1865.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
849 
The Care of House Plants. 
The change from the opeu air to (luartevs 
withia the house is often fatal to the health of 
plauts, and although the owner gives them, as 
he thinks, eveiy care, their foliage takes on a 
faiokly look or drops. This cspeciall}- is the case 
when plants are removeil late in the season to 
save them from an apprehended frost, and taken 
to a close, and it may be heated room. The 
change from free air to the house should be 
gradual, and plants will do much better if they 
are at first removed to a room without a fire, 
to which air can bo freelj- admitted on every 
mild daj', and thus gradually accustomed to the 
new condition of things. Those plants which 
are merely brought in-doors for iirotectiou, and 
are not e.\pected to grow and bloom will do 
well in a room without a fire, except in very se- 
vere weather. The best place for such plants, 
however, is a light and dry cellar that is protect- 
ed from frost. In either place, the plants need 
but little water. Plants in sitting rooms need 
to have pleutj'of light; ventilation whenever 
the external temperature renders it practicable ; 
water according to the needs of the particular 
kind of plants ; and particularlj-, what is so often 
neglected, they should have a frequent wash- 
ing of the foliage to free it of dust and insects. 
As we were writing this article, there came to 
hand a letter from Mr. C. II. Spoouer, of Phila- 
delphia, who removed from the country where 
he had a green-house, and brought his plants to 
the city where he had no proper structure for 
them. The experience of Mr. S. in keeping 
plants in an unfavorable localit}', will doubtless 
be useful to many, and his directions for gener- 
al treatment are such as maj- be safelj' followed. 
" My home in the City is on the north side of 
the street, and the back room in which I keep 
my plants never receives a ray of sunshine 
from November until March ; it is also heated 
with hot air from kitchen range, yet even under 
these, the worst of circumstances, some of the 
plants did much better than could have been 
expected. Azaleas flowered finely toward spring, 
when a little sunshine crept in for an hour or 
two. Epiphyllura Jenkiusonii, Grahaniii, and 
speciosa, also flowered superbly. The whole 
Cactus family are well adapted for room culture, 
making no litter, standing much bad treatment, 
except an excess of water while at rest (during 
winter), and profuse in flowering. Habrolham- 
nus elegaus was a miracle of beauty during the 
winter, the plant was about three feet high, and 
had been pinched in so as to form a bush}-, yet 
umbrella shaped head, before being allowed to 
flower. It had as many as fift}' trusses in bloom 
at one time. Ardisia crenulata, looked pretty, 
until severe cold weather, when the thermome- 
ter fell sometimes one or two degrees below 
freezing point, causing it to cast its fruit. Ca- 
mellias lost their buds, and looked badly. Lily 
of the Nile, bloomed finely. Geraniums want- 
ed sunshine to make them bloom. Hare's-foot- 
Silver striped, and other green-house Ferns did 
pretty well, as did the common L3Xopodiuni. 
To sum u\y with a few brief hints to those not 
acquainted with the culture of plants in rooms : 
Never water j-our plant until the earth looks 
rather light and dry, then give a good soaking 
with water, not too cold. If any plant gets in- 
fested with insects, take it to the bath tub or 
hydrant, lay it on its side, and if you have no 
garden syringe, put a finger under the mouth 
of the faucet, and spray the water with i/c/ii/fi 
force over and under the leaves. If you can 
sprinkle your plants every day (when the air in 
the room is not too cold), it will be of much 
benefit. Discard hot-house plants as a general 
tiling, as to keep them in a temperature suffi- 
ciently warm, would induce a corresponding 
dryness in the atmosphere, which that kind of 
plants can not endure. Azaleas, Cactus, Gera- 
niums, Habrothamnus, Ccstrum, Dwarf Orange, 
Daphne (flowered finely with me). Yellow Jas- 
samine (excellent), Beloperone oblongata, Rhyn- 
cospernmum jasminoides. Bramble rose, and if 
you have sunshine, the dilferent varieties of 
Oxalis are very prettj'. Never open the window 
in cold or wind}' weather, as all sudden changes 
are detrimental." 
