i886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



57 





City Flowers. 



Oh citj- flowers, what kiu are you 



To country eliildreii of sun and dew:' 



Hothouse-bred posies, glad to be sold, 



To bloom and be sweet merely for gold I 



Willing to play your prettiest i>art 



For Jack and the bride of his honest heait; 



Or to fill the air with perfume rare 



As Ethebel waltzes with wild Dick Dare. 



And yet though I know you sometimes go 



With a message of hght to the home of woe - 



And weary and woeful things are you 



To the little flower girl, " tired all through." 



Nature disowns you, O flowers of town. 



And even when Sorrow shall laj' you down 



On the new-made grave, you are worked in a 



wreath. 

 As lifeless and cold as the clay beneath. 



—Puck: 

 Roses come line now, 



Lent begias on March 14th. 



The Violet signifies faithfulness. 



One florist forces Sweet Peas in winter. 



Large flowers are the choice this season. 



Croton leaves i^re called for, in bouquets. 



The graceful Deutzia appears this month. 



Easter Sunday falls on Aj^ril 25, this year. 



Orchids are very fashionable— but the price 1 



Don't pronounce Smilax as if it was spelled Smilox. 



Floral Valentines are much in vogue in eastern 

 cities. 



Berthe capes of fine flowers are worn b}- misses 

 and debutantes. 



Stylish, gowns for evening wear, are more em- 

 beUished than ever w ith flowei"s and light gi'eens. 



Not a more exquisite novelty lias appeared for 

 years than the new double Violet. Swanly White. 

 It is a pin-e white and not a tinged soi-t. 



Sashes of Hoses, thrown across the breast from 

 one shoulder to the side of the skirt and ending in a 

 tassel of Lily of the Valley or Lilacs, are in style. 



Bunches of fresh Violets stowed away beneath 

 the garments, afford the only perfumery some of 

 our belles will have about them. We admire their 

 taste. 



The pressed fan-like leaves of the not very com- 

 mon (iiukgn or IMaiden Hair Tree, are said to be 

 used by New Yttrk florists for creating Japanese 

 effects. 



We are free to denominate the " Rock of Ages" 

 design when properly made, and with the base in 

 imitation of various-sized rocks, as the niost sublime 

 floral conception of the day. 



' Yes, they're Lovely, but they'll be cheaper In June." 



Mignonette, "the sweetest flower of the garden 

 yet," is much improved by the increase of sunshine 

 and lengthened days. It is in large demand for 

 wear with walking costumes. 



A large Floral Piece, There was recently made 

 in New York city, aTi elab':>rate floral reproduction 

 of tile Parisian Arc de Triomphe, 38 feet high and 

 ;i4 feet in spun, and 3 feet in thickness. 



Make a note of this: The American Beauty Rose 

 is to take a high place among forcing roses. It is 

 large, atti'active, prolific and very easily grown. 

 Peter Henderson's new catalogue shows a fine col- 

 ored plate of one. 



Where Camellia plants are large and some leaves 

 woidd not l)e missed, a few of these retained with 



the flowers when cut add much to tlieir beauty, A 

 dab of niucilage aroimd the base of the blooms, 

 will often hold the petals together much longer 

 than otherwise thej' would be. 



The floral screen has this season supplanted the 

 bell and thearlior as a chief piece at fashionable 

 weddings, the contracting parties standing before 

 it during the ceremony, or if this was performed in 

 church, for receiving congratulation. The screen 

 is made chiefly of foliage and Roses in clusters. 



A handsome costume with its floral adornments 

 is thus decrilietl: Tin- material was a peai-h colored 

 silk with overdress ipf Canton crepe of the same 

 tint. Pale pink Begonia blossoms, each drooping 

 petals of which seemed frosted with silver, were 

 profusely scattered over corsage and skirt, each 

 bunch being held by a coral branch of that faint 

 rose color, so rare and costlj-. 



