THE FARM AND GARDEN 



Give your wife and 

 d<n/(//ifers help iii the 

 Jloivcr garden. A bcan- 

 tiful home ix one of the 

 delights of thecountri/. 



A well-kept Jiowcr 

 garden and a well-till- 

 ed field should alwaus 

 be twin children of the 

 farm. 



The Nioht-Bloom- 

 ING Cebeuh. 

 Our talks about the 

 Cereus and Cactus 

 seem to have awak- 

 ened quite an inter- 

 est in these curious 

 plant*;, anrl the de- 

 uiand for (Jereus ha^ 

 been very extensive 

 of late. True enough, 

 this niiiht bloomer 

 will ixive anyone sat- 

 isfartion if It only 

 prodiu'fs one flower. 

 Soinr pi'ople seem to 

 he unable to do any- 

 thin-: with It, while 

 otliers liave no 

 trouble at all in 

 blooming it, as may 

 be seen by our illus- 

 tration, which ropre- 

 scnts a Iwd-yeur-old 

 plant, from a cutting, 

 wlileh has two »>i>en 

 flowers and buds. Yet, 

 every bud, even if large, 

 will not expan<l. Often 

 for some unur<()uulable 

 cause, they will shrivel up 

 and drop off. Some say It 

 is on ao<ount of the hot 

 sun, and this we can hardly 

 believe, as one would su|>- 

 linsf they must g«'t plenty 

 of it in their Uiitivo clime. 

 rStill. as this Cereus is really 

 'a climber anioug under- 

 gi-owth, it Is possible that it is 

 much shaded by sur- 

 rounding leaves. 

 As we have said be- 

 fore, they arc very ea-sy 

 to grow, and to propa- 

 gate. A cutting, no mat- 

 ter how small, if placed 

 in a small pot tilled 

 with sand, will root 

 very quickly. When 

 a sitU^shoot begins to 

 form, it may be shift- 

 ed int<» a somewhat 

 larger pot (three 

 Inchvs is plenty 

 J^.-ge), filled with good, rich, porous soil, contain- 

 ing oue-tlilrd manure, sora,o coarse sand, and 

 ^'*me bits of lime or stone. Then set ii In a 

 Hiinuy place, and during summer water regularly. 

 If planted out in the warmest part of the garden 

 i*- \^\\ grow more vigorously than In a pot, but 

 the roots will suffer scmiewhat when taken up 

 In the fall. After i )ctol>er. water should be gradu- 

 pjly withhcld.iind the ulant kept in the sunniest 

 v^ndow at hand, in order to well ripen the wood. 

 As soon as the days begin to len«;then, watering 

 may be commenced again, and if your plant is 

 Strong enough, buds will almost immediately 

 • Kpi>;ar. After they are large enough, cover them 

 t3^i with a small paper funnel, it cannot do them 

 fr-ny harm and may protect them from the scorch- 

 ing sun. 



At flrat the buds will not grow very fast, but, 

 V'hen nearinj' maturity it is astonishing what 

 fiTowth they will make in a day. 



They always create a sensation when in bloom, 

 on account of the magnificent large flower, which 

 Will often measure twelve and fifteen inches 

 tt;ross. It Is also very interesting to see the 

 fTower exjiand. one can really see it move like a 

 )iving being. The perfume is delicious. 



If one flower gives such delight, what must it 

 lie when a single plant is cover*=^d with dozens 

 Of thorn. A gardener near Germantown had as 

 many as fifty flowers open at one time. What a 

 eight this must have been. The fact of its bloom- 

 ing in the evening, when most v^eopb- are resting 

 from theirdays work is another desirable feature. 

 You may call your friends and neighbors in and 

 0ve them an agreeable surprise. 



Beldom indeed, will a plant bloom the first year, 

 tut It is nuite common to have the\-i in bloom 

 fhe second. Those, who have greenhouses may 

 I lant it in the ground without fear, for, although 



it is recommended to keep them in comparatively 

 small pots, and not repot them often, we know of 

 several instances where they did ever so much 

 better planted inside of the greenhouse and run 

 close to the glass. 



We offer strong rooted cuttings In our premium 

 list, that if cut in three pieces, would soon make 

 three good plants. A two inch cutting will really 

 do just as well as an eight inch one; and three 

 cuttings in one pot will sooner make a fine speci- 

 men, tnan a .single long cutting. 



Some years ago. and even now, the plant is 

 used for some medicinal purpose, and a very high 



f)rice per pound is paid for it, as high as ten doi- 

 ars we are told. 



Dahlias. 



