1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



265 



has began to decay. By following these direc- 

 tions no one can fail to grow all kinds of house 

 plants. Roses, and all the rarest flowers of the 

 green houses are propagated in this manner. No 

 tree, shrub or plant but can be increased by this 

 simple process. 



The variegated leaved plants are most tasily pro- 

 pagated ; they are all soft- wooded and will grow 

 as quickly as a potato. They are gaining in pop- 

 ularity every year ; their lovely leaves are such 

 excellent imitations of gorgeous flowers, and are 

 really indispensable for bouquets and vases. A 

 variegated Rose-scented Geranium — Lady Ply- 

 mouth is one of the rarities of the season. Its 

 leaves are distinctly marked with white ; and there 

 is a new Sweet-scented Geranium, Dr. Livingstone, 

 which possess exquisite foliage for bouquets. The 

 Ivy-leaved Geraniums are rapidly coming into fa- 

 vor. They are well adapted for rustic baskets and 

 vases, also for rock-work. The Eolly Wreath lyis 

 deep green leaves with a creamy margin and 

 snowy white flowers. UElegante is beautifully 

 and purely margined with white, gradually as- 

 suming a pinkish tinge. Twenty-five cents cur- 

 rency is all that some of our florists ask for these 

 lovely "novelties" and if one dollar's worth is or- 

 dered, they will send them free by mail, thus bring 

 ing them as it were to one's garden for but little 

 cost. 



The new gold and crimson colors are rarely 

 beautiful. They are of the richest tints of bronzy 

 crimson ; brilliant as a shot silk, and every leaf is 

 margined with yellow. Queen Victoria has a 

 golden beaded edging, bright crimson centre. 

 Princess Royal a rosy crimson centre, with narrow 

 margin of yellow. Albert Victor, a bronzy red 

 centre, shot with a purplish red and a broad golden 

 edge. 



Description fails to do justice to these rare gems ; 

 they must be seen to be appreciated. They are 

 all of English culture, and are ofiiered this season 

 at the Innisfallen Greenhouses for 30 cents cur- 

 rency, or $\ for five difi'erent varieties. Of them- 

 selves they would form a glorious garden, and 

 certainly a cheap one. There is a good deal of 

 confusion in the minds of some amateur garden- 

 ers with respect to what are Geraniums anu what 

 are Pelargoniums. The Geranium was so named 

 by Linnajus from geranos, a crane, on account of 

 the termination of the carpels, bearing some fan- 

 cied resemblance to the bill of that bird. Several 

 species of Geranium grow wild in England, and 

 there is a purplish pink wild Geranium familiar to 

 all lovers of wild flowers in New England; but 

 the rarer kinds have been brought from other 

 countries and naturalized in our green houses and 

 windows. The florists have hybridzed them, and 

 produced all the exquisitely beautiful varieties we 

 now cultivate. To their untiring assiduity we are 

 greatly indebted. 



The Pelargoniums are all strictly exotic ; they 

 are named from a supposed semblance of their 

 capsules to the bill and head of a stork, the Latin 



of which is pelargos. They are placed in the same 

 class of the Linnaean system as the Geranium ; 

 but it belongs to the fourth order, while the Gera- 

 nium is of the sixth. These species have been 

 frequently hybridized, but the flowers are dis- 

 tinctly different, the Pelargoniums being much 

 larger and handsomer than the Geraniums. These 

 plants are much benefited by close pruning, they 

 are by this process made to grow in a bushy com- 

 pact shape. After they have bloomed freely in 

 the winter and spring cut off the outer branches, 

 and thin out artistically to improve the shape. A 

 florist thinks as much of a finely formed plant as 

 of i;s gorgeous flowers. Amateur gardeners do 

 not pay attention enough to this point, and many 

 scraggy ugly plants are seen growing in parterre 

 and window. 



There is a good deal to be considered in pur- 

 chasing plants at this season, for however gratify- 

 ing it may be to have them in full bloom when 

 first bought, it is much more satisfactory to possess 

 those which will last the longest in perfection, 

 especially those which have a succession of bloom. 

 It is never desirable to buy a plant which is offered 

 for sale in its height of bloom. Such plants have 

 been prematurely forced, and after a few weeks 

 their vigor is all gone. 



It will take more skill than most amateurs pos- 

 sess to bring them up to their original status. Far 

 better to purchase a plant which is fairly budded, 

 and promises much more beauty than it possesses 

 when purchased. Then you will feel compensated 

 for both the price of the plant and the care you 

 have bestowed upon it. "We hope that our far- 

 mers' wives and daughters will sweeten their sur- 

 roundings with a few flowers. The love of them 

 seems a naturally implanted passion without one 

 grain of alloy mingling with its pure metal. The 

 early flowers of spring always bring wich them a 

 great amount of pleasure; they are cherished as 

 private friendships. The tiniest child loves the 

 buttercup and the dandelion. "We wish that every 

 farm house had its Pinks, Roses, Geraniums and 

 Verbenas. They are within the reach of every 

 woman, and will afford her the purest delights. 

 Many of our good housewives raise sage, camo- 

 mile and colt's foot. Enlarge you beds, dear 

 friends, and plant therein thtir lovelier and more 

 fragile sisters, which we have described, and you 

 will not regret the extra labor which they will im- 

 pose upon you. s. o. j. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 BOOTS va. COBN. 



My attention was recently called to this sub- 

 ject by reading an extract from a letter in the 

 Country Oentleman written by the venerable 

 John Johnston of New York, in which he 

 says roots can never be raised to a large ex- 

 tent in this country unless wages were as low 

 as in Germany or Denmark. 



I was somewhat surprised to learn that such 

 was the opinion of one who for years has been 



