374 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
son Balm,” and in some parts of the country, 
“Bergamot,” the last name being one often 
given to several aromatic plants. The bo¬ 
tanical name is Monarda didyma, and it 
g^ows wild, though not very abundantly, in 
little. Among those found most successful 
is Pteris serrulata, a delicately-cut, dark 
green species. The variegated Pteris qucid- 
riaurita, var. argyrea, is very handsome, 
and has done well in room culture. Some of 
annual visit there, and all can, by taking a 
little forethought, provide themselves with 
grasses quite as useful for winter decoration 
as those that come from any other country. 
Grasses, as decorative plants, are valued, 
all the Northern States. It continues long 
in bloom, and is a really good hardy plant. 
Ferns for the Dwelling. 
Americans visiting Covent Garden Market, 
the great flower-mart of London, will be sur¬ 
prised at the large number of Ferns in pots 
on sale, and may wonder if there be a demand 
for them. If he walks through some of 
the streets of residences in that city, he will 
see at nearly every window on the lower 
floor either a window-box well filled with 
Ferns, or several pots of them, all in appar¬ 
ently good condition. If interested in such 
matters, he will wonder why we have so few 
Ferns in window culture in this country. In 
the London atmosphere, with its “blacks,” 
so proverbially unsuited to plant growth of 
all kinds, are Ferns growing in full vigor. 
The trouble is in our manner of heating our 
houses. Where anthracite coal is the chief 
fuel, plant culture of all kinds is difficult, 
and that of Ferns especially. Even in those 
localities where bituminous coal is burned, 
the atmosphere is rarely suited to Fem- 
growing. England being an island, has of 
course the advantage of us in its generally 
moist atmosphere. In spite of our unfavor¬ 
able natural conditions, .rendered worse by 
our methods of heating, no doubt that by 
proper care in selection, much more may be 
done in Fern culture than is generally sup¬ 
posed possible. Not much can be done with 
our native Ferns in house culture, because so 
few are evergreen, and they die down just 
when wanted. Still, the most suitable exotic 
Ferns for house culture now cost but very 
the beautiful Maiden-hair Ferns, especially 
Adiantum cuneatum, do well in England, 
and should be tried here. Davallia bidlata, 
the Fern of which the Japanese make curi¬ 
ous forms, as described elsewhere, is said to 
succeed in hanging baskets, and Dicksonia 
antarctica has succeeded as a window plant. 
One of the most common of our native ever¬ 
green Ferns, after Polypody, is Aspidium 
acrostichoides, not very delicate in outline, 
but of a good color, and a robust plant. We 
have not known it in window culture, but 
have no doubt it would succeed. This and 
others among our native evergreen species 
should be tested in the house by those inter¬ 
ested in these plants. They should be taken 
up and potted at once, in order that they 
may become well established before taking 
them in-doors, and the change from the 
open air made as gradually as possible. 
Grasses for Winter Decoration. 
It would surprise our readers, could we 
give the money value of the dried grasses 
annually imported from Europe for the dec¬ 
oration of American homes in winter. Some 
of these imported grasses are well enough, 
but others, which come over in such un¬ 
natural colors, being dyed orange, scarlet, 
and even black, had better be left at home. 
It seems quite wrong that a large sum of 
money should go out of the country for these 
dried grasses, when every one of them could 
be grown in one or another portion of our 
wide domain. The readers of the American 
Agriculturist mostly live in the country, and 
of those who do not, the majority make an 
not for their color, but for beauty of form. 
Those who wish to collect them for winter 
use, must observe two points : To gather 
them when they first come into flower ; and, 
to dry them in a natural position. The time 
of gathering is especially important, as most 
grasses, if collected when approaching ripe¬ 
ness, fall apart in a most annoying manner, 
and by “making a litter,” are a source of 
annoyance rather than of pleasure. It is 
not necessary to specify the kind to be gath¬ 
ered. Take whatever appears to be pleasing 
now, and it will be quite as much so when 
dried. Watch the grasses, and when they 
seem to be in perfection, cut them. There 
are some species, not especially graceful, that 
may be tied in small bunches, and hung up 
in a shady place to dry. Others, with a 
graceful, drooping character, if thus treated, 
will be spoiled. If hung up to dry, their 
branches will be reversed, and in drying, lose 
their pleasing habit. Such should be dried 
in their natural position. One way of doing 
this is, to have a box, or boxes, of dry sand, 
and insert the stems in this, either singly or 
in small clusters, while drying. If sand is 
not available, any ingenious person can con¬ 
trive some other method of holding them in 
the proper upright position. The drying is 
best done in an airy, shaded place, as direct 
sunlight may fade them. After drying, they 
may be spread, or placed in shallow boxes, 
but not too many upon one another, until 
wanted for making up. Some works give 
directions for dyeing, bronzing, and other¬ 
wise making grasses unlike themselves, to 
all of which we object. The only allowable 
treatment, to our notion, is to use a dye to 
restore the green color that faded in drying. 
