96 



GENESEE FARMER. 



April. 



HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 



CONDUCTED BY I'. BARRY. 



Culture of Annual Flowers. 



We are glad to perceivp, on all sides, a gro.. 

 ing taste for the culture of Ornamental Annuals. I 

 It would be strange, indeed, if such a taste should ' 

 not keep pace with the other departments of or- ! 

 namental gardening. Annual Flowers commend i 

 themselves to us, not only by the vast variety ofj 

 floral beauty they afford us, in a small space, but [ 

 by the ease, rapidity, and trifling expenditure 

 with which that beauty is produced. | 



In April or J\Iay we sow the seeds, and in a , 

 short month or two of pleasant care and labor, we I 

 are rewarded with bright and beautiful flowez's. ' 



This is the department that, in a particular 

 manner, belongs to the ladies ; and in their ten- 

 der care we must, in a great measure, leave it. 

 We trust there arc but few of the fair readers of 

 the " Farmer," who are blessed with the calm 

 pleasures of a country life, insensible to the health 

 and cheerfulness imparted by a little labor in the 

 pure air, beneath the bright sun. Are men to 

 monopolize these delightful and innocent enjoy-! 

 ments of life, and woman to be caged up within j 

 the walls of a dwelling, devoting their lives ex- ' 

 clusively to the monotonous routine of household i 

 duties ? We hope not. We know these duties j 

 must be performed, but surely their performance j 

 will be made lighter and sweeter by being min- 1 

 gled with the exciting exercises of labor among \ 

 the floral gems of earth. A love of flowers is ! 

 said to be natural to the gentler sex ; but it is | 

 only when they rear them up with their own 

 hands, that they can love them with that intensi- 1 

 ty that possesses a meaning and reality. ' 



The Horticultural Society of the Valley of 

 the Genesee, with a view to encourage this taste, 

 has offered two splendid premiums, exclusively 

 to ladies, for the best display of annual floweis 

 at their exhibitions the ensuing year. One is 

 Mrs. Loudo7i^s Flower Garden of Ornamental 

 Annuals— -A splendid work of three hundred 

 pages, with colored plates of grouped flowei-s — 

 worth about ilf). The other is the American 

 Flora — a beautiful American work with colored 

 plate??, worth $8. 



These premiums will justly call forth great 

 exertions. They are in themselves valuable, 

 but it will be a greater object to earn the 

 credit of possessing the skill and taste that 

 will bear the palm of success. Many will be 

 induced to take up the lioe and the rake, the 

 pruning shears and froioel, that have never 

 before thought of using ti.ese implements. — 

 They will begin to appreciate the interesting 

 phenomena of nature that have hitherto been to 

 them a dead letter. Rains and dews, sunshine 

 and clouds, will became full of interest — and 

 open on them a new existence, frauglit with glow- 

 ing health, and a thousand elevating and pleasant 

 influences. 



The number of species and varieties of annu- 

 als now cultivated is almost without end. Some 

 are worthless, and many are not adapted to com- 

 mon garden culture — that is, they will not attain 

 perfection without the aid of Green Houses or 

 liot beds — appliances which (ew in the country 

 can or will avail themselves of. It is therefore 

 an important point to make a good selection. — 

 Among the prettiest, of easy culture, we may 

 name the Phlox Dnnnmondi of various colors ; 

 Portulaccas, bright scarlet and crimson, requir- 

 ing plenty of sun ; Dwarf Lupins, various colors ; 

 Lobelia gracilis, and Ramosa, very pretty blue ; 

 Gilia tricolor, and other species ; Clarkia ele- 

 gans and pulchella, dwarf, with pretty pink 

 flowers ; Scarlet Malope, showy ; Clintonia, 

 Schizanthus ; Nemophilla insignis, very pretty, 

 blue with white centre ; Erysimum, very showy ; 

 Zinnia clegans, various colors ; Eutoca viscida^ 

 deep blue ; Candy lift, white and purple ; Pe- 

 tunia, varieties ; Golden Barlonia, very fine 

 golden yellow flowers ; Yelloio Sweet Sultan ; 

 Senecio elegans, purple and white ; Lotus joco- 

 hea, very dark ; Euphorbia variegata, Scarlet 

 cacalia. Globe Amarunfhus, Coxcombs, Pansies, 

 10 toeek stocks. Asters, Balsams, &c., are all 

 well known. There are many beautiful climb- 

 ing annuals that should be in every collection ; 

 for instance, Cypress vine, both white and scar- 

 let, with delicate and beautiful foliage. The 

 seeds of this usually require to be soaked in boil- 

 ing water. Convolvulus or Morning glory, sev- 

 eral species ; Scarlet Jloivering beans ; Nastur- 

 tium ; Siveei Peas ; the hardy Thunbergias ; 

 Hyacinth Bean (Lablab ;) Mountain fringe 

 {Fumaria,) besides the hardy species of TVo- 

 pcpolum, Loasa, &c. The Stocet Peas, Mom- 

 ing glory, Beans, &:.c., may be trained to 

 simple 3-ods with the bark on, sunk in the 

 ground and tied together at the top, forming a 

 sort of cone ; or in any other form the fancy 

 may choose. The cypress vine, and some other 

 of the taller, finer climbers, ought to be furnish- 

 ed with neat fixtures, when they are beautiful 

 objects. This is matle by simply driving a strong 

 stake deep enough in the ground to keep it firm. 

 Small sticks are fastened to the upper end of this, 

 to which strong twine or wire for the plants to 



