72 



POPULAR SCIEITCE NEWS. 



[May, 1888. 



by, or springing up among them. In the large 

 flowers, which are about an inch broad, there is a 

 charming variety, both in form and color. In 

 some the petals are broad, in others they are 

 nan-ow; and the color varies from deep purple and 

 blue to pale lavender, even to white. I once found 

 two or three clusters with light and dark pink 

 flowers, and in the same place with these there 

 were many with a reddish tint. On the hill where 

 these grew, a crop of grain had been raised the 

 previous year, and it was delightful to see how 

 luxuriantly the bird-foot violets were growing and 

 profiting by the increased richness of the soil. 

 The whole hilltop was covered with great tufts of 

 them, with unusually large leaves and flowers, and 

 very long leaf and flower stalks. The pink variety 

 I transplanted to the garden, where it has grown 

 and retained the pink color of the flower.s, blossom- 

 ing at intervals all through the season. The purple 

 ones, which I have cultivated, make a beautiful 

 mass of color in the garden, the flowers growing 



close together. Nature alway.s gives to each flower 

 a leaf of just the right shape and shade of green 

 that its color and characteristics need, and the 

 bird-foot violet has been favored with a very pretty, 

 delicate one, palmately divided and cut, and sug- 

 gesting a bird's foot in its form. It is one of the 

 stemless violets, the leaf and flower stalks all aris- 

 ing from the short, thick root-stalk. There is an 

 occasional variety (var. bicolor) which Gray de- 

 scribes as " very handsome, with the two upper 

 petals deep violet, and, as it were, velvety, like a 

 pansy." Under cultivation, who can tell what 

 new attractions this wild flower might develop? — 

 Rosa B. Watson, in Vick's Magazine. 



WHAT FLOWERS WILL GROW IN THE 

 SHADE ? 



The question, " What flowers will grow in the 

 shade? " is put to me every spring by scores of 

 city people whose little garden, which they wish to 

 devote to flowers, is so walled up by neighboring 

 houses, that the direct rays of the sun never touch 

 it. But few plants will develop their flowers there, 

 and none will do it so well as if it were lighted up 

 by sunshine a part of the day. Fuchsias, pansies, 

 forget-me-nots, violets, lobelias, lily of the valley, 

 hollyhocks, phloxes, and other herbaceous plants 

 whose native habitat is a shady wood, will do 

 best; but even these languish if denied all direct 

 sunlight. The best effect in such situations is 

 produced by ornamental-leaved plants, the beauty 

 of which is not dependent upon their flowers. 

 Among these may be ranked the gold and silver 

 variegated-leaved geraniums, achyranthes, alter- 

 nantheras, begonias, caladiums, centaureas, cole- 

 uses, etc , which, if planted so as to bring the 

 various shades in contrast, produce a pleasing 

 effect, which continues during the entire summer 

 months, and is not surpassed by any display of 



flowers. The cultivators of flowers in rooms 

 should understand the necessity of sunlight to 

 plants that are to flower, and endeavor to get 

 these as close as possible to a window having an 

 eastern or southern aspect. The higher the tem- 

 perature, the more plants suffer from want of light. 

 Many plants might remain semi-dormant in a 

 temperature of forty degrees, — in a cellar, for ex- 

 ample, — aw^y from direct light, for months, with- 

 out material injury ; while if the cellar contained a 

 furnace keeping a temperature of seventy degrees, 

 they would all die; such would particularly be the 

 case with plants of a half-hardy nature, such as 

 monthly roses, carnations, fuchsias, geraniums, etc. 

 In our greenhouse culture of flowers, direct sunlight 

 is an all-important consideration; and a spell of 

 sunless weather in midwinter is often a loss to us 

 of hundreds of pounds, by preventing the develop- 

 ment of flowers. Hence we use every means at 

 command to dispose the plants to secure the 

 greatest amount of light. The debilitating effects 

 of want of direct light on plants are well illustrated 

 by taking a vigorous plant in full foliage and 

 flower, that has been growing in the direct light of 

 our greenhouse benches, and placing it under the 

 bench. If the temperature is high, — say, seventy 

 degrees, — in forty-eight hours the sickly signs, 

 showing want of light, will be apparent to an 

 experienced eye ; in a week its condition would be 

 such as to indicate sickness to the most common 

 observer; and in a month it would, most likely, be 

 dead. — Horticultural Times. 



ALLSPICE. 



Allspice, according to the St. James Gazette, is 

 a spice ^er se, just as mace, cinnamon, cloves, nut- 

 megs, etc., are, and is identical with the article 

 known in its whole or uncrushed state as pimento. 

 This latter is the fruit of a tree very much resem- 

 bling the arbutus, and known as the Eugenia pi- 

 mento. It is a native of the West Indies, where it 

 grows wild in the forests. Jamaica is, however, 

 the only commercial source of pimento, though 

 the plant can scarcely be said to be cultivated even 

 there. The fruit is a small berry closely resem- 

 bling the black pepper (hence the name, sometimes 

 given it, of Jamaica pepper), and is eagerly sought 

 by certain birds, which drop the seeds everywhere. 

