6 



THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



A BOX OF UTACIXTnS. 



Oui^ Plowei^ Gai^den. 



Bulbs for Winter Blooming. 

 Our readers sliould remeinber that this is the 

 best time for plaiitiiis; Ilyaoinllis, Tulips, and 

 oilier hulhs fr)r lilooiiiini; in tlie liouse. Those 

 wlio liave not already laid in a supply should do 

 so at once, so a-s to enaljle tiiein to make a goiul 

 many roots, tliereUy inoreasiii<; the hloom con- 

 siderably. In faet no llowers eaii be expected 

 unless tfiey are properly allended to. We illus- 

 trate herewitli a box tilled with Tulips, Hya- 

 cinths, and Narcissus. A box fifteen to eighteen 

 inches long, and ten inches wide, will accommo- 

 date the number of plants shown, viz: 10 Tnlijis, 

 6 Hyacinths, and 7 Xarcissiis. We filled a box 

 to-day, and this is the way we arranged it. (The 

 bo.x is about eighteen inches sqnare, and six 

 inches deep.) First, a row of assorted Crocus 

 all around the edge; next, in front and ])lanted 

 close to tile row of t'rneus, we put a ri>w of 

 firape llyaeiiiths; after this a row of Feather 

 Hyacinths ; then two rows of Tulips, and one of 

 Hyacinths; last of all we set a row of Lily of 

 the Valley — these would be shailed .^onicwliat by 

 the Hyacinths, and this is just exactly what they 

 need. Of course many diflereiit arrangements 

 can be made, and in faet it would be preferalde 

 to hare two boxes each only nine inches wide. 

 By this means more variety may be made in 

 planting. Now set this box ni a cool closet, one 

 that is rather dark, and keep the soil in the box 

 moist, and in six or eight weeks they may all be 

 in bloom. Our 



r Bed of HYACiNTn.« and Tclips 

 Shows what can be done with a limited amount 

 of bulbs, say 20 Tuli|>s and 10 Hyacinths. A 

 much more effective IkmI can be made by using a 

 larger quantity, and the bloom may be much 

 prolonged. A very fine arrangement wnnld be 

 to plant all around the circle first a row of Snow- 

 drops, next one of Crocus, and so on, following 

 with Grape Hyacintlis, Feather Hyacinths, and 

 Tulips ; two rows of Hyacinths and Narcissus 

 in the center, or else some roots of Crown Impe- 

 rial. Such a bed will require a good many Inilbs; 

 the exact quantity can only be calculated by its 

 diameter or the distance at which the Inilbs are 

 planted. The 8nowdroj)s and Crocus may he set 

 very close together, say one inch apart only. 

 The Grape and Feather Hyacinths two inches. 

 Tulips aljout tlie same, and a little more space 

 between the Hyacinths. If you get 'yniir bulbs 

 in assorted colors, you sliould use some judgment 

 in planting them so as to have the colors as bar 

 monious as jiossible. For instance, do not mix 

 all the colors together, and when the flowers aji- 

 pear have a jiatch of -lurple here and one of 

 M-hite there. 



Every one's ta-ste runs differently, but if we were 

 to arrange such a bcil we would take three bulbs 

 of yellow Crocus and next to them in the same 

 row plant three purple ones, to be followed by 

 three blue and tnen by three white. This will 

 give ytni a larger mass of one color, and will be 

 much more effective than if every color is planted 

 by single bulbs. The same .sho'iihl not be ilcnie 

 with Hyacinths, however, the flower stalks being 



so much larger that each one is distinct enough 

 by it.self Still, if a large bed is to be filled, we 

 would certainly sug'.'cst that each row should be 

 of one C(dor, jiutting one row of light colors be- 

 tween two of red or dark blue. After planting, 

 give the whole bed a covering of leaves, .straw, 

 or branches of evergreens, which should be re- 

 moved in the early spring. We strongly recom- 

 mend every one liavingthe smallest patch of 

 ground to 'plant it full of Dutch bulbs, as de- 

 scribed above, and we feel confident that when 

 they are in bloom next spring, they will thank 

 us for the advice. 



Lilacs. 

 Every one knows how very agreeable it is to 

 have a spray of lilacs on Christmas or New Years, 

 and vet they can be had with very little trouble. 

 We have described the treatment at length in 

 one of our former numliers (Vol. II., No. I.i, but 

 suffice it to sav that you should lift some plants 

 that show buds, witliout even leaving any earth 



Paying Palms. 

