1888.] 
AMERICAN A GrRICULTURIST. 
207 
son, sweet alyssum, sweet peas, stocks, China 
asters, the annual pinks, and a host of others. 
Never mind about the arrangement, so that 
there will be flowers, and a plenty of them, 
so that all the household can “ cut and come 
again,” without feeling that they trespass. 
The Butterworts—Pinguicula. 
In various wet places from Western New 
York, southward, are to be found several 
species of Butterworts. They have rather 
be planted there. They are said to reproduce 
themselves abundantly from self-sown seeds. 
The name Butterwort was given to the Euro¬ 
pean species on account of the greasy feel of 
the leaves, and the botanical name, Pingui- 
cula, from the Latin, Pinguis, “fat,” was 
given for the same reason. The greasy feel¬ 
ing of the leaves is due to an exudation from 
the glandular hairs found in abundance upon 
the surface of the leaves. The experiments 
of Darwin show that the Pinguiculas belong 
to the “ Insectivorous Plants.” His work with 
a monopoly of this “Insect Powder,” they 
naturally resisted all attempts to send seeds 
abroad, and it has been with much difficulty 
that Prof. C. V. Riley, formerly of the IT. S. 
Entomological Commission, and now the 
Entomologist of the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture, has been able to procure them. Com¬ 
missioner- of Agriculture Loring has done 
good service in continuing the efforts of the 
Entomological Commission to introduce the 
6eeds of these plants, and in sending them 
for trial to various parts of the country. The 
fleshy leaves, an inch or two long, clustered 
in rosettes, from which arise the flower stalks, 
three inches to a foot high, each bearing a 
single yellow or purple flower, an inch or 
more wide ; the corolla is more or less bell¬ 
shaped, lobed at the margin and terminating 
at the base in a spur. Several species are 
found in Europe, and are recommended in 
garden-works there, for planting in moist 
places. Last year a friend brought us from 
North Carolina, several plants of the Yellow 
Butterwort, (Pinguicula lutea); these were 
placed in a pan of soil mixed largely with 
sphagnum moss, and placed in a cool green¬ 
house, where they were almost forgotten. 
This spring they asserted their claims to at¬ 
tention by a profusion of flowers of the most 
pleasing tint of pale yellow, and quite as in¬ 
teresting as many of the costly exotics. We 
hope to procure some of the purple-flowered 
species, of which there are several. They are 
charming plants for a cool greenhouse, or if 
one has a natural or artificial bog, they may 
that title, details numerous experiments, in 
which the placing of insects, pieces of meat, 
etc., on the leaves, caused tlieir edges to in¬ 
curve, and produce a greatly increased se¬ 
cretion in the minute glands on the surface. 
Insect Powder—Pyrethrum. 
For more than half a century several spe¬ 
cies and varieties of Pyrethrum have been 
cultivated as ornamental plants. Some 20 or 
30 years ago, “ Persian Insect Powder ” was 
sold in small packages as a secret prepara¬ 
tion for the destruction of insects, especially 
cockroaches. It was long before these two, 
the plants of the garden and those which 
furnished the insecticide were known to be 
closely related, if not identical plants. It 
appears that there are villages in the Cau¬ 
casus where the chief' occupation of the in¬ 
habitants has been for a long time the col¬ 
lecting and preparing for export the flowers 
of Pyrethrum. As these people maintained 
seeds sent out by the Department are of the 
Caucasian (P. roseum), and of the Dalmatian 
(P. cineraria:.folium) Pyrethrum. The en¬ 
graving shows the flower head, and the gen¬ 
eral form of the leaves of P. roseum. 
Both plants are herbaceous perennials, and, 
as usual with such plants, do not flower un¬ 
til the second year of their growth. As those 
who receive the seeds will also have direc¬ 
tions for their treatment, we need only say 
that they require such care as is needed by 
other seeds that are somewhat slow of ger¬ 
mination. While the directions suggest sow¬ 
ing them in a well-prepared bed, we think 
that the majority will succeed better if they 
sow the seeds in boxes and treat them by 
Mr. Peter Henderson’s method as described 
by us in January last (page 6). Ordinary 
store boxes, such as starch, soap, and other 
articles are packed in, usually make two seed 
boxes by cutting them in two, using the 
top for the bottom of one of the halves. 
These boxes, 3 or 4 inches deep, are most 
