FLOWERS. 129 



columbines, ivies and flowering vines, converts these rough 

 places into charming ornaments. 



One element of the perpetual pleasure, of floriculture is its 

 progressive character. The flowers that claim popular atten- 

 tion tliis year of 1867, thirty years ago were scarcely known, or 

 the changes produced in them are so wonderful that we barely 

 recognize them. 



Humboldt, the learned and noted traveller of the last and 

 present century, found in the year 1785, on the table lands of 

 Mexico, a pale, purple flower, of coarse appearance, with an 

 unpleasant odor, whose large tuberous roots were only edible to 

 the natives, but which was interesting as a new form of floral 

 structure. This flowej-, belonging to an order numbering ten 

 thousand species, received the name of Dahlia, in honor of the 

 Swedish botanist, Dahl. It has had a most remarkable success, 

 two thousand varieties being now enumerated, and the changes 

 produced in it have been splendid and brilliant, although the 

 blossom is set and prim, the leaves coarse, and the odor 

 continues disagreeable. 



The gladiolus is now a leading flower, and the catalogues 

 announce hundreds of varieties, where a few years since only 

 three were known, and those of no pretensions. 



The asters are old favorites, and will continue to be cultivated 

 in every collection ; they have been, and are constantly being 

 improved, and finer varieties are known than are offered at our 

 annual fairs. 



In this vicinity we have a great abundance of wild flowers, 

 which for variety and beauty are worthy of careful search. In 

 the month of September we have nearly a hundred species, of 

 which the wild asters, the golden-rods and the gentians are the 

 most numerous. Many of them richly repay cultivation, and 

 are easily naturalized. The wild honeysuckle increases the 

 number and size of its blossoms so greatly by culture, that it 

 becomes elegant. The unrivalled scarlet cardinal flower, the 

 purple gay-feather, the blue fringed gentian and the primroses 

 are known to bear transplanting, and improve by the change. 

 The common red lily of our pastures, now showing but one 

 flower, by rich culture will produce ten, and the yellow meadow 

 lily twenty, in place of three or five. 

 17* 