 For amateurs and beginners in the floral busi- 

 ness, there is money in raising young palms. 

 About the best paying one, is Areca Lutescens. 

 Nice young plants can be bought at $1..50 per 

 dozen, and in less than one year they can be 

 grown to a size that will eom'mand $2.00 each, 

 while a five year-old plant, if well-grown, will 

 fetch from fifteen to twenty-five dollars. Seafor- 

 tliia Elegans is another quick growing kind, but 

 does not command such good prices. Another 

 good paying jilant is Pandanus Veitchi. Many 

 florists will not sell their young plants at all, pre- 

 fering to grow them for a couple of years and get 

 ten or twelve dollars for them. Of course it de- 

 pends a great deal on the grower. One man will 

 have luck while another one will fail. 

 Winter Bi.oo.ming Plants. 

 Any one having the convenience of a green- 

 house, bay-window, or sitting room with" large 

 windows, and preferably a southern exposure, 

 should make a memorandum of the following 

 plants, which are all desirable for winter- 

 blooming. BODVARDIAS. 



They are among the most e.ifeeined of winter 

 blooming plants, and although they are not sweet 

 scented, they are desirable for their profusion of 

 flowers. They require more heat than Gerani- 

 ums, Heliotropes, etc. The color varies from 

 white to the dee])est red. New double Bouvar- 

 dias, Alfred Neuner, and President Garfield, are 

 desirable acquisitions. 



Begonias. 



Really, the best for our purpose is Begonia 



Rubra, which has large, dark green leaves, and 



flowers of a beautiful coral hue, produced in the 



greatest quantity. The Rex variety are necessary 



to embellish any conservatory. Their various 



colors and markings, and the metallic lustre of 



the leaves make them very eft'ective. The foliage 



should not be washed or watered. 



Cyclamen. 



When good strong bulbs can be procured, 



Cyclamen are indeed a prize for window culture, 



and will give more flowers, with less trouble, 



than many other plants occupying much more 



space. The color is usually Avbite, tipped at the 



biuse with rosy purple. Keep the plant cool until 



the leaves are well grown, jilace pretty close to 



the gla.ss, and see that the leaves are kept free 



from thrip or mealy bug. The flowers are very 



odd and attractive to any one who has not seen 



them. After flowering, gradually withhold water, 



but, yet give sufficient to keep the roots plump. 



Chrysanthemums. 



There are few plants that from now until 



Christmas will attract more attention than Chry- 



A BED OP HTACTNTHS AND TULIPS. 



to the roots, and pack them closely together, 

 standing them in a place where the temperature 

 can be kept between 50 and HO degrees. There 

 they should be syringed all over twice a day, and 

 the place kejit quite moist. If purple lilacs are 

 used, they may be bleached by keeping the 

 place quite darli. This is all there is to be done. 

 Chinese Paeonies. 

 They are very valuable on account of their large 

 flowers, beautiful coloring, and delightful frag- 

 rance; and so entirely hardy and vigorous that 

 every one should jdant them. They never sufl'cr 

 from the cold, and will succeed in any soil unless 

 too wet. Autumn ]danting is the best, although 

 tliey may also l>e )ilanted in the sjn-ing. A little 

 extra care in the way of manure will induce a 

 vigorous and rapid growth. For large floral de- 

 corations, few of imr flowers can surpass the 

 Paeonies. They seem designed for a grand dis- 

 play without anything cbeaji and gaudy in their 

 • aiipearanee. 



santhemums. This season they have been grown 

 in quantities by the trade, and no doubt many 

 new varieties will he brought forward. The only 

 drawback is their liability of being attacked by 

 green fly, (which in the case of Chrysanthemums 

 we might call black fly). There are several vari- 

 eties, all of which are desirable. We have spoken 

 so often about them, that no doubt any one who 

 has a garden has not failed to plant si>me, which 

 they are ready to lift and bring in the house to 

 gladden the occupants. 



Scilla Autumnalis. (Autumn Sg"!ls.) 

 Received from Holland September 15th, were 

 planted on the same day, and were in bloom ten 

 days afterwards. The flowers are small, on long 

 slender stems, and last for quite a long while ; 

 several flower si>ikes being produced from one 

 bulb. IPOMEA NOCTYPHY'TON. 



As most of our readers know, these flowers 

 open at night, and on warm days close at about 



