WINDFALLS. 



Movements of Victoria Flowers. — A striking char- 

 acteristic of the wonderful Victoria regia is the rapidity 



with which the petals open, so fast, indeed, that the be- 

 holder can actually see them move, A reporter spent 



Flower at 4 p. m. 



the afternoon in the conservatory endeavoring to make 

 a sketch of the unfolding blossom, but the flower changed 



Flower at 5 p. m. 



so rapidly that it was a task well nigh impossible to 

 draw a correct outline. Within the short space of two 



hours the outer rows of petals fell from an upright wing- 

 like position to a drooping one, while the center expan- 

 ded from a tight ball to a cone, which latter suddenly 

 unclosed to show the stamens, the last stage occupying 

 not more than twenty minutes. The accompanying il- 

 lustrations give an approximate idea of how the flower 

 appeared at 3 p. hl, 4 p. m., and 5 p. m., at which hour 

 the conservatory was closed. It was impossible to 

 catch the intermediate positions — nothing short of in- 

 stantaneous photography could have done it. 



At 5 p. M. the flower had moved fully a quarter of a 

 yard away from the edge of the big leaf near by. An 

 hour earlier the leaf lapped over the edge of the flower. 

 It would really seem that the flower stem was lengthen- 

 ing, or that the expanding petals were carrying the 

 flower forward like sails. — San Francisco C/ironiilc. 



An Old Orchid. — There are many odd and peculiar 

 orchids, but the one now in bloom at the Harvard bo- 

 tanical garden in Cambridge easily takes the palm for a 

 rare combination of beauty and size. The Aiigraeciim 

 st'sqiiipedale is suspended from the roof of one of the 

 tropical houses, and is about two feet across. The 

 leaves are very fleshy, long and pointed, and of a light 

 green color. They are focused at a central point, pre- 

 senting the appearance of a fan. Beneath aie the snake- 

 like suckers, which absorb moisture and feed the plant. 



Rising from the centre are four strong green spikes, 

 each bearing three blossoms, making a dozen in all. 

 Words are poor to describe them. They are about six 

 inches in diameter, in the form of a star, and of a pure 

 white. It is considered very remarkable that so small 

 a plant should bear so many and so perfect blossoms. 

 The plant is a native of Madagascar, and is supposed to 

 be seventy years old. It was brought here about thirty 

 years ago, and its cultivation dates from that time. — 

 Boston Globe. 



Painted Novelties. — I am getting so hardened that 

 when I take up a flashy catalogue, with a plant set forth 

 in gaudy colors, I pass it by without reading. Some of 

 them, of course, turn out all right, but what is the use 

 of so much paint ? Will there not come a day when 

 these foolish women (they are mostly women) will lose 

 confidence in this sort of advertising, and settle down 

 to some good old standby, letting the novelties go by 

 the board ? These novelties are boomed at an exorbi- 

 tant price, sometimes ; and some poor little farmer 

 woman straightway pinches here and there, until the 

 requisite dollar or two is saved, and off it goes for this 

 much lauded plant. Or, perhaps, with a desire to se- 

 cure her own plant free, she gets up a club, tramps 

 around the neighborhood through good and bad weather 

 to secure the desired number, and then forwards the 

 the order. In course of time the plants arrive, and 

 "owing to the unprecedented demand for the plant" 

 the stock is about exhausted ; but she receives the 

 plants, some of them of the most diminutive size. She 

 goes around with her heart in her mouth, and delivers 

 the plants to her club, and such a time as she has ! 



