180 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
Some Early Wild Flowers. 
In this country, at the North at least, we can¬ 
not follow the example of our English ancestors, 
and celebrate May-day as a floral festival. We 
rue anemone.—( Thalictrum anemonoides.) 
may console ourselves with the thought that 
the custom had a heathen origin, as it perpet¬ 
uates the ceremonials in honor of the Latin god¬ 
dess Flora. The few attempts we have seen at 
“ Maying ” in our fickle climate have been 
characterized by a general paucity of flowers, 
and chilliness of person. Still, the true lover of 
flowers can find enough to interest him in a 
May-day walk, even if the day be chilly, and 
anything but festive. There are many early 
flowers to be found, which, if not gay enough 
for garlands, are well worth the seeking. 
Wherever the Trailing Arbutus, or May-flower, 
(. Epigcea ) is found, there is no lack of either 
beauty or fragrance. Unfortunately this gem of 
our wood-sides only grows here and there. 
Some violets are to be found, but provokingly 
without the odor which every one associates with 
the violet. On the exposed hill-sides the Early 
Saxifrage and the little Plantain-leaved Ever¬ 
lasting have been in bloom for some time, as 
has the Early Crowfoot, or Buttercup. Some 
of the Cresses grow on the banks of the streams, 
and in the moist woods we find the pure white 
flowers of the Bloodroot, the delicately veined 
Spring Beauty, the oddly shaped Dutchman’s 
Breeches, and its closely related Squirrel Corn. 
But it is not our intention to give a list of all the 
plants to be found at this time, as it would 
not be possible to give one which would be other 
than local. One very common spring flower 
has been sent to us so often for a name, that we 
give an engraving of it—the Rue Anemone, 
Thalictrum anemonoides. It is often found in 
company with the Wind-flower, Anemone nemo- 
rosa , which it somewhat resembles. The en¬ 
graving (after Sprague,) is so life-like, that the 
plant needs no description. It is not a true 
Anemone, but a Thalictrum , a name which is 
an old one, the meaning of which is not under¬ 
stood. The specific name, Anemonoides , means 
resembling the Anemone. The difference be¬ 
tween Thalictrum and Anemone is seen when 
the flower has fallen, and the seed-like fruits 
are formed. In the first case they are little 
ribbed cylinders, and in the second, they are 
flattened, with a hooked beak. Another pretty 
flower of early spring is found in rocky woods,— 
the Yiolet Wood-Sorrel, Oxalis xiolacea. The 
slender stems are sent up from scaly bulbs, and 
bear several delicate violet-colored flowers. The 
flowers of early spring have a charming deli¬ 
cacy, which is wanting in most of the later 
ones, and they are welcomed with a feeling 
that those which come later fail to excite. 
Improvement in the Gladiolus. 
Since florists have turned their attention to 
the Gladiolus, a marked improvement in the form 
and color, as well as the texture of the flower, 
is manifest. Instead of the one-sided flower 
with the petals all pointed, we have now flow¬ 
ers quite symmetrical in shape, and of great 
substance. The engraving shows a fine flower 
taken from a specimen in the magnificent col¬ 
lection of Mr. Geo. Such, South Amboy, N. J., 
who lias been very successful in producing new 
varieties from seed. The Gladiolus is one of 
the plants that need to be popularized, for we 
seldom see it in the gardens of the people 
at large. Good bulbs can be bought for $2.00 a 
dozen, but the new and choicest varieties sell 
for 50 cents or more, each. They will flourish 
in any good garden soil, and all the better if it 
is rich and light. The bulbs may be planted 
this month or next, and when the leaves begin 
to wither in autumn they are taken up and kept 
in a cool place, free from frost. The old bulb 
produces one or more new ones, according to 
the variety. To those quite unacquainted with 
the Gladiolus it may be well to say that single 
flowers, similar to that in the engraving, are 
borne upon a stem to the number of twenty or 
REGULARLY FORMED GLADIOLUS. 
more. They vary in color, from white and 
yellow, to scarlet and the most brilliant crimson, 
and are variously marked. Those known as 
the Hybrid Gladioluses {Gladiolus Ganda- 
vensis ), are the finest, and are the ones referred 
to. They are kept by florists and seedsmen. 
Trouble with Cabbages. 
The cabbage plant has many enemies; those 
which are particularly annoying in the early 
stages of its existence are the small white mag¬ 
got, at the root of the seedling, and the cut- 
violet wood-sorrel.—( Oxalis violacea.) 
worm, after the plant has been set out. Several 
small flies of the genus Anthomyia infest the 
radish, turnip, and other plants of the same 
family, as well as the cabbage. The trouble¬ 
some “ maggots ” which infest the roots of these 
plants are the larvae of these insects. They 
sometimes attack a seed-bed of cabbages in 
such numbers as to render all of the plants 
worthless. We have already given the proposed 
remedies, such as dusting with lime, ashes, etc. 
The latest suggestion we have seen is to grow 
the seedling plants in boxes, elevated six or 
eight feet above the ground. It is said that this 
places the plants above the reach of the parent 
insect. The cut-worm—which includes the 
grubs of several distinct insects—is often de¬ 
structive in the garden or field. It works in 
the night, stripping off the leaves or cutting the 
stems square across, and retires to its hole dur¬ 
ing the day. Hunting the grub, digging it out, 
and killing, have been the only sure remedies. 
White, in his Gardening for the South, states 
that an old negro gardener told him that the 
cut-worms would not attack cabbages that were 
planted in trenches six inches deep, and that 
he practised upon the suggestion with success. 
It is a very simple remedy, and is worthy of a 
trial by those living in localities where the 
crops are liable to be injured by cut-worms. 
Spent Hops. —The waste hops from the brew¬ 
eries are an excellent fertilizer. From some 
experience in their use, we estimate their value 
to be equal—cord for cord—to stable manure. 
