of Rural Art and Taste. 



343 



less it is well to know how you are to do it. 

 With a sharp knife you will remove the leaves 

 from the second or third joint of the plant, 

 without separating the same from the parent 

 stock ; having done this, carefully cut a slit 

 close under and half through the joint, being 

 very careful not to separate the shoot from 

 the main stem. Have ready your small pot 

 sunk in the ground, in tlie soil which you 

 cover your layer with. You will now peg the 

 layer down with a small twig hook, and your 

 work is done. Shade these from the sun 

 while rooting ; and when rooted sever from 

 the parent plant, and you have an independent 

 plant, thrifty and reliable. — Ollipod Quill, hi 

 Forest and Stream. 



Clematis in Conservatories. — The Lo7i- 

 don Journal of Horliculture calls attention 

 to the exquisitely beautiful appearance of Cle- 

 matis present when grown together on pillars 

 in conservatories and similar positions. As a 

 rule, it is not best to grow more than one 

 plant to a pillar, as both are usually spoiled ; 

 but in this case there is positive advantage to 

 have both, each lending a charm to the other, 

 and combining to produce a more effective 

 picture than either separately. After grow- 

 ing a year or two the stem becomes naked at 

 the bottom ; just then put a fine, strong- 

 growing mass of geranium, and the furnishing 

 is complete. "What can be more pleasing 

 than a scarlet geranium, with a few carelessly 

 hangine; branches of a white clematis inter- 

 mingled, or a white geranium with a lavender 

 or blue-shaded clematis ? " 



" Nothing can have a finer effect iu the 

 conservatory than masses of clematis ; the 

 flowers are soft, but brilliant, of the largest 

 size, and, consequently, conspicuous at a dis- 

 tance. I have had from 100 to 200 expanded 

 blossoms on a plant .at once. I have them 

 trained to the rafters, with that best of all 

 climbers for large buildings {Tacsoiiia var, 

 Volxe/ni) rambling from rafter to rafter 

 amongst them ; the brilliant crimson flowers 

 of the latter being very effective." 



" Although the flowers like plenty of light, 

 they should be shaded from a strong sun." 



Names of Plants— English vs. Latin, 



— My Iriend asks " What is this pretty 

 flower ? " " Galas i?ie azurea.'''' " What a 

 long name!" " I cannot shorten it." "But 

 why have a Latin name ? Better call it Blue 

 Smiler in plain J]nglish." " Then you like 

 such names as Shamrock, Blue-bells, Eglan- 

 tine and Culowkeys ? " Certainly, every one 

 can understand them." " You can recognize 

 the plants?" "Easily." "Well, I can 

 show you in point of endless discussions as to 

 what they are. On the other hand, I defy 

 you to produce two persons who disagree as 

 to what is meant by E^icharis Ainazonica. 

 Paradoxical as it may seem, Latin is, in such 

 matters, more intelligible even to an JJiUglish- 

 man than English." — Cor. Journal of Horti- 

 culture 



Table Decorations. —Table decorations 

 are receiving iiiore and more attention in 

 London society. Lord Porterhouse, in an 

 article to one of the papers, speaks of a 

 novelty worthy of notice by our lady readers. 



He says he dined one evening at the house 

 of a distinguished gentleman who had recently 

 married a Russian lady. The table was en- 

 tirely covered with moss — the fern-like moss 

 which is plentiful in Covent Garden. There 

 was the usual white cloth, but the only evi- 

 dence of it was seen in that portion which 

 hangs at the sides of the table. Flowers were 

 profusely introduced, and the effect was alto- 

 gether unique. He stated that this was one 

 of the most ordinary kinds of table decoration 

 in the aristocratic house of Russia. 



Conrposition of a lioifal JBonquct.— 



During the recent visit of the king of Denmark 

 and his daughter, the Princess of Wales, to 

 Edinburgh, Messrs. Drummond, florists, pre- 

 sented a splendid bouquet to the Princess, 

 who expressed great admiration at its singular 

 beauty. A fine bloom of Eucharis Ainazon- 

 ica forms the center of the bouquet, and, 

 among other rich flowers which composed it, 

 were the rare and beautiful Lapageria rosea, 

 Stephanotis and the sweet-sented Italian tube- 

 rose. The bouquet was encased in a rich 

 satin holder trimmed with Honiton lace. 



