74: 



THE ILLrN-QIS FAKMEK. 



Mae. 



[From the Cuban Messenger.] 

 THE CLOUDS. 



From the Spsniah o/ Da Luisa Perez de Zambrana. 



With winjrs outspread, how softly fly 

 The silent clouds athwart the sky ! 



Behold them pass o'er hill and groves, 

 As pass at eve, white flocks of doves ; 



And now they fling adown the air 

 Their graceful scarfs of vapor rare ; 



That softly gleams like waves of foam, 

 All bathed in light from Heaven's dome ; 



And now recoil they gaily trail 

 Before the sun their wanton veil ; 



Like files of swans they now forsake 

 The fields of air and seek the lake ; 



They float and toy upon the tide, 



Then ope their wings with graceful pride ; 



And, beauteous, thence enamor'd rise 

 To kiss the stars that gem the skies ; 



Now slowly they glide, dispensing dew — 

 A silken gauze o'er ether blue! 



Now coiling up their floating trains. 

 They seem a flock of sleeping cranes; 



Or now fair brides with veils of white, 

 That seek the skj- all robed in light; 



Or a sweet choir of virgins fair, 



On gold wings borne, with flowing hair; 



Or flutt'ring robes the cherubs wear, 

 That sweep along the halls of air ; 



Or angels bright, that meekly bear 

 The Eden crowns of jasmines rare; 



And now they float on ether's sea, 

 Bright barks of pearl that swiftly flee; 



But I believe each cloud to be 

 A glorious soul by God set free ; 



That from earth to heaven doth rise, 

 Receiving there its meted prize ! 



-<a> 



Peopagation of Fine Rose3. — It may not be 

 known to many of our readers that the fine rosea 

 of the China varieties may be readily propagated 

 by means of slips. Cut from the email well 

 ripened wood, slif.s three or four inches in length, 

 strip off a part of the foliage, and insert them in 

 clean white sand, placed in pots or boxes. Keep 

 them regularly watered, so that they may not get 

 dry, and at a regular temperature. They strike 

 root ve:'y ireely. Some practice covering th^-m 

 with bell grass, but those of most experience 

 do not consider the practice necessary. Ladies 

 may also propagate any of the choice rcses de- 

 sired, by budding, in the same manner as fruit 

 trees are buded. It adds much to the beauty of 

 the hardy climbers, to have the main trunk vari- 

 egated with branches of roses, of different shades 

 of coloring — Maine Farmer. 



••> 



— The red, white and blue — the red cheeks, 

 the white teeth, and blue eyes of a lovely girl — 

 are as good a flag as a young soldier in the battle 

 of life need fight for. 



[From the Chicago Tribune, May 1858.] 



The Farm and Garden. 



An Unexpected Present — The Dicscorea Batatas, 

 or Chinese Yam. 



Yesterday the express brought us a suspicions 

 looking box. It was nicely made of half inch pine, 

 two feet long, and of a capacity of two inches 

 inside. We debated some time, considering 

 whether it was safe to open it. It was too light 

 to contain fire-arms, and had too expensive a 

 finish to contain plants. True, it was labelled 

 from the DuPage County Nurseries of Messrs. L. 

 Ellsworth & Co., but when we call to mind the 

 frauds in the refil ing Dupont powder kegs, and 

 second liand flour barrels, having on them choice 

 brands, this did not allay the suspicion in the 

 least. At last our curiosity overcame our preju- 

 dice, and off came the lid, and there, nestled in 

 moss, lay a vegetable product twenty two inches 

 !ong, one-third of an ince in diameter near the 

 top, and an inch in diameter near the base The 

 root has a gradual taper from the top downward 

 some fourteen inches in length, thence maintain- 

 ing a uniform size for three inches ; thence grad- 

 ually tapering to a blunt point, the end being 

 turned up like a sled runner. Judge of my sur- 

 prise to have in our own possession so noble and 

 magnificent a specimen of the great wonder of 

 the age, the "Chinese Yam," or "Diiscora Bata- 

 tas." 



This celostial plant was introduced into Eu- 

 rope twenty eight years since, and its high merits 

 have given it such a rapid spread among the 

 great masac'^, that in this incredibly short space 

 of time, it has reached the wide-swelling prairies 

 of the far-ofi" West, and in the next two years we 

 may confidently expect to hear that it has cross- 

 ed the great Father of Waters, and is thrusting 

 its long roots deep into the soil at the base of the 

 Rocky Mountains. Whether ii will climb that 

 pile of towering granite, to feed the gold seekers 

 of the auriferous shores of the Pacific, we must 

 leave to the great future to unfold. Certain it is, 

 that should it reach the industrious tribe of Digger 

 Indians, it would forever banish grim-visaged 

 famine from the picturesque valleys of that in- 

 teresting people. We have many glowing ac- 

 counts of this growing wonder, and at least one 

 man wishes for no higher honor at the hand of 

 mortals than to have awarded him the credit of 

 having brought it to the attraction of "Young 

 America." "It is the greatest boon that can be 

 given by God to man. The plant is destined to 

 equal cotton in value, by supplying the millions 

 with cheap food, and silence its enemies, and, like 

 the potato, cover the whole land" 



