YUCCA. 159 



will enable the amateur to select the right kinds from his seed- 

 ling beds. As soon as he has determined upon those worth 

 retaining, propagation should be commenced, and this is a sim- 

 ple matter. Cuttings taken off at the second and third joints 

 will root readily, placed behind a hedge, or wall, on the north 

 side, without any protection whatever. Insert them two inches 

 apart, and one inch deep, in soil of a light sandy texture, and 

 they will root in a few weeks. Take care that all damp leaves 

 are removed as soon as they appear. 



" To produce a bed of choice Pansies, select a north aspect, 

 with a cool bottom. Soil of medium texture, and moderately 

 enriched, should be preferred for the production of large flowers. 

 Keep the soil frequently stirred around them, and be careful 

 that the border is free from wireworm. If the plants are put 

 out in September, they will be established before winter ; and I 

 have frequently found that plants so treated, get through the 

 winter quite as well as those coddled in frames. As their 

 propagation is easy, depend exclusively upon young plants for 

 the following season's bloom. Seeds should only be saved 

 from beds of selected flowers possessing the best qualities ; for 

 it is only by following this up, that improved kinds to any 

 extent can be obtained; and, as seed is readily produced, it is 

 not worth while saving that from doubtful or indifferent sorts." 



YUCCA. 



Jldam's Needle. 



This is an ornamental genus of plants, mostly natives of the 

 southern States and South America. Some of them succeed 

 well in the open ground in the northern States, and form a 

 pleasing contrast with other plants, on account of the peculiar- 

 ity of their foliage, which resembles the palm, or aloe. The 

 leaves are sharp-pointed, stiff, and rigid ; and, in some of the 

 species, the edges of the leaf are margined with long threads. 



Yucca filimentosa, or Adam's Thread, is one of the most 



