of Rural Art and Taste. 



63 



has beeo spread, soon settles his business. 

 There is a variegated Sweet Alyssuiu, which 

 is very pretty." 



Flowers in Masses. — For growing in 

 beds, in masses, we consider such kinds as 

 aster, candytuft, dianthus, pansy, petunia, 

 phlox, portulaca and verbena most effective, 

 and these, with exception of aster, are pro- 

 cumbent — that is, their branches, instead of 

 growing upright, are inclined to fall down 

 and trail on the ground. In order to have 

 these show to the very best advantage, the 

 beds should be made with convex surfaces, 

 considerably higher in the center than at 

 the border. With the aster, the most strik- 

 ing effects are produced by planting the 

 border with the dwarf varieties, as Dwarf 

 Pyramidal Bouquet, or Dwarf Pyramidal 

 Bouquet Blood Red, growing about ten 

 inches in height ; inside of these, New 

 Schiller, or New Chrysanthemum-flowered 

 Dwarf, from twelve to fifteen inches ; then 

 Imbrique Pompon, eighteen inches ; Truf- 

 fant's Pgeony-flowered, twenty to twenty- 

 four inches, and in the center, New Rose, 

 two feet. Sweet Alyssum and Rocket 

 Candytuft, both low growing, pure white, 

 make good borders for beds of deeper colors. 

 We would not confine the latter to borders, 

 but had we sufficient space, would raise 

 large masses of it. Nature and art, co- 

 operating, can produce few things more 

 beautiful than a bed of the choicest Phloxes, 

 or Petunias, or Portulacas. — American 

 Rural Home. 



Pruning Roses. — Roses, to produce 

 large and perfect flowers, must be pruned 

 severely every year ; hence, the advice 

 given applies to roses of any age, provided 

 that they have been cut back before. Old 

 plants, having been allowed their full de- 

 velopment, must, however, not be cut back 

 as much as plants that have had an annual 

 shortening in since the beginning, as the 

 cutting back must take place upon wood of 

 the previous year's growth. Old bushes 

 must be dealt with more sparingly, the 



superabundance of old wood reduced, and 

 the young shoots shoi*tened in. Running 

 roses must be pruned upon the spur system, 

 leaving the main branches untouched, but 

 reducing the laterals to two or three eyes 

 each. Spring blooming Moss Roses should 

 not be pruned back too much in winter ; 

 they are best trimmed after the flowers have 

 passed in summer. Tea and China Roses, 

 from their peculiar habit, may be pruned 

 less than Hybrids, a class which will seldom 

 give flowers showing their full perfection, 

 unless the wood is annually renewed. This 

 severe annual pruning will, however, exhaust 

 the plant after six or eight years, but, in 

 compensation in thus shortening their exist- 

 ence, a much more perfect blooming is se- 

 cured than could be expected if plants are 

 left unpruned. — Ex. 



Fumigation for Plants.— Mr. J. C. 

 Niven, of the Hull Botanical Garden, re- 

 commends tobacco fumigation (in London 

 Garden) for cleaning green flies from cer- 

 tain house plants infested by them. His 

 plan is to lay the plant on its side in a wash- 

 tub, throw over it a damp towel, or better, 

 "a bit of glazed calico lining," and then, 

 through an opening at the bottom, have 

 " your husband " insert the end of a pipe, 

 and through it let him blow tobacco smoke 

 until the plant gets a good fumigation. The 

 flies will be found at the bottom of the tub 

 when the operation is finished. The plants 

 should be perfectly dry when the operation 

 is performed, but, if a towel is used, it 

 should be freshly washed and wrung out 

 before using, and be without holes. The 

 pipe-stem should reach to the bottom of the 

 tub. 



Vitality of Cuttings. — The Garden, of 

 London, records an experience going to show 

 that scions and cuttings retain their vitality 

 much longer than has been generally sup- 

 posed; those of vines, plums, figs, apples and 

 pears, taken from England to the colony at 

 Victoria, having been worked with success 

 nine months after being severed from the 

 parent stock. 



