4 
January, 1891. 
ORCH I\RD 
GI\RDE N 
Dionaea Muscipula. 
(Venus’s Flu-trap .) 
The vegetable world presents us with a 
good man> wonderful things, but perhaps 
none more so than Dinncea muscipula . com- 
monly called Venus’s Fly-trap. It is a na- 
tive of North Carolina, though it is said to 
be found occasionally elsewhere in the 
South. It is a perennial, and grows in bogs 
and along the river sides. It would long 
since have become extinct were it not repro- 
duced abundantly from seed. It belongs to a 
small family called Droceracetv or Sundews. 
The leaves are all radical, proceeding di- 
rectly from the root. The flowers, which 
are white, are produced in an unbel on a 
scape about a foot high. The remarkable 
part of the plant, however, is the wonderful 
apparatus which terminates each leaf. This 
is the part called the “trap,’’ the form of 
which will be better understood by the ac- 
companying illustration, Fig. 404, than it 
could be by any mere words. This trap, it 
will be seen, is fringed with spinous hairs 
or teeth. There are hairs also on the upper 
surface of the lamina or blade of the trap. 
These hairs possess such a remarkable de- 
gree of irritability that if a fly or other in- 
sect alight upon them, the lobes of the trap 
quickly close and imprison it. There is no 
escape for it, as it is firmly held till it is 
dead. What becomes of it then is a ques- 
tion which has exercised the ingenuity and 
imagination of learned men, each of whom 
has written many pages to establish a theory . 
The discussion makes interesting reading, 
but there is no room for it here. 
We have experimented a good deal with 
this remarkable plant, and of one fact 
have become thoroughly satisfied, that in- 
sects are not at all necessary for the health 
and longevity of the plant, as it will grow 
luxuriantly for years without other food than 
that which it receives from the soil, water, 
and air. A fly crushed in a Pelargonium 
leaf and one crushed in the “trap’ - gave the 
same results. There is no use here for the 
theory of assimilation. 
An insect is not necessary to show the ir- 
ritability of the trap. A pin or any conven- 
ient object pa-sed over the hairs will cause 
the lobes of the trap to close quickly. When 
the plant is in good health the slightest 
touch will produce this effect. A similar 
irritability is possessed by the handsome 
Mimosa pudica, which is readily raised from 
seed. It is not, however, a fly-catcher, 
though a very interesting example of irri- 
tability in plants, and one which every body 
can grow. 
The Dioncea muscipula is easily grown in 
a green-house. We have also grown it 
quite successfully as a window plant by 
using a hand glass to retain the moisture. 
A plain glass lamp shade will answer the 
purpose very well by covering the outlet 
with a piece of muslin. The soil should 
consist mainly of Sphagnum moss, leaf 
mould, and sand. The moss should be cut 
up with a pair of scissors. The shade should 
be lifted occasionally, and the moisture 
wiped from the inside. The moss, however, 
should not be allowed to get dry. Only a 
little sunshine is needed. 
A very good plan is to put a plant in a pot 
just large enough for it to grow in, and 
place the pot in the middle of a shallow pot 
or pan eight or ten inches in diameter, the 
pan to be filled with moss, which must be 
kept moist. Three or four pots in a pan 
may be placed under one shade. You may 
occasionally put a fly or two under the glass, 
and be fortunate enough to see them entrap- 
ped. You may at times exhibit the irrita- 
bility of the plant for the amusement of the 
children or a friend, but this must not be too 
often repeated. 
There may be some trouble in obtaining 
the plants, but they are occasionally offered 
for sale at a reasonable price. One not fa- 
miliar with the plant would do well to buy 
one that has been grown in a green-house 
Venus’s Flt Trap. Fig. 404. 
for a month or two. There are few plants 
that will better repay a little trouble, or one 
that will be more fascinating to an intelli- 
gent and inquiring mind. — P. B. Mead. 
Floral Notes. 
The excitement of the holidays once past, 
we look for a little quiet and rest; a season 
of contemplation, as it were. It is a time, 
however, in which one may profit by look- 
ing back to the past and gather he pe for the 
future. Little things are always to be done, 
but it is never too soon to plan for the hard 
work that is sure to come, and often before 
we are quite ready for it. Catalogues should 
be looked over and selections made of plants 
and seeds. Some thought should also be 
given to the arrangement of the flower beds 
for next summer, and a list made of such 
trees and shrubs as may be needed. The 
stocks for plants to be largely used for bed- 
ding and cut flowers should receive atten- 
tion and be put in good order, if not already 
done. These and similar matters attended 
to now will save much time and vexation 
in the future. The gardener, as much as any 
body, needs to keep a daily memorandum, 
to make his routine work go on smoothly. 
There is one thing to which the growers 
of wdndow plants do not generally give suf- 
ficient attention, and that is the stirring of 
the surface soil of pot plants. This should 
be done as often as the surface becomes 
hard. This stirring of the surface greatly 
promotes the healthy growth of the plants, 
and keeps the soil sweet and clean. It is 
equivalent to the culture we give crops in 
the open field, and is always beneficial. 
Another important point is to keep the 
outside of the pots clean. It not only looks 
better, but is better. Washing flower pots, 
particularly when there are plants in them, 
is laborious as well as unpleasant. This 
disagreeable work, however, would be much 
lessened if the pots were thoroughly washed 
before being brought in; but it is too often 
neglected or put off to a more convenient 
season. If the pots were washed in the au- 
tumn with a strong suds made from car- 
bolic soap, they would need hut little atten- 
tion during the winter. The least trouble- 
some way in winter (for room plants at 
least) is to stand the pot on a folded news- 
paper, and cut or scrape the mould and 
chlorophyl from the sides with an old case 
knife, holding the knife at an acute angle. 
A little practice will give the knack. This is 
not so thorough as washing with sand and 
suds, but it is much easier, and answers the 
purpose very well. 
The water in the dish or bowl in which 
the “Chinese Lily” is grown evaporates 
pretty fast, and fresh water should be fre- 
quently added to keep the dish full. These 
oft-repeated additions keep the water fresh, 
and make any other change of water unnec- 
essary. Emptying the water from the dish 
often does more harm than good by bruis- 
ing and breaking the roots. Repeated addit- 
ions, as suggested above, will avoid all this. 
The Indian Strawberry ( Fragaria Indica ) 
is a good plant for a hanging basket or a 
vase. It produces numerous long, leafy 
runners, which look very pretty when in 
flower and fruit. The flowers are yellow 
and the fruit is scarlet. The latter resem- 
bles the common Straw berry, but is not edi- 
ble, being flat and insipid. The plant is not 
particular as to soil. It is desirable for the 
sitting room as well as the green-house. In 
the dry air of a room, however, it is apt to 
be attacked by the red spider, which should 
be destroyed before it has had time to mul- 
tiply. The plants may be grown in the bor- 
der during the summer. Those wanted for 
winter may be potted in August, and the re- 
mainder left in the border. The plant is not 
new; it is simply uncommon. 
Bulbs of various kinds that have been 
kept in the cellar or in a cold frame should 
be taken to the light from time to time to 
keep up a succession of bloom. At this sea- 
son they should be looked over often. Those 
showing most growth should be taken first, 
though all may be broughttothe light now, 
if wanted. 
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