12 
SEED-TIME AUB HARVEST. 
A TOUCH O’ NATUR’. 
I tell ye Josh, it does beat Cain and all, 
The way folks nowadays will cheat and lie 
To get along. There's that 'ere patent thing 
For hatchin'chickens—bought it, like a fool, 
Because they told me chickens would be high 
This spring; the agent said some New York chaps 
Were buyin’ of ’em up to ship abroad. 
Well, dura me! if they wouldn’t be too high 
To see, if we depended on such things. 
I hope the good Lord will forgiv me, Josh, 
For all the in’ard cussin’ that I’ve done, 
A-trying’ of that pesky fraud. Darn me! 
If I hain’t worked as faithful as a pair 
O’ three-year-olds, and lost my rest, 
And sp’il'd my eggs, and wasted ile enough 
To do the fam’ly for three months or more, 
And, Josh, of all the critters ever brought 
Into a sinful world, them chickens was the wus; 
I knowed ’twas flyin’ right in natur’s face, 
Straight from the start; but, kind o’ graspin’ like. 
A-thinkin’ of them chickens shipped abroad, 
I parsevered, and saw the wicked bus’ness thro’. 
Of all tbe knock-kneed, cross-billed, spider-toed, 
Ongainly freaks o' natur’, Josh, them birds 
Would take the premium anywhere. Poor things! 
I hadn’t nerve to see ’em suffer—some of ’em 
Was blind as owls, and some stood on their heads, 
And some kept settin’ down as tho’ they felt 
Oncomf'table, but didn't know just where. 
I stood it for a week, an . when, one night, 
The patent warmer that they seli to raise the brood 
Got hot, and drove the chickens all out doors, 
I got hot to. For there thej r stood, poor tilings! 
All huddled up like sheep, a-shiverin’ and lookin’blue 
And cold, as tho’ they couldn't understand 
What was the matter with the fizzin' thing 
They called their blessed mother, and I vowed 
I’d put an end on’t, and I did. 
By George ! 
An old red hen is good enough for me, 
And good enough for anybody that’s got sense ; 
And, Joshua, just paste this in your hat: 
The man that's made improvement on the ways 
O’ natur’— patented — and tries to palm 
The thing on you, pays you no compliment, 
But takes you for the greenest gol darned fool 
That ever tried to suck a chiny egg. That's me ! 
C. R. D., in The Issue. 
Cereus Orandiflorus. 
SEE FRONTISPIECE. 
Herewith we present our readers with a 
fine illustration of a two-year-old plant 
grown in a six-inch pot. It is remarkable 
the growth these cactus will make in one 
season if well attended to and fed weekly 
with some liquid manure. This plant was 
started from a two-inch cutting,in July, 1882, 
and, contrary to the general belief that they 
will not bloom until three years old, this one 
bloomed on July 4th, 1883, when really not 
one vear old. At this date, June 15th, it has 
still twelve buds on it, several more having 
bloomed this season. All side shoots have 
been cut off and the plant allowed to grow 
to a single stem: which has now reached a 
length of fifteen feet, and is trained along 
the rafters of the conservatory in which it 
grows. This gives it the full benefit of the 
sun, and allows the new growth to ripen 
quickly and get strong, some parts of the 
stem measuring actually three and one-half 
inches in circumference. There is a great- 
pleasure derived from watching the buds 
when they appear. An amateur and lover 
of flowers appreciates this more than a flor¬ 
ist. At first certain parts of the stem will 
swell and gradually open, then a little wooly 
tuft appears; this may be a bud or it may be 
a new shoot, and several days may elapse 
before this point is settled satisfactorily. 
The grower of the plant herewith illustra¬ 
ted, thinks it is best to remove all new shoots 
formed while the plant has buds on; this 
seems to give vigorous growth to the latter. 
On many plants the buds will dry up and 
not expand at all. This has been attributed 
by some to the hot sun, and therefore many 
advise shading the bud by covering with 
paper. An envelope cut in half and simply 
hung on the bud will answer very well. 
It will sometimes take a bud a month be¬ 
fore opening, and care must be taken when 
it gets to be about six inches long and gets 
lighter in color towards the end, for many 
a flower opens before the owner is aware of 
it, or while he is sound asleep. Generally 
they begin to open at about eight o’clock in 
the evening, and it is very interesting to 
watch it do so. Really you can see it move 
and expand—grow as it were—and when 
fully opened the perfume is delicious. The 
shape of the flower can not be better shown 
than by our engraving, the color being a 
creamy white inside, while the outside varies 
from white to reddish browm, according to 
varieties. 
The flower will only remain open from 
four to six hours; then it gradually closes 
and remains so. Some people complain be- 
