1869.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
137 
The Persian Cyclamen. (Cyclamen, Persieum.) 
BY WJ. 3. DAVIDSON, FLATBUSH, N. T. 
Of the many -winter ami spring-blooming 
plants that we cultivate for green-house or 
home decoration, there are few more interesting 
or useful than the Cyclamen. Its remarkably 
neat habit of growth, and elegantly 
marbled or netted foliage, combined 
with the beautiful and rather odd-look- 
ing flowers, render it peculiarly at- 
tractive, while its delightful fragrance 
and easy management give it additional 
claims to our attention. Many have 
imagined that it requires some years to 
get blooming plants from seed, and 
have thus been deterred from attempt- 
ing their management; indeed, I was 
recently asked by a florist of many years' 
standing, if our plants were three or four 
years from seed ; when, in fact, it is little 
over a year since the seed was sown. 
We sow the seed in November, and as 
soon as the young plants are fit to 
handle, transplant them about an inch 
apart into boxes until spring, when they 
are potted into small pots singly, in 
rather open, loamy soil, a liberal ad- 
dition of well-rotted manure and sand 
being used. By the first of June they 
are ready for larger pots, and are then 
placed in a frame and shaded during 
the day, by the glass being whitewashed, 
the sash being taken off at night to 
give Ihem all the benefit of the cooling 
dews. They do not grow much during 
the hot weather, but as soon as the 
nights begin to lengthen and grow 
the plants get fresh vigor, and by the end of 
September they are ready to be placed in the 
pots in which they are to flower. After potting, 
they are placed in a cool, airy house, and receive 
all the air that can safely be given to them dur- 
ing the winter months. With the beginning of 
November the earliest and strongest begin to 
bloom ; others follow in rapid succession, and as 
do not all open at once, the flowers are so re- 
markably persistent that the plants often remain 
in full beauty for over four months. As the 
warm months advance the plants will show 
signs of exhaustion, and the flower-stalks begin 
to coil themselves up in a spiral form having 
the seed-pod in the center, and bending towards, 
cooler 
alpine rock-cress. — (Arabis alpina.) 
the days begin to lengthen, they are a blaze of 
beauty, their many shades of color and delight- 
ful fragrance calling forth the admiration of 
every one. Each plant ought now to have 
from 12 to 30 flowers expanded, for though they 
the Persian cyclamen. — (Cyclamen Persieum.) 
often into, the earth, ripen their seeds for anoth- 
er season. Probably the best method of treat- 
ing the old plants is to plunge the pots in a 
shady border out of doors during summer, and 
about September, as soon as they begin to make 
new leaves, take them up, and shaking away the 
greater part of the old soil, repot them, and 
treat them as recommended above. I would 
add that there are few better plants for parlor 
decoration than the Persian Cyclamen. It is 
especially a window plant, and if kept cool, say 
at a night temperature of 40°, and the leaves 
washed once a week, it will grow and flourish 
almost as well as in a green-house, standing 
the variations of temperature and dryness of 
atmosphere as well as the pet Hyacinth or 
Chinese Primrose. [The engraving giveu above 
is from a specimen from Mr. Davidson's collec- 
tion, and is about half the natural size. — Eds.] 
The Alpine Rock-Cress. — (Arabia alpina.) 
A good horticultural friend sent us a bit of 
the Alpine Rock-Cress, and to accommodate its 
mountain habit, it was placed upon the top of a 
rock-work at least four feet high. Either be- 
cause of this great elevation, or because it 
found a " pocket" of congenial soil, it flourished 
finely. Whenever the snow melts off during 
the winter, there are its green leaves, looking as 
brave as if in defiance of winter. At the first 
suggestion of spring, buds appear, and before 
the rest of the hardy plants have fairly waked 
up, this completely covers itself with a sheet of 
pure white flowers, and remains a long time in 
bloom. The flower stems are about six inches 
high — iu rich borders, somewhat taller, — and the 
flowers and leaves about twice the size shown in 
the engraving. It is a great comfort to have 
plants that take care of themselves, and need 
neither potting nor shelter. Please do not 
write to us for some of our stock, as many do 
for almost every plant we mention ; every 
available bit is promised already. The seeds- 
men keep the seeds. Sow them this spring, take 
care of the plants through the summer, and in 
autumn set the plants where they are to flower. 
A stock, once obtained, multiplies itself readily 
by short prostrate branches or offsets 
which root freely, and a single plant 
will soon make a dense mat of foliage. 
Our Native Sumachs. 
The Sumachs belong to the genus 
Rhus, which is the ancient name for the 
genus. One from the south of Europe, 
Rhus Cotimw, is well known in cultiva- 
tion as the Smoke-tree, or Venetian 
Sumach, and is often improperly called 
the Fringe-tree and Purple Fringe. It 
is conspicuous for its large masses of 
hairy flower-stalks. This species has 
simple leaves, while all our natives 
have compound ones. Leaving out of 
consideration for the present our two 
poisonous species, the Poison Sumach 
or Dogwood, and the Poison Ivy, which 
are both distinguished from the rest 
by their smooth, white, or dun-colored 
fruit, we notice three which are striking 
iu the landscape for the tropical aspect 
of their foliage, as well as for their large 
clusters of crimson berries. The most 
common species is the Smooth Sumach 
(R. glabra), which is very abundant on 
poor soils, and often overruns neglect- 
ed fields. It is usually about four feet 
high, but sometimes attains ten or twelve feet. 
The leaves are a foot or more long, with eleven 
to thirty-one divisions. In December, 1866, we 
figured a remarkable cut-leaved variety of this. 
The flowers are borne in a large cluster at the 
ends of the branches, are small, greenish white, 
or yellowish, and not showy; but the resulting 
fruit, or berry, as it is popularly called, is of a 
brilliant crimson, hairy, and very acid to the 
smooth sumach.— (Ithvs glabra.) 
taste. The plant itself is smooth throughout. 
The Staghorn Sumach (R. typhina), is the larg- 
est of our species, often reaching the bight of 
twenty or thirty feet, and with irregular and 
straggling branches. The ends of the branches 
