AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



473 



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and nothing can show more strikingly the ad- 

 mirable manner in which the wonderful 

 economy of nature is carried on. V. spiralis, 

 the best known and only species in our waters, 

 is admirably adapted for growing in the aqua- 

 rium. Besides being a beautiful evergreen, 

 one of the essentials for the aquarium, one 

 can, by growing it, witness that wonderful 

 and interesting phenomenon in plant life. 



Vallo'ta. Scarborough Lily. Named in honor 

 of Pierre Vallot, a French botanist. Nat. Ord. 

 Amaryllidacece. 



V. purpurea, the only known species, is a 

 native of the Cape of Good Hope, where it is 

 found in boggy places. It is an evergreen 

 bulb, producing its splendid spikes of brilliant 

 scarlet blossoms (not purple, as the name im- 

 plies) in August, and occasionally at other 

 periods. It is one of the most showy of the 

 interesting family to which it belongs, and the 

 little care required to grow it makes it par- 

 ticularly desirable. It does best with ordinary 

 pot culture, requiring liberal watering, except 

 for a few months in winter. The bulbs should 

 not often be separated, but occasionally shifted 

 into larger pots when they become thoroughly 

 root-bound. Too frequent shiftings are in- 

 jurious to this bulb ; they do much better 

 when pinched, and it is not an uncommon 

 occurrence to see twenty-five flower spikes, 

 with five or eight flowers each, at one time, 

 from a ten-inch pot of the bulbs. They increase 

 rapidly from offsets, which may be picked off 

 the top of the pot without disturbing the main 

 bulbs. They may be grown successfully in 

 the border, and dried off in winter, like the 

 Gladiolus, except that they should be taken up 

 after a slight frost and packed away in boxes 

 of earth, without disturbing the tops, water- 

 ing only once or twice during the winter. 

 There are two or three varieties, differing only 

 in the size of the flowers. Introduced in 1774. 



Valo'nia. A commercial name for the large 

 capsules, or Acorn cups, of Quercus ^Egilops, 

 which are used for tanning, dyeing and mak- 

 ing ink. 



Valora'dia plumbaginoides. A synonym of 

 Plumbago Larpentce. 



Valvate. United by the margins only, as the 

 valves of a capsule. 



Valves. The doors by which various bodies 

 open ; the term is also applied to the pieces 

 into which a capsule splits. 



Va'nda. Vanda is the Sanscrit name of the 

 original species of this genus. Nat. Ord. 

 OrchidacecB. 



A genus of magnificent epiphytal Orchids 

 from tropical Asia. Several of the species 

 are found in our best Orchid houses, where 

 they are most conspicuous objects, both on 

 account of the size and beautiful colors and 

 markings of the flowers, and for their deli- 

 cious fragrance. The plants may be attached 

 to blocks of wood or cork, and suspended 

 from the roof of the house. From March till 

 May the heat should range from 70* to 90, 

 or even more in sunny weather, and every 

 morning and evening they should be sur- 

 rounded with vapor, besides an application of 

 water from the syringe once a day. From 

 May till September, which with us is the 

 blooming season, the same degree of heat 

 should be maintained, but with a diminution 

 of the moisture as the flowers advance ; and 



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afterward, through the winter, moisture may 

 be withheld, and the temperature reduced to 

 60. Some of the species have been under 

 cultivation since 1810. V. tricolor, one of the 

 best, was introduced in 1846. Of this species 

 there are some fifteen or more varieties, all of 

 great beauty. V. cozrulea, a most lovely light- 

 blue species, introduced from Khasyain 1849, 

 requires less heat than the other kinds, and 

 sometimes succeeds best under green-house 

 treatment. They are propagated by carefully 

 detaching the lateral shoots, when about six 

 inches long. 



Vaiii'lla. An alteration of Vaynilla, which is a 

 diminutive of Vaina, a Spanish word, signify- 

 ing a sheath ; in reference to the cylindrical 

 pod being like the sheath of a knife. Nat. 

 Ord. OrchidacecB. 



A small genus of tropical, climbing Orchids, 

 one of the most important of the whole fam- 

 ily, not because of its flowers, but for the 

 commercial value of the fruit, which is uni- 

 versally used in the preparation of extracts 

 for flavoring. The best Vanilla is the prod- 

 uce of V. planifolia, a native of Mexico 

 (Chapman, in his "Flora of the Southern 

 States," credits Curtiss as having found this 

 species on the borders of the Everglades), 

 but several other South American species are 

 also used. The flowers of this genus are 

 white, striped with red, and quite insignifi- 

 cant; these flowers are succeeded by pods 

 about six inches in length and one-fourth of 

 an inch in diameter. The pod contains, be- 

 sides its numerous seeds, a black, oily 

 and balsamic substance, which, recently 

 gathered, is humid, and its odor is said 

 to produce intoxication. The pods are gath- 

 ered during the last three months of the 

 year, and are carefully dried by exposure to 

 the sun's rays until they are made warm, in 

 which state they are wrapped in woolen 

 cloths to promote and absorb evaporation. 

 When thoroughly cured they are ready for 

 shipment. The extract is obtained by cut- 

 ting the pods in small pieces, and pulverizing 

 in a mortar containing about four parts of 

 fine glass to one of Vanilla. It requires a 

 great amount of labor to get the Vanilla fine 

 enough for the dilute alcohol to act upon it 

 in a manner that will secure the whole. After 

 the pulverized mass has been in alcohol for 

 several days, it is filtered through paper, and 

 is fit for use. 



Vanilla Plant. The popular name of Liatris 

 odoratissima. 



Vanilla or Seneca Grass. See Hierochloe bo- 

 realis. 



Variabilis. Presenting a variety of character ; 

 as when leaves are variously modified on the 

 same plant. 



Variegated. Irregularly colored. 



Variegated Laurel. Aucuba Japonica. 



Variegated Rush. See Scirpus. 



Variety. A term indicating a lower grade or 

 sub division, next to the species ; as the dif- 

 ferent sorts of Pears, Apples, Geraniums, 

 Roses, etc. 



A variety can only be propagated with cer- 

 tainty by grafts, cuttings, bulbs, tubers, or 

 any other method which produces a new 

 plant by the development of one or more 

 buds taken from the old one. 



