THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



1 8 inches in height. I never trans- 

 plant them, or thin, to more than three 

 inches. Whitlavia is another favorite ; it 

 should be given a rather shady location ; 

 this is a treasure, but not so great as the 

 Schizanthus which, waving in the breeze, 

 always reminds me of flitting butterflies. 

 Salpiglossis, Myosotis, Alyssum, etc., are 

 half hardy and self-sowing. I like a 

 wild garden of all these flowers, with a 

 few added, such as Gaillardia picta, or 

 mixed Eschscholtzia, Lobelia, Gyp- 

 sophila, Gilia, Nigella, Salvias and a 

 few Shirley Poppies and Heliotrope A 

 mixture of our own is more expensive 

 but the results are one hundred per 

 cent, better. The coarse flowers are out 

 of place here; I Hkethem by themselves. 

 The Antirrhinum is perfectly hardy in 

 Ohio and the southern states, but not here. 

 Its richness and profuse bloom make it 

 attractive. The Larkspur also is an 

 annual treasure, superior to the peren- 



nial varieties. Close to a tight board 

 fence they thrive with me, and, if a 

 trifle too dry, I use a mulch or flat 

 stones about them, and give them a 

 pail of water at even-tide. 



A yard wire netting, of five or six 

 yards, should be in the garden, for Morn- 

 ing Glories, Sweet Peas, Perennial Peas, 

 New Climbing Nasturtiums, Japan Hops, 

 and roses like Climbing Pearl, and 

 Meteor, Cyprus Vine, etc. 



Seeds purchased of a reliable seeds- 

 man will all grow if properly sown, and 

 one dollar's worth will quite do for two 

 years, and give more pleasure than many 

 spent on more expensive flowers. 



I have found more fraud in " posey- 

 seed " than in the garden, and as much 

 depends on the reliability of a seeds- 

 man as on any other investment bear- 

 ing the proper credentials. In this 

 business a good name is better than 

 precious ointment. M. A. Hoskins. 



THE NIGHT SCENTED STOCK. 



Mathiola Bicornis, the Night Scented 

 Stock, is a flower not so well known 

 and not so often grown as it deserves. 

 The generic name of the stocks, Mathi- 

 ola, is after Mathioli, an Italian physi- 

 cian of the sixteenth century, and the 

 specific name, bicornis, means two- 

 horned, the allusion being to the two 

 flower buds placed like horns at the 

 ends of the stems. The flowers suc- 

 ceed each other, adding to the length of 

 the pod, which is often seven or eight 

 inches and looks like an ordinary stem, 

 but being opened, will be found to con- 

 tain two rows of seed. The Night 

 Scented Stock is a half hardy annual, 

 growing about a foot high, bushy and 

 with narrow leaves and single rosy-lilac 

 flowers. The flowers are pretty enough 

 but open only at night or on a cloudy 

 day. In the light they are closed and 

 the plant has a ragged, unattractive ap- 

 pearance, and should occupy a retired 

 position. But though not beautiful, it 

 is one of the flowers — 



" That keep 

 Their odour to themselves all day ; 

 But when the sunlight dies away, 

 Let the delicious secret out 

 To every breeze that roams about." 



It takes a good deal of heat to devel- 

 op the odour and in a cool summer it 

 may be very little noticed. But on a 

 warm summer night it is perceptible at 

 a considerable distance, and from the 

 passers-by are heard frequent exclama- 

 tions of wonder and delight. It is one 

 of the most agreeable of flower per- 

 fumes, not strong, but sweet and satis- 

 fying, and when one has once enjoyed 

 it the experience will often be re-called 

 with pleasure. The amateur who grows 

 the Night Stock, starting the seeds with 

 bottom heat, if possible, and giving the 

 plants good culture, will find that while 

 there are many more beautiful flowering 

 plants, there is none that gives a more 

 exquisite odor when the conditions are 

 favorable to its full development. 



Chas. Y. Moore. 

 Brampton, Ont. 



196 



