1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



243 



choose Gnu, heavy, medium-sized bulbs, and 

 keep them in damp moss a few weeks. Get 

 the darkest colored glasses ; fill them with rain 

 water to which a little common salt has been 

 put ; not entirely full — the bulb placed in the 

 neck of the glass must not touch the water. 

 Keep them in a warm, dark place till the glass 

 is half full of roots. Change the water (it 

 must be always warm) once in a fortnight; 

 and keep it always of the same height by fill- 

 ing in a little as it evaporates. ^\Tien the wa- 

 ter is changed always use rain water, salted 

 slightly, and add a few drops of ammonia. If 

 the roots get slimy and green, wash them care- 

 fully in warm water. The bulbs after bloom- 

 ing in water are generally so exhausted as to 

 be valueless. But those kept in soil may be 

 transferred to the garden in the spring, and 

 may live several years ; or they may be dried, 

 and, wrapped in paper, kept in a cool, dry 

 place until the autumn, and then started again 

 for winter flowers. A very pretty way of 

 growing the hyacinth is to place it with the 

 bulbs of snow-drops and crocuses in a deep 

 dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with 

 pounded charcoal — not very fine — an inch deep. 

 On this have a layer of damp silver sand. Ar- 

 range the bulbs at equal distances upon the 

 sand, and keep the dish in a dark room for 

 three weeks. Then, pour a little water just 

 inside the edge, all around the dish, and if the 

 bulbs are started up from the sand by the new 

 roots, pour drj' sand over them till they are 

 covered. When the lea%'es appear, bring the 

 dish to the light ; and as soon as the flower- 

 spikes peep up, take them to the window, or 

 flower-stand ; water them now, daily, with 

 warm rain water slightly salted. 



Hydrangea. — The word signifies water- 

 vessel, and is of Greek derivation. It is a 

 marsh plant, and requires a great deal of wa- 

 ter, — ten or twelve gallons, daily, in the sum- 

 mer, is often Imbibed by a single plant, if of 

 large size. It is a native of the Carolinas and 

 Florida ; also of Japan and China. It thrives 

 best in the shade ; and, like the agapanthus, is 

 usually kept as an ornament for the verandah 

 in summer. It is propagated by layers, in a 

 soil of peat and loam. The natural color of 

 the fiov.er is pink : but if blue flowers are 

 wanted, powdered alum must be mixed with 

 the soil, one ounce to a quart of soU. Iron 

 filings have the same effect. 



The IvT, whose botanical name is Iledera — 

 the Celtic for "a cord"' — is what is called a 

 rooting climber, because its stems climb up and 

 wind themselves around anything that presents 

 a rough surface for their roots to take hold of. 

 //. helix, commonly called English ivy, is an 

 evergreen plant, growing plentifully in the 

 woods of Great Britain ; and hiding with its 

 foliage the gnarled old oaks and sycamores ; 

 or hanging its long garlands of verdure in pic- 

 turesque beauty about the walls of dilapidated 

 churches, and around the crumbling ruins of 

 ancient castles. But with us it needs protec- 

 tion from the cold of winter ; and, if reared 

 out of doors, must then be covered with mats. 

 It is, however, one of the best plants for par- 

 lor culture, and ought to be in everj- house. 

 It needs a light, rich soil of peat and loam, 

 drained with pot-sherds ; and regular and 

 plentiful watering must be given it. It is very 

 pretty as a hanging plant in the upper part of 

 a window, or seated upon a shelf or bracket 

 and trained about the walls. Cuttings root 

 easily in water, and long stems of ivy, cut from 

 plants cultivated out of doors, may be kept in 

 vases of water all winter upon the mantel- 

 piece, and then set in the ground in the spring 

 to make large new plants. There is another 

 species, called the German ivy, having more 

 succulent leaves, which grows more rapidly. 

 This goes also by the name of Irish ivy ; but 

 many do not consider it as properly belonging 

 to the genus. It should have the same treat- 

 ment as //. helix. There is yet another plant, 

 which is ven,- pretty for hanging pots, — the 

 Roman, or Coliseum ivy, — called sometimes, 

 mother-of-thousands. It throws out slender, 

 purplish stems having small green leaves with 

 purple lining ; and it bears tiny, lilac-colored 

 flowers, shaped like the blossom of the snap- 

 dragon. This grows in great profusion in the 

 south of Europe, in the cracks and crevices of 

 old buildings, — where there seems scarcely 

 soil enough to give it foot-hold ; the roof of 

 the grand cathedral at Milan is in some por- 

 tions thickly overgrown with it. This does 

 well in sandy loam, but will not bear great wa- 

 tering. Among the ancients the \\y was 

 held in high esteem. They dedicated it to 

 Bacchus, and he is represented crowned with 

 it to prevent intoxication. 



Lantana. — This is the ancient name of the 

 Viburnum, which the plant resembles in foli- 



