152 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Maech 



Veined with scarlet, tipped with gold, 



As the boughs aspiring clamher. 

 Like a bright pagoda seeming, 

 When the sunlight inly beaming 



On her bells its rays hath thrown, 



Stands my fair abutilon. 



Agapanthus, or African lily. — Name signi- 

 fies lovely flower. A. Umhellatus frequently 

 sends up a flower stalk three feet liigh. The 

 flower is of a beautiful blue color. The plant 

 is easily cultivated in large pots ; in a soil con- 

 sisting of two parts loam and two leaf mould. 

 Needs plenty of water. Must be shifted often 

 into larger and larger pots — generally in the 

 autumn before taking to the cellar. It is gen- 

 erally kept for an ornament of the verandah 

 during the summer. Take oiF offsets till the 

 flower bud:; are formed ; the plant will be very 

 large before blooming, so the roots must have 

 a good deal of room, and be watered liberally. 

 First introduced into Em-ope, 1692. One va- 

 riety has white flowers and another variegated 

 foliage. 



Alyssum, called sometimes Madwort. — The 

 ancient Greeks thought if taken internally it 

 allayed anger. A native of Switzerland and 

 the South of Europe. It is well adapted to 

 edgings for beds — is injured by much wet — but 

 also must not be kept too dry ; is easily raised 

 from seed or cuttings. It needs a soil of good 

 rich loam. A pot of this little plant looks 

 pretty mth pots of daisies and pansies during 

 the winter, and is in much request as a funeral 

 flower. 



Amaryllis, or Belladonna Lily, takes its 

 name from a nymph celebrated by the old 

 poets. The word means shining, resplendent ; 

 which applies well to the elegant orange scar- 

 let flower. It should have rich loamy soil. 

 After it has done blooming give it but little 

 water, that the bulbs may harden ; it will then 

 be more likely to produce flowers another sea- 

 son. Many plants ripen seed, which, dropping 

 upon contiguous pots often furnish a number 

 of good bulbs ready for transplanting al- 

 most before you are aware of it. A piece of 

 the outer coating of the bulb with a leaf attach- 

 ed will produce another bulb. 



Auricula. — This is sometimes called Eng- 

 lish Primrose. It is a native of Switzerland, 

 Italy and Germany. It is also found in Per- 

 sia, of great beauty and fragrance. First 

 brought from Switzerland to England in 1596, 

 where it has always been held in high esteem ; 

 especially in the manufacturing towns. The 

 weavers and mechanics of Scotland and of 

 Lancashire, Eng., cultivate it very extensively ; 

 and it is no uncommon thing for a workingman 

 who earns only eighteen to thirty shillings a 

 week to give two guineas for a new variety. 

 It needs rich soil with good drainage. 



Azalea. — The name is derived from a Greek 

 word signifying dry ; in allusion either to the 

 places where it is found, for it loves an arid 

 soil or to the bi'ittle nature of its wood. It 

 thrives best in sandy fibrous peat soil. The 

 pot must be well drained with clinkers, and 

 care must be taken not to overwater it. It 

 can be transplanted at any time, even when in 

 bloom, with a ball of earth about the roots. 

 Young cuttings taken off close to the plant will 

 root readily in pots of sand. Keep it out-of- 

 doors in the summer in a shady place. When 

 it is done blooming keep it Avarm rnd well-wa- 

 tered, till the growth of the new v. uod is per- 

 fected ; after that give less -water ; but do not 

 let the roots become dry, ff r it will die if the 

 moisture does not reach taem. 



A. Indica, bearing yellow flowers, is the 

 most delicate ; this comes from India. 



A. Bubra Is a native of North America, bears 

 crimson flowers. 



A. Alba comes from China ; has double white 

 blossoms. 



Some of the species have narcotic qualities. 

 Of these is A. Pontica, which bears yellow 

 flowers. It is a native of Turkey. The juice 

 in the bottom of its flower-cup is poisonous, 

 and is said to communicate this poison to the 

 honey of Pontus. It was asserted by Xeno- 

 phon that the honey gathered by the bees from 

 these flowers caused the death of many sol- 

 diers in the famous retreat of the ten thousand. 



The Azalea is often crossed with the Rhodo- 

 dendi-on and curious hybrids ai'C thus produced. 



