BUDS, BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



227 



spring I had another bulb of hyacinthus sent me. I was 

 only just recovering from la grippe, and had to delegate 

 my planting to others. By accident, the hyacinthus was 

 overlooked. One day in July when in the cellar I 

 chanced to spy a stout green stalk poking up over the 

 top of a bucket, and there was hyacinthus trying to climb 

 out of the pit into which it had fallen. I planted it at 

 once, in good soil, and in a month it bloomed as cheer- 

 fully as if nothing unusual had happened. From this I 

 infer that hyacinthus is an excellent plant for busy and 

 careless people to grow, as it does not get " miffy " so 

 easily as most plants if neglected. — Elder's Wife. 



A Hotel Conservatory. — Connected with the Niagara 

 hotel of Buffalo is a handsome plant-conservatory, main- 



usual show plant-houses. The greenhouse opens from 

 the conservatory , and measures 20x70 feet. In the roof 

 convervatory of some other hotels there is met the most 

 serious obstacle of a dry and uncongenial atmosphere, 

 which ascends through the building. Freely to employ 

 water on the plants for overcoming this defect, while it 

 cannot entirely remedy it, is quite certain sooner or later 

 to give trouble by leaking into the apartments below 



Improving Vegetablesand Flowers by Selection. 

 — "Time is money," and many who might become ex- 

 perimenters have not the time to spare, but must 

 content themselves with growing the standard sorts 

 that others, with more time and money, are bringing to 

 the front. But there are few that could not lend a help- 



ViEw IN A Hotel Conservatory in Buffalo, New York. 



tained wholly for the gratification of the guestsof the house. 

 There is also a greenhouse in which is grown an assort- 

 ment of flowering and ornamental plants, a chief use of 

 which is the adorning of the dinner-tables and halls and 

 rooms of the house on special occasions. The conserva- 

 tory is 23x60 feet in size and is skirted by a lo-foot-wide 

 piazza on three sides, upon which open the main hall of 

 the hotel, the dining-room, one of the parlors and sev- 

 eral private apartments. The piazza is furnished with 

 easy chairs, tables and lamps, and is a favorite lounging- 

 place for guests the year round— the temperature, even 

 in cold weather, being kept at the agreeable vicinity of 

 70 degrees. There are winding walks through the con- 

 servatory, in which respect it differs agreeably from the 



ing hand in the improvement of varieties by a selection 

 of their best and healthiest plants for seed-bearing. 

 Mark the plants of any kind that have the best fruit or 

 flowers ; then save the seed. By continuing this practice 

 year after year, you will find that your plants will stead- 

 ily improve in any way you wish. — J. M. Waters, Out. 



A Greenhouse Suggestion. — There seems to be a 

 tendency continually to increase the size of greenhouses. 

 It would be interesting and profitable to discuss the ques- 

 tions how large houses may be built and still be economi- 

 cal. Why not use a curb roof with either 12 or 16 feet 

 rafters, making house 40 or 50 feet in width ? The flat 

 upper half of roof would not greatly increase the height. 

 The iron supports do not rust out if kept painted. Such 



