1871.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
T21 
The Virginian Agave. 
Almost every one lias either seen or read of 
the famous Oentury-plant, or Agave Americana 
of tropical America. This grows to a gigantic 
ive do many others, by experience, and next 
spring w 7 e shall know all about it. The engrav¬ 
ing gives a portion of the flower spike, about 
half the natural size, and a very much reduced 
drawing of the whole plant, to show its habit. 
Plants for a Small Greenhouse. 
BY JAMES HOGG. 
[The articles in August and September upon 
building and heating a small greenhouse have 
size, and is remarkable for the length of time it 
requires in cultivation at the North to accumu¬ 
late sufficient energy to make its first and only 
bloom. The majority of those who have seen 
or read about this floral wonder are probably 
not aware that we have w'ithin our own tem¬ 
perate limits a representative—an humble one, 
it is true—of this giant Agave. In Virginia 
and Southern Illinois we have the Virginian 
Agave, Agave Virginica, which grows far south¬ 
ward into Florida and Texas. A friend sent us 
a specimen, which bloomed this year, and en¬ 
abled us to present a drawing of it. It makes 
a low tuft of thick and fleshy leaves, a foot or 
so across. The leaves are often furnished with 
spiny teeth on the margins. The flower-stalk 
grows with great rapidity, and reaches the bight 
of five or six feet. Unlike the Century-plant, it 
does not branch, but the flowers are arranged 
in a simple spike around the summit of the 
stem, and keep on developing for some weeks. 
The flowers (about an inch long) are purplish 
without, yellow within, and somewhat fragrant. 
Altogether, it is a plant more interesting than 
showy, being a representative in our cold cli¬ 
mates of a genus that furnishes some of the 
most striking features of tropical scenery. 
Those who have described this plant fail to 
state if, like the Century-plant, it exhausts itself 
with the effort of flowering. The root looks 
sound, and we shall have to learn this point, as 
The Partridge Pea. 
Sometimes we give representations of plants 
that are neither useful nor ornamental, but of 
such common occurrence, that many friends 
send them to be named. By publishing an en¬ 
graving we are able to answer a large number 
of inquiries at once. The Partridge Pea is 
very common in sandy soil. It is an annual, with 
a spreading stem about a foot high, and bearing 
pinnate leaves of from ten to fifteen pairs of 
small leaflets. The foliage is very delicate in 
appearance, and is somewhat sensitive, the 
leaves closing gradually when the plant is dis¬ 
turbed or plucked. The flowers are in small 
clusters, bright yellow, and showy. The petals 
have often a purple spot at the base. The 
flowers are succeeded by flat pods about two 
inches long. The botanical name of the plant 
is Cassia Chanuecrista. It belongs to the Pea 
Family ( Leguminosce ), although the flowers have 
not the peculiar shape that characterizes the 
members of the family that we are the most 
familiar with. The genus Cassia is a large one, 
and many of the tropical species are grown in 
greenhouses. The drug known as Senna is the 
leaves of several Eastern species, and the leaves 
of a tall-growing native species, Cassia Mari- 
landica , the Wild Senna, are used for a similar 
purpose by some physicians, but they are 
very much less active than the imported article. 
met the wants of a number of readers, who now 
ask for a selection of plants with which to stock 
the house after it is built. We referred the 
matter to Mr. Hogg, who has given such a col¬ 
lection as he should procure himself. In look¬ 
ing over the list we find things that some may 
consider old-fashioned, but they are not the 
less meritorious on that account. The list 
allows.a considerable range in selection.— Ed.] 
In making a selection of plants for a green¬ 
house which will be mainly in charge of its 
owner, and not under the care of a professional 
gardener, it is desirable to select liard-wooded 
plants chieffy, as they are the easiest cared 
for, and do not require as high a temperature 
to grow them well as do soft-wooded plants; 
yet some of these latter, such as Pelargoniums, 
Cinerarias, and winter-blooming bulbs, and suc¬ 
culent plants, as Aloes and Cactuses, are almost 
indispensable in any collection. 
It is a common fault with inexperienced ama¬ 
teur cultivators to purchase any plant in the 
nursery collections that may strike their fancy, 
without any inquiry as to their facilities for 
or any reference to their experience or skill in 
cultivation. This leads to much disappointment, 
and at times to disgust, with plant culture. In 
making such purchases, strict inquiry should be 
made as to the mode of cultivation, and whether 
the necessary attention can be given to the 
plant, and if one is satisfied that the proper cul> 
Virginia agave.— (Agave Virginica.) 
partridge pea. —(Cassia Chanuecrista.) 