We have now several classes of Dahlias: the 

 large growers, the dwarfs, and the new single 

 varieties which are much prized at present. We 

 give an illustration of both double and single 

 varieties. The large growing kind should oe 

 grown where they can have plenty of room to 

 spread themselves in. The dwarfs make fine 

 beds in the lawn. The single varieties are now 

 really jnoro popular than the double, and 

 are used much for forcing during winter, 

 when they are very valuable. They are 

 of great brilliancy of color, and fine stately 

 habit, and make beautiful nlants for 

 sightly places. We liave no liower that 

 surpasses the Dahlia in mag- 

 nificence of color, 'and a 

 well-grown lot is a splendid 

 Sight in the early fnll. If 

 care is taken to start them 

 early and keep them well 

 supplli^d w i t h water and 

 rlcii food throughout the 

 summer, there need be no 

 failure with them. Our il- 

 lustrations show the llowers much re- 

 duced In size. Double Dahlias will often 

 measure four inches across, and single 

 ones five. Kveryhody who has a garden 

 should plant them. 



Plants i-ok J{.\><a.N*o Baskets. 



AVe have »>flen mentioned plants suit^ 

 able for growing in hanging baskets, we 

 have icit out several of the bewt, for as- 

 suredly nothing can be finer or better 

 adapted for furnishing hanging basket.s 

 than Uollisson's unique relargonium, the 

 habit of which leaves nothing to be de- 

 sired, as it trails <tver in the most graceful 

 manner possible, iind flowers profuse 

 when suspended and exposed, as it then 

 is, to plenty of light, which hardens and matures 

 the growth. The elfect it produces in baskets Is 

 greatly heightened by mixlnr with it a plant or 

 two of the white Ivy-leaf or -etter still, L'Elo- 

 gante, the contrast bet ween le two colors being 

 very pleasing, as tiiey blend and a«.sociatc so well 

 too:etlier. 



Next, perhfips, in point of merit to the above 

 nariied Pi largoniums nvv Achlmenesof dlficrent 

 kinds, which in glohubir-shaped baskets are very 

 beautiful, as they may be so distributed and 

 grown in them as to cover every portion, and 

 form a perfect mass of bloom. These baskets 

 may be easily made by any ordinary handy man 

 if he is supplied with stout galvanized wire, from 

 which the frame can first be formed, and then 

 the wire run round spirally about one inch or so 

 apart until the basket is finished, shapeable like 

 a bird's nest, when by laying moss around the 

 sides it may be at once filled with soil and fur- 

 nished with Achlmenes. These can readily be 



inserted regularly over by making holes with tha 

 finger or a small dibble, but the plant must bo 



fiut in when started or struck from cuttings, as 

 hen they have few roots and sufter hut little 

 check through the disturbance they undergo. 

 For growing Achimenes in this way peat is uie 

 best soil, or a mixture of that and half-rotten 

 Moss answers perfectly, as does also leaf-mould, 

 and the latter with a little loam, the Moss being 

 desirable on account of its sponge-like nature for 

 holdingandretaining water, of which Achimenes 

 when fiowering, require liberal supplies, and 

 always suffer materially if allowed to get dry. 

 Many of the fragile or procumbent Fuchsias are 

 also grand for baskets, as their pendent flowers 

 can always be seen to the greatest advantage 

 when the plants are elevated ; and then, again, 

 there are tuberous and other Begonia* thai 

 alway look somewhat stitT and uncomfortable 

 in pot where they have to be staked up and tied, 

 but wi ich bang naturally and gracefully over 

 the sides of btiskets and need no support. Single 

 Petunias, too, are equally at home, and are gor- 

 geously beautiful. 



Another plant we can specially recommend for 

 the.se is Convolvulus minor, the blue of which la 

 uit^ unrivalled, and as the blooms are the same 

 ape and size of some of the Petunias,.the two 

 may be shown togetlier, when this Is done, use 

 white or light sorts of retuuias. 



qui 



StU' 



NIGHT- ff BLOOMING CEREUS £: 



di'Hlrable 

 rIouM v.ii.11 Q(it 

 Wfll-roo ted, 

 t r a t ert Qower, 

 Wu eii-c thcxe on 

 Accept the 



iV 



The oddent, most 



autlful, euftiesC 



own. and moAt 



r ofl'i-i'i'tl. AlmoHt Indc-Mtruptlble. C'n* 



Tn Itlooml xtrlklns In llowcr >i'i'l *w».-ct \n perfume. \\ « offer 



Btrimc planiM, -iimliir iM ili> ..ti.' In.m w hich w as prwvi n oar illBB- 



flret' hy niitit, lor u club of -1 ••ubiM>rlb«;ni at 2I> oent« e«oh< 



no other tfrmpt, :»n'i cvcr> flowtr-lovcr who tMuAh Uii* ehoold 



offer. I>u I) uiid you H III not regret It. 



