126 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



August, 



i-s^ 



^0r^' 



^AP N C I E S 



Dead Roses. 



He placed a Rose in my nut-brown hair— 

 A deep-red Rose with a fragrant hearts 

 And said : " We'll set this day apart, 

 So sunny, so wondrous fair.'' 

 His face was full of a happy light, 

 His voice was tender and low and sweet, 

 The Daisies and Violets grew at our feet- 

 Alas, for the coming of night ! 

 The Rose is black and withered and dead '. 

 'Tis hid in a tiny box away: 

 The nut-brown hair is turning to gray. 

 And the light of the day is tied. 

 The light of the beautiful day is fled, 

 Hush'd is the voice so sweet and low— 

 And I— ah, me! I loved him so — 

 And the daisies grow over his head ! 



—Rebecca Ruler Springer. 



Roses wear diamond dew-drops. 

 Calla, not " Calla Lily," is correct, 

 Nettles are the appropriate emblem of cruelty. 

 Stiff, compact floral arrangements can never 

 satisfy good taste. 



At a recent wedding the floral decorations con- 

 sisted entirely of great masses of double Poppies, 

 scarlet, white and crimson 



■Violets to a New Use. The late King of Ba 

 varia's favorite beverage was wine, with a layer of 

 fresh, strong scented violets on top, 



A pretty cornucopia filled with Olea fragrans 

 —the dainty flowering 01ive~is a quaint gift of 

 congratidation to a happy mother 



Efforts are being made to restore the handsome 

 but soulless Camellia to its former favor . It has 

 never gone entirely out of style abroad 



Bridesmaids' satchels filled with white and faint 

 pink Sweet Peas have a quaint, old-world aspect in 

 harmony with picturesque bridal gowns 



Sweet Peas form fashionable decorations for 

 ladies' luncheons. The table is adorned with them, 

 massed in varying tints; the favors consist of bou- 

 quets of a single hue. 



A " Honey -suckle ball" is. or wa.s, to be given 

 by London lielles, after the fashion of the great 

 " Rose ball " given last year, the very elaborate de- 

 corations consisting entirely of these flowers. 



The Glowing Poppies are so handsome and 

 effective, yet they are not advisable as a table de- 

 coration. Their strong characteristic odor is quite 

 offensive to some, producing it may be disagree- 

 able nausea and oppression, especially in the case of 

 a person of delicate organization. 



Autumn Leaves, Why should we not employ 

 tor autumn weddings some charming effects in 

 autumn leaves. A wedding bower or canopy of 

 Liquidambar and Maple, draped with Virginia 

 Creeper, for example, wotdd be most effective. 

 Some attempt at this was made last fall, but it 

 will bear enlarging upon. 



Fashion decrees that any departure on a voyage 

 should now be the signal for floral gifts, and the 

 florists display much ingenuity in supplying the 

 demand for novelties. Sometimes such are shipped 

 from long distances inland. Baskets are in some 

 instances filled with fruit and flowers together, thus 

 giving the recipient a double feast. 



Effective decorations for a midsummer gather- 

 ing are Poppies, Wheat and Corn flowers. Minia- 

 ture sheaves in the center, draped with Poppies, 

 stand on a mat of Corn flowers fringed with wheat; 

 the favors show a similar combination Notwith- 

 standing their beauty the Poppies should be spar- 

 ingly used in this case, on account of the odor 

 before mentioned. 



By Degrees. George- ChoUy, me boy, what are 

 you wearing that deuced little flower in your but- 

 tonhole for •; Charles— Why, dontcherknow, the 

 doctor said I was exerting myself too much, and 

 ordered me to stop wearing a boutonniere. or he 

 wouldn't answer for the conseiiuences. The change 

 would be too sudden, dontcherknow, to leave it off 

 all at once, so I'm leaving it off by degrees If it's 

 a warm day to-morrow, and I feel strong enough, 

 I may be able to discard it altogether. — So,sf on 

 Transcript. 



