136 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{May, 



Among all our recently acquired garden flow- 

 ers, nothing surpasses the golden or Japanese 

 Cockscomb. The astonishing confusion of bril- 

 liant colors, the vast variety of blendings can- 

 not fail to gratify any one. The plant and 

 plume are equally graceful, and the leaves often 

 half crimson and half golden, are as fine as the 

 flowers. Transplanted with care a choice speci- 

 men or two can be kept in the window till 

 Christmas, and then dried for future use. 



FINE CYCLAMENS. 



BY B., BOSTON, MASS. 



Having been a careful reader of the Monthly 

 from its first issue up to the present time, and 

 knowing that its columns are open to everything 

 that pertains to the interest of Horticulture, I 

 venture to send you a brief account of a visit 

 which I have promised myself these past three 

 years, to see a gentleman who has become 

 somewhat famous as a successful grower of that 

 beautiful bulbous plant, the Cyclamen. For sev- 

 eral years Mr. C. B. Gardiner of Newbury port, 

 Mass., has made exhibitions at the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society, which has been the 

 delight of everybody who have been fortunate 

 enough to see them, and I think you will bear 

 me witness that where any florist makes some 

 one thing a specialty he is more apt to be suc- 

 cessful than when he takes hold of everything, j 

 and has no special object before him ; at least 

 this is one case. According to agreement we 

 embarked for Newburyport, March 17th, — St. 

 Patrick's Day, — amid snow and rain. Upon our 

 arrival we were met by our genial host, and 

 after a drive of some four miles, found ourselves 

 at the desired place, and upon being conducted 

 to the house devoted to the culture of the Cycla- 

 men we beheld a sight long to be remembered. 

 There were about five hundred and sixty plants 

 in bloom in five and six-inch pots ; each pot 

 having an average of from twenty-five to one 

 hundred and fifty and two hundred flowers and 

 buds, while hundreds of flowers had been picked 

 for the market. The color of the flowers varied 

 from a pure white to the most beautiful deep 

 rich magenta, and were all well above the foliage, 

 some of which was very finely mottled, form- 

 ing a delightful contrast with the flowers. We 

 measured one of the largest plants which had 

 been set aside' Jis a single specimen; it was 

 grown in a ten-inch pot, size of bulb seven inches 

 )u diameter, and had at least three hundred 



flowers and buds ; the flowers of this were a pure 

 white, and the foliage a deep glossy green, there 

 were several other varieties equally as large. 



The plants are grown in a span roof house, 

 running north and south, in a temperature of 

 not over 40° at night and running from 50° to 

 55° during the day with sun, at which time an 

 abundance of ventilation is given. Mr. Gardiner 

 thinks that once in two years is enough to re-pot. 

 and when he does, uses the following compost; 

 four parts of meadow muck, after it has been 

 heaped up and exposed to the action of the frost 

 for one year, four parts of old hot bed soil, two 

 parts leaf mould, two of old rotton cow dung and 

 one of sand, thoroughly mixed, being very care- 

 ful to have good drainage so that the water will 

 pass through quickly; this is of great importance. 

 In potting the crown of bulb to be kept above 

 the rim of the pot, no liquid is ever used. As the 

 foliage begins to turn yellow water is gradually 

 withheld, and they are placed in their Summer 

 quarters under the bench of the same house, be- 

 ing watched carefully and watered only when 

 any bulb shows signs of shriveling. When the 

 bulbs begin to grow they are again placed on the 

 bench and treated as already indicated. Mr. 

 Gardiner attributes his success to keeping the 

 house cool and not forcing the growth in the 

 least. There was not a spindling plant among 

 them ; any one might have been transferred to 

 a cool room without eflTecting them in the least. 

 The Cyclamen is valuable not only for commer- 

 cial purposes, but as a window plant has few if 

 any superiors. 



FLORAL NOTES EROM TEXAS. 



BY MRS. S. E. BYERS. 



I send some photographs by the same mail as 

 this. Photograph No. 1, beginning at the top : 

 1, Erianthus Ravennfe ; 2, Canna and Artemesia; 

 3, Celosia; and 4, white flowers of the Hibiscus 

 Boo-Yong, that I wrote to you about in the De- 

 cember number of the Gardener's Monthly. 

 White flower with narrow leaves, a flower of 

 Cactus triangularis night-bloomer, but was in 

 this faded condition at nin& o'clock A. M. Spray 

 of small pink flowers of the Antigonon vine to 

 the right, two stems with narrow lanceolate 

 leaves ; on the right, a verj- beautiful shrubby 

 evergreen Acacia with yellow flowers and blue- 

 ish-green leaves, the color of those of the Car- 

 nation pink. The withered flower was Datura 

 violacea, but though fresh from the garden with- 

 ered on the way to have its picture taken. The 



