HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



143 



NAP 



glaucous foliage and purple fringed flowers. It 

 is exceedingly rare, but not particularly beauti- 

 ful. It should be grown on a block or cork, in 

 a oool house. 



Napoleona. Named in honor of the Emperor 

 Napoleon. Linn. Polyandries Monogynia. Nat. 

 Ord. Myrtacece. 



A very singular genus of shrubs, natives of 

 western tropical Africa, whose place in the nat- 

 ural system is a contested point among botan- 

 ists. "Among the most remarkable plants that 

 have hitherto been discovered ranks this rare 

 species. It forms a bush about as large as a 

 Camellia ; and some idea of the structure of its 

 flowers may be formed when we state that the 

 species has been referred to the natural order 

 Passifloracea: by some botanists, and to Cacw-M- 

 taceai by others. The propagation of this plant 

 may be effected by cuttings, and in other re- 

 spects its treatment should resemble that of 

 Gardenia." Paxton. 



Narcissus. Name of a youth said to have been 

 changed into this flower. Linn. Hexandria- 

 Monogynia. Nat. Ord. AmaryUidacece. 



In this genus we have a long list of estab- 

 lished favorites, remarkable alike for the ele- 

 gance, fragrance, and precocity of their flowers. 

 In one respect the species are all alike: they de- 

 light in rich soil made porous with plenty of 

 sand and well-rotted manure. All of them are also 

 quite hardy, and from the early period at which 

 their flowers are produced, they are of the ut- 

 most consequence to the flower gardener. Sev- 

 eral of the species are found to bear forcing 

 well, and for this purpose have become a staple 

 article in the Dutch florists' trade, and several 

 varieties have been originated by them, suited, 

 by the selection of their parentage, to bear this 

 trying course of treatment. Of those commonly 

 grown for forcing, we prefer the following: 

 Buzelman Major, SoleU d'Or, Grande Primo, and 

 Grande Monarque ; these, with the double Roman 

 and others, should be potted in September in a 

 mixture of equal parts of fresh loam, rotted 

 manure, and leaf mould, with half of either quan- 

 tity of sand. In potting, the neck of the bulb 

 should be kept above the surface of the soil, 

 that the roots may have so much more space in 

 the pot; and when the potting is completed 

 they should be placed together, either in a cold 

 frame or in some convenient place, so that they 

 may be covered a foot thick with fresh leaves. 

 These exclude light and prevent frost from get- 

 ting to the roots, both essential to a speedy 

 excitement into growth. After about a month 

 or six weeks it will be found that some of them 

 are growing, and these may be taken into gentle 

 heat to bring on their flowers; and if re-potted 

 when the first two leaves have grown a few 

 inches, the flowers will be considerably larger; 

 but before any plant is taken from the bed of 

 leaves, be sure that it has made a good stock of 

 healthy roots, or it will be spoiled by the forcing 

 process. Narcissi do not require a powerful 

 heat to bring out their flowers, (55 will do it 

 better than any other, ) and the supply of water 

 should be at once sufficient, but by no means 

 excessive. When grown in the open borders, 

 the bulbs should be planted in October, in 

 newly-dug and well-manured ground, at a depth 

 of three inches, reckoning from the top oi the 

 bulb to the surface of the soil. This will not be 

 too much for any, except, perhaps, the Jonquils, 

 which, from having smaller bulbs, may bo 

 placed an inch nigher to the top. At this depth, 



NAS 



and with plenty of mannre about them, water 

 will not be required, but they will grow strong 

 and flower finely. When planted in beds, and 

 it becomes necessary to remove them to make 

 room for other plants, it should be done as soon 

 as their beauty is past. As the bulbs are by no 

 means mature at this time, they should be " laid 

 in " in some slightly shaded place until the foli- 

 age is quite withered, when they may be taken 

 up, dried, and stored away until wanted for the 

 next planting season. Most of the species are 

 from the south of Europe, and are propagated 

 by offsets. They were among the earliest culti- 

 vated garden flowers. The Paper Narcissus, JV. 

 papyraceus, is now, perhaps, more extensively 

 forced than either of the above mentioned. It is 

 grown in immense quantities by the florists of 

 New York and other large cities, and, next to the 

 Koman Hyacinth, is the bulb most extensively 

 grown for this purpose. When grown on a large 

 scale it is planted in boxes of soil four inches 

 deep at a distance of three to four inches apart, 

 and treated as recommended above, 'ihis, like 

 nearly all other bulbs, is of no value after being 

 forced, and the roots may be thrown away. 



Nasonia. From naso, a nose; in allusion to the 

 column. Linn. Q-ynandria-Monandria. Nat. Ord. 

 OrchidacecK. 



N. punctata, the only species that constitutes 

 this genus, is a very beautiful little epiphytal 

 Orchid. It is a native of Peru. It is a dwarf- 

 growing plant, with small green alternate 

 leaves. Flowers large, cinnabar-red, with center 

 of lip yellow, produced from the axils of the 

 leaves on a short scape. 



Nasturtium. Water Cress. From nasus, the 

 nose, and tortns, tormented; referring to the 

 hot, acrid smell. Linn. Tetradynamia. Nat. 

 Ord. BrassicacecK. 



This genus consists principally of dwarf, un- 

 interesting, weedy-looking plants. N. officinale 

 is the well-known Water Cress, a native of Great 

 Britain. It has become naturalized here, and is 

 common near springs or open, running water- 

 courses. The name of this genus is commonly 

 misapplied to 1\-opa!olwn. The culture of Water 

 Cress is still comparatively little known in the 

 United States, and as the subject was very fully 

 treated incur vegetable work, "Gardening for 

 Profit," in 1874, we here quote from that work 

 at length, believing that little else is needed for 

 a full understanding of its cultivation. "This 

 is a well-known hardy perennial aquatic plant, 

 growing abundantly along the margins of run- 

 ning streams, ditches, and ponds, and sold in 

 immense quantities in our markets in spring. 

 Where it does not grow naturally, it is easily in- 

 troduced by planting along the margins of 

 ponds or streams, where it quickly increases, 

 both by spreading of the root and by seeding. 

 Many a farmer, in the vicinity of New York, 

 realizes more profit from the Water Cresses cut 

 from the margin of a brook running through, 

 his farm, in two or three weeks in spring, than 

 from his whole year's hard labor in growing 

 Corn, Hay, or Potatoes. Water Cress can be 

 best cultivated in places where the streams run. 

 through a level tract. Supposing the stream to 

 be a foot deep on an average and six or eight feet 

 wide, running through a meadow, a good plan 

 for cultivation is to make excavations laterally, 

 say in beds five feet wide, (with alleys between 

 five feet,) to a depth of about eight inches, ordeep 

 enough to be flooded by the stream when it is 

 of average height, or, when shallow, by damming 



