2i2 



NEW ENGLAND FAR^tER. 



]May 



latrks' ^cpuilmcnt. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY; 



HOAV TO UAKE HOME PLEASANT. 



BY ANNE G. HALE. 



[Entered accordin? to Act of Congress, in the year 

 1S66, by 11. P. Katoir& Co., in the Clcrli's Ollicc of the 

 District Court for the District of Massachusetts.] 



CHAPTER IV. 

 HOUSE PLANTS. AND THEIR CULTURE. 



Heliotrope. — This word is derived from 

 the Greek, and signifies tuniing to the sun, 

 which was supposed to be a peculiarity of the 

 genus. The Latins called the plant Verruca- 

 ria, because the juice, mixed with salt, was 

 said to be ellicacious in removing warts. Throe 

 species have been brought from the south oi 

 Europe, one in 1040 ; but the most familiar 

 have been introduced from Peru. The helio- 

 trope is prized more for its fragrance than its 

 beauty, though Voltaire's, which has deep, pur- 

 ple tlowers, is certainly handsome. It is in- 

 creased by cuttings, and should receive treat- 

 ment similar to that given the fuchsia. 



HoYA, or Wax-plant, took its generic name 

 from Thomas Hoy, a celebrated English gard- 

 ener. This genus is composed of climbing 

 plants, bearing both leaves and llowers of a 

 waxen appearance. The leaves are deep green ; 

 the tlowers are either blush, or cream colored, 

 and are very fragrant ; they hang in bunches 

 and secrete a honey-like juiee. The best method 

 of propagating this plant is by layers, though 

 cuttings are sometimes started in the pot of the 

 parent plant. The hoy a should have a soil of 

 peat, sand, and loam, in a pot drained with cin- 

 ders. It needs little water, but much heat ; and 

 should never be placed out of doors. If wa- 

 tered occasionally with liquid manure the soil 

 will require no renewal for several years. Do 

 not take off the Hower-stalks, they bloom anew, 

 .year after year. Set the pot on a high shelf, 

 near a window ; and train it so that it receives 

 the warm air at the top of the room. Let it 

 droop over pictures, and about the window — 

 it will be a very elegant decoration, The hoya 

 is a native of the hottest parts of Asia. 



Hyacinth. — The old heathen poets say that 

 Zephyrus, prompted by jealousy, killed Ilyacin- 

 thus, the friend of Apollo ; and from the blood 



of the youth sprang this ilower, the petals of 

 which were inscribed with his initial, which is also 

 the Greek exclamation of woe, Ai, Ai. It is 

 in allusion to this circumstance that Milton, in 

 his lament over Lycidas, speaks of the hy- 

 acinth as the "flower that sad embroidery 

 wears." Hyacinths are very abundant in 

 Greece, and are useel in profusion at weddings ; 

 as also at funerals, the bier is always strewn 

 with them. This custom is observed likewise 

 in Italy. Bryant has referred to it in his poem 

 of a child's funeral at Sorrento ; and he calls 

 the flowers '^sad hyacinths" probably, in re- 

 collection of the old myth. Near Aleppo and 

 Bagdad very fine hyacinths are found growing 

 wild. The Dutch have paid great attention to 

 their culture, almost from time immemorial. 

 In 1720 they had under cultivation at Harlem 

 over two thousand varieties. Hyacinths are 

 exceedingly fragrant, as well as very beautiful 

 both in color and ibrm. Their curling petals 

 have furnished a simile often met with in liter- 

 ature — "hyacinthine locks" — which refers not 

 to the purplish black color of some hair, as has 

 been erroneously stated, but to a tendency to 

 turn up, or curl at the end, which is more no- 

 ticeable in the petals of the wild hyacinth than 

 in those of the cultivated flower. 



The hyacinth is raised from its bulbs, which 

 increase themselves more or less every year. 

 When cultivated in the house, the bulbs are 

 generally grown in water, but it is not so good 

 a way as to plant them in soil. Late in Octo- 

 ber fill small pots, one for each bulb, if you 

 choose, or, a larger one to accommodate a 

 number. First place a layer of broken bricks, 

 then one of small pieces of charcoal ; then 

 loam, river-sand (washed), and decayed leaves, 

 equal parts, each ; and a little charcoal dust. 

 Let the soil rest lightly in the pot, and in the 

 centre press the bulb till it is about half cov- 

 ered. Tighten the soil a little, by pressing it 

 lightly around the bulb. Set the pot in a dark 

 place, where it will be moderately warm. If 

 the situation be damp, it will need very little 

 water. When the bulb is rooted bring it to 

 the light, — set it on a mantel-piece or in a win- 

 dow. The shoot will look white at first, but it 

 will soon become green, and grow rapidly. 

 Now water it very freely every day, adding a 

 few drops of annnonia to the water once in ten 

 days. When off-sets appear, press them out 

 with the finger, or a smooth, thin stick. 



If vou wish to grow hyacinths in water, 



