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THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



[April, 



THE SPRINQ CONCERT, 



King Spring will give a concert soon 



Within his palace green, 

 Where all the fashion, rank, anil wealth 



Of Woodland may be seen. 



The hall is painted green and brown, 



The ceiling sapphire-blue ; 

 The floor is laid with carpeting 



Of many a gorgeous hue. 



Great artists true, and not a few, 



Come flocking at his call, 

 And when the concert 's over, 'twill 



Be followed by a ball. 



Sweet Robin sings a carol gay, 

 With many a shake and trill, 



While Blackbird on his rustic pipe 

 Exhibits wondrous skill. 



Tom Frog will bring his big trombone, 



Phil Woodpecker his drum, 

 And Linnets, Finches, tiny Tits, 



To swell the chorus come. 



Jack Sparrow gayly struts about 



With modest Jenny Wren; 

 Good Parson Book hopes wedding fees, 



And caws a gruff Amen. 



When birds begin to flirt, 'tis time 



For dancing to begin ; 

 So all the beauties of the court 



You'll soon see trooping in. 



Queen Rose, and Lily, Violet sweet, 



And modest Harebell blue, 

 Pale Primrose, Daisy, Daffodil, 



Speedwell, and Woodbine too. 



A gay selection for the dance 



The bustling Breezes play, 

 Of waltzes, reels, and minuets, 



Quadrilles, and polkas gay. 



King Spring will send you tickets all, 



Post-paid to every part; 

 The court dress needful is a smile, 



The price a merry heart. 



—Harper's Young People. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Sowing Flower Seeds. — A hotbed is the "best 

 place to start seeds of tender plants ; hardier 

 kinds may be sown in cold frames, and where 

 none of these appliances are at command, 

 the same object may be accomplished with 

 boxes or flower-pots in a sunny room in the 

 house. 



Covering Seeds just the right depth is the 

 great conundrum with amateur horticultur- 

 ists. As a rule, the smaller the seeds the 

 lighter they should be covered, increasing 

 the depth of soil with the larger size of the 

 seeds. There is less risk in covering too 

 little than too much, and those in doubt 

 about the proper depth of soil to put over 

 their seeds will generally have better success 

 by leaving them entirely bare than by cover- 

 ing so deep as to smother them. More seeds 

 are lost annually by being covered too deep 

 than from all other causes combined. 



Very Small Seeds should not be covered at 

 all, but simply be strewn thinly over the 

 previously smoothed and lightly patted fine 

 soil in pots filled to within about one inch 

 from the rim. After sowing, the pots should 

 be placed in lukewarm water, but not so 

 deep as to run over the rim, until the soil is 

 thoroughly soaked. The pots are then placed 

 in a warm position, covered with a plate of 

 glass, and shaded for a few days. 



&0DETIAS. 



These beautiful annuals, although natives 

 of California, are as yet not often found in 

 our flower-gardens, while in Europe they 

 have long been held in high esteem. They 

 are exceedingly handsome and showy, grow 

 a foot or more high, and the older varieties 

 bear a profusion of rosy -lilac flowers. 



The seed should be sown early in spring, 

 in a hotbed, or in pots in the house, and 

 transplanted outdoors about the middle of 

 May. The soil should be deep, but not very 

 rich ; nor should the plants be set close 

 together, else they will grow spindling, and 

 produce more leaves than flowers. They are 

 also well adapted for pot culture in the 

 house, for which purpose the seed is sown in 



DUCHESS OF ALBANY 



autumn. Several new varieties have lately 

 been introduced, some of which are decided 

 improvements over the older kinds. 



Lady Albemarle grows a foot high, has very 

 large flowers of intensely rich carmine-crim- 

 son color, edged with pale lilac, resembling, 

 some kinds of Hibiscus. 



Duchess of Albany is among the novelties 

 of this year, and seems to be a superb 

 variety. It is described as producing a 

 profusion of large, handsome, satiny-white 

 flowers, the individual blooms frequently 

 measuring four inches across, and being 

 decidedly the finest white Godetia ever sent 

 out. The plants, when in full bloom, re- 

 semble miniature Azaleas, profusely covered 

 with trusses of flowers, which entirely hide 

 the foliage. 



