162 ^ Prussian Seed Parm. 



riably excel in one flower, as, for instance, the carnation, when it will receive some 

 one's constant care. 



At Benary's establishment we commenced with his home-grounds, where there are 

 several commodious and exceedingly neat greenhouses devoted to the rarer seeds. 

 The first we found filled with the finest strains of fuchsias, then two houses of glox- 

 inias in full bloom, all raised from seeds of his own saving. Two houses of coleus, 

 embracing all the finer kinds, were then examined, and adjoining them, a house, 120 

 feet in length, contained about 10,000 plants of the Chinese primrose, in great vari- 

 ety of color. All of these plants were grown for their seeds alone. These houses 

 •were shaded with a very convenient and sightly material, made from slender wooden 

 strips, fastened together by means of strong twine, and painted green, somewhat in 

 the style of old-fashioned window-blinds. Beautiful plants of humea purpurea with 

 their long, delicate, purple plumes, made a fine show in the open ground, and I think 

 it will prove available here as a striking lawn-plant, being more showy than the old 

 humea elegans. Platforms with roofs are greatly in vogue for raising many kinds of 

 plants, as the free circulation of air is conducive to the perfection of seeds ; one of 

 these was filled with the finest double-flowering petunias I had ever seen, one partic- 

 ular flower measuring four inches in diameter, und another was especially striking on 

 account of its peculiar marking — pink with a rich green border. 



Every shade and color appeared to be represented in the collection, including 

 so-called selfs (or flowers of a single color) stripes, mottled, green-edged, etc. 

 Adjoining the above was a similar house filled with the single varieties, and these 

 had all been dusted with pollen from the double strain, the stamens of the former 

 having been previously removed. About thirty per cent, of the proceeds are expected 

 to produce double flowers. The collection of shrubby calceolarias was likewise espe- 

 cially noticeable for their'uniqueness in habit and color. Here also was a table 

 covered with the new Phlox Drumraondii cardinalis, of a bright red color, exceed- 

 ingly striking, and valuable for ribboning. A bed of " Forget-me-not " (myosotis 

 azorica coelestina) introduced to notice two years since, attracted attention from its 

 beautiful tint and free-flowering habit. Beds of daisies, the seeds of which yield a 

 large percentage of double-flowering plants, were, as they always prove, very pretty. 

 In one of the houses devoted to mixed plants, we noticed a number of the newer 

 kinds of Begonia, now in use for their flowers, and which come singularly true from 

 seed; I allude to the B. sedenii, Veitchii, boliviensis, and other allied varieties. A 

 showy species of Solanum, S. pyracanthum, with yellow or orange colored ribs to the 

 leaves, and spines of the same tint, will, I presume, prove equally as showy with us, 

 in a group of subtropical plants. S. marginatum, with silvery-white foliage, is also 

 charming for the same purpose. 



Another pretty little thing, rivina humilis, covered with its scarlet berries, will 

 also prove very useful. A bed of the comparatively new species of Pentstemon — P. 

 nudicaule, from California, with its tall panicles of scarlet flowers, greatly attracted 

 our attention. This plant was discovered a few years since, I think, by Doctor Kel- 

 logg, of San Francisco, who kindly furnished the writer with seeds ; they grew and 

 lived over one winter, but, through carelessness, died afterward. It is hardy, and 

 one of the most conspicuous herbaceous plants now in cultivation. 



