of Rural Art and Taste. 



239 



are made of red cedar bean poles, ten or 

 twelve feet long, simply nailed together where 

 they cross each other. Very likely they may 

 be made different from either of these, and 

 be equally pretty. They look well on a lawn 

 in winter, when, of course, they are naked ; 

 but when clothed with brilliant flowers in 

 summer, they are beautiful. — Country Gent. 



Soot as a Garden Fertilizer. — Per- 

 haps it may never have occurred to some of 

 our fair lady readers, that the refuse soot of 

 their chimuies is one of the most valuable 

 stinmlants and fertilizers they can have for 

 their garden flowers. The following mcident 

 of practical experience is from a lady contri- 

 butor to The Rural Carolinian : During two 

 seasons we nursed, fed and petted a Hartford 

 Prolific grape-vine — as much for its shade 

 over a window as for its fruit — but it persisted 

 in remaining a stunted cane, yellow, and 

 refusing to climb. At the window, on the 

 other side of the door, we had a stunted rose- 

 bush, also yellow and refusing to climb. 

 Despairing of shade, grapes and roses, we 

 finally bethought ourselves of soot as a 

 manure, and forthwith made a " soot tea " by 

 steeping a tea-cup of soot in a quart of water. 

 This we administered, two doses each, to both 

 the tree and the vine. The vine grew six 

 feet in height in the space of six weeks, the 

 rose-bush four feet in the same length of time 

 — both thereafter rejoicing in raiment of living 

 green. 



Culture of Fuchsias. — To grow the 

 fuchsia to perfection, Mr. H. E. Chitty says a 

 light, rich soil is necessary. Splendid plants 

 may be grown in one season from young, soft 

 shoots put in sand, as cuttings, and rooted in 

 December and eTanuary ; when rooted, the 

 young plants should be placed in small pots, 

 which should be replaced by larger ones from 

 time to time, as the pots become filled with 

 roots, until they are in pots five or six inches 

 in diameter, in which size yearling plants will 

 flower to perfection until late in fall, at which 

 time water should gradually be withheld, and 

 the plants brought into a dormant condition, 

 when they may be placed in a dry, cool cellar 

 for the winter. These same plants will flower 



still better the second year, if the side branches 

 and tops are slightly pruned, the plants re- 

 potted into fresh earth, and occasionally treated 

 to a little weak liquid manure through the 

 season of flowering. 



Arranging Bouquets — Snow-drops with 

 Moss. — A lady correspondent of the Rural 

 Ne'V Yorker recommends the following way to 

 arrange snow-drops with moss : 



Place a vase or goblet on a plate, and fill 

 the plate with the most luxuriant pieces ot 

 moss, taking care to remove the brown, dry 

 litter, and hide the roots. Do not pluck any- 

 odd little leaves or grasses that may be grow- 

 ing in the moss. Place small clusters of snow- 

 drops — with occasionally a little fern — here 

 and there, on the plate, with stems tucked 

 under the moss. If you should be so fortunate 

 as to find five or six of the small scarlet fungi, 

 do not fail to let them peep from the most 

 eft'ective nooks. Fill the goblet with snow- 

 drops and ferns. Unless one possesses consid- 

 erable taste in the arrangement of colors, I do 

 not think it is best to mix many different hues 

 together in one vase. A few colors that con- 

 trast well often give more satisfaction. 



Earlg Sajrifrage — This late spring has 

 caused us to welcome with peculiar warmth 

 the early flowers, and one which we have 

 never before appreciated is now in such favor, 

 that I would reconmiend it for the enjoyment 

 of others — Saxifraga Virginiensis, Early 

 Saxifrage. Two weeks since I brought in- 

 to the house and placed in a saucer a little 

 turf of this plant peeled from the rock, and 

 have kept it supplied with water. It was 

 then just bursting into flowers. Now, there 

 are thirty stems six inches or more high, with 

 large clusters of snowy flowers, and it bids 

 to last another fortnight. 



It is much finer than I have ever seen it 

 on its native rocks, and as a living bouquet I 

 have rarely seen it surpassed. I commend it 

 to lovers of flowers. Yours truly, 



T. S. Gold. 



At a recent auction of a collection of orchids 

 some plants of the Aerides Shroderi and of 

 Dendrobium Falconeri sold for $60 each. 



