1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



217 



Remedies forinsoits mid plant liisriiscswitlidiit 

 nnnilit'i- are liclni; ipcommcuiliMl by prai-tiial 

 siiil-tllliM-s in itodil faitli, lait when put t<i a 

 iiitiial trst, must of these provo utloiiy witluiiit 

 \alni'. WluMi a period of attaek l>y eillier enemy 

 was alxiiit ended, just as the supposed remeily 

 was applied, tlie latter is naturally (tiven ttic 

 eivclit for the iraproveraent. An instance has 

 reeently eome to our notloe wheiv one part of a 

 \ine.\ard was sprayed witli eopper solution for 

 mildew and rot, while another part was left 

 withoiit treatment. A few days after, the 

 weather eensins to be favorable to the develop- 

 ment of these diseases, they niaile no further 

 projrn-as, but the improvement was alike marked 

 on the treated and untreated vines, showin;; 

 that tlie applications deservoil no credit for the 

 improvcnt, which would undoubtedly have 

 iK-en Ki\pn to them, if the whole vineyard had 

 been treated. 



Flnneinp the Potted Plants, nne of the best 

 methods of pi-evc-nf inji jilants in pot.s sufTerinK 

 from drouth is to plunirc them. In Rood plant- 

 prowiuK estalilishments plunging, both under 

 glass and in the open air, is largely resorted to. 

 It saves labor in watering, as plunged plants do 

 not reiiuirc water so often as those with the pots 

 e.xp'ised to the sun and air, and while the pots 

 may become so hot and dry in the latter case as 

 to injure the roots which eome in contact with 

 them, this never occurs with |>lungcd plants. As 

 a rule we plunge all our f'hrysanthemums. 

 Last year tor some reason we did not do so, ami 

 the result w»s the poorest we ever had. Few- 

 plants suffer more from having their pots e.x- 

 IKLsed than Azaleas, but when plunged they may 

 lie kept healthy without any dilTiculty. It is 

 not always possible to plunge pots in green- 

 houses and shelves in houses, but if a board or 

 some screen is put up to shade the pots from the 

 sun it will pro\e a great advantage. 



Smilax from Seed This is very easily grown, 

 but slow of germination. To hasten the process 

 I scrape one side of each seed until it looks while 

 then plant in soil that has been sifted, and place 

 in a shelf behind a stove until the plants appear, 

 when they should have the sun. It is essential 

 that the soil be kept constantly moist, nntil the 

 .seed germinate, after that it must be allowed to 

 become dry after each watering, or the young 

 plants will damp off. I'se a shallow box for seed, 

 and pot as soon as plants are large enough to 

 handle. When each vine has reached a yard in 

 length, trim off near the surface of soil and new 

 vines will stjirt up from the root. If one chooses 

 to follow this method, Smilax can be kept grow- 

 ing the year round. It likes a firm rich soil, and 

 muck seems best suited to it, but leaf mold and 

 manure may be used when the former is not 

 jirocurable. When growing vigorously, the 

 plants should be repotted often, each pot one- 

 size larger, as the roots require considei-able 

 room.— ilfi's. K. L. P., Crawford Co., Pa. 



The Burning Fraxinella. The Fraxinella 

 {Uietainiiiia fraxineUa) is a strongly-scented 

 perennial plant with rigid, erect-growing stems 

 from 30 to 2t inches in height, and dark green 

 leaves which very much resemble those of the 

 Ash. Easily propagated from seed, the |ilant 

 must be three years old before it will Hower. It 

 is a native of Germany. When rubbed, the 

 leaves emit an odor somewhat like Lemon peel. 

 A most singular phenomenon i.s connected with 

 this plant. The glandular hairs abounding on it, 

 emit a resinous or oily matter, which becomes 

 volatilized in the air around the plant, and takes 

 lire when a light is applied to it. This phenom- 

 enom, however, only occurs in warm, dry 

 weather, as at the close of a sunny day, and es- 

 pe<-ially at blooming time. By placing a plant 

 of Fraxinella in bloom under a bell-glass, and 

 leaving it there for some time, the air in the bell- 

 glass will be found so highly charged with the 

 resinous gas, that it ignites the moment a lighted 

 match is applied. It does so without apparent 

 injury to the plant. 



