THE FLORAL H^'ORLD. 



11 



will grow and bloom to perfection. 

 ■Throughout the garden no more de- 

 lightful retreat will be found for a 

 summer evening's stroll than the fra- 

 grant blooming rosary. When the 

 garden plot is too small to allow sep- 

 arate space for roses, the bushes look 

 well planted by dividing fences, thus 

 screening the stiff outlines, making a 

 thing of beauty out of that which, in 

 it's best estate, is an object of ugli- 

 ness, and our neighbors, as well as 

 ourselves, will be the gainers. 



In this country during the last few 

 years Arbor Day has grown very pop- 

 ular, hundreds of trees being planted 

 annually. Would it not be worth 

 while for flower lovers to have a Rose 

 Day, not publicly observed by schools 

 and colleges — though a rose fete 

 would be charming — but by individual 

 families? If each member of the fam- 

 ily, especially the children, would, on 

 a special day, plant a hardy rose, 

 quoting some verse or line descriptive 

 of its charms to the sisters, brothers 

 and parents gathered about, it would 

 become a pleasant festival for all. 



Pa. Margaret D. Brown. 



A DESIRABLE CACTUS. 



Some six months ago, while reading 

 some descriptions of cacti, I was 

 tempted to send for about a dozen 

 different kinds. I had not the slight- 

 est notion of how to care for them, 

 yet I was agreeably surprised to find^ 

 that with one exception all lived and 

 throve. 



Early in April little red dots about 

 the size of a pinhead appeared upon 

 one of them, and I watched it with 

 great interest. All became discour- 

 aged, howerer, with the exception of 

 one, which grew and at last expanded 

 into a most beautiful red blossom 

 just half the size of the plant, which 

 is six inches. 



I had a general idea that cacti 

 needed no water in winter, but this 



little one looked so dry and thirsty 

 that I gave it a drink with the rest of 

 the plants, and when the blossom was 

 coming, stood the pot in hot water 

 every few days. 



The name of this one I find is "Epi- 

 phyllum Russellianum Gaertner." It 

 is a comparatively new variety and 

 not as well known as some. Large 

 specimens, it is said, will bear three 

 or four flowers on every leaf. The 

 blossoms resemble those of the Ce- 

 reus or Phyllocactus, and are a daz- 

 zling scarlet. I find that the plants 

 should be kept in a cool place during 

 the winter until three or four weeks 

 before they are wanted to bloom, then 

 give warmer quarters. They need 

 abundance of sun, good ventilation to 

 prevent weak growth, and an occa- 

 sional dose of liquid manure. Given 

 these, the best results may be confi- 

 dently expected. 



New Jersey J. T. Taylor. 



ORCHID FLOWERED CANNAS. 



On April 15 of last year we pro- 

 cured five orchid flowered cannas, as 

 an experiment. We had a trench dug 

 fifteen inches wide by twenty deep, 

 and this was half-filled with manure 

 from the cow pen, well rotted. On 

 this a little soil. We then set the 

 cannas (which had been started in 

 pots) a little below the surface, so 

 that water would lie around them. 

 Every second day we flooded them. 

 They grew and blossomed beyond our 

 expectations till frost cut them down. 

 In the fall we stored away more than 

 a bushel of roots in dry sand, had 

 many to give away this spring and 

 have started in pots a much larger 

 number, with the satisfaction of feel- 

 ing no doubt about results. 



Kansas. Mrs. I. H. Gray. 



Grow a few tobacco plants; the 

 leaves crushed and laid on the tops 

 of plants liable to the attacks of green 

 lice will keep them away. 