For a ladies' luncheon an undine-like sugges- 

 tion may be given by the use of Pond Lilies and 



aquatic plants. The center piece is a series of low, 

 pale-greeu glass dishes resting on a mat of Rushes 

 and Ferns. The dishes are filled with Pond Lilies, 

 Arrow Head and Aponogeton, mingled with Marsh 

 Grasses The effect is dainty in the extreme, with 

 a fairy-like grace all its own. The favors are pock- 

 ets of Rushes filled with Lilies. The florists are tax- 

 ing their ingenuity tor new effects suitable to the 

 outdoor fetes and bazaars now in vogue. For a 

 Dutch booth gilt sabots are filled with flowers and 

 also with growing plants, making a pretty thing to 

 hang on a piazza, especially when flUed with Ferns. 



|otanical©\id^et 



Elms have reached the age of over 300 years. 

 Empress Josephine found great delight in bot- 

 any. 



The root but not the fruit of the Wild Mandrake 

 is poisonous. 



The bark of the Tulip tree is regarded as an ex- 

 cellent substitute tor quinine. 



The National Herbarium at Washington has 

 over l">0,onn mounted specimens. 



Outdoor-grown Roses cannot compare in sweet 

 ness and durability with those raised under glass. 



Goldenrod. More thau forty species of Goldenrod 

 or .Solidago are indigenous to the Northern States. 

 ■Wouldst comprehend the whole? Then learn 

 the parts: each part is parcel of the j>la.n.— Goethe. 

 The tops and roots of trees grow nmch alike in 

 some respects ; if the former are long and slender, 

 then the latter are also; if short and spreading so 

 too are the roots. 



The singular fact is pointed out by a member of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society of London that 

 Dahlias collect nmch dew on their leaves, the Peach, 

 Rose and Evening Primrose very little, while the 

 Quince and Mulberry are only very slightly wet. 



The Shine of the Buttercup. The peculiar var- 

 nish-like histre of the petals is attributed by Dr. Mo- 

 bius, who has recently been investigating it, to a 

 highly refractive yellow oil existing in the epider- 

 mal, cells increased by the fact that the layer of cells 

 of the mesophyl is densely filled with starch grains. 

 Flora of Niagara. It will be of special interest 

 to botanists who attend the next meeting of the 

 American Association of Natural Sciences, to be 

 held in this city August I H to 34, to know that so 

 eminent an authority as Dr .loseph Hooker of Lon- 

 don stales that the flora of (ioat Island at Niagara 

 Falls is more extensive than that of any other spot 

 of equal size in the same latitude on the globe. He 

 says that even in the regions of the most abundant 

 tropical vegetation it is not easy to find similar 

 sized areas that excel the island referred to in this 

 respect. 



Those who are engaged in sedentary pursuits, 

 such as teaching, clerking, book-keeping, etc., 

 should not overlook the great value to their health, 

 as well as of entertainment that may be found, in 

 the study of liotany This is the simplest and easiest 

 of the natural sciences. Its materials are costless and 

 are scattered everywhere, as if for the student's ac- 

 commodation. Even in cities it is remarkable how 

 the numbers of weeds an<l cultivated plants, all of 

 botanical interest, will run up. To seek these out in 

 one's daily walks, and then to devote each half- 

 holiday to botanizing will impart health and vigor, 

 a good appetite and stronger lungs, as well as bet- 

 ter sleep for the exercise . 



The " Poison Ivy," a name very commonly ap- 

 plied to several species of Rhus, is a great dread to 

 many botanists and others, while singularly enough 

 some persons— the writer for one— are never af- 

 fected by coming in contact with it. Dr. S. A. 

 Brown, United States Navy, states in the Medical 

 Record that he has found a specific to the trouble- 

 some eruption produced by these growths so com- 

 mon in our woods and along old fences. This spe- 

 cific he finds in bromine, which he has used with 

 unvarying success in at least forty cases. He uses the 

 drug dissolved in olive oil, cosmoline or glycerine, 

 in the streugth of from ten to twenty drops of bro- 

 mine to the ounce of oil, and rubs the mixture gently 

 on the affected parts three or four times a day. The 

 bromine is so volatile that the solution should be re- 

 newed every twenty-four houi-s. The eruption never 

 extends after the first thorough application, and it 

 promptly disappears within twenty-four hours if the 

 application is persisted in. 



Orchids of the North. A few in our own woods 

 rival for beauty most of those that the tropics can 

 send us, although the Pogonias know how to be 

 grotesque and freakish after their own fashion. 