Fruit Acids. The grateful acid of the Rhubarb 

 leaf arises from the malic acid and bin-oxalate 

 of potash which it contains ; the acidity of the 

 Lemon, Orange, and other species of the genus 

 ('((ni-i is caused by the abundance of citr.c acid 

 which their juice contains; that of the Cherry, 

 Plum, Apple, and Pear from the malic acid in 

 their pulp; that of Grooseberries and Currants, 

 black, red, and white, from a mixture of malic 

 and citric acids; that of the Grape from a mix- 

 ture of malic and tartaric acids; that of the 

 Mango from citric acid and a very fugitive 

 essential oil ; that of the Tamarind from a mix- 



t\irc of citric, malic, and tartaric acids; the 

 llavor of Asparagus from aspartic acid, I'oiuid 

 also in the root of the Marshmallow ; and that 

 t>f the Cut-umber from a peculiar poisonous in- 

 gredient called fugin, which is found in all fungi 

 and is the cau.so of the Cucumber being offensive 

 to some stomachs. It will be oliserved that 

 Khubarb is the only fruit whii;h ci>ntains bin- 

 oxalate of ]H)tiish in conjunction with an acid. 

 It is this ingedient whit;h renders this fruit so 

 wholesome at the early commencement of the 

 summer, and this is one of the wise provisions 

 of Nature for supplying a blood-purifier at a 

 time when it is likely to be most needed.— Jo?iri- 

 xnn'.f ChimlMrii iif tlir IVorM. 



Pyramid of Lycopodiam, Our subsciber Ervin 

 llaltman sends us a sketch of such a pyramid, 

 and which is recommended as a pretty and novel 

 object in any plant 

 house. The form oti 

 which the Lycopodium 

 {L.dentata) is grown, 

 consists of a mixture 

 of Sphagnum and rich 

 turfy loam of which 

 the former makes a 

 large part, sai<l mixture 

 being then bound to a 

 stick or placed in a wire 

 frame of i)yramidal 

 form and which rests 

 on similar material in a 

 pot beneath. Into this 

 form rooted cuttings of 

 Lycopodium are then 

 pricked with a dibble, 

 to stand closely togeth- 

 er. By keeping the pot 

 in a congenial atmos- 

 phere and supplying 

 plenty of moisture it 

 requires but a short 

 time after planting un- 

 til there is a perfect 

 pyramid of delightful 

 green foliage of Lycopodiiuu. 



Drying Flowers in their Natural Colors. The 

 following method is to be credited to Dr. Schoen- 

 land : Take two pints of a saturated solution of 

 sulphurous acid in water; add to this one pint of 

 methylated spirit. Keep this mixture in a wide- 

 mouthed bottle, so tightly closed that the cort- 

 tents do not evaporate. Leave ordinary flowers 

 in this mixture for about ten to twenty minutes ; 

 inflorescences of Bromeliaceiv and Aroideiv must 

 be left in it about one hour. In most cases the 

 color will completely disappear, but it will grad- 

 ually return during the process of drying, or 

 even after the plants have become apparently 

 quite dry. Having treated the specimens with 

 the mixture, take them out and shake off the 

 adhering drops of fluid. Leave the plants in a 

 dry warm place, in ordePto dry them supertci- 

 ally ( they must not be allowed to shrivel ), and 

 then dry them in the usual way between blotting 

 paper. If artificial heat is used in the latter 

 part of the process, excellent results are obtain- 

 ed, and it is not even necessary to change the 

 drying paper. If hot-water pipes are available 

 it is very convenient to place on them the bundle 

 containing the plant to be dried, which need not 

 be subjected to very great pressure. I often put 

 them loosely between sheets of vegetable parch- 

 ment before immersing them in the fluid. 



How to Grow the Oleander. Considering the 

 comparative ease with which the Oleander may 

 be grown, it should become a fixture in every 

 home. It seems to especially recommend itself 

 to those flower lovers who dislike the trouble of 

 attending to flres on cold winter nights, as a 

 period of rest is very beneficial, if not absolutely 

 necessary. This genus is an evergreen, as the 

 leaves remain on the tree while at rest. It can 

 be kept in any frost -proof cellar from December 

 until April, and will be covered with buds when 

 brought to the light. Such is my experience, at 

 least. The roots will need watering but once or 

 twice during its rest. Cuttings must be rooted' 

 in water and a small, wide-mouthed bottle is most 

 convenient for this purpose. Wrap the bottle 

 with brown paper as the roots are less brittle if 

 kept darkened, place where it will get the warm- 

 est rays of the sun and supi>ly fresh water as it 

 evaporates. The Oleander should be trimmed 

 in the desired form immediately after flowering 

 and then only as later pruning will destroy the 

 following year's supply of bloom. It is also a 

 good time to strike cuttings if one wishes them 

 to bloom when one year old. As soon as rooted, 

 cuttings may be potted in a compost of flne 



loam, well rotted manure and muck, and given 

 an occasional wat*:ring of weak lime water to 

 kill earth worms. Put a piece of fresh lime the 

 size of one's fist in a galUm of water, use when 

 settled, taking care not to get it on the foliage. — 

 Mrx. E. L. Patterson, Crawford Co., Pa. 



