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VV/e HoHicuUurist and Journal 



keen interest, as I viewed the well kept plants 

 before me. The more I examined the con- 

 tents of the garden, the more my interest was 

 heightened, and imagine myself at the moment 

 traveling through some botanical garden where 

 science of the highest pretensions had aided 

 nature. Passiflora on the one side, and Cissus 

 discolor on the other, had formed a perfect 

 mass of vines and foliage, the whole breadth 

 and length of the windows. Both vines em- 

 braced each other at the top, thus forming a 

 beautiful arch. The latter-named plant, you 

 will agree, requires the highest greenhouse 

 temperature in winter, and confess that I was 

 a little surprised to find it presenting such a 

 vigorous and healthy appearance in this crowd- 

 ed house garden. But the secret of its success 

 was thoroughly understood by the young maiden 

 who was the family florist. Bouvardia and Be- 

 gonia, although unsuitable under other circum- 

 stances for house culture, flourished in this gar- 

 den, and were now gay and healthy in foliage 

 and blossom. The maiden florist introduced 

 sciences of her own into the art of floricul- 

 ture. She knew her plants minutely, and her 

 successes out doors in summer and in doors in 

 winter, brought forth series criticisms from 

 her less fortunate neighbors. Carnations, 

 Stevias, Ageratums and Eupatoriums were in 

 bloom, and showed indications of continuing 

 their smiles for a long time, as one bud after 

 another formed, swelled and expanded into 

 full bloom. The writer had now reason to 

 congratulate the fair daughter of Columbia on 

 the health and beauty of her plants, and 

 wished at the moment that some powerful 

 revolution had transformed himself into a 

 plant to be placed in her gentle keeping. 

 Thanks, replied the maiden ; thanks to our 

 horticultural writers, their teaching has taught 

 the least inexperienced of us country girls to 

 make our homes cheerful during the winter. 

 I use due caution in selecting none but those 

 that I presume are adapted for window gar- 

 dening. This Poinsetta pulcherima and Eu- 

 patorium were only received by me a few days 

 ago, and see how they have braved a midwinter 

 journey ; they have not lost a leaf, nor weak- 

 ened a bud. 



Mulching. — P. T. Quinn prefers turnip 

 tops to any other material for mulching straw- 

 berries. Many years since I abandoned the 

 use of tan-bark for mulching strawberries, 

 because in the first place it was too expensive, 

 and secondly, I was annoyed by the after- 

 growth of sorrel, which gave us considerable 

 trouble to eradicate. Again, while cut straw 

 will answer a good purpose as a summer 

 mulch, for winter protection of strawberry 

 plants it certainly does not come up to the 

 standard. When the ground is not covered 

 with snow, with an occasional strong wind, cut 

 straw is blown about every which way, leaving 

 the plants uncovered. In my experience long 

 straw or fine soft hay are infinitely superior 

 for winter mulching to either tan-bark or cut 

 straw. Turnip tops are sure to remain in 

 place through all kinds of weather, until 

 removed by hand towards spring, and to those 

 who have such material the experiment is 

 worth a trial. 



Ottioit, Maguot — An onion-grower, of 

 considerable experience, says that he destroys 

 the onion maggot in the following manner : 

 As soon as the maggots are discovered at 

 work, remove the soil from the sides of the 

 bulbs, by making a shallow trench with the 

 corner of a hoe ; then pour into this trench 

 soap-suds made by dissolving two or three 

 gallons of soft soap in a barrel of water, pre- 

 viously adding one pound of copperas in the 

 soap. — Rural New Yorkei'. 



Transplanthig. — M. B. Bateham says, 

 in 2'he Ohio Far/tier, that the effect of trans- 

 planting on the growth and habits of some 

 kinds of vegetation is remarkable, and needs 

 to be better understood by horticulturists. It 

 is peculiarly noticeable in the form and growth 

 of young evergreen trees in the nursery, caus- 

 ing a more stocky and symmetrical habit. 

 Florists also find it of benefit to the form and 

 flowering of many plants. Various vegetables, 

 as lettuce, cabbage and celery, are especially 

 benefited by one or two removals when young. 

 It is, he declares, hardly possible to have the 

 largest and finest heads of lettuce if the plants 

 are allowed to grow without transplanting, 

 even though otherwise well cultivated. 



