brnnclips never recovered ; nor was that of nincli momont, as the vigorous growtlis from 

 their bases more than conipensatod them. In all cases of this kind, very gentle stimulants 

 must at first he given, and these with caution. Heat, injudiciously applied, or without the 

 necessary adjuncts, will often accelerate death ratlier than restore to health ; and the same 

 holds good with respect to both bulbs and seeds. The latter, when the vital principle is 

 become donnant by age, will often decay if subjected to the excitement of a tolerably high 

 temperature, when, if sown merely in a cool frame, they vegetate freely. And so of bulbs : 

 if these are received in a dry and shrivelled condition, the first care should be to restore the 

 lost juices ; when this has been accomplished, the vegetative principles may be aroused, but 

 not before. These necessary precautions are not always attended to, and the consequences 

 are the loss of many plants which might have been saved. Even in the cultivation of the 

 ordinary hyacinth this is not sufficiently observed, especially by amateur and lady cultiva- 

 tors. ^yhcn, as is often the case, the bulbs have lost much of their plumpness, they should 

 either be placed, for a day or two, in damp sand, or enveloped individually in a piece of 

 moistened flannel, before being placed in the glasses. And even when they are there, it is 

 an excellent plan to cover the crown of each with a piece of thick blotting-paper or thin 

 cloth, kept moist by a few threads connected to it, and touching the water below. I have 

 seen the best results follow this plan. — G. W. L. 



A Model Flower Bed. — A quantity of larch stakes, three feet long, and two inches and a 

 half in diameter, were driven, side by side, eighteen inches into the ground, leaving one foot 

 and a half ovitside in an oval shape, eighteen feet long, eleven feet wide over the centre. 

 The interior was filled up rather above the level with the soil. Around the stakes, outside, 

 was planted, pretty thick, common Ivy, Avhich, when I saw it in September last, formed a 

 complete mass all round the bed, and kept the decaying stakes in position. 



Now for the planting and arrangement of this raised bed, which, you must understand, was 

 designed as a break to a heavy part of the ground, and, as Mr, Abbot, the gardener, here 

 remarked, " with telling effect." 



Immediately down the centre were six plants of scarlet Salvias ; at each end of those was 

 a i)lant of the variegated variety of Salvia fulgens; encircling those was the blue Ageratum ; 

 again, around those the Frogmore Scarlet Geranium ; then a circle of yellow Sultan Calceo- 

 laria, vrhich brought it to the edge, around which was planted the white /r^-Zeat-ef/ Geranium. 

 This was allowed to hang over quite down to the turf; and being full of white flowers, they 

 beautifully blended with the dark green of the common Ivy and yellow Calceolaria above ; 

 then, again, with their immediate neighbors, and so on to the top of the Salvias, forming as 

 rich and gorgeous a bank as, I am sure, none of your readers would ever regret imitating. — 

 Cottage Gardener. 



PROorcTrvENESS OF A DoRKixG Hen. — As I am prepared to prove the truth of the following 

 statement of the performances of a hen, nearly pure Dorking, in the past year, I send it to 

 you for insertion, thinking it may interest some of your numerous poultry readers : — 



On the 12th of January she hatched thirteen chickens ; slie reared twelve, and left them 

 at eight weeks old. Laid twenty -three eggs ; sat on seventeen ; hatched them all, and 

 reared them. Laid again nineteen eggs ; sat on and hatched thirteen, and reared them 

 all. — John Bailt. 



Nature Printed Ferns. By Mr. Thomas Moore axd Dr. Likdley. — This must be accepted as 

 the greatest book of the year — 23 by If) inches : nor does its value rest on its size, for, with 

 conductors so eminent, it were strange indeed if it proved to be other than it is — faultle 



