it positively refuses to bloom under high 
culture. Vegetable beds pass quite out of 
the prosaic when bordered with the com¬ 
mon tropaeolum; nor does it quite spoil the 
romance to gather a pot of pickles from the 
abundant seeds. 
STOCKS. 
The gladiolus has received high praise, 
but by no means high enough. Almost 
hardy, easily kept in a warm, dry place, 
you can have it in bloom from July till 
November. Begin to plant the bulbs late 
in March, or as soon as the ground opens, 
and continue at intervals till June. I 
always select those bulbs for first planting, 
as the sprouts show it to be necessary. If 
stored in the dark, they can be kept till the 
last of June without damage. And then 
how completely is delicacy blended with 
brilliancy and gorgeousness! Plant them 
close together in groups, or separately, or 
mingled with other plants, and every way 
they are fine. They are particularly fine 
planted in masses of tropical foliage of 
cannas, ricinus and caladiums. No matter 
how thick the groups, there is still room for 
a dozen of the slim stalks of gladiolus. They 
will bloom down to the just-formed bud, if 
placed in vases; and are certainly, for bou¬ 
quets, unsurpassed. I intend planting next 
Spring about 800 bulbs in my own garden, 
so I may have all I want. 
The phlox is the great commoner. The 
best varieties are as tough and determinate 
as the old and poorer. By moving them in 
Spring, you get early bloom from the shoots 
sent up by the bits of roots left in the pre¬ 
vious beds. I would particularly recom¬ 
mend this plan to those who wish to pro¬ 
tract the bloom of their phloxes: Simply 
transfer the bulk of the plant to another 
place, and let the roots send up a few shoots 
from the old bed for later bloom. Our gar¬ 
deners need particularly to sift their cata¬ 
logues, and send out a better assorted list of 
this flower. The true soil to induce per¬ 
fection and clearness of color, is heavy 
loam; not sandy nor too compact soil, but 
a dark, heavy loam. The phlox is modified 
very largely by the ground it stands in. 
The hollyhock is getting to be beyond 
praise. The zinnia, though coarse, is indis¬ 
pensable for brilliant and long-continued 
bloom. Give it the fatness of the land, and 
plenty of room. The Japan Lily (Lilhan 
lancifolium ) is the most artistic touch of 
Nature; and yet it is hardy and easily mul¬ 
tiplied. Give it a light, rich soil and a high, 
dry bed. Mulch it from the sun in Sum¬ 
mer and the frost in Winter. The lovely 
aster, always so charming, repays the best 
of culture aud cannot be too highly ma¬ 
nured. The stock should be well mulched 
if you wish to see it in perfection. The tri- 
toma fills the latest days of Autumn. Dig¬ 
nified, royal, brilliant and easily preserved, 
it will doubtless soon become popular. 
Last of all, but among the first to bloom, 
one of the sweetest pets of the garden, let 
every one place the Sweet William. Art 
has hardly improved any other flower as it 
has improved this. Raise hundreds of 
plants, and then pass from one to another 
in admiration, and tell me if you ever get 
tired of their charming variety and ex¬ 
quisite delicacy. The double varieties are 
so pure and so brilliant as to be quite essen- 
to a complete collection. No two plants 
will ever give you exactly similar blooms, 
but in some way will multiply your pleas¬ 
ure .—Journal of Horticulture. 
Canning Sweet Corn. One quart of 
water to three quarts of corn. Let the corn 
come to a boil. Add one teaspoonful of 
tartaric acid to each quart of corn. Boil 
fifteen minutes. When wanted for use, 
add one teaspoonful of soda to each quart 
of corn; let it stand one hour before cook¬ 
ing.— Cor. Country Gentleman. 
