BOTANICAL INDEX, 
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ground adjoining the lakes, all being connected by long flights of stone steps, covered 
by a glass structure. As many of the houses were built since the cut at the head of 
this article was made, only 3 houses are shown in the picture. 
The bluffs face south and east, and here again they have changed an un- 
sightly hillside into a lovely garden, interspersed with numerous caves, grottoes, 
fountains, and springs of running water. Among the plants most at home here 
were Begonias, Calauiuras and Vines, which seemed perfectly at home and grew in 
great luxuriance. Numerous large and stately trees, left from the native forest, still 
shade the banks and render it a most desirable retreat for the tired and footsore 
sight-seeer. In addition to the native trees we noticed many exotics, notably the 
cut-leaf white birch, which seemed to flourish much better than at any other place 
we remember to have seen it before. Among the choice specimens of floral skill 
was the word welcome, while the emblematic U. S. and national shield of our coun- 
try form very attractive objects. But the gem of the place is a large five-pointed star 
40 feet long, in the centre of which stood a very large and well grown specimen of 
Agave Americana, fully 15 feet high, indeed it is so large that it would be impossible 
to handle it except by keeping the tub in which it grows on a truck with broad faced 
wheels. Each of the five divisons of the star was planted with a separate variety of 
Coleus with as distinct and separate colored foliage as possible. Here was an admira- 
ble place to study the effect of the sun upon them, for it is well known that the 
leaves of many kinds of Coleus sun-burn, or fade out into a dingy brown, when ex- 
posed to the hot rays of the summer sun. We saw nothing more rich and showy 
than the old Coleus Verschaffelti, while next in point of beauty was C. Refulgens. 
Coleus Pictus, Zanzibar and Scotti made a poor show. In the space between each 
point of the star was a circular bed containing bright colored foliage plants; most 
conspicuous of all was the dark leaf Cannas, red leaf Coleus and some one of the 
dwarf white leaf plants, usually Gnaphalium lanatum ; and as the ground outside of 
the star and circular beds was covered with a bright and fresh sod, the contrast pro- 
duced was very striking and magnificent. In another bed near by was grouped to- 
gether a great number and variety of large leaf tropical plants, such as Caladium 
Esculentum and Odorata, Musa Ensete, Cavendishi, Rosea, Paradisiaca, &c., together 
with afew tall Chamredorae, (Palm,) and in their moist and sheltered situation grew 
to perfection. As a rule, Musas are not desirable for bedding out, but here we saw 
M. Ensete 23 feet high, with all its leaves entire and making a truly tropical appear- 
ance, while beside it stood M. Cavendishi, Rosea, JParadisiaca and Sapienta, with their 
long recurved midribs swinging to and fro with nothing left of their leaves except 
bunches of ragged shreds of the blade that had been whipped out by the wind. In 
addition to the Musas and Caladiums already noticed, we saw fine specimens of Cycas 
Circinalis, Latana Borbonica, Chamajrops excelsa, Brahea filimentosa, Caladium gi- 
ganteum, Agave Verschaffelti, A. Xylinacantha, A. Parryi, A. Sislandi, A. salmi- 
anca, A. Ortgiesi, &c. 
But this article would be incomplete without an acknowledgement of the atten- 
tion and courtesies received from every one connected with the Home during our 
short visit there. The Governor, Col. E. F. Brown, commanded the Twenty-eight 
New York Regiment during the late civil war, and lost an arm at the battle of Cedar 
Mountain, August, 1862. The Treasurer, Maj. J. B. Thomas, served as Surgeon, 
first in the Army of Ohio and afterwards in the Army of the Cumberland. The 
Secretary, Capt. R. E. Fleming, served in the Third Indiana Light Artillery. Chap- 
lain Wm. Earnshaw, as we have already stated, served first in the Army of the 
Potomac and afterwards in the Army of the Cumberland until the close of the war, 
when he was selected to locate and complete the National cemeteries at Fort Donald- 
son, Shiloh, Corinth and Memphis. Under this administration we find the local 
government of the Home all that can be desired, and each one vieing with the other 
in their efforts to make the place a home in reality, not only for the inmates, but 
an agreeable and pleasant resort for visitors, who are always welcome. 
SEA WEEDS FOB THE II EBB A BI UM. 
The receipt for pressing Sea Weeds for preservation used by the Rev. A. B. Her- 
vey, of Troy, N. Y., well known as an expert in that process, is as follows: Float 
out each specimen by itself in salt water, in a white dish, — take a wash-bowl. Put 
the paper under the plant in the water, arrange the plant on the paper, and careful- 
ly draw it out. Lay the paper with the plant upon it on drying paper, and spread 
over it a piece of white muslin ; then spread over this a layer of drying paper, then 
more plants and then more cloth ; drying paper, etc. Put all under a board, and 
weight it with forty or fifty pounds of stone or other heavy substances. The next 
day change the cloths and drying paper, and in one day more the plants will be dry 
and ready to go into the herbarium or the album, for permanent preservation. — Sci- 
entific American of June 14, 1S79. 