I In addition to these we may mention Forenla 

 Asiatiea, which makes a very pretty trailing 

 plani, with purple velvety flowers. It can be 

 propiiiiated extensively by cuttings inserted In 

 sand, or grown from seed. Many make a mis- 

 take hy putting too many varieties in one basket. 

 There are some plants that will bear crowding, 

 others that will not. Then, there is a diflerence 

 in plants as to the amount of water they require. 

 otlionna <_^riu;sifolia, for instance, is a fine plant 

 for l);iskets, even if planted alone, but too much 

 water and shade will cause the leaves to rot, and 

 the plant will lose most of its beauty. Avoid 

 this trouble and you will be gieatly pleased with 

 it. If an Aloe be planted in the centre of the 

 baKket with it, it will improve the looks very 

 much. The Fradescantlas are neat trailing 

 plants, and four varieties planted t<)gether, form 

 a flue basket. This plant will stand ail the water 

 you have a mind to give. Vineas, of which there 

 are various sorts, do well: but are somewhat 

 slower, and most people want basket plants to 

 fill It in a few weeks. In large baskets we have 

 seen Coleus, Maurandla Barclay ana, Oxalis.Smi- 

 lax and other plants growing to g^ether, and they 

 made fine specimens. Begonia Glaucaphaylla 

 Scandens, when in bloom, is another good sub- 

 ject, and will give a profusion of waxy-pink 

 flowers, lapting a long time. 



HV ahoa}is pay a great attention to the ladieSy/or 

 we lielieve they deserve it. And we shall try to get 

 that husband of thHrs to take with thetn an interest 

 in thefloit^er gard^n.for no hmnf- can be as pleasant 

 at a floral and rural home. While thinking of your 

 flowers^ think of i.:, and show by a fine club of «46- 

 scribers, what the ladies can do. 



Best Roses are the Cheapest. "I'lo'^Se^lTor'" 



It. UEKD, Chanibersburc, Pn. 



WJI. 



SEEDS 



Fresh nnd reliable, from 2 cts. a packet 

 up. S trial packets Flower Seed '" 

 .Vpkts. VeKetnble Seeils 10 ct», 



logue and sample pkt. free. J. J. 



Flower !4eed8 10c. 

 SeeilslOcls. Cata- 

 BCLL, WINDSOR, N. V. 



14 for 81.00 ^^NOPO l»I Qunllt] onlyt 

 6 " ..'50 »<lJ!Sf"^'«">-»"" ''lanl. a. 



3 " .-iA ■■ ^^ «'l^^' equlillj low prices. 



THOMAS E. HAROLD, XlDoitoD. Somerael Co.. Manland. 



BULBS! BULBS! 



BE.ST niPOKTED A?JD II0.1IE (JROWN. 



ALSO SEEDS ^OR FALL SOWING 



And Plants for Winter Blooming. 



Price-list FREE. A. C. SPALDING. JINSW.RTH. JOWA. 



10,000 STRAWBERRY^ PLANTS TOR^SIS 



ALIi THE NEW VARIETIES. Send for price-llsl 

 to E. VAN ALLEN. Belhlthem Centra, Niw York. 



EARLIEST OF All FULTON MARKET TOMATO. 



It Is smooth, solid, medium sizi\ luislit red color and 



very prolific For market gardeners' use. it has no rival. 



Price 25 ctii. per packet. F. E. McALI-ISTER. 



89 and SI FULTON STREET, NEW YORK. 



_■ ORNAIVIENTAU ^^ 



Foliage plantS 



GREENHOUSE PLANTS, 



BEDDING PLANTS. 



CATALOGUE MAILED ON APPI.ICATIOH, 



DAVID FERCUSSON &. SONS. 



Rtdxe ind Lehlnb Aveouu. Pblladtlpkli, Pi. 



Practical PonltryBoet I ^ 



joo pages; beautiful colored 

 K-ATE; envrravines of nearly ftU 

 I kinds of fov-ls; plans for poultry 

 L houses; how to caponize; informa- 

 tion about incubators. Description* 

 of the breeds, and where to buy 

 k them. Et,'gs frombeststoclcat Ji.e» 

 I per SLttint;. Book sent for icicnis. 



Associated fanciers 



\rv y.'s>'\-/v\-A-A/vysAy v<5 



Hybrid CLEMATIS. 



The most Beautiful of nil HARDY CLIltinlNG 

 PLANTS. Strona; Roots can t>e seni safely by 

 mail. Send for our liluslraled Catalogue. 



JOSEPH KIFT, West Chester. Pa. 



