376 



M> I N D FA LLS. 



a teasel plant if in no way proteifted. The second year, 

 during the month of May, the plants are cultivated and 

 soon after they begin to throw up a center stalk, which 

 grows very rapidly, reaching a height of four to six feet 

 by July 15th. About this time the "king" (or head of 

 center stalk) begins to blossom. On each side of the 

 main stalk laterals shoot out (from four to a dozen) each 

 bearing a burr or head at each extremity ; these are 

 called "mediums" on account of being less in size than 

 the "kings," and larger than the " buttons, " or smallest 

 heads which grow on side shoots from stalks bearing the 

 ''mediums " As above stated, the " kings " blossom first 

 and remain in bloom about one week ; by this time the 

 most forward of the "mediums" begin and later the 

 "buttons ;" in all the plant is in bloom three or four 

 weeks. The harvesting is begun when the blossoms have 



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Dark Roon 

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BBRATORY 

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Class room 



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it sid«5 . 12 f 

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Labratory 



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Fig. 3. First Floor. 



fallen off about one-third of all the burrs. The harvesters 

 are supplied with gloves, small knife and a large basket. 

 As the blossoms fall, the field is gone over again, each time 

 cutting all that are ready ; the entire harvest consuming 

 about twenty consecutive days. They are carted from 

 the fields to barns and sheds and spread on scaffolds to 

 dry. As soon as dried they are ready for the " middle 

 man" who cuts off the long coarse spikes at the base, cuts 

 the stem to an even length (three inches) and sorts 

 them, making ten or more sizes, hand packs them in large 

 cases, when they are ready to ship to the woollen manu- 

 faAurer. They are sold by weight, ten pounds being 

 called one thousand . The price at present is 75 cents per 

 one thousand. An acre of land will produce from 

 100,000 to 250,000 burrs. — Special Crops. 



Tropical Utricularias. — What is the reason that 

 these superb little plants are so very scarce in the north- 

 ern greenhouses ? They merit to occupy a prominent 

 place in an orchid collection, as they are so similar in 

 appearance to the orchids and require the same treat- 

 ment, growing as they do, among these plants in the 

 same conditions. They generally grow either on dead, 

 half-decomposed trunks of trees, or on mountain slopes 

 on the moss-covered loam, mixed with humus. They 

 are very dwarf plants, bearing flowers exceedingly large 

 for the size of plant. Some are so minute that the limb 

 of the leaf is not much larger than each foliole of a 

 lemna ; still they bear a delicate flower on a very thin 

 stem, the size of a violet, light blue with some violet, 

 white and yellow or orange. But the most superb spe- 

 cies of this country, the Urtiailaria Endresi, attains very 

 much larger proportions ; it has leaves two inches long, 

 and bears a half-erect, somewhat incurved scape eight to 

 twelve inches long, which has, from a little distance, en- 

 tirely the appearance of a spike of some beautiful mil- 

 tonia or odontoglossum ; the flowers, six to ten in number, 

 are disposed as in Odontoglossum vexillariwn, or O. Wnrs- 

 ze'viczii, from some distance resembling those of O. A'oez- 

 lii ; of fine texture, and pure white, with a light pure 

 yellow blotch. 



These plants, as delicate as they are of structure, are 

 still of remarkable tenacity of life, provided they are not 

 exposed to pressure, nor made to rot from want of drain- 

 age. Put them in a Columbian house or any cool or 

 temperate greenhouse, shade, put one inch coarse gravel 

 in a shallow box, then two inches loam, rich in humus. 

 Then put your little plants, with their fine, tender, half- 

 translucid, greenish-white bulbs, or rather tubers, on the 

 surface and cover with a solid fleece of short, living 

 sphagnum, one inch high for the most. Shade and very 

 good drainage, with plenty of water, are essential. — C. 

 Werckle, Costa Rica. 



Among Notable Orchids at the Paris Exposition 

 were some magnificent specimens of CattLya gigas and a 

 wonderful Oncidium stiperbiens with brown petals edged 

 with golden yellow. The flowering branch is nearly 16 

 feet long. Mention must also be made of Cypripedium 

 caudatuiii, with ribbon-like pendent petals nearly twenty 

 inches long — Moniteur d^ Ilort. 



Iris Bakeriana. — This most beautiful little bulbous 

 iris is in flower again. The bulbs came from Herr Max 

 Leichtlin, of Baden Baden, in the summer of 1889. It 

 is a native of Asia Minor. Its leaves are cylindrical 

 glaucous green, and six to eight inches long when the 

 plant is in flower ; but when the leaves are full grown 

 they are about twelve inches long. The flowers are a 

 beautiful violet, and the lower part violet on a creamy 

 yellow ground. 



It has proved hardy in the south of England. I am 

 afraid it will be useless here as an out-door plant, as it 

 flowers too early. It flowers outside in England about 

 the beginning of January. I give it the same treatment 

 as freesias, and grow it in a temperature of about 45°. 

 — R. Cameron, Mass. 



