224 
December. ISSfl. 
ORCHARD jCSSSTGARDE N 
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Floral Notes. 
In reply to personal inquiries we wish to 
say to Mrs. E. J. W., Mrs. A. E. C. , Miss J. 
S.. Mr. G. W. T. (and others who may not 
know), that the O.ralis jloribunda referred to 
some time ago is not a bulbous plant. The 
bulbs you receive under this name are not 
jloribunda , but an entirely distinct species. 
This is a mistake made by several seedsmen. 
We have recently obtained these so-called 
floribunda bulbs from three sources, and no 
two are alike. What they are we can not yet 
say. They are not floribunda. however, be- 
cause this is not a bulb, but a tuber. The 
bulbs you have may nevertheless be pretty 
species, as nearly all this family are, and you 
should grow them, notwithstanding your 
disappointment, and try again for floribunda. 
There are a few florists who grow it, but at 
the moment we can not remember the name 
of one of them. In several respects O.flori- 
bunda is the most desirable of the whole 
family. 
Speaking of the Oxalis, we are reminded 
of the wonderful tenacity and pugnacity of 
the beautiful 0. Bou-iei. Nothing in the 
same pot -with it has any chance for life, 
and the pot itself in time will be despoiled 
three small bulbs got into a pot of Zonal 
Pelargonium while it was being repotted. 
When they appeared above ground we 
thought of pulling them up, but concluded 
to let them remain, and see what would 
come of it. An earlier bloom than usual 
was the result; and in this we found a sug- 
gestion that proved to be valuable. The 
bulbs, being undisturbed, increased with 
more than the rapidity for which they are 
noted, and the Zonal began to show signs 
that a struggle for life was going on. which 
became interesting, and lasted till the third 
year. The Pelargonium succumbed by de- 
grees. and finally died a lingering death. 
An examination showed the pot to be near- 
ly a solid mass of bulbs. The roots of the 
Pelargonium had been entirely destroyed, 
and the plant had gradually died of starva- 
tion. Now this plant is noted for its vital- 
ity and root-making power, yet the little 
bulb had proved too much for it. If it had 
been a young plant, just rooted, we should 
not have been so much surprised at the re- 
sult; but it was two years old, well estab- 
lished, and vigorous. We looked at the 
mass of bulbs in an inquiring way, and they 
seemed to say, “Well, the old thing had to 
get out of this.” 
Having, on a first trial, discovered that 
Primula obconica was a valuable plant for 
winter blooming, we were not slow in re- 
commending it, and that heartily. We 
were particularly anxious that the amateur 
should adopt this Primrose, and succeed in 
growing it well ; but in this we have been 
somewhat disappointed, for some have met 
with poor success, not from any fault in 
the plant, but for want of knowledge as to 
one point at least in its culture. Our atten- 
tion has been called to several cases where 
the plants were in a decidedly moribund 
condition, and in all of them the plants 
were dying simply because the crowns were 
planted too deep. This, in common with a 
good many other things, P. obconica will 
not bear. The crown should be just even 
with the soil, and not covered at all. You 
cannot be too particular about this if you 
wish for success. We made a slight mistake 
in this respect with one of the three plants 
with which we began, bnt discovered it in 
time to save the plant. Use a rich, porous 
soil, and put a little drainage in the bottom 
of the pot. Broken charcoal, potsherds, 
and broken brick are all good, the first be- 
ing best. We should be glad to see this 
handsome Primrose successfully grown by 
everybody. 
Epiphyllums should now be in bloom, or 
at least some of them, and we find it neces- 
sary to say again, that at this time, as well 
as during the entire period of growth at 
least, they need watering as much as any 
other plant under the same conditions. The 
idea, still too prevalent, that they do not 
need water, should be got rid of as speedily 
as possible. 
Pots of Amaryllis, Nerine, etc., that have 
nearly or fully completed their growth may 
be put in a cool, light cellar for the present, 
if one should happen to be crowded for 
room. This is better than keeping them in 
a warm sitting room or packing them under 
the shelf or table of the green-house. If 
they are kept in a growing temperature 
they should have light till the foliage be- 
gins to decay. 
The best of the winter blooming Fuchsias 
is F. 8peciosa. It might be called a perpetual 
bloomer without being far out of the way. 
Young plants of this Fuchsia will now need 
repotting, or as soon as the plants become 
a little pot bound. Use a pot two inches 
more in diameter than the one in which it 
is growing. The soil should be good, but 
not overrich, as the plant is naturally a 
strong grower, and makes shoots too long 
for abundant blooming. It likes more sun- 
shine than most other members of this 
family. Grow a few plants as standards, 
with stems three or fcur feet high. The 
way to do it will be given later on. 
Those who grow crocuses in pots will do 
well to watch them for green fly, which 
have an excessive fondness for these plants, 
and utterly ruin them if left alone. We 
have no doubt at all that the failure of 
many to grow these pretty little plants is 
altogether owing to the green fly. 
Hyacinths, Tulips, &c., for late blooming 
in doors should now be brought to the light 
and encouraged to grow. We keep oursout 
of doors, covered with straw or moss, till 
freezing weather, when we place them in a 
cold cellar, and bring them to the light 
from time to time as wanted. The plan 
works well, and is less troublesome than 
keeping the pots in a frame out of doors. 
The desideratum is a cold cellar. We are 
trying some out of doors covered with the 
patent plant muslin, and so far it seems to 
answer the purpose. We shall know better 
at the end of the trial. 
The first potted Freesias are now in bloom, 
and fill the house with their delicious frag- 
rance. We began potting in September. 
We are inclined to the opinion that the 
Freesia is hardy, or nearly so, and have 
planted a few bulbs out of doors to test 
them. There is something in the habit of 
the plant against this, but not more so than 
in the case of the Triteleia. We have frozen 
two pots of plants as hard as a stone with- 
out apparent injury; The Freesia is going 
to be everybody’s plant, and everybody 
should know it. 
Springfield, Mass., is blessed with a real 
“Improvement Society” that has won our 
admiration. The members have done, and 
are still doing, some beautiful work, and 
this in spite of obstacles that would discour- 
age and dishearten most men. Some men de- 
serve success, but do not meet it ; but these 
men achieve success because they deserve 
it, or something of that kind. We shall 
speak of their work in detail at another 
time. We hope to be believed when we 
state that the last act of these men, every 
one of them sane and in full possession of 
his reason, was to purchase thousands of 
Tulips, which they are now distributing in 
lots among the citizens of Springfield who 
love flowers, and that is nearly all of them. 
As if this were not enough to put their 
sanity beyond a doubt, they propose to give 
valuable money prizes or silver cups to the 
individuals who grow these Tulips in the 
most tasteful and perfect manner. If there 
be as much horticultural knowledge and 
good taste as we suppose among the good 
people of Springfield, the “City of Homes” 
will be worth a journey of many miles to 
see next spring. Gentlemen, we do not 
know one of you personally, but you are 
doing a work that commands our admira- 
tion, and we give you our hand. You need 
not use a very strong binocular to see that 
our heart is in it. — P. B. Mead. 
CATARRH CURED. 
A clergyman, after years of suffering from that loath- 
some disease Catarrh, and vainly trying every known 
remedy, at last found a prescription which completely 
cured and saved him from death. Any sufferer from 
this dreadful disease sending a self-addressed stamped 
envelope to Prof. J. A. Lawrence, 88 Warren Street, 
NewYork, will receive the recipe free of charge.— Adv. 
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