1859 . 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
309 
to support its flower erect, but the double hya¬ 
cinths often need small stakes. If these are 
peatly made and painted green, they look well, 
and prevent the stalks from being broken down 
by the wind, or falling by their own weight. Some 
amateur florists and nurserymen stretch an awn¬ 
ing over their finest beds during mid-day, and 
thereby prolong the period of flowering, a week or 
more. As soon as the foliage turns yellow, the 
roots may be taken up and laid in some by-place, 
and covered with a little earth. They will he 
ripe in a fortnight, and may then be sorted and 
put away in dry papers till Autumn. Or they may 
remain in the ground two or three years without 
transplanting. 
In the choice of varieties, tastes differ. Among 
tulips, some persons prefer the Parrots (variegated 
colors), others the double sorts ; but the more 
critical declare in favor of the single varieties. 
These, when of the right form and markings, it 
must be confessed rightly bear the palm. It is 
desirable to have some of the early and of the 
late bloomers, so as to extend the flowering sea¬ 
son to about a month. The Due Van Tholls are 
among the best of the early bloomers. Learned 
florists classify the late bloomers into Prime 
*Baguets, Rigaut’s Baguets, Incomparable Ver- 
poorts, Byblcemens or Flamands, Bizarres, Paro¬ 
quets and so on ; but these hard names add noth¬ 
ing to the beauty of the flowers. Among hya¬ 
cinths, the double varieties are generally prefer- 
ed, but many of the single sorts are equally as 
good, for they have a greater number of bells and 
are often superior in color. If one can visit a 
garden having a fine collection in bloom, it will 
afford the best opportunity of making a choice of 
the best varieties ; but in lieu of this, he may send 
to a reliable seedsman or florist, for as large an 
assortment as is wanted, and he will be quite 
likely to be satisfied with his investment. 
Again, we repeat it, now, this present month of 
October, is the best month for making beds of tu¬ 
lips and hyacinths. Whoever follows our advice 
will never rue it. 
Hyacinths are frequently put into pots of earth 
and kept in the green house, or cellar, or in any 
cool room. During the Winter they are carried 
to a warmer place, as in a parlor or sitting-room, 
to bloom. They can be brought forward to bloom 
at almost any time during Winter, according to 
the degree of waimth they are subjected to They 
may also be placed in hyacinth glasses for flow¬ 
ering. This process we described on page 371 of 
last volume. Our illustration at the head of this 
article shows some choice varieties in pots and 
glasses. 
- ■ . —e»—-* —- 
For the Amtrican Agriculturist. 
Seed Papers. 
SIMPLE, SAFE, AND CONVENIENT. 
At this season of the year, the following direc¬ 
tions for making the simplest and most secure 
seed papers, for collecting and preserving flower 
seeds, may be welcome to many, at least to ama¬ 
teurs : 
No. 1.— Collecting Boxes .—Take a piece of let¬ 
ter, or cap paper, (a,) about half longer than 
wide, (say four inches by six inches, or 6x9.) and 
fold up first both short ends so that they meet 
in the middle, (A) ; now, without unfolding this, 
fold again so that the ends may meet in the 
middle, (c). Now, keeping this flat on the table, 
unfold it so far that the four sides form four ver¬ 
tical walls, two, of course, will be found to be 
higher, (d). Bend the ends of the lower sides 
around the higher ones, (e,) and finally turn over 
the protruding higher ends, so that all sides are 
equally high, (/.) 
This gives a neat little box, two of which can 
be made in one minute, after a few minutes prac- 
a b 
tice. They may be 
placed on a shelf or 
board, and the seeds, 
collected with their seed- 
vessels, deposited in 
them until they are per¬ 
fectly dry,or until Spring. 
On the over-lapping ends, the name of the seeds 
is marked. Two boxes may be placed, one upon 
the other, especially to retain in the lower one 
seed-vessels which spring open and scatter their 
seeds, as Pansies, Balsams and others. 
No. 2 .—Preserving Capsules —For keeping the 
seeds in, after they are cleansed from their shells. 
Take a piece of writing-paper, of about the same 
proportions as that used for the box No. 1 ; one- 
sixteenth of a common sheet of letter-paper wi 
answer for small seeds, one-eighth for larger 
ones, and one fourth for the largest. Fold it up 
lengthwise,so that one part will 
protrude not less than an 
eighth of an inch over the 
other, (g). Bend this longer 
end close over the shorter one, 
and turn the same once more 
over at the same width, (h and 
i). Then, at one short end, bend back one cor¬ 
ner—that with the fold (;)—and at right angles, 
and over it the other corner, whose point is 
tucked under the fold, (k). 