In disposing of flowers in designs, follow nature's 

 suggestions. For instance, if there is an upright 

 design, use kinds about the base of the piece like 

 Lily of the Vallej-, Violets, Daffodils and so on. 

 which grow and bloom near the earth, and Roses, 

 Azaleas, Carnations. Orchids that grow higher up, 

 in the top parts of the design. Not that this rule 

 should be obeyed very strictly, but if observed in 

 the main, there will be no mistake made. 



The Climbing Asparagus. Were florists to start 

 in and grow this new relative of the Smilax plant 

 on a large scale, we believe they would miss it. Al- 

 though possessed of a certain kind of deUcate 

 beauty, there is something common looking about 

 the gi'owth— remindful of the garden asparagus— 

 that does not tend, to fascinate buj'ers. As a stand- 

 ard garlanding material, after the craze for it as a- 

 novelty is past, it cannot take the place of Smilax; 

 for use as an edging gi'een, or for touching up floral 

 work, the feathery Maiden Hair and other ferns 

 are yet far ahead. 



Dotanic^lOvid^et 



All flowers naturally turn towards the light. 



Leaves with parallel veins are rarely divided, 



America has more of the Japanese flora than 

 Europe has. 



Dr. Asa Gray's portrait is given in the .January 

 number of the Botanical Gazette. 



The stomata, or breathing pores of leaves that 

 float on the water, all belong to the upper side. 



Of the Hickory group there are but ten known 

 species, nine of which belong to the United States. 



A new Botanic Garden has been incorporated 

 at Montreal, recently, and is in fidl working order 

 so far as is practicable. With the opening of spring, 

 the grounds will be laid out and buildings will be 

 put up. 



Characteristic names of plants, while the best 

 do not always hold true, for example, the Chiys- 

 anthenuuu was so called from its golden yellow- 

 blossoms. Now there are many white flowered 

 species. 



Leaves vary in size with the latitude. In the 

 warmer jiortions of the earth, they are the largest, 

 the sizes growing smaller as we move towards the 

 frigid regions. Of large leaved plants of the tropics, 

 we have striking examples in the Paln:is, Tree-ferns, 

 Bananas, Victoria regia, etc. 



The temperature of growing fruit according to 

 Dr. Urd, as given in the British Medical Journal,, 

 is one or two degrees lower than that of water in 

 a bottle suspended at the side of the fruit. A dif- 

 ference of a degree was also recorded between the 

 two extremities of the fi"uit, which represents dif- 

 ferent stages of growth. 



Fuchsia Fruit. All who have grown the Fuchsia 

 must have noticed the fleshy fruit which holds the 

 seeds. This, as at present known, is not lacking in 

 a flower that is fair to the taste. It was long ago 

 suggested that gardeners paj* attention to imijrov- 

 ing this fruit in size and flavor; we have yet to hear 

 of any jirogress made. Who shall raise tlie first 

 edible-fruited Fuchsia? 



The Study of Plants in Winter. -Ul our peren- 

 nials have winter states wlticli are full of interest 

 to the student. The writer of this note has taken 

 classes of young people, who knew nothing of Bot- 

 any, and set them at work in mid-winter studying 

 the out-of-door vegetation, with nothing but their 

 eyes, pocket-knives, pencils and note-books in the 

 way of apparatus and helps. The structure, posi- 

 tion and functions of buds, the structure of twigs 

 antl branches, including wood, bark and pith, the 

 structure of the fruits and seeds, of various trees 

 and shiiibs, were taken up in succession, with con- 

 stantly increasing interest. No text-book was used, 



the pupil depending upon his own resources entirely. 

 By the time that spring came witli its bursting 

 buds, lis leaves and its flowers, these trainee! young 

 eyes were eager for- their study.— --l/ncr/cfnf .V((^»- 

 nilist. 



