120 



GROUPING FLOWERS. 



pistillate plants, i. c. deficient in the male 

 organs, as to size of fruit, &c., taking care 

 of course, to have a supply of plants near 

 with staniinate flowers, duly supplied with 

 pollen. ]\Ir. Knight believed them to be 

 preferable. 



We may here remark, that perhaps the 

 agency of bees, in carrying the pollen from 

 the male to the female flowers, is more im- 

 portant than is generally adverted to, and 

 that the keeping of apiaries, so generally 

 practised sixty years ago, is now growing 

 less frequent. If they benefit strawberries, 

 however, let us recollect that they may, in 

 the same way, prejudice the seeds of our 

 cucumbers and melons, cabbages and ra- 

 dishes, &c., by intermingling inferior with 

 superior sorts. 



In reference to the Chili Strawberry in 

 particular, we may expect that our summer 

 sun is better adapted than that of France 

 or England, to bring them to perfection, es- 



pecially as regards flavor; and they maj', 

 therefore, deserve more attention than we 

 have hitherto given them. It would be a 

 meritorious act to procure some of them 

 from Chili, as well as seed, and to inquire 

 whether, in the neighborhood of Conception, 

 more than one native sort is cultivated ; 

 whether they are always staminate, pistilli- 

 ferous, or perfect hermaphrodites, or imper- 

 fectly so, or apt to vary from one to the 

 other, and as to their value there, contrasted 

 with others in point of flavor, size, hardi- 

 ness and productiveness. The sort men- 

 tioned by Noisette, as in his possession, 

 (vide translation above,) might also be wrote 

 for, inquiring if it really be a true unadul- 

 terated Chili, and not a hybrid, as is more 

 probably the case, unless there has been 

 other importations into France, besides 

 Frazier's from Chili, 



John W. Knevels. 



FishkiU Landing, N. Y. 



GROUPING FLOWERS— A SUGGESTION. 



BY J. J. THOMAS, OF MACEDON, N. Y. 



Much attention has been given of latter 

 years, to the arrangement of flowers in beds, 

 for brilliant effect, by the intermixture of 

 colours in contrast, as well as by the more 

 rich display of the same plant in large 

 masses. I have noticed, hoAvever, very lit- 

 tle, if any thing, either in books or in prac- 

 tice, in relation to the grouping of flowers, 

 on a principle somewhat analogous to that 

 which governs the grouping of trees in ar- 

 tificial landscapes. 



Trees are admired for their foliage and 

 mode of growth. Hence those are to be 

 combined in groups, v^^hich possess a simi- 

 larity of growth and foliage. On the other 

 hand, the chief beauty of herbaceous flow- 



ering plants is their flowers. Hence, in 

 grouping the latter, a similarity in colour 

 and inflorescence should govern their ar- 

 rangement. 



A practice much admired and becoming 

 prevalent, is the formation of circular and 

 elliptical flower beds in closely shaven turf. 

 The turf is better adapted to our drier cli- 

 mate than that of England, and presents a 

 decidedly better appearance than bare gra- 

 vel. Each of these beds is often entirely 

 occupied with a single variety, densely 

 planted, and affording, at the proper season, 

 a truly rich display of flowers. It is believ- 

 ed that an improvement may be made by 

 planting a few diflferent flowers in the same 



