57 



ings ; this light being either in the form of faint electric sparks, or 

 steadier, like the phosphorescence of the glow-worm. The tube- 

 rose has also been observed on sultry evenings, after thunder 

 when the air was highly charged with electric fluid, to emit small 

 scintillations, in great abundance, from such of its flowers as were 

 fading. It is not always the flowers which produce the light, as 

 appears from the following record : "In the garden of the Duke 

 of Buckingham at Stowe, during a storm of thunder and light- 

 ning, accompanied by heavy rain, the leaves of the flower called 

 Oenothera macrocarpa, a bed of which was in the garden im- 

 mediately opposite the windows of the Manuscript Library, were 

 observed to be brilliantly illuminated by phosphoric light. Dur- 

 ing the intervals of the flashes of lightning the night was exceed- 

 ingly dark, and nothing else could be distinguished in the gloom 

 except the bright light upon the leaves of these flowers. The 

 luminous appearance continued uninterruptedly for a considerable 

 length of time, but did not appear to resemble any electric effect." 

 — Indian Gardening. 



CULTIVATION OF OUR NATIVE PLANTS. 



I am sure I have derived more pleasure from "herbaceous 

 plants" than from any other. The herbaceous plants of our 

 woods and fields are in great variety, and, although there are 

 many most beautiful kinds almost exterminated, speaking of the 

 vicinity of this city (Philadelphia), yet there are hundreds of 

 sorts yet to be found, the looking for and the finding names of 

 w T hich would afford great gratification. 



It is so common to hear persons say, when viewing some 

 woodland beauty, "How I would like to transplant it to my gar- 

 den !" While it is true that but few succeed in getting such plants 

 to flourish in their gardens, it is nearly always from lack of know- 

 ing how to make them feel at home. Let me mention the Trailing 

 Arbutus, Bpigaea repens, as an illustration. It is the common be- 



