380] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[OCTOBEH, 
of the late varieties hang on well, should be 
allowed to remain until there is danger of hard 
frosts; they are to be carefully picked when 
dry, placed in boxes or barrels, and kept as cool 
SINGLE JONQUIL. 
as possible. It is not a good plan to take them 
to the cellar until the weather becomes so cold 
as to endanger their freezing. When in the cel- 
lar the temperature must be kept as low as pos- 
sible, without danger of frost. Do not mix va- 
rieties in the same package. The different sorts 
have each their own time for maturing. A fre- 
quent examination will show how the process 
of ripening is going on, and the slower this 
progresses, the finer the fruit is likely to be. 
When the proper changes have taken place 
within the fruit, it is indicated by a change in 
the color of the skin. When this commences, 
the fruit may be taken in small quantities at a 
time to a warm room, to "finish off." We have 
seen even the despised and much abused Vicar 
of Winkfield, when treated in this manner, prove 
itself a most acceptable table pear. 
The Narcissuses. 
The various species of Narcissus are not so 
frequently seen in our gardens as they formerly 
were. The Jonquils, Daffodils, and Primrose 
Peerless, are old-fashioned flowers, but they are 
not the less beautiful for all that. They are so 
bright and generally so fragrant that they seem 
to properly belong to the spring. These are all 
species of Narcissus, and are all hardy. The 
Jonquil is Narcissus Jonquilla ; the flowers 
have light yellow petals and a cup of a darker 
color. The Daffodil (If. Pseudo-JS T arcmus) has 
but a single flower on a stalk, is yellow, with a 
large cup in the centre, which has a crumpled 
appearance. A double variety is quite com- 
mon. The Poet's Narcissus (N. poeticus) has 
also one-flowered stalks. The petals are pure 
white, the cups yellowish, with a reddish or 
purple border. Primrose Peerless, or Two- 
flowered Narcissus 
(N. biflorus), bears 
two flowers on the 
stem, white or 
cream-colored, with 
a yellow cup in the 
centre. Almost all 
of these are readily 
obtainable ; they 
should be planted 
this month, and they 
need not be removed 
for several years. 
The finest of all, the 
Polyanthus Narcis- 
sus, is not to be re- 
lied upon to endure 
our winters, though 
if not planted until 
late, and then set 
several inches deep 
and covered witli 
leaves or litter, it 
will usually succeed. 
The Lemon Ver- 
bena. — This plant, 
so much* prized for 
its fragrant leaves, is 
not a Verbena prop- 
er, but Lippia (or 
Aloysia) citriodora. 
It is a low green- 
house shrub which 
is frequently plant- 
ed out in the bor- 
ders, though by care- 
ful training it may 
be carried to a bight 
of several feet. Many who have enjoyed the 
odor of the leaves during summer desire to 
keep the plant during winter, but all attempts 
at potting it with a view to grow it in-doors are 
sure to fail. It is a deciduous plant and must 
have a season of rest. Take up the plants be- 
fore frost injures them, and pot them and place 
them under the stage of a green-house, or, in 
absence of such a structure, in a dry cellar where 
they will not freeze. In February or March 
they may be brought into the green-house or a 
warm room and they will soon start into growth. 
which shall be large enough not to be easily 
lost, and not so large as to be unsightly, he will 
confer a great benefit upon those who have 
much to do with labeling plants in a garden. 
Marks and Numbers. 
In the vegetable garden we have no difficulty 
with labels, as we use good-sized stalfes for vari- 
eties where it is not safe to trust to memory. In 
the flower garden it is difficult. If a small label 
be used, the men are sure to displace it in weed- 
ing, and if those large enough to avoid this risk 
be employed, they are unpleasantly conspicuous. 
Where there is a collection of herbaceous per- 
ennials, it is very desirable to have a durable 
stake, — one that will not only remain legible but 
that will not decay. We had no difficulty as 
regards legibility last year, as we used the 
Horticultural Indelible Pencil,but we were much 
troubled by the decay of the stakes at the lower 
end. We know of no better way than to use 
ordinary pine stakes and dip their lower ends 
in gas tar. This is a bother, but it will do for 
rainy-day work. If some one will suggest a 
neat, durable, easily prepared stake or label, 
APKICAN MAKIGOLD. 
The Marigolds. 
The spring flowers are pure and tender in 
color. Those of midsummer and artumn are 
rich in color, and velvety in texture. In no 
annual has there been a greater improvement 
than in the Marigold. The old Pot Marigold, 
Calendula officinalis, which used to be so com- 
mon in old gardens, belongs to a different genus 
from those now most prized as ornamental 
plants. Our varieties are known as African and 
French Marigolds, and belong to the genus 
Tagetes. The plants all have a strong and what 
is generally considered a disagreeable odor, 
but the flowers of the French Marigold (T. 
patula) present a great richness of color. If 
one fancies rich shades of dark maroons or 
splendid browns, we do not know of any an- 
nual that will give him these in greater perfec- 
tion. There is a velvety texture about the pet- 
als, and a full richness about the coloring that 
is, in these late summer days, very pleasing. 
In the engraving we give, as well as black and 
white can represent it, a plant of what is called 
the French Marigold. Could we show the rich, 
glossy brown tints, the picture would be per- 
fect. Another species has been introduced of 
late years, the Tagetes signata, a free flowering 
dwarf, and one of the most desirable for garden 
culture. Plants of such easy culture are always 
desirable in gardens, and we hope to see more 
attention given to the cultivation and improve- 
ment of the different species of the Marigold. 
If a hybrid of the two species we have men- 
tioned could be obtained, it would be fine. 
