236 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



cause. "Work will soon seem play, and 

 play fun. In brief, the truth of the 

 ancient pun will be verified, that '' the 

 power to live a good life depends largely 

 upon the liver." Out upon the nonsense 

 of taking medicine and nostrums during 

 the currant season ! Let it be taught 

 at the theological seminaries that the 

 currant is " a means of grace." It is a 

 corrective, and that is what average hu- 

 manity most needs. — E. P. Koe, in 

 Harper's Magazine. 



WHAT ARE LENTILS? 

 The stores and markets of large cities 

 offer a number of articles of food to 

 meet the wants of their European cus- 

 tomers, which are hardly known to, 

 much less eaten by Americans in gen- 

 eral. Among these articles is the Len- 

 til, concerning which we have occasional 

 inquiries. Lentils are the seeds of a 

 plant of the Pea Family, the native 

 country of which is not known with 

 certainty. It was probably one of the 

 first plants brought under cultivation, 

 and is not now known in a truly wild 

 state. The plant is mentioned in the 

 books under the botanical names of 

 Ervum Lens, and Lens esculenta, the 

 latter being the name adopted by the 

 best authorities. The plant is a slender 

 annual, seldom over a foot and a half 

 high ; it has compound leaves, which 

 are terminated by a tendril. The small, 

 blue flowers grow two or three together 

 at the end of a long stalk, and are 

 succeeded by pods, containing from one 

 to three seeds. The seeds are circular, 

 with two convex surfaces ; the optical 

 glass having this form is called a len^^ 

 from the ancient Latin name for the 

 Lentil. In color, the seeds usually are 

 gray or drab, but this sometimes varies 

 to brown, and there is a black variety. 

 Lentils are raised in all warm countries, 

 where they form an important article 

 of food. In cultivation, a poor soil is 

 preferred, as upon rich lands but few 



seeds and a heavy crop of foliage are 

 produced. The various works upon 

 foods rank Lentils among the most 

 highly nutritious alimentary substances. 

 Many years ago, there was introduced 

 a food for invalids, with the high-sound- 

 ing name of " Revalenta Arabica." It 

 was found to be Lentil Meal, flavored 

 with cocoa and other substances, and 

 for a time was exceedingly popular. 

 The common method of preparing them 

 for food is to cook the seeds in soup or 

 broth, until soft. In India, lentils are 

 often added to rice, making a most 

 nutritious diet. The lentils offered in 

 our stores are imported, but there is no 

 difficulty in raising them here, should 

 there be a sufficient demand to warrant 

 it. — Dr. George TnuRBERm American 

 Agricultv/rist. 



SOME OF THE NEWER PELAR- 

 GONIUMS. 



Easily grown, beautiful and fragrant, 

 it is no wonder that pelargoniums are 

 favorites with the majority of flower 

 lovers. 



Annie Atkins is one of the most 

 prominent of the newer varieties ; it is 

 very robust in habit, with fine, healthy, 

 branching foliage, flower and trusses 

 are very large, pearly-white tinged with 

 pink. A desirable variety, for in-door 

 culture especially. 



Evangeline is another fine white 

 variety, especially desirable for bedding; 

 it is rather dwarfish in habit ; the 

 flowers are very large and pure white. 



Harriet Thorpe is one of the best of 

 modern introductions ; its color and 

 shading are so delicate that it seems 

 almost so much out of place among its 

 stronger-looking mates as would a La 

 France rose among a lot of hollyhocks. 

 Yet the variety is by no means tender. 

 In color it is of the most delicate blush 

 shaded with whitish pink ; the edges of 

 each are lined with a narrow edge of 

 deep pink ; the trusses are large and 



