1883.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



189 



The buds make their appearance some time 

 before you cau expect any flowers. At first, 

 if you have never seen any Hoyas in bud, 

 you will hardly suspect the little curved, 

 brown stick that you see in the axil of the 

 leaf to be a promise of coming bloom. You 

 will notice that at the end it looks rough, as 

 if it intended to divide itself into a good 

 many pieces when it got large enough, and 

 by and by it will. Each little piece of the 

 "brush " on the end of the flower-stem will 

 develop into a bud, and a cluster will con- 

 tain, often, as many as thirty flowers, of a 

 pale pink or flesh color, with a star of white 

 wax, picked out with brown, in the center, 

 and of most delightful fragrance. The flowers 

 last for a long time, and when they fall off, 

 the stem that held them remains, and next 

 year it will bear flowers again. My plant 

 had over one hundred clusters of flowers on 

 it last spring and summer, many clusters 

 blooming twice during the same season. 

 There is a green and white leaved variety, 

 Ho y a carnosa varie- 

 gata, which is very 

 pretty, but not as 

 robust as the non- 

 variegated variety. 



Eben E. Rexford. 



FEEN LEAVES, 



In the arrangement 

 of cut-flower work of 

 all kinds, nothing is 

 more essential to its 

 best appearance than 

 a judicious use of 

 some kind of leaves, 

 vines, etc., to har- 

 monize the colors of 

 the flowers used, as 

 also to heighten the 

 general effect. Bou- 

 quets, or floral de- 

 signs, do not look 

 well without a free 

 use of some effective 

 green, and nothing 

 serves this purpose 

 so completely as Fern leaves. 



Nearly all Perns like a moist, cool atmos- 

 phere, to produce large, well formed leaves 

 of a dark-green color. A dry atmosphere 

 generally gives them a yellow, unhealthy 

 appearance, unsuitable for arranging with 

 cut flowers of any kind ; and to insure their 

 lasting long after being cut, they have to be 

 grown in a cool temperature. Take Adian- 

 tums, for instance (which are the most beau- 

 tiful Ferns for cut-flower work), when grown 

 in a cool house last much longer after- cut- 

 ting than if grown in high temperature. 

 There are, of course, some kinds which re- 

 quire a higher temperature than others ; but 

 all Brazilian species succeed best in a tem- 

 perate house, and amongst them are found 

 some of the finest in cultivation. 



All Fern leaves, before being used after 

 they are cut, should be submerged for half 

 an hour or so in water, as they last much 

 longer and keep their color better than when 

 not subjected to this treatment. 



The best kinds for cutting are : 



Adiantum affine, of easy culture, and doing 

 well in a general collection of house plants. 



A. assimile. — This beautiful little Fern is 

 of easy culture, and graceful in bouquets. 



./. euneatum.— The best known Maiden- 

 hair Fern in cultivation ; and where only 

 one is grown, whether for cutting purposes 

 or as a specimen plant, let this be the one. 

 Being a native of Brazil, it does well in 

 a greenhouse temperature. The foliage is 

 graceful, ever-green, and admirably suited 



J for winter work. 



A. gracillimum. — Similar to the above, only 



i the pinnules are smaller. For fine work 



j and button-hole bouquets this cannot lie sur- 



[ passed. 



A. Farlc ij <c i <t sc. — The mature fronds of this I 

 magnificent Fern are excellent for basket- j 

 work, and in fact for any kind of floral j 

 | designs. Immature leaves soon turn black ; I 

 I therefore, only mature fronds should be used. 

 This Fern succeeds best at the warm end of 

 the greenhouse. 



A. decorum.- — Another good cool-house 

 < Fern for cutting. It is a strong grower, and j 

 does well, often even under adverse circum- 

 stances. 



of The American 



Some species of Pteris are also valuable 

 for cutting purposes. The best of these are 

 Pteris serndata and its varieties, including 

 the crested ones. They are all easily grown, 

 and suitable for any kind of floral work. 



P. argyrea. — A beautifully variegated kind, 

 pretty for baskets and table designs. 



/'. tremula. — A good, hardy Fern, suitable 

 alike for cutting and planting in hanging- 

 baskets, etc. 



Some species of DavalKa, Asplenium, Lorn- 

 aria, Polypodium, Polystichum, etc., are also 

 suitable for cutting. 



In every collection of plants a few of the 

 above should be grown, and, if not wanted 

 for cutting purposes, as specimens to deco- 

 rate the greenhouse or window garden. 



Mansfield Milton. 



some of the 

 Garden. 



While employed, some years ago, in Eng- 

 land, by a gentleman who found that the 

 usual brick flues required more time and 

 attention than could be given by his gar- 

 dener, I constructed a cistern under the 

 plant stand, the whole length of the house. 

 This tank was made of planks, the joints 

 laid in white lead. Over its entire length 

 was placed a box six inches deep, and con- 

 taining sand, which served as a cover and 

 was used for the propagation of various 

 plants by cuttings. The heating apparatus 

 consisted of a small copper boiler holding 

 about eight gallons. From the top of this a 

 lead pipe communicated with the top of the 

 cistern, and another pipe, protected against 

 the fire, ran from the bottom of the tank to 

 the bottom of the boiler. The management 

 of this apparatus recpxired but little care and 

 time, while a continuous and uniform heat 

 was maintained at a comparatively small cost. 



I have since fitted 

 up a similar and still 

 less expensive ap- 

 paratus, in which the 

 boiler of the kitchen 

 range supplied the 

 necessary heat, and 

 common iron gas- 

 pipes were used for 

 the conveyance of 

 the water. 



It will readily be 

 perceived that the 

 large body of warm 

 water will keep up 

 a more steady and 

 uniform heat than 

 could be produced 

 by pipes alone ; and 

 if the supply pipe is 

 carried to the ex- 

 treme end of the 

 tank, the water will 

 be kept in constant 

 circulation. 



Various modifica- 

 tions, adapted to ex- 

 isting conditions, 

 For a small room, an 

 ordinary stove could be used; and as there 

 is little or no pressure of steam, almost any 

 metallic vessel that holds water may be 

 made to serve the purpose of a boiler. 



R. Cole. 



might be suggested. 



HEATING SMALL PLANT HOUSES. 



There is probably no subject that offers 

 more difficulties to the amateur florist than 

 the heating of small greenhouses and con- 

 servatories ; and the following plan, which 

 recommends itself by its cheapness, sim- 

 j plicity, and effectiveness, may at this season 

 I of the year suggest a feasible expedient to 



LILIUM AUEATUM FOE POT CULTUEE. 



In a former number, the American Garden 

 quotes from Mr. Endieott : " Lilium auratum 

 is not suited for pot culture." I asked 

 him why, for I heard him read that essay, 

 and he told me that the flowers were so big 

 that they were unbecoming on a pot plant, 

 or words to that effect. Yes, but this Lily 

 is exceedingly fickle as an outdoor plant; 

 sometimes it grows and blossoms superbly, 

 and again it defies cultivation in our borders. 

 But as a pot plant or grown in a frame, I 

 never knew it to fail. And surely it has no 

 larger ' ' blossoms " in its way than have Poin- 

 settias, Luculia graUssima, and Medinilla 

 magnified, and behold what a magnificent 

 display they make as greenhouse pot plants. 

 My advice to your readers is, if they fail with 

 it as a hardy border Lily, grow it in pots. 



Wm, Falconer. 