The seed is put in at the other end, and this 
afterwards closed like the first. When the thumb¬ 
nail is smartly applied while folding the paper, (or 
the paper-knife by more delicate fingers), and the 
folds and corners are carefully turned, no seed, 
however fine and small, can possibly escape or be 
shaken from these papers. They are quickly 
opened by thrusting the finger tip under the fold 
at one end, (never at both); a slight pressure 
with the thumb and forefinger on both edges of 
the capsule opens it fully, for the reception or 
pouring out of seeds, and then it is as easily 
closed again ; from 4 to 6 may be made in one 
minute. It will be found most convenient to 
hold the paper, while folding, in the same positions 
before you as shown in the engraving. They are 
preferable to the pasted capsules, which often 
leak out at the lower corners, and are both incon¬ 
venient and unsafe in their opening and closing 
part, besides all the trouble required in making. 
The folded papers are in use in Europe almost ex¬ 
clusively, and some seedsmen have adopted them 
he-e, but they have generally one fault in their 
making: that of leaving too narrow a turning-fold 
(a~ fig. b), whereby, especially when filled with 
larger seeds, the whole fold opens ami lets the 
seeds out. Mimosus. 
Saving Flower Seeds. 
Don't forget to save flower seeds, as they suc¬ 
cessively ripen. Many careful and industrious 
gardeners are annoyed every Spring by thought¬ 
less neighbors coming to beg seeds. “I had 
plenty of flowers last season,' 1 they each say, 
“ hut neglected to save any seed ; it was loo great 
a bore to do it; please give me a few of several 
of the prettiest kinds of flowers, as you have a 
plenty.” And so it happens every Spring Now, 
the only way to treat such people is to sa* "No. 
save your own seeds ; or if too careless «■* indo¬ 
lent for that, then buy them !” 
There are cases, indeed, in which one Devon 
may ask for a few seeds of his neighbor; hut no 
one should live by begging. Every person who 
pretends to have flowers, should make it a regu¬ 
lar part of his Summer’s business to save seeds 
for the next year’s use. 
Some persons keep all their old letter envelopes 
for gathering seed ; others make little paper bags 
for the purpose. Or, if one does not <boose 
either of these methods, it is well to have an old 
newspaper always at hand when walking m the 
garden, to collect any seeds that may be ripe. 
Mark the name on the margin of the paper, and 
lay the seeds away to become thorough"/ dry. 
On rainy days, these may be cleaned of chaff, 
done up in small packets, and laid away tvr the 
season. As some of the finest of the late flow¬ 
ers are now ripening their seeds, our advic? may 
be followed to good advantage. 
-— -—-——•»--.--- 
Keeping Verbenas and Geraniums in Win¬ 
ter. 
Choice Verbenas and Geraniums are often lost 
during the Winter for want of proper care. Tilt- 
old roots are taken up in Autumn, potted, and sei 
away in the cellar, only to come out in the Sprim 
thoroughly dried up, or, if the cellar is moist they 
have become moldy and decayed. It has beep 
recommended to take them from the ground, ana 
hang them in the cellar during the Winter. They 
will sometimes, hut rarely, recover when set out 
the following Spring. 
They are best kept in a green-house or pit; 
but if one has no such conveniences, he may pot 
the layers, or recent cuttings, just before frost, 
and either keep them on the parlor shelf, or in the 
window, where they will grow and bloom to¬ 
ward Spring, or he may set the pots in a warm, 
dry cellar, after the plants have become well 
rooted, and let them go through the Winter in a 
dormant state. The earth will need examining, 
and watering occasionally, or the roots will be¬ 
come so dry that it is difficult to resuscitate them 
in the Spring. Of course the foliage drops off, 
and perhaps only the root survives; but that 4s 
sufficient for the purpose intended. 
--- -- 
Fruit Preserved in Glass Bottles —An Im¬ 
provement. 
On page 214, (July Agriculturist) we de¬ 
scribed minutely the process of putting up fruits 
in glass bottles. On the plan recommended we 
put up a good supply of strawberries, cherries, 
raspberries, blackberries, etc, but in several 
cases the process proved a failure. Some of the 
strawberries not scalded through before bottling 
or sealing, fermented and drove out the corks. In 
another case where the fruit was thoroughly 
scalded, not cooked to destroy the flavor, fermen¬ 
tation was traced to an air-hole in the wax, and 
in two other cases the corks were driven in hr 
