FLOWERS. 
By “Smilax.” 
A popular author has said that “flowers 
were things of beauty which God had for¬ 
got to put the breath of life in.” All who 
have watched the growing of the plants 
from the time when the seed is put in the 
ground to when the plant bursts out in all 
its variegated beauty will join with us in 
declaring that its author spoke truthfully. 
People who live in the country do not half 
appreciate flowers, God has given them so 
many beautiful wild flowers to look at that 
they do not care to cultivate other plants, 
[f they could only visit the city and see a 
tired wan girl, who works in a close heated 
factory, where the incessant rattle of the 
looms is almost deafening for ten or twelve 
hours a day, bending over a little withered 
geranium in a cracked pot, if they could 
note the pleasure depicted on her counte¬ 
nance as she waters it and tenderty touches 
the leaves, they would think more of the 
value of a flower. If they could s^e an in¬ 
valid watching with eagerness a plant given 
them by some friend or a laborer, whose 
only relief from a life of toil, are the pleas¬ 
ant hours spent with a few small plants in 
a 5x6 yard they would at once make the 
cultivation of flowers a part of their daily 
routine. Some may say “what is the use 
of cultivating flowers in the country, we 
have more than we want for our use.” 
Very good: I will accept this as a reason 
and then tell you why you should cultivate 
flowers. In nearly all of the large cities at 
the present time there are societies for the 
distribution of flowers to the sick and poor. 
If you do your part they will help you to 
give enjoyment to many a tired, sick and 
worn body. Cultivate flowers, no matter 
how simple, and send them to these ladies 
and they will distribute them to people who 
will breath a prayer to the Ruler of the 
Uuiverse for a blessing on the doner. If 
vou do not know how to reach these ladies 
write to the Editor of any daily newspaper 
in any city and they will soon make ar¬ 
rangements for the transportation of your 
plants to the homes of the people who need 
them. 
Is this a very hard task for you who have 
many idle hours during the day ? The 
pleasure of raising the flowers and the 
knowledge that they will lighten some 
heart, heavy with sorrow, make the dull 
weary eyes of some invalid sparkle and 
glisten with pleasure will more than repay 
you for the time and money you may ex¬ 
pend on them. Try it now and then when 
the summer suns, make the heat in the city 
stifling in the close compact quarters of the 
poor your flowers will prove an oasis to 
those who cannot find time to visit the 
places where flowers are the rule and not 
the exception. 
Propagating Roses. 
It is always very desirable with those 
who have a few choice roses to have some 
extra ones, either to give a friend or to en¬ 
large the flower garden. To do this select 
ripen shoots, well branched near the ground 
(preferring those limbs that if cut oft' would 
make a nice bushy plant), and with a sharp 
knife hack or notch the under side so that 
when bent will come in contact with the 
soil. These notches should be five or six in 
number,through to the heart or pith. Now 
bend the limb down, and with the knife 
slit the limbs one and one-half inches up 
towards the end of the top, just below 
the notches, and be careful not to break the 
limb; cover two inches in the sandy soil 
and lay a brick or stone over it to keep it 
down. Keep the soil moist, and by Spring 
the roots will have formed often four and 
five inches long, when it can be safely re¬ 
moved. The most difficult roses root easily 
this wav. 
