1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



fruit possessing in most respects the character of the 

 natives. One of Mr. Ricketts' hybrids, which tooli 

 the first prize at Bliss & Sons' grape exhibition, in 

 September last, is a triumph of careful cultivation, 

 and we hope to hear of its success elsewhere. It is 

 to bear the honored name of Charles Bowuing. 



Flowers and Shade Trees. 



I seldom see two people envy one another seri- 

 ously about their flower-beds or shade trees. There 

 is a kind of religious, humanizing, generous effect 

 in loving the beautiful things of nature, that makes 

 us love to see everybody have them ; while those 

 who stake their respectability on dress or house- 

 keeping, almost universally dislike to see others ap- 

 proach their standard, or rival them in their boasted 

 sphere. This learning to love the beautiful things 

 of nature, beautities our spirits — while priding our- 

 selves on bright tin pans, well scoured floors or 

 costly furniture, disfigures our immortal part. The 

 country house that has its shade trees, its shrubery 

 and flowers, has hallowed memories to win back 

 the hearts of its wanderers, and brighten their 

 gloomiest hours. The woman who foils to have a 

 green spot and .shade at her door, fails in one im- 

 portant part of her domestic mission. Her home 

 will not be so endeared to its inmates as it otherwise 

 would be ! True, the outside decorations should 

 chiefly belong to man's labor ; but very many men 

 will not plant a tree or flower, who could be taught 

 to love them and add to them if some one would 

 begin. So, girls, do not scrub and cook and scour, 

 until you have no time left to plant a tree or vine, 

 and flower ! Little care will suffice them when once 

 planted ; and they will do more to beautify and 

 adornyourhome than the contents of a tin peddler's 

 cart, polished every Saturday, until they dazzle you 



and outshine the neighborhood. — Mks. Swisshelm. 



*- * -t 



Colors of Flowers. 



Remarkable changes take place in the color of 

 some flowers during the course of the day. Those 

 of the Pink Phlox, early in the morning are of a 

 lightish blue, which alters as the day advances, and 

 becomes a bright pink. The OEnothera tetraflora 

 has white flowers, which change to red. The Hi- 

 biscus variabilis has its flowers white in the morn- 

 ing, pink at noon, and at sunset bright red. Many 

 flowers of the Boraginacese are red before expan- 

 sion, and afterward blue. The bracts of Hakca 

 Victoria are yellowish white at the center the first 

 year ; the second year these become of a rich golden 

 yellow ; the third year rich orange ; the fourth 

 year blood red, and the green parts of the bracts 

 become annually darker. Hydrangea changes its 

 color between blue and pink. The Dahlia, of the 

 yellow species, has been made to produce all varie- 

 ties of that series, but has never been produced of a 

 green color. — Artisan. 



Sleeping Flowers. 



Almost all flowers sleep during the night. The 

 marigold goes to bed with the sun, and with him 

 rises weeping. Many plants are so .sensitive that 

 their leaves close during the passage of a cloud. — 

 The dandelion opens at five or six in the morning, 

 and shuts at nine in the evening. The goat's 

 beard wakes at three in the morning, and shuts at 

 five or six in the evening. The common daisy shuts 

 up its blossom in the evening and opens its "day's 

 eye" to meet the early beam of the morning sun. 

 The crocus, tulip, and many others, close their blos- 

 soms at different hours towards evening. The ivy- 

 leaved lettuce opens at eight in the morning and 

 closes forever at four in the afternoon. The night 

 flowering cereus turns night into day. It begins to 

 expand its magnificent, sweet-scented blossom in 

 the twilight, and is full-blown at midnight, and 

 closes never to open again with the dawn of the 

 day. In a clover field not a leaf opens till after sun- 

 rise. So says a celebrated English author who has 

 devoted much time to the study of plants, and often 

 watched them during their quiet slumbers. Those 

 plants which seem to be awake all night, he styles 

 "the bats and owls of the vegetable kingdom." — Ex. 



liily of the Valley in Winter. 



The Lily of the Valley may be forced into bloom 

 in winter as readily as the Hyacinth. Select large, 

 healthy clumps, and put them in good rich soil, and 

 then jilace in a warm room, giving sufficient water 

 to prevent drying, but not enough to cause a decay 

 of roots. A box will answer, if pots cannot be ob- 

 tained, and we are sure that those who are fond of 

 house plants in winter, will be pleased with this 

 little gem when in bloom ; for its fragrance is not 

 so powerful as to be offensive when in a close room. 



There are many plants, the odor of which is very- 

 agreeable when inhaled in the open air, but in a 

 close room it becomes nau.seating. This is particu- 

 larly the case with the new " Gold Banded Lily," 

 (L. auratum.,) which blooms very freely, when 

 grown in pots ; but a single flower will fill a room 

 with its powerful perfume, and few persons can re- 

 main long in its presence. We do not believe that 

 the perfume given off by such flowers is really 

 injurious to health, but it is often quite disagreea- 

 ble.— ij. N. Yorker. 



Apples Rotting. — The complaint is general all 

 over the country', that winter apples are not keeping 

 as usual, but are rotting badly. To us there seems 

 no great mystery about it, it was rather to be ex- 

 pected than wondered at, after a season so hot and 

 dry, which dwarfed the apple and ripened it up 

 prematurely. Another cause of this premature de- 

 cay may be traced to the destructive work of the 

 Codling moth. 



