1 ; 
ilfl 
j PRICE StI3C CENTS. 
I 82.50 PER YEAR. 
NEW YORK, AND ROCHESTER, N. Y., APRIL 6, 1872. 
[Entered nccordinK to Act of Con+crcaa, iu the year 1872, by D. D. T. MooKE, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 
c^lxrrii|wltui[iil. 
IVIES FOE INSIDE DECORATIONS, 
We herewith give an illustration of the 
interior of a wide hall decorated with ivies. 
The plants are grown iu large pots, and then 
trained upon wire trellises fastened to the 
wall and ceiling. The illustration expluins 
itself better than we could iu words; but 
we will add that, there being many varie¬ 
ties of the ivy in cultivation, it is advisable 
to use more than one, for the sake of con¬ 
trast, some of them having beautiful, va¬ 
riegated leaves; others are broad, heart- 
shaped, and almost as broad as a man’s 
hand; while others are deeply cut or palma- 
ted. All these different forms add greatly 
to the beauty of the whole. 
It may also bo stated that the room deco¬ 
rated with ivy should not be kept too warm, 
but at a moderate temperature; such as is 
most healthful for a person Is the best. No 
one need fear to make tho room unhealthy 
by introducing tho ivy in abundance; for 
plants purify the air, and it is only when we 
introduce those emitting strong odors that 
anything but beneficial effects result. As 
all the ivies succeed well in tho shade, they 
are more suitable for the purpose herein 
designated than almost any other kind of 
plant. 
There is also another plant largely used 
for this purpose, which is not a true ivy, al¬ 
though known as German Ivy (S&rieclO scan- 
dens). 11 grows even more rapidly than any 
of the true ivies (Hcdcra), and we have seen 
a small plant grow so fast that it encircled 
quite a large room iu a few weeks. It 
thrives well in t he shade, and tho leaves re¬ 
semble somewhat the common English ivy, 
but are of a lighter and more cheerful green 
color. This, and a great variety of ivies, are 
grown for sale by our florists. 
-♦-*-*- 
SPRING TREATMENT OF AURICULAS, 
A correspondent of the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture says:—I maintain that the Auricula 
ought never to have a drop of rain, and least 
of all in the spring. Every grower of this 
beautiful tlower knows that its greatest en¬ 
emy is damp, and that his efforts are direct¬ 
ed to tho great end ot giving it a free and 
open situation, keeping it free from drip, 
and not allowing water to settle in the heart 
of the plaut. Euless you aro for ever near 
your frames, it is impossible to do this and 
yet let them have any rain. I f you leave di¬ 
rections with your man that they are to have 
only gentle showers, you will find some day 
to your cost that this idea of a gentle show¬ 
er differs very widely from yours. For the 
safety of your collection, I strongly advise 
no showers. But even if you allow them to 
get rain under your own eye, the drops will 
settle in the heart of the plant, and then 
canker and decay take place. Rain may 
possibly run oil’ the plain-foliaged plants, 
but those with the mealy foliage retain It 
very pertinaciously, and nothing will free 
them of it except taking the plant up and 
blowing the water off. Then, too, T think 
that to allow the mealy-foliaged plants to 
become spotted with rain entirely destroys 
their beauty. I grudgeeven when watering 
that the outside leaves should get any on 
them, and should sadly grieve if the beauti¬ 
ful youug leaves were to be thus injured. 
-*♦«- 
Iris Reticulata, a lovely purple flower, 
with a bright, goldeu Up, is pronounced by 
florists a beautiful early blooming bulb for 
gi’een-house pot culture. 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES, Tho labels of bulbs enclosed are: 1— Alio- often of Ivy being trained over frames and 
- matheca cruenta, a small, bulbous plant, arches; but will it live iu a room with an 
Texas Plants. — Enclosed find plant, cultivated in conservatories at tho North, oP en fireplace, and where the soil will be 
which please name for mo. It is one of our but will probably succeed with you iu the t imes ,luvluB the Winter?—A 
earliest, flowers; the prairie is now covered openground. Flowers, blood-red, approach- ‘ T > . 
with them. It is about two weeks earlier . ,,1 * 1 he English or Irish Ivies are quite hardy 
than the Snowdrop, and, as it is a bulbous tt wmlot. Ilu plants bloom fieely w ben grown iu a half shady situation But 
plant, l think deserves a place iu the flow- throughout the summer, if planted iu the ' " “ , “ 8UUatlou - 
er-gardem 1 also enolose you tUe iSu garden, and taken up iu autumn; or the ? he " ou t,vated * house, where tho 
which came around some bulbs which a 8ea80n may be reversed, and by cultivating hcafc cxcltea fUWth one day and the tern- 
friend sent me. I canuot find either of d „ la „o thev mav be made' to bloom in P oraturo » a allowed to go below freezing 
them in any bulb catalogue, nor m Guay’s l ld ‘ 1 gld8H ; Uo . ,niuU t0 m point tho next, the plants are liable to be 
Field Book of Botanv Please i/ive deserin- winter, uud dried ofl and given rest in sum- f . ... F . 
