176 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



spines being dark red, and the same 

 color appearing to some extent about 

 the base of the leaves. 



This species forms a very effective 

 specimen, but does not appear to pro- 

 duce any suckers, and propagation 

 must therefore depend on seeds. P. 

 Vandermeechii was introduced from 

 the island of Bourbon, and is said to 

 be peculiar to that island, though 

 quite plentiful there. 



Among novelties of the pandanus 

 family that have been grown to some 

 extent of late years are P. Baptistii 



pointed leaves. It requires heat in 

 winter and does not like the hot suns 

 of summer, or anything like dryness. 

 Warmth and moisture are conditions 

 that suit it. It makes a very pretty 

 basket plant for a shaded house in 

 summer, either entirely filling the bas- 

 ket, or with other plants. Its varie- 

 gation is very pretty. 



Its cultivation is of the simplest kind 

 as it roots from cuttings most easily, 

 either in the sand or a few pieces put 

 around the edge of a small pot in any 

 ordinary soil. Excepting as a conser- 



Pandanus Candelabrum Var. (Javanicus Var.) 



and P. caricosus, but while both these 

 species are attractive, neither is of 

 much value commercially. 



P. Baptistii is a rapid growing plant, 

 the leaves of which are striped with 

 yellowish variegation, and in some 

 measure resembling the foliage of 

 Phormium tenax var., but without the 

 toughness of that plant. 



P. caricosus is more dwarf in habit 

 than the preceding, and has narrow 

 green leaves that are but little armed 

 with spines. It branches freely, and 

 might be briefly described as a very 

 strong P. graminifolius, though per- 

 haps less useful than the latter for 

 trade purposes. 



PANICUM VARIEGATUM. 



A very pretty free growing, creeping 

 plant with white and pink striped 



vatory basket plant, or for planting 

 in borders among palms and ferns in 

 a permanent border under glass, it has 

 no special value to the florist. 



There are several other species of 

 panicum, ornamental, and useful to the 

 private gardener. 



PANSY (VIOLA TRICOLOR). 



Next to the geranium perhaps the 

 pansy is more universally known 

 among rich and poor than any flower 

 we grow. It is a favorite with all 

 children. "My little boy wants some 

 pansies," we hear continually every 

 spring. And the old boy and girl must 

 be made of queer stuff if they are not 

 fascinated with the pretty faces of the 

 "Heartsease." An M. D. of our city 

 has written some very pretty verses 

 in which he claims that in the varied 



markings of the pansy he sees the 

 faces of the German, French, English, 

 Scotch, Irish, and Italian girl, and oth- 

 er nationalities which I forget. He fail- 

 ed to find one that reflected the bronzy 

 features of our Pocahontas-like Indian 

 maiden, the real American girl, al- 

 though there is every shade of flower 

 and girl from white to sooty black. 

 His verses were too early for him to 

 include the latest American beauties, 

 the Filipino and the brown senorita 

 of the Gem of the Antilles. As there 

 are several types of our American 

 girls he has taken a large pale blue to 

 impersonate the Boston type, and a 

 large ragged edged yellow with a 

 black eye for Chicago. 



Poets have attended to the pansy 

 thousands of times, and the modern 

 sentimental song writer says: "Only 

 a pansy blossom, only a faded flower." 

 I think this song has something in al- 

 lusion to a lamented maternal parent. 

 Now did you ever notice, good reader, 

 that the youth who never or seldom 

 works but who holds down a chair in 

 some third class drinking place all day 

 where a stray treat or two falls to his 

 lot, and towards closing time a suffi- 

 cient number of treats has excited his 

 vocal powers and then with a squeak, 

 or a rasp, with sloppy eyes and ex- 

 pression we are edified with a few 

 verses, and it is not a song for the oc- 

 casion, such as "We won't go home 

 'till morning," or something appro- 

 priate, but it is sure to be something 

 about "dear mother." ' The gist of the 

 song is sure to be how he loves and 

 cherishes and works for mother, and 

 admonishes all to do likewise. Nothing 

 is said about father, but the motto of 

 the house that this young man stag- 

 gers home to is: "Do not worry father; 

 mother's working." 



The pansy has been cultivated in the 

 gardens of Europe for ages. If its ex- 

 pressive features could speak it could 

 tell you that its ancestors saw the 

 dreadful deeds of the dark ages, the 

 chivalry but barbarism of the feudal 

 system, the oppression and torture of 

 bigotry, the fight for liberty, the eman- 

 cipation by education of the masses, 

 and now at the close of this 19th cen- 

 tury, in this "age of reason" and hu- 

 manity, you see the humble but free 

 citizen taking home his basket of pan- 

 sies to make his little garden prettier 

 and to please the children. 



The cooler climate of northern 

 Europe is much more favorable for 

 pansies in the summer months than 

 our hot and often dry summers. But 

 I have seen beds of pansies here on the 

 north side of buildings, with the seed 

 pods picked off and an occasional good 

 watering, look fine the entire summer. 

 Whether they last longer than July or 

 not there will always be a 'demand for 

 them, not only in the cities, but the 

 farmers and residents of our villages 

 buy them for their door yards and 

 there is where you often see them well 

 taken care of. I have frequently heard 

 Mrs. Buckwheat exclaim, "I guess, 

 Mariah, you didn't wet them 'ere pan- 

 sies last night. I see they be a drupen." 



