1867. 



NEW E^'GLAls'D FAEIMER. 



245 



ing. Then take it from the pot, trim off the 

 small fibres and mouldy roots, and soak the 

 ball of roots in warm water for ten or fifteen 

 minutes — to detach the old soil. Place it in 

 a pot, with drainage and soil as for seedlings, 

 adding thereto a little charcoal dust. Keep it 

 in the shade a month, and water it sparingly. 

 Give it room then with other flowers, and water 

 it more, as it grows. Wash it frequently, for 

 it is apt to be troubled with insects. It needs 

 light, but not much sun till the fruit is set. 

 Everybody knows that orange blossoms are 

 the most appropriate flowers for bridal decora- 

 tions. 



Lily of the Valley. — Convallaria, the 

 botanical name of this beautiful flower, is of 

 Latin derivation, and refers to the places where 

 it grows. It cannot be the plant of the same 

 name of which Solomon speaks, because it is 

 a native of cold or moderately warm countries, 

 and would never have bloomed in the fields of 

 Palestine. Old English writers call it May 

 lily. In the western part of Norway it grows 

 in greater abundance than any other wild 

 flower. A recent traveller says that it stood 

 everywhere, scenting the air, in such profusion 

 one could scarcely step without bruising its 

 tender stalks and blossoms. Its fragrance 

 when fresh is remarkable only for sweetness ; 

 but when the flowers are dried they are power- 

 fully narcotic. A wine is made of the flowers 

 in Germany. A beautiful and durable green 

 color may be prepared from the leaves, with 

 lime. An extract is made from the roots and 

 flowers which has all the properties of aloes. 

 The plant is very common in Great Britain, 

 growing in the woods, from whence the Lon- 

 don markets are supplied. It was brought to 

 this country among our earliest exotics, and is 

 foimd in almost every garden, filling the air in 

 its vicinity with fragrance during the months 

 of May and June. But it can be made to 

 bloom in winter and is one of the sweetest as 

 well as prettiest parlor plants we can have. 

 The bulbs should be taken from the garden in 

 November. Choose those having the thickest 

 and bluntest buds — the sharp-pointed buds pro- 

 duce only leaves. Fill a pot — a box four in- 

 ches wide and deep is better — with light, rich 

 soil. In this set the bulbs slightly, just so as 

 to cover all but the point of the bud. Lay 

 moss over them ; and then coyer all with an- 

 other box, so that they may be in complete 



darkness, — for this is essential to success. 

 Keep the box in a warm place, but dark, until 

 the flowers begin to show. Then remove the 

 covering box, and gradually take the box of 

 plants to the light. The leaves will look white, 

 but they will become green very rapidly after 

 the admission of sunlight and air. Occasion- 

 ally give them warm water — they must never 

 be dry. They will be in bloom in a month 

 from the time of planting the bulbs. Another 

 way of treating them is to wrap each bulb in 

 moss, and then lay them all closely together, 

 the points upward, in a box ; and sprinkle soil 

 in among and upon them, just leaving the tops 

 bare, and covering from the light as before, 

 until they are in bloom. Then take them out 

 carefully, and arrange them, the moss still 

 about them, in baskets or glass dishes or vases. 

 The moss will need moistening occasionally ; 

 but they will remain in bloom a good while 

 with very little moisture. 



Lobelia. — This genus takes its name from 

 an old French botanist. Most of the species 

 are natives of this country. Some are found 

 at the Cape of Good Hope, and a few in the 

 south of Europe. L. Cardinalis, (called by 

 Cutler in his account of the indigenous plants 

 of North America, published in 178.5, Ameri- 

 can Pride) is one of the most beautiful of the 

 family. This species attracted the attention 

 of English florists early in the seventeenth 

 century, and is now cultivated among their 

 choice plants. Transplant in the fall to rich 

 loam. Keep it shaded a month. Cut it nearly 

 down to the root, at the time of transplanting. 

 Water it with weak liquid manure, and as soon 

 as it shoots out well take it to the flower-stand ; 

 its gorgeous scarlet flower will be a valuable 

 addition to any collection. L. Gracilis, a 

 trailing species, bears a pretty blue flower, 

 which makes an elegant appearance in a hang- 

 ing-pot. 



Maherxia ; more properly, Hermannia. — 

 Named in honor of Hermann, a Dutch botan- 

 ist. It is a delicate little shrub, and needs the 

 support of a frame. Nothing can be prettier 

 than a thriving specimen of M. Odorata in 

 full bloom ; the frame being covered with its 

 fine, neat foliage, thickly hung with the small 

 bell-like flowers that dispense a most delicious 

 fragrance. It is easily raised from cuttings 

 started in damp sand under a glass ; and then 

 transplanted to pots, drained with crocks, hav- 



