I30 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



Second, we have Zinnias, a race of flowers which have become very 

 popular since the introduction of the double flowering varieties, many of 

 which nearly equal Dahlias for size and beauty. They get their name from 

 J. S. Zinn, Professor of Botany, at Gottingen. 



Zinnias succeed best when plants are started in a hotbed, and not trans- 

 planted to the open ground until well on to midsummer, and then they 

 require a rich deep loamy soil, and sunny exposure. Most of the garden 

 varieties are descendants of a species called Zinnia elegans. 



The Myosotis, or Forget-me-not, which come next, below, have a special 

 charm on account of their delicate beauty. The name Myosotis signifies 

 mouse-eared, from a fancied resemblance in the leaves. There are some 

 fort}^ varieties, natives of the Temperate Zone, and very common in 

 Europe arid Australia. We have in Canada only one, viz : Myosotis 

 palustris, which may be found in wet places ; it has a small pale blue corolla 

 with yellow eye. 



The Forget-me-not is easily propagated by sowing the seeds outside in 

 springtime, and no garden is complete without a few bushes of them in 

 some moist shady corner. 



The fourth, at the lower right hand, is a charming little annual, known 

 as the " Swan River Daisy." Its proper name is Brachycome iberidifolia, 

 and its native habitat is the banks of the Swan River, in Australia. 



We have found this to flower very freely when grown on a rich sandy 

 loam in a sunny exposure. The flowers are about an inch in diameter, and 

 in color are chiefly blue or white, with a dark centre. The seed may be sown 

 in the open ground. 



No ornament to the table or mantel, can surpass a tastefully arranged 

 boquet of cut flowers ; while the growing of them is not only a healthful 

 employment for our women, but a study in aesthetics which cannot fail to 

 benefit anyone who engages in it. 



It is often a question how best to pack flowers to send to a distant 

 friend, and this is well answered in the following, from an American paper : 



" The best w'ay is to pack the flowers in ice. This is a sure preserva- 

 tive, especially if a little salt is sprinkled over the crystalline surface. 

 Another mode in which flowers are sent in complete preservation, even to 

 Europe, is to pack them closely in two tin cans, covering the stems in moist 

 cotton. Over all a layer of wet cotton is placed. At the end of the sea 

 voyage the buds and flowers will be found fresh and fragrant as at the 

 beginning. To keep flowers from day to day — that is cut flowers — it is only 

 necessary to sprinkle with water, place the stems deep in moisture, and, if 

 necessary, put a light layer of cotton over them. Flowers can be made to 

 last a long time if carefully watched, but they require the delicate nurture 

 of a lover of blossoms." 