WATER-LILT CULTURE. 



The praises of our sweet native Water- 

 Lily can never be too highly sung. Its lovely 

 flowers are worthy of a place beside the most 

 costly exotics. Lovers of this charming 

 plant will be glad to know that there are 

 quite a large number of species and varieties 

 of NympJuea and similar aquatic plants, both 

 hardy and tender, which would be an orna- 

 ment to any garden, whether humble or pre- 

 tentious, producing flowers varying in size 

 from the tiny N. pygm&a, no larger than a 

 half-dollar, to the grand N. Bevoniensis, eleven 

 inches across. Many colors are represented 

 also. Pink in N. odorata rosea and N. alba 

 rosea ; brilliant red in N. Bevoniensis and N. 



rubra; lavender-blue, in N. coerulea and N. 

 scutifolia; deep blue, almost purple, in N. 

 Zanzibariensis ; yellow in N. flava. There are 

 also many white varieties, each of which is 

 distinct from Jv". odorata. 



Nelumbium speciosum, or the Egyptian 

 Lotus, has large flowers, with petals white at 

 the base, shaded off into pink and rose color. 

 It is far more beautiful than the American 

 species N. luteum, the Water Chinquepin. 

 The first day the flowers open they appear 

 like gigantic Tea-rose buds, and are of a 

 bright rose color. The second day they 

 open like a Tulip, and are creamy-white and 

 pink, measuring under good culture ten to 

 twelve inches across. It has proved to be 

 perfectly hardy in this latitude, notwith- 

 standing the fact of its being a native of 

 warm climates. It is one of the noblest 

 aquatics ever introduced, and makes a fine 

 ornament for any piece of water in the 

 pleasure-ground, or for a carp-pond. 



Much has been written about the culture 

 of these plants in tubs, but a tank or basin, 

 even if only of moderate dimensions, will 

 give much greater pleasure. A tank of six 

 feet in diameter would do very well for 

 either one kind of Lotus, — one large-growing 

 Nijmpha>a, or three small varieties. A larger 

 basin might be built in the following man- 

 ner : A warm, sunny position should be 

 chosen, and an excavation eleven and a half 

 feet long, seven and a half wide, and two 

 deep, should be made. A wall of bricks, laid 

 in cement, should be built inside this excava- 

 tion ; a coat of cement, three-fourths of an 

 inch thick, laid on the smooth bare earth of 

 the bottom, and the inside of the brick wall 

 covered with a thin coat of the same material. 

 Some arrangement for drawing off the water 

 from the bottom, and an overflow pipe near 

 the top, is desirable. A rich compost, con- 

 sisting of good loam and the best stable or 

 barnyard manure in equal quantities, is 

 found to suit these plants perfectly. Eiver 

 mud is entirely unnecessary. 



If you wish to grow only hardy species, 

 or if you wish to devote the whole basin to 

 two or three of the tender kinds, and produce 

 large flowers, then put in the compost to the 

 depth of one foot. For the Egyptian Lotus, 

 a partition one foot high, made of brick laid 

 on edge, should be put across one end of the 

 tank, inclosing one-third of the space. This 

 is to prevent its roots from spreading in 

 among the other plants, for the Lotus is a 

 great rambler. 



If a larger number of varieties is desired, 

 then put no soil on the bottom of the basin, 

 but keep all the plants in pots and boxes. 

 This will not prevent them from blooming 

 freely, but will dwarf them so that you can 

 grow more plants in the same space. In the 

 fall the tank should be covered with boards 

 and litter, to prevent injury to the walls by 

 frost. 



Algfe — the green scum which sometimes 

 floats on the surface — may become trouble- 

 some and unsightly in Water- Lily tanks and 

 small ponds. From several years' experience 

 in using tanks for Water-Lilies, I am con- 

 vinced that the best remedy for this trouble 

 is to keep plenty of fish in them, particularly 

 those kinds which feed on vegetable matter. 

 Last season I introduced gold and silver fish. 

 The green scum soon disappeared, and I had 

 no trouble whatever with it the whole season. 

 Probably the German carp would answer the 

 same purpose. E. D. Sturtevant. 



