202 



■tXn i^ARDJ'.yilR'S MOXTIILY 



U**iy> 



vases, and slender little specimen i;lasscs, may 

 be purchased for various sums, from twenty-five 

 cents to as many dollars ; and nothing can have 

 (especially in Summer) a cooler or more satis- 

 factory efl'ect. The pretty Parian baskets — with 

 open work or perforated walls, lined with 

 aml)er, crimson, blue or txreen tjlass (which is 

 strongly etVective, gleaminij through tlu^ creamy- ; 

 white exterior), are equally charming and within 

 the reach of all ; as even in the "• dollar stores" 

 we have picked up a few designs faultlessly per- 

 fect in manufacture and artistic in design. 



The March-stand, consisting of a lower tazza 

 of size about two-thirds larger than an upper , 

 one, with which it is connected by a slender 

 stem. The stands may be purchased in various ' 

 sizes, but are easily imitated by a" home-made" 

 affair, far less expensive. 



In the upper tazza, it is our custom to place a i 

 slender trumpet-shaped vase, the taller and j 

 more slender, the prettier in our opinion. ' 

 Again, by making such a stand of tin, neatly 

 painted, then filling with damp sand, or even soil, 

 we may possess a living ornament of surpris- 

 ing beauty. We had such an one made at j 

 trifling cost, consisting of a circular tin pan, 

 eight inches in diameter, connected with an ; 

 upper one, of five inches, by a rod twelve ' 

 inches long, which has been a charming object i 

 all Winter. Filling the pans with damp sand, j 

 (kept constantly wet), we inserted in the lower j 

 pan cuttings of Tradescantia aquatica, several 

 variegated Ivies with delightful feliase, and a 

 root of Madeira vine ; in the upper, the faithful i 

 old Lysimachia, and two little boxes well I 

 covered with Linaria cymbalaria, which have ' 

 grown on and keep bubbling over the edges in | 

 billowy masses, beautiful to behold. Of course 

 the stem is covered, and mosses make a close i 

 carpet on the surface. Now there is no sameness ! 

 about this one stand of the season ; for be it j 

 known, we insert cut flowers all through the ! 

 surface, while in the top tazza or pan, we place 

 various pretty arrangements, sometimes a tall 

 trumpet of cut flowers, or a Parian vase of rose- 

 buds ; again, a little basket filled with moss and ' 

 any treasure we can secure, or indeed (tell it j 

 Dot in Galh), very often a fine grown Sweet- 

 Potato vine, which has elicited more praise than 

 any other addition to our home-made stand. ; 



We could go on and oti, describing the varied | 

 means used in our own flower-loving families. '~ 

 for embellishing the table for each meal—" the 

 girls" taking turns in this pleasant duty, of' 



wbith the littlt- individual vases at each plate is 

 considered the dearest, most enviable act of all; 

 for, if bj' any means, the special rose-bud 

 admired by the dear patcrfnmilias, the waxy- 

 white Hyacinth always loved by " mother," or 

 the drooping bells of the young sister's Lily of 

 the Valley, can be forced to bloom, the Winter 

 through, and gathered each day from the garden 

 bed, then indeed are the successful florists 

 happy beyond measure. 



We would, in conclusion, ask our sister friends, 

 are not such teachings worth much to the rising 

 generation of 1H7«? I would suggest for you 

 that perhaps Mr. R. of Columbus, O., alludes 

 to " Floral Decorations for the Dwelling House, 

 an English work by Annie Hassard," published 

 here by McMillan & Co., N. Y. 



LUCULIA CRATISSIMA. 



BY JAMES TAPLIN, SOUTH AMBOY, N. J. 



I noticed a query as to this plant being in 

 cultivation in this country. We had a plant of 

 over one hundred fine heads of bloom last 

 winter, and any of those heads of flowers would 

 perfume a large greenhouse. This plant haa 

 been planted in the Camellia house for three 

 j'ears. There must be quite a number of plants 

 in the country, for I have sold them to people 

 from New York to San Francisco. It will 

 always be a high priced plant, being difficult 

 to propagate, and still more difficult to import 

 from Europe. We imported it three times 

 before we obtained it alive. The Luculia is not 

 a good pot plant, but is of easy cultivation 

 planted out in a cool greenhouse. It requires 

 an abundance of water, both overhead and to 

 the roots when growing, and to be kept free 

 from insects, which are verj' fond of its large, 

 succulent foliage. 



CURE FOR MEALY BUG. 



BY DR. WM. F. CnANXING, PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



I found, two years ago, before the publication 

 of the same fact by a correspondent of the 

 Monthly, that a solution of White Hellebore 

 and soap puts an end to the slug on Rose-bushes. 

 My next experiment with the same solution was 

 on certain liouse plants infected with scale — 

 cousin-german of the mealy bug. One thorough 

 application seemed to clear the plants of this 

 pest, though a second application was needed 

 two or three weeks after, to dispose of a new, 

 sparse and soft-shelled generation. Any kind of 