 But for fragrance and charm combined there is the 



purple Arethusa, lovely as the nymph tor whom it 

 is named, and there is the white-fringed Orchids— 

 both of which if to be found only in Australasian 

 jungles would be worth fortunes to the finder — and, 

 crowning all, there is the Moccasin flower, growing 

 out of its cluster of great lily -like leaves in humid 

 shady woods, and making him who excitedly plucks 

 it feel rich, as if he had orchid-houses at command. 

 Botanically the Orchid may be known by the fact 

 that the pistil and stamen, or perhaps rather the 

 stamen and style, are united in a column ; and in 

 this column and in its protean shapes much of the 

 curiosity of the plant lies. The sepals of the flower 

 are often like a flower themselves, and the petals 

 again assume every conceivable shape, while the 

 base of the lip is frequently prolonged into a deep 

 tube holding the honey. The object of this tube 

 appears to be to force the insects searching tor 

 honey to carry away with them the pollen, as 

 Orchids can only be reproduced through the agency 

 of insects It is perhaps owing to this necessity of 

 their continued existence that many of the flowers 

 are made so strongly to resemble insects, in order 

 that the real insect may be attracted to them.— 

 Writer in Harper^s Bazaar. 



ABOUT THE PLACE. 



Much corn makes a bad feed for young pigs. 



Surplus.green fodder should be cut and cured. 



Injudicious watering in hot weather kills more 

 horses than work does. 



A person is judged by how things are kept up 

 about the place he calls home. Aim to be well 

 thought of for this. 



One cannot be too careful with the dumb animals 

 about the bee stand. Every year reports abound of 

 animals stung to death. 



Is there a good rising grade up to the well for 

 keeping all surface water out of it? There must be 

 if you value your health. 



The kind of bee-hive used is important, no doubt, 

 but less so than is generally supposed. The veteran 

 Root of Ohio puts it that bees store honey in any- 

 thing given them, very much as a cow gives milk 

 into any kind of pail the milkman sees fit to use. 



The Catnip plant is one of the most valuable 

 plants for bees. The flowers are rich in sweetness, 

 and, commencing with ,Iune, are available to the 

 bees for from one to three months at all hoiu^ and 

 in every kmd of weather. A patch may easfly be 

 started by sowing the seed. 



0, ho ! Mr. Balky Horse. The Fitchhnry Senti- 

 nel tells how a farmer near by cured his horse of a 

 balky freak, and by gentle means, too. We heartily 

 commend the course. He drove him, attached to a 

 rack wagon, to the wood lot for a small load of 

 wood. The animal wotdd not pull a pound. He 

 did not beat him, but tied him to a tree and "let 

 him stand." He went to the lot at sunset and asked 

 him to draw, but he would not straighten a tug. "I 

 made up my mind," said the farmer, "when that 

 horse went to the barn he would take that load of 

 wood. I went to the barn, got blankets and covered 

 the horse warm, and he stood until morning. Then 

 he refused to di aw. At noon I went down, and he 

 was probably hungry and lonesome. He drew that 

 load of wood the first time I asked him. I returned 

 got another load before I fed him. I then rewarded 

 him with a good dinner, which he eagerly devoured. 

 I have drawn several loads since. Once he refused 

 to draw ; but as soon as he saw me start for the 

 house, he started after me with the load." 



Lightning Rods. In a recent number of the 

 Praire Farmer we find pointed out some ot the 

 essential needs concerning safe rods by the learned 

 editor. Orange Judd: The "grounding" is very im- 

 portant. Let every one understand that the chief 

 purpose of a lightning rod is to form a good metal- 

 lic conducting roadway between the cloud charged 

 with electricity and the moist earth. Have the 

 base of the rod sunk deep enough to always be in 

 wet earth or in water . Expand the metal surface 

 in this by welding on a plate too thick to rust out. 

 As to sky points one point or better two or three 

 are important. They must be kept sharp to draw 

 off electricity from the clouds in a minute, invis- 

 able and harmless current. Iron points ch-awu out 

 sharp will answer, but if not gilded or silvered to 

 prevent rust and dnlluess they must be filed sharp 

 once or twice a year. For fasteners to the building 

 glass insidators do no harm, but are ot no special 

 use. Metal, brass or even wood holders are as good 

 as any. for the current will not lead into the non- 

 conducting material of the building, while there is 

 a good rod to follow. Sharp angels or bends are 

 not desirable. Usually the shortest course to the 

 ground, whether over the end or the side of the 

 building is the best. Put not your trust in traveling 

 lightning-rod men of great pretensions. 