The Botanical Gazette. Populah GAHUKNiNn 

 hails every indication of an advancing taste in 

 Botany, with delight. This is especially true when 

 it comes to the matter of a demand for, and the 

 supply of information iin botaiucal suljjt.'cts, suited 

 to the wants of the peojile. We are lead to these 

 remarks by seeing in the last issue of the Botanical 

 duzrtti-, published by John M. Coulter, Crawfords- 

 ville, Indiana, that this excellent journal is being 

 enlargi'd to a Iwcnty-fuur page paper, With the 

 enlargement there are to be various other iniprove- 

 nienls, among which is to be an increase in the 

 number and quality of tlie engravings. A feature 

 of great merit is to be the one giving the latest ad- 

 vances in every dejiartment of Botany, in popular 

 language for general readers. AVe bespeak for the 

 Gazettt, in its new departure, a very successful ca- 

 reer. Its price is ^'-IM a year, 



ABOUT THE PLACE. 



Be sure the stable lamps are safe. 



Put ladders and such things in order. 



Fences are often weed harbors; lessen them. 



Crude i)etroleum is one of the best preservatives 

 of im painted woodwork. 



You don't need spring weather to make plans, 

 if you do to carry them out. 



If gates or fences are out of order, it never will 

 pay to postpone repairing until the busy season. 



It's not economy to work along with poor tools. 

 Now there is time for looking into the merits of any 

 new ones. 



The manure f i'»;>m the hog-fattening j^en is nearly 

 as rich as poultry dung: just the thing for the gar- 

 den. Save it uji with scrupulous care. * 



Small Farming. In England the opinion is more 

 and niore gaining ground that in this, together 

 with special culture, is to Ije foimd the greatest im- 

 provement in future agriculture. That is a lesson 

 we, too, shall yet learn by experience. 



The old Wasps' nests that hang about looking 

 whohy untenanted are not always so. They may 

 have perfect insects in them in a dormant state, and 

 on this account should be deslroj'ed. You can count 

 that every female killed now will prevent a bother- 

 some nest the coming season. 



Are you starting in bee-keeping, or are you 

 about to move your collection of bees to a new site? 

 Then listen to our advice as to location of the 

 apiary. Don't set the hives in a place too quiet and 

 secluded. Bees that rarely see hiunan beings, be- 

 come savage and troublesome, whereas if tiiey see 

 people passing, and have the advantage of human 

 society, they become very docile, as if the going into 

 society had a refining etTect on them as it does on 

 some i>ei>ple. 



After coming up through the yard, into the 

 house, during some of these fierce and biting gales, 

 take enough of your leisure at the warm fireside 

 to plan for setting out some etfective evergreen 

 wind-screens next spring. Don't know what kind 

 to sety We tell you, freely, that the White Pine, 

 Austrian Pine and the Norway Spruce are among 

 the quickest growing of these, and they are not at 

 all expensive. Start with young trees, planting, 

 say five feet apart, and not too regular; make the 

 soil rich, keep it cleau of weetls and the tree will be 

 eight feet high in a few years. Then, the addition 

 to the comfort and beauty of the home, will be 

 worth a hundred times more thau the cost amount- 

 j ed to. A word to the wise is sufiicient. 



The man who finds no interest iu a growing 



compost or maniu-e heap can find little interest in 



tilling the soil. Manure is food to plants, just as 



j hay and oats are food to horses. If we would 



i have vigorous, beautiful iilauts, and the products 



' uf plants, the food must be right. This month is a 



I very favorable one for gathering up manure. 



Wherever there are teams owned about gardens 



and farms, these are now comi)aratively idle so far 



I as other work goes, and can be put into use at ma- 



, mu'e hauling. The roads are favorable, too, now, 



being either iu order for sledding or else frozen so 



solid that a pavement might be said to extend from 



every stalile to evei*y field. These hard roads will 



not keep long; the most should be made of them. 



Let the manure be gathered u]) and hauled out into 



heaps of a load or more each, near where wanted, 



j and then the distribution over the lantl will be a 



I short job when spring opens. Put notyoui* trust tn 



bone or other commercial raamu-es, so long as stable 



manure can be bought at $3 or less per ton, 



