1884 ,] 
AMEEIOAT^ AGEIOELTEEIST, 
377 
Crocuses in Grass. 
Adjoining the railroad station at which the 
writer takes cars for the city, is a triangular piece 
of ground, that a neighboring florist keeps bright 
with flowers the whole season. There is a long 
border for flowers, and on both sides of this is a 
broad strip of grass, which is kept mown as a 
small lawn. A year ago, the florist referred to 
planted crocus bulbs in clumps all over the grass. 
An opening was made in the turf, from three to a 
dozen crocus bulbs were planted in each opening, 
and the sod replaced. The past spring this grass 
plat was gay with the bright flowers of the cro¬ 
cuses, which kept in bloom for several weeks. So 
attractive was this station garden, that in several 
cases passengers stopped over until the next 
train, in order to more carefully view, and 
make inquiry about, the flowers. Planting in 
clumps in the lawn, is the best method with all 
save the large, named varieties of crocus, which 
may be planted in clumps in the border. Cro¬ 
cuses are among the earliest flowers to appear in 
spring. They bloom and their flowers fade away, 
before the grass needs mowing. Bulbs, thus set 
Plant the Bulbs Early. 
The lover of flowers can receive no more ample 
return for the money expended, than for that 
which he lays out in Holland bulbs. In autumn he 
buys and plants a lot of “ onions,” as the French 
call them, and in early spring is rewarded by a 
magnificent display of flowers. The principal 
bulbs included under the name of “Holland” or 
“ Dutch Bulbs,” are Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissuses 
of many kinds, and Crocuses. 
There are others, but these are 
the leading kinds. We are glad 
to obseiwe that a new interest 
is awakened in these charming 
flowers, especially in the species, 
and the many varieties of the 
Narcissus. In the spring of the 
present year, flower fashion set 
strongly in favor of the Narcis¬ 
sus; a neighbor of the writer, 
having planted largely of Narcis¬ 
sus bulbs left over from last 
fall’s sale, cut the flowers and 
sent them to market. His re¬ 
turns for the flowers were greater 
than he could have received had 
he sold the bulbs, while these, 
having a year’s growth, will give 
a fuller crop of flowers next 
spring. To have the best suc¬ 
cess with Holland bulbs, they 
should be planted early. The 
time for planting in this coun¬ 
try, must of course depend upon 
the date at which they are im¬ 
ported and offered for sale by 
the dealers. As soon as the 
bulbs can be procured, they 
should go into the ground. A 
safe rule is to plant the bulbs 
their own depth below the sur¬ 
face, and to set them twice their 
width apart. Planted early, the 
bulbs have ample time to form 
abundant roots, which will later 
be of service in promoting a 
vigorous growth of foliage and 
bloom. Bulbs are admirable 
window plants, and are easily 
managed. Keep the pots at a 
low temperature and in the dark, 
to cause roots to form before the 
leaves begin to develop, a condi¬ 
tion necessary to success. All 
who propose to plant Holland 
bulbs,whetherinthe open ground 
or in pots, etc., for house-bloom¬ 
ing, should procure them as early as they are 
offered for sale by the dealers, and plant at once. 
Night-blooming Cereus as a House-plant. 
THOMAS SHEEHAN, 
There are a number of night-flowering Cereuses, 
but the one especially known as the Night-bloom¬ 
ing Cereus is Cereus grandiflorus, which, when in 
full bloom, presents a rare sight. Some of the 
flowers of the night-blooming kinds are exceed¬ 
ingly fragrant, notably Cereus triangularis, a single 
flower of which, when well open, will All the air 
of a room with its pleasant odor. 
These plants can be made to 
bloom freely, by keeping the soil 
quite dry, and allowing them 
very little pot-room, as they de¬ 
pend more upon the atmosphere 
than the soil for their growth. 
We have known large plants of 
Cereus grandijlorus, to produce as 
many as twenty flue blossoms 
each in the course of a season. 