Chat About the Use of Flowers. 

 Where Climbing Koses are abundant no finer 

 ornament for the table can be imagined than 

 clusters of these on long shoots, placed in vases 

 to stand out well above an abundance of foliage. 

 Wild Ferns now arc abundant. A simple glass or 

 wide-mouthed vase filled with these presents a 

 remarkable cool and handsome appearance. 



This is what city florists call the " silly season " 

 in the trade. Flowers are painfully cheap; the 

 market is flooded with out-door blossoms. Dec- 

 oration Day was observed with more flt)ral 

 tributes than was expected. A great many plants 

 were used on this occasion. Experience every- 

 where this year shows a greater demand for 

 flowers than for designs. This was the general 

 rule at Eastertide and Memorial Day. It is rather 

 an imjirovement, too. In past years a great 

 many designs at the grave of a great soldier were 

 in Immortelles, in such pleasing tints as aniline 

 crimsoTi, chrome yellow, arsenical green and 

 vivid purple, and the combinations were calcu- 

 lated to put an artist into a cold perspiration. 

 Some very charming effects are produced by the 

 use of Cape Flowers and Immortelles in their 

 natural colors, but as a rule dyed Everlastings 

 are a mistake, if one cares for artistic fitness. 



Very elaborate designs, especially funeral 

 pieces, are often comparatively meaningless. 

 The writer remembers a case in point, in a west- 

 ern city. A prominent citizen of the "genus" 

 "tough" met with an untimely end, the cause 

 of his taking off being a beer-glass thrown in a 

 saloon fight. His sorrowing friends wished to oft'er 

 some mark of their respect in the form of a 

 floral design. The emblem chosen was a white 

 lamb, with the word Rest on one side, and Peace 

 on the other. It ws slightly incongruous. 



Florist's flowers are hard pressed just now by 

 all sorts of field blossoms. The Marsh Buttercups, 

 so-called, which were sold by the bushel during 

 April and May, have now given place to the real 

 Buttercups of the meadow, and the 0.x-eye Daisy. 

 These two flowers together make an exquisite 

 harmony of white and gold. They are not only 

 sold by the street venders, but find their way in 

 leading flower stores. Outdoor Lilacs are over 

 in this section, but some fortunate florists get 

 them down East, where they are at their best. 



When any large piece of decorating is done, the 

 florist depends chiefly upon outdoor stuff. Great 

 masses of Weigelia and Syringa are most effect- 

 ive, and Mountain Laurel, with its clusters of 

 rosy blossoms, finds a place by its sisters of the 

 garden. 



Some people have been trying to re-introduce 

 the use of taller table decorations, but the sensi- 

 ble fashion of low plateaus still holds good. It 

 is a regular nuisance to be obliged to dodge a 

 lot of tall plants, in order to catch sight of one's 

 vis-a-vis. 



The prettiest table decorations are low banks 

 of Ferns, with a few selected flowers lightly 

 placed among them. This is the most advantag- 

 eous way of showing off Orchids; Cattleyas or 

 Lielias are exquisite in such a position. It is a 

 great mistake to mix these flowers with a lot of 

 other stuff; they are not nearly so striking. 

 Gloxinias are charming used in the same way; 

 they show off beautifully banked in any position, 

 and they come in such exquisite lamplight shades 

 of pink and porcelain blue. Their use in floral 

 decorations is comparatively recent. 



The prettiest wreaths now made are certainly 

 those made in-the form of a crescent, with the 

 ends tied together with ribbon. They are ex- 

 quisite when made only of Ivy leaves, with a 

 knot of flowers, or, in the case of an aged per- 

 son, a bunch of Wheat on one side. The Ivy 

 leaves are well washed, and then slightly oiled, 

 giving them a brilliant gloss. 



Bouquets show no new departures so far; 

 they are still big pyramidal nosegays. We are 

 told that corsage bunches will not be so large, 

 but it still appears the custom for each lovely 

 creature to wear as big as she can obtain. By 

 the way, there is a new patent fastening for 

 corsage bouquets which is very convenient. It 

 is built on the same plan as a safety pin, but in- 

 stead ot a straight bar it fastens into a spiral 

 spring strong enough to hold the flowers in 

 iplace, yet yielding to accommodate a large 

 bunch. Very convenient.— Observer. 



