of llaral Art and TaMe. 



249 



6. Where scale or red spider have accumu- 

 Uited, as they will in warm, dry atmosphere 

 or in dark situations, whale oil soap suds 

 showered over the leaves, and sponged oiF on 

 the under side, or turning the bottom up, and 

 dipping the whole top into the decoction, will 

 remove the pests. Where plants are crowded 

 into too small space, they will generate the 

 aphis or green fly, and the thripp and mealy 

 bug. Smoking or washing the plants thor- 

 oughly will destroy these also. 



7. Above all, give your plants plenty of 

 fresh air and all the sunshine possible. But 

 few plants will grow in the shade, and this 

 class is mostly confined to the begonia family 

 and a few varieties of vines. Among them 

 are the Smilax and English Ivy. * * * 



Winter-blooming Carnation 

 "Maimie." 



BY R. L. BLAIR. 



THE majority of carnations at best are but 

 straggling things, growing into such un- 

 gainly shapes that they cannot be trained into 

 decent-looking specimens. Preset De Graw, 

 for instance, is a beautiful flower, and fragrant, 

 but the plant is of such slender growth that it 

 cannot stand up ; hence the best way to treat 

 it is, to train over a small pot-trellis. But 

 the new white winter-blooming " Maimie " 

 possesses merits that should commend it. Its 

 habit is neat and compact, stalk stout, stifi" 

 and growing erect, blooming abundantly, com- 

 mencing when small. By pinching out the 

 top shoot, it soon branches and forms a round, 

 well-shaped plant, requiring but a slender 

 stake to hold it up, A stifi" wire will answer 

 the purpose very well. Stakes and supports 

 for plants should be out of sight as much as 

 possible. We want to see and admire the 

 plant, not the ornamental pots and trellises. 

 Des Moines, Iowa. 



Dlrentra.—ls it generally known that 

 another beautiful Dicentra is very plentiful in 

 some parts of Pennsylvania ? The D. cucul- 

 laria is found in vast quantities in shady woods 



on the banks of the Schuylkill, Brandywine, 

 Chester Creek, and probably other streams. 

 The flowers are of a beautiful white, the shape 

 suggesting the idea of breeches, and the foli- 

 age is exquisitely delicate and beautiful. 

 This bears cultivation better than many wood 

 plants, provided it is allowed a shady place. 

 On the north side of a building, with plenty 

 of leaf mould about it, it will thrive well and 

 bloom freely. In the olden time, when Dr. 

 Darlington's Flora Cestrica was authority, we 

 called this plant Corydaiis Cucidlaria. A 

 division of the genera has deprived it of its 

 pleasant name, and it has been for some years 

 bandied about as Dielytra and Diclytra, but 

 now probably it may be allowed to rest as 

 Dicentra. — JoiiDial of the Farm. 



Floweruiff Shrubs.— We want to impress 

 upon all, the cheerful aspect of a home sur- 

 rounded with shrubs. Plant them in groups 

 and masses, so that in all the summer and 

 autumn you may enjoy a perfect wealth of 

 flowers. In the corners, at every bend of the 

 walk, at your entrance gate, before some un- 

 sightly object, are all suitable positions. Cer- 

 tain species make lovely specimens standing 

 singly in the lawn. Such is the Hydrangea 

 paniculata, or the Stuartia with their con- 

 spicuous white flowers. Other species look 

 best in beds of diiferent shapes, as the Daphne 

 Cneorum, a small, partly evergreen shrub, 

 with fragrant umbels of pink flowers. Rhodo- 

 dendrons and azalias are difficult to propagate, 

 and must be left to the skilled gardener ; but 

 nothing makes a more gorgeous sight than a 

 little group of these. — N. Y. Tribune. 



Insects ill. Flower Pots. — A correspon- 

 dent of the Ohio Farmer tried salt and lime- 

 water successively on carnations and roses in 

 pots. The salt injured the plants, and the 

 lime-water improved the size and numbers of 

 the worms. Next hot water was turned into 

 the saucers of the pots, and warm wood-ashes 

 spread over the surface of the earth and dug 

 in with a hair-pin. The insects were driven 

 away, and the potash was good for the plants. 

 Too large a quantity would, of course, do 

 harm, and consequently caution must be exer- 

 cised. 



