large, fragrant, white blossom. 



So highly was it esteemed that distinguished guests, upon their 

 arrival in a city, were presented with a coronet of these exquisite 

 flowers as a conspicuous mark of honor. Woven into chaplets, it 

 played an important part in religious ceremonies. The Persian writes 

 his love in perfumed nosegays, and the Indian child of the far West 

 gathers with glee the luxuriant blossoms that deck the boundless 

 prairie. The charming Isle of Cyprus, famed alike in prose and 

 poem, is brilliant with dazzling hyacinths; the air is heavy with 

 their misty perfume, while every fountain and stream reflects again 

 the image of the lovely narcissus. 



From the time human thought first found expression in language 

 the lily has in all probability been used as the emblem of of purity. 

 Tt is represented among subjects of art, and the people have not ex- 

 isted that did not admire its beauty. The name we give it means 

 graceful, and it has ever been esteemed for its loveliness and grace. 

 Even the Great Teacher, in one of those exquisite sermons that have 

 never been equaled, extolled its glory above that of Solomon. The 

 calla abounds in countless numbers at the Cape of Good Hope, while 

 the delicate smilax weaves its evergreen traceries amid the foliage 

 and drooping bells of the f uschia. The latter beautiful plant, named 

 in honor of the German florist, De Lenard Fuchs, was introduced 

 into England by a sea captain, bringing it as a present for his wife, 

 An eminent florist (Mr. Lee, I believe his name was) purchased it of 

 the lady for the sum of eight guineas and the promise of a cutting. 

 He made cuttings at once in hot-beds, and the next season sold 300 

 plants, keeping his promise to the lady, also, by taking her one of the 

 blooming plants. 



The rose has been known, admired and cultivated from time 

 immemorial. "Fondest child of dimpled spring," it is the queen of 

 every grove. The name is of Celtic origin, and signifies Anacreon. 