We have found that liquid ma¬ 
nure, if applied to these plants 
about once a month, and when 
the soil about them is very 
dry, will work wonders with 
them, and when a rapid growth 
can be obtained, there will be no 
trouble in having an abundance 
of flowers at regular intervals. 
Care must be taken not to have 
the liquid too strong. A small 
quantity of brick dust, mixed 
with the soil in which they arc 
growing will be beneficial. These 
species of Cereus are easily pro¬ 
pagated by cuttings, which will 
root readily in sand of any kind. 
Being of a slender habit of 
growth, and rather rampant, 
they should have some sort of 
support, and it is advisable to 
either train them to a trellis, or 
upon wires or a string stretched 
over and along the window sash. 
We have had a number of flow¬ 
ers of a pure feathery white, C. 
grandijlorus, that were over fif¬ 
teen inches in diameter; this is 
tlie best of the night-flowering 
species. Formerly not only the 
different species of Cereus and 
of other genera of the Cacti were 
much more frequent as house 
plants than at present. They 
require very little care, and in 
their magnificent flowers give an 
abundant return for the little 
attention they need. There are some kinds that 
bloom in winter, but the great majority are sum¬ 
mer flowering, and take a long rest in winter. 
They will endure a great amount of neglect, but 
must be kept where they will not be frozen. 
Fall Planting—Stripping the leaves. 
No questions at this season are more frequent than 
these; Do we advise fall planting ?—Is it proper to 
sti-ip the leaves from nursery trees?—As to fall plant¬ 
ing, the answer would differ with the locality. Where 
the soil is in good condition, and in localities where 
there is a usually long autumn, and the winter does 
not shut down suddenly, there is much to be said in 
favor of fall planting of orchard trees of all kinds. 
Should fall planting be undertaken, and the weather 
become unfavorable, the trees, being at hand, can 
be heeled-in and ready for planting next spring. 
As to stripping the leaves from nursery trees, es¬ 
pecially from peach trees, we regard the practice 
as a legitimate one. If the leaves have done their 
work, and can be removed by merely running the 
hands along the branches, no harm can come from 
removing them. Leaves that can be readily re¬ 
moved, can be of no further use to the tree. 
Hence we say, if the leaves can be stripped with 
great ease, no harm cap come of stripping them. 
out, will increase in strength and numbers and 
last several years. This method of planting may be 
commended to all who have lawns large or small. 
A New and Fine Narcissus. 
The bulb season in England this year is marked 
by the sudden appearance of a flower that, on ac¬ 
count of its large size and great beauty, makes a 
A NEW NAItCISSITS, “SIR WATKIN.” 
sensation. An engraving in the “ Gardener’s 
Chronicle ” (London), allows us to give the life- 
size portrait of this new comer, which has a his¬ 
tory. The flower was exhibited at a meeting of the 
Koyal Horticultural Society, by Messrs. James Dick¬ 
son and Sons, of England, as “James Dickson,” 
and as such was awarded a certificate. Now comes 
Mr. William Pickstone, who claims that the va¬ 
riety originated in his garden in Wales, some six¬ 
teen years ago, and that he has grown and multi¬ 
plied it there and elsewhere as “Sir Watkin.” 
Leaving the Society to settle the question as to the 
priority of name, we may say that the variety is 
probably a chance cross between Ndrcissusbifloi'us, 
and some other, and exceeds in size the Emperor, 
Horsfleldi, and others heretofore regarded as the 
finest varieties. The segments of the flower, with 
a spread of over four inches, are of a pale canary 
yellow, and the cup, which is handsomely fringed, 
is of a rich gamboge-yellow. Unlike some other 
large varieties, this is exceedingly fragrant. That 
so striking a flower should have been cultivated for 
sixteen years before coming to public notice, is ac¬ 
counted for by the fact that its discoverer is a 
farmer who grew and increased the bulbs for his 
own gratification. Some of the bulbs having 
passed into the hands of the firm above mention¬ 
ed, they at once brought such a remarkable 
novelty to the attention of horticulturists, 