Tim umBEU(BW). 
Fig. 1. 
About Cinuamon and Cassia. 
Under the name of Cinnamon we have in geu- 
er.il use a spice which is universally popular, but 
which is not Cinnamon at .all. The true spice of 
this name is the product of Ciniiainomuni Zeylani- 
ctwi, a tree which is a native of Ceylon, but is now 
cultivated in several 
neighboring countries. 
The tree is about 30 
feet high, has thick, 
pale green, shining and 
strongly three-veined 
leaves, and clusters of 
small flowers. The 
shape of the leaves, but 
reduced in size, is 
shown in the illustra- 
tion, fig. 1. All parts 
of the plant are aro- 
matic, but the bark of 
the young branches is 
the portion used for its 
flavor. Branches three 
years old are removed 
from the tree and peel- 
ed, and the outer layer 
of the bark, or skiu, is 
scraped off. The bark 
in drying, curU up 
lengthwise so as to 
form an imperfect cy- 
linder, and while yet 
flexible, eight or ten 
of those pieces or " quills " are placed one within 
another so as to form rolls about a yard long, 
which when thoroughly dry are put up in bales. 
The true cinnamon is quite costly, and is seldom 
found in any shops except those of the druggists. 
It is readily distinguished by being very thin, 
Fig. a 
Fig.a 
scarcely thicker than ordinary brown paper, and 
by its light yellowish brown color, and peculiar 
taste. Being an expensive article it is not iu gen- 
eral use, but those who are particular .about flavors 
will buy it, notwithstanding its high price, in pref- 
erence to the article commonly sold .as cinua- 
mon, which is Cassia. Cassia is the product of 
another, and perhaps more than one other species 
of Cinnamomum, and comes from Chiua and sever- 
al of the E.ast Indian ports. The bark is much 
thicker than the true ciun.amou, is of a redder 
brown color, .and the pieces, instead of being rolled 
one within another, are single, or only two or three 
together. It is imported in small b.ales made of 
mattiug which contain two or more pound rolls of 
the bark. The figures 3 and 3, sbow the difference 
in the appear.anee of the two barks, the Cassia 
bark, fig. 3, beiug much thicker than that of the 
Cinnamon, flg. 3. Besides these difl'ercnces, there 
is a marked oue iu the taste wbich can not be well 
described, but which is readily recognized by any 
one who has compared the two. The flavors are 
similar but very distinct, and although the Cassia 
is the stronger of the two, the Cinnamon is far 
more agreeable aud delicate. The Cassia then, is 
the bark which we use under the name of Cinna- 
mon, and this when iiurchased in the powdered 
form is very likely to be adulterated, by various 
cheap substances which are grouud up with it. 
With this, as with oUier spices, the only way to be 
sure of a pure article is to procure it in the un- 
manufactured state and powder or grind it .at home. 
A Neat and Inexpensive Ornament. 
♦ — 
Recently a new style of oruamental work has ap- 
peared for sale, which .at first looks like beautifully 
carved rustic worli. A close examination, however, 
shows that the fine effect is produced with a very 
common material, oulybutteruut shells, cut iu thin 
slices across the grain, aud fastened together at the 
edges with glue. The illustratiou represents a 
small fancy bracket made in this manner, to be 
hung upon the wall to support an ornamental 
vase, image, or other article. The same material is 
worked into picture frames, card baskets, work 
boxes and other similar things. The butternut is 
easily sawed into slices by holding it in the end of 
a stick hollowed out to receive it, and having cuts 
made partially through the stick at proper distances 
apart, to guide the saw, as iu a mitre box. Strong, 
thick glue is needed to hold the slices together, and 
BUTTERNUT BRACIvET. 
the work looks nicer if the pieces be smoothed 
with a file and sand-paper, before puttiug them to- 
gether. We have seen a very pretty shawl pin 
made of a single slice of butternut shell, mount- 
ed with silver, and very beautiful bracelets, made 
