1875.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
61 
Wood Sorrels—Oxalis. 
Every autumn we see in tlie seed stores a box 
or pan of tiny bulbs, none of them larger tlniD 
a hazel-nut, and some much smaller, marked 
“ mixed oxalis,” and later in the season, when 
the hyacinths, tulips, and other bulbs, are near- 
those who never tried them, to procure a few 
bulbs of each of the leading sorts next fall, as 
soon as the dealers receive their stock, as they 
need to be planted early—in September if they 
can be had. The pots need plenty of broken 
crocks for drainage, then some fragments of dry 
cow dung—say a fourth full, then good garden 
The Various-colored, (Oxalis versicolor ).— 
A pot of this in full bloom in the greenhouse 
reminded us to say a word in favor of these 
plants, and it furnished material for an engrav¬ 
ing, which shows the free-flowering character 
of the species; for the convenience of carry¬ 
ing, it was tied to sticks, and was unfortunate¬ 
ly all sold, the oxalis bulbs seem to be about as 
numerous as at first. From this we infer that 
amateur flower growers do not purchase many 
oxalis bulbs, which we are quite sure they 
would do did they know the capabilities of 
these insignificant looking bulbs, and how much 
pleasure they can afford at a small expense. 
There are a few native species of oxalis, the 
common yellow-flowered, {0. stricta ,) with its 
clover-like leaves on erect or trailing stems, is 
common everywhere, and often a weed in gar¬ 
dens, and two others, with leaves and violet or 
reddish flowers, proceeding directly from the 
root, are found in woods and rocky places. The 
majority of the cultivated species are from 
South America, and the Cape of Good Hope ; 
some are shrubby, others are herbaceous, with 
fibrous roots, and others are bulbous-rooted ; 
only the last-named can be procured at the seed 
stores, and there is among them a sufficient va¬ 
riety to meet the wants of the amateur grower, 
as they include species which have long and 
short stems, broad and narrow leaves, and white, 
yellow, rose-colored, crimson, and variegated 
flowers, some of which are fragrant. There 
are few flowers that do quite so well in win¬ 
dow culture as when grown in the greenhouse, 
but with proper care the species of oxalis will 
be found quite satisfactory, and we cau advise 
soil to'fill the pot. One, three, or hih-a-dozen 
bulbs, according to their size, are put in a pot, 
pressing them down sideways into the soil an 
inch or less, according to their size ; then press 
the soil down firmly, and set the pot in a shady 
place ; no water will be needed until the plants 
begin to grow, unless the soil should get very 
dry. When the pla its are growing, give them 
plenty of light, and water according to their 
needs. When the flowering is over, and the 
leaves begin to fade, stop watering, and set the 
pots in a dry place where they will not freeze, 
and out of the reach of mice; the bulbs may 
be left in the earth until the season of re-pot¬ 
ting ; they will be found to have increased in 
number, some of them having bulbs far below 
the surface. Out of over a hundred species and 
varieties in cultivation, the dealers do not im¬ 
port more than six or eight, and then provok- 
ingly put them together, and sell them as “ mix¬ 
ed oxalis.” Insist on having the varieties dis¬ 
tinct and named. Probably one reason why so 
few persons buy oxalis bulbs, is because they 
are offered in mixed lots; all sensible people 
wish to know exactly what they are buying, and 
if a plant has not a distinct name, they do not 
care for it. Mixed bulbs and mixed seeds are 
a nuisanee in most cases. A few of the gen¬ 
erally obtainable varieties are here enumerated : 
ly drawn in an unnatural position. It has a re- 
markably drooping habit, and hangs over the 
sides of the pot in the most graceful manner, 
and is well suited to a suspended pot or basket. 
The leaves consist of three very narrow leaf¬ 
lets, notched at the end; the flowers are single 
on their slender stalks, and about an inch 
across. In all the species the petals are twisted 
or convolute in the bud, each having one edge 
directed inwards, and overlapped by the pre¬ 
ceding petal, and its outer edge overlapping the 
next one, as in the diagram, (fig. 1), of a cross- 
section of a flower: this is not only the position 
of the petals in the bud, but that which the 
flowers take at night, and as most species open 
only in the sunshine, they 
are on cloudy days more 
or less closed in this spiral 
manner. When the Vari¬ 
ous-colored Oxalis is ful¬ 
ly open, it is white within 
with a yellow eye; the 
under surface of each 
petal is white or slight¬ 
ly tinged with rose, and 
marked on the margin with a narrow bright 
pink or red line or Stripe. When the flower is 
in bud, or completely closed, it appears 
as if entirely red, but when only partly 