 The pimento springs up in thick clusters, grows 

 apace, and soon forms dense copses. The cultiva- 

 tion consists simply in thinning these out. The 

 shoots removed in this process are manufactured 

 into walking-canes, umbrella handles, etc., for 

 which the rich color, denseness, lightness, and 

 toughness of the wood peculiarly fit them. The 

 removal of the shoots is done systematically, and 

 thus produces little lanes or paths through the 

 copse, technically called " walks." The flowers of 

 the pimento grow in clusters, like hawthorn blooms, 

 only those of the pimento have a greenish cast. 

 They are followed by the berries, which are gath- 

 ered green, since, if allowed to ripen, they lose 

 their aromatic odor, and spicy, pungent taste. The 

 green berries are dried in the sun on raised plat- 

 forms called " barbecues," and the drying is termed 

 " barbecuing." Formerly pimento was used to a 

 much greater extent than at present, but seems to 

 be again coming into favor. The planters or 

 growers get about four cents per pound for the 

 dried berry ; but even at this low rate tlie Jamai- 

 cans managed to export in 1880 about $750,000 

 worth (£146,000), — a pretty good sum on a 

 commodity the sole labor that is expended on 

 which consists of picking the berries, spreading 

 them in the s\m, and finally putting into sacks. 

 These latter usually hold from twelve to thirteen 

 "stone," or from a hundred and sixty-eight 



to a hundred and eighty-two pounds. Allspice 

 is said to be less injurious than other kinds of 

 spices, even when used to excess, and hence is tak- 

 ing their places in the various hygienic sauces now 

 80 much the "fad " in England and her colonies. 



HORTICULTURAL HINTS. 



In arranging a mixed border, the object should 

 be the production of masses and sheets of bloom 

 in the dwarf plants, and picturesque groups with 

 the larger plants. 



Native Maiden-hair Fern for the House. 

 — Before the Michigan Horticultural Society, Mr. 

 Garfield spoke of this plant (Adiantum pedatum) 

 as being one of the most handsome for the decora- 

 tion of rooms, and as not sensitive to a change of 

 air. It needs but a short period of rest, being 

 beautiful nearly the whole year round. ^Mr. Wat- 

 kins said that plants can be obtained from the 

 woods at any time when the ground is bare, and 

 that they will start growth in a few days. It will 

 do well with but little light. 



Flowers for Beginners. — The following are 

 suggested by a horticultural journal: — 



One paper each of white, scarlet, and mixed 

 phlox, verbena mixed, mignonette, tropaeolum, as- 

 ters, pansies, and one ounce of sweet peas. Of 

 these, only mignonette, tropseolum, and sweet peas 

 can be sown in the open ground. The others must 

 be started in hotbeds or in boxes in the house. 

 Then, when your plants are nicely started, you can 

 see how many you have, and will know how much 

 ground to fit for them. 



Preservation of Flowers. — A method of 

 preserving the natural colors of flowers, recom- 

 mended by R. Hegler in the Deutsche botanische 

 Monatshefte, consists in dusting salicylic acid on 

 the plants as they lie in the press, and removing it 

 again with a brush when the flowers are dry. Red 

 colors in particular are well preserved by this 

 agent. Another method of applying the same pre- 

 servative is to use a solution of one part of sali- 

 cylic acid in fourteen of alcohol by means of blot- 

 ting-paper or cotton-wool soaked in it and placed 

 above and below the flowers. Powdered boracic 

 acid yields nearly as good results. Dr. Schonland, 

 in a paragraph contributed to the Gardeners' Chron- 

 icle, recommends, as an improvement in the method 

 of using sulphurous acid for preserving the color, 

 that, in the case of delicate flowers, they might be 

 placed loosely between sheets of vegetable parch- 

 ment before immersion in the liquid, so as to 

 preserve their natural form. 



Lily of the Valley. — A few words on the 

 forcing of this may be of interest. The first thing 

 required is bottom and top heat, with a tempera- 

 ture between seventy and seventy-five degrees. 

 Have ready some boxes about eighteen inches long 

 by nine wide, and some fine sifted leaf-soil. Pre- 

 pare your crowns by cutting some of the long roots 

 off, as the box will only want to be about three or 

 four inches deep; place the crowns about one inch 

 apart, until the boxes are filled. They are now 

 ready for the forcing pit, or house, where they 

 should be placed on a moist bottom heat, and cov- 

 ered with similar boxes, so as to keep them dark, 

 and confine the moisture. The empty boxes 

 should be removed occasionally, and the crowns 

 watered with a fine rose-pot with water at about 

 eighty degrees. As soon as the crowns are about 

 two inches high, the empty boxes must be removed, 

 so as to give the lilies time to strengthen; but if 

 you wish for long, straggling spikes, your top boxes 

 will have to be a foot deep. You will get your 

 lilies in bloom quicker by keeping them quite dark, 

 but you will find the flowers will not stand so long 

 as those that have been brought on more gently. 



