1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



231 



salmon red, in;\i-ked with dark rose-colored veins. 

 This variety blooms during the whole yenr. A. 

 vexill. venosum flowers a brilliant orange sinn- 

 ing gold color, with purple red veins, purple in the 

 -centre, extraordinary large and splendid flowers, 

 extremely fine variety. I regret I cannot send 

 you some of the flowers, but send you the leaves 

 to show the difi'erence in them. 



infested by insects, owing to the moist and ge- 

 nial atmosphere wliich prevails in those elegant 

 contrivances. 



<< NOXiOUS INSECTS. 



BY G. 



There are a great variety of insect pests that 

 infest plants, but green-fly and red-spider are 

 most to be dreaded by the window-gardener. 

 Here, as in most other cases, " prevention is 

 better than cure," and if plants are regularly 

 syringed or sponged over with clean water, there 

 will be little fear of insects troubling them. If 

 green-fly makes its appearance on roses, gerani- 

 ums, or other plants, it can be syringed off" with 

 clean water, laying them on their sides to 

 prevent the roots becoming soddened with 

 water. 



If plants are allowed to get too dry, or are 

 watered irregularly, they are liable to become 

 infested with red-spider, a minute pest, resem- 

 bling a red cheese-mite. This is specially apt to 

 make its appearance in hot dry windows, and 

 soon renders itself apparent by the leaves turn- 

 ing a rusty brown. Constant moisture is the best 

 cure for it, or plants may be sponged over with soft 

 soap and water. It often attacks Dractenas, but 

 may be prevented by sponging the leaves with 

 clean water every three or four days. For 

 worms in the soil, lime-water will soon dislodge 

 them ; they must be picked off and removed as 

 they come to the surface of the soil. This is 

 rather beneficial to the plants than otherwise. 

 The following decoction is useful for the thrip, 

 red-spider, or green-fly: "Boil an ounce of 

 quassia-chips in three pints of soft water, and 

 cither dip the plants or sponge them with the 

 solution after it becomes cool." We have re- 

 peatedly tried this with the best results. If 

 green-fly exists only in small quantities, the 

 fumes from a pipe or cigar will soon settle 

 them, care being taken not to burn the plant in 

 the operation. The best of all remedies against 

 insects is to prevent their appearance by cleanli- 

 ness, a liberal use of fresh water, and abun- 

 dance of fresh air during favorable weather. 

 Plants in close or Wardian cases seldom become 



ED I TORI A L NO TBS. 



Washingtoxia filifera.— The Washingto- 

 nia of Kellogg, as applied to the mammoth 

 tree of California having failed because the dis- 

 tinction between it and the prior genus Sequoia 

 not being maintained. Wendland a noted author- 

 ity on palms now proposes this for the Pritchar- 

 dia filifera, the famous palm of the Colorado 

 River, which he contends from recent examina- 

 tions is not a Pritchardia at all.* This palm 

 seems unfortunate in finding a home in nomen- 

 clature. First it was Brahia then Pritchardia, 

 and now to be Washingtonia. 



Increasing Love for Flowers. — Col. 

 Forney's Progress says of flowers in Philadel- 

 phia : 



" A love of flowers is spreading throughout 

 the whole community with surprising rapidity, 

 and the evidences of this new fondness are seen 

 on every hand. The corners of our thorougfares 

 are blooming like parterres, tiny bunches of 

 blossoms are ofl'ered for sale on the sidewalks, 

 while gentlemen and ladies seem equally ready 

 to follow the pretty fashion of affixing the but- 

 tonhole bouquet to their dites. Perhaps one of 

 the happiest results of this popular fancy is seen 

 in the window gardens. Along the crowded 

 and too restricted lines of our great shopping 

 streets, where every inch of room is valued for 

 its capacity of display, and where the many- 

 storied shops seem shutting out the sky, we now 

 see exquisite groups of flowers and draperies of 

 vines decorating the narrow spaces over the 

 windows and awnings, and bringing delicious 

 glimpses of the freshness of growing verdure 

 into the regions of the dry goods merchant. The 

 arid desert of the hotel front now, too, blooms 

 into garden beauty, and portico and window are 

 adorned with graceful plants. This fondness 

 for flowers is partly due to a freak of fashion, 

 but it may also be welcomed as a forerunner of 

 individual enfrancliisement in matters of taste. 

 A heavy formality, rather dull tlian dignified, 

 has too long governed the decorations of our 

 houses, and an ever-increasing diffusion of artis- 

 tic culture must necessarily spread among the 



