

CULTIVATION AND ANALVSIS OF PLANTS. 



,^l0LF'S FOOT is the significance of the name Lycopodium, the 

 scientific title of the family to which this genus Selaginella belongs. 

 The faniil\ is commonly called Club Moss, and this genus West- 

 ^' Intlia Moss, the finest specimens having been imported into Europe 

 ■^fiom those legions. Though scientifically ranked with the Mosses, 

 they are in reality a sort of intervening group or connecting link between 

 the Mosies and the Ferns. Many of the species rise to no inconsiderable 

 ' ;ht .iiul look much more like Ferns than mosses; ranging all the way from 

 ail inch to two feet. The S. deusa, which is among the low-growing species, 

 forms a dense mass of minute Fern-like foliage resembling a thickly-wooded 

 forest in miniature. There are at least twenty species in common indoor culti- 

 vation, and easy to be procured from the florists. The chief use made of the 

 Selaginellas is in Wardian cases, or as forming a pleasant topping for hanging-baskets, 

 boxes and the like. They delight in abundant moisture and a high temperature, and will 

 grow well in a common sitting-room in some shady nook, where the atmosphere is gen- 

 ally still and moist. They are propagated by cuttings or divisions, but more easily by the 

 latter method. One part chopped moss, one peat-earth, and one sandy loam, with a few 

 pieces of charcoal, will form an excellent compost for their growth. They are easily kept 

 green all the year round by a little extra attention in the matter of watering. 





SMILJlX. 



ARELY has any climbing vine taken such hold of the popular heart 

 for decorative purposes as has this delicate, twining, bright-leaved 

 beauty. Thousands of yards are used every year for decorations on 

 all occasions, both joyous and sad. It is a native of the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and constitutes an independent order of plants nearly 

 allied to the Lilies. The root is formed by numerous tubers united 

 v^n, from which the vines spring. A fertile sandy soil is the best 

 or its culture, and while in an active or growing state it should have 

 supply of water, which might be occasionally interchanged with 

 nure. The vine itself resembles a fine cord following a zig-zag course 

 illow herring-bone stitch, at each angle or joint of which there is 

 a glossy leaf of oval shape, with veins running lengthwise, the effect of which is 

 to give it a rather unique appearance. After it has started, small twine must be 

 supplied for a support, except it be left to fall as it pleases. The flowers, which in this 

 plant are a secondary consideration, are a greenish-white, and fragrant. The vines are 

 used in making floral arches in the house, or in the garden in a sheltered nook, for forming 

 festoons and wreathing around baskets. They are propagated by division of the roots 



3S4 