K! mer. If your room is so cool a, to pre- 
Tl),:re usod to bo cultivated iu old Rardtmc _r.i, s .,„. h ”" t a " r lu , ' 
u plant called “Globe." the seed of which , 1 hce draiW,8Sa chloracea is a South- occasionally will not Injure any of the hardy 
exactly represented tho outline of a man’s American bulb, requiring similar soil and or balf-hardy ivies. 
face. Gan you give uie the right name for treatment as that given to our common - 
it,? I have looked dozens of seedsmen's cata- lilies, except, that, in localities where the How to Start Flower Seeds Without 
wfth°?t —'ArZ 61 ground freezes iu winter, the bulb should a Hot-Bed.—Procure a block 4 inches loug, 
w 1,lc ^^PS 0 N, 5 h trman, lezas. bo taken up and kept dry in winter. The 3 wide and 2 thick. Take strong paper-a 
The little plant, with pink flowers, veined flowers aro crimson. The other label you flour sack—cut it the length of tho block 
with purple, is the quite common Claylonia send we are unable to make out, and think uud wide enough to reach urouud it, wit h 
Carolina, or “Spring Beauty.” There Is that the same is misspelled, us we know of an inch to spare. Prepare flour paste, set 
another, equally as common, but larger- uo plaut, the name of which comes any- down with your lap-board, and paste the 
growing species (Llaytonta 1 iryinlco), also where near it. paper urouud the block lengthwise; then 
known by the same common name. They - draw it dowu fur enough to paste over one 
are exceedingly pretty plants, and we are ivy Culture.—Will some one give tho end; slip it from the block and you have a 
not surprised that so early a flower should name of au Ivy that can live in a room box. Ask Mr. Caudle to make you two or 
attract attention. where it will freeze occasionally ? I read bo three shallow boxes of old boards, iu which 
to sit these paper boxes. Write the name 
of the seed you intend to plant on each box, 
1111 with line, rich earth, and a little sand; 
put a few seeds in each one, keep moist with 
warm water, cover with flannel, and set iu 
a warm place. Thus plants can be grown. 
—Mrs. E. M. Taylor. 
Crape Myrtle.—I would like to inform 
your readers that a white Crape Myrtle is 
not a new thing in Texas. In the summer 
of 18(13 I boarded three months with a lady 
in Polk county, Texas, who had trees of the 
pink, purple and white, at least ten feet 
high. It is a charming shrub. If any body 
has raised one from seed of the pink, he did 
well; but it was not the first white crape 
myrtle. I see tho New Orleans Delachaiso 
Nurseries (R. Maitre) have a red one iu 
their catalogue, and the Magnolia Nurseries 
advertise both crimson and scarlet; the 
latter 1 have never seen.—A. B. N., Drown- 
well, Texas. 
English Crocus or Snow Drop.—Lady 
G.:—The flower you now send us is the 
Snow Drop— Oalanthus nivalis; but it is 
very distinct from the blossom produced 
from the bulb sent us last fall as “ English 
Crocus,” which proved to be as we said in 
Rural, Feb. 17. Narcissus mavis. You 
ask the language of these flowers. Accord¬ 
ing to Wood, Crocus means, “ What an 
enigma thou art;” and Narcissus, “Ego¬ 
tists are agreeable only to themselves.” 
A Vigorous Verbena.—1 raised a Ver¬ 
bena from the seed, last season, whose 
branches, together, measured 378 feet. This 
seemed tome such an extraordinary growth 
that I thought I would ask if any brother 
or sister reader of the Rural has beaten it. 
—E. P. Richardson, Lawrence , Mass. 
Hybridizing Flowers.—“Heart’s Ease,” 
Indianapolis, lud., urges American florists 
to pay more attention to the improvement 
of flowers by hybridizing, and proposes to 
give instructions in the method. We shall 
be glad to hear from him. 
Iron for Roses.—A correspondent of 
au English paper recommends the laying 
about rose bushes old irou. lie fluds that 
the irou rust acts as a tonic to the rose. 
We have several seasonable communica¬ 
tions for this department for which we have 
not yet been able to And space. They shall 
ROOM jPM^ANrT-CTJLTTJPtE AT ST. PETERSBURGH. appear soon. 
The labels of bulbs enclosed are: 1— Ano- 
matheca cruenta, a small, bulbous plant, 
cultivated in conservatories at tho North, 
but will probably succeed with you in the 
open ground. Flowers, blood-red, approach¬ 
ing a scarlet. The plants bloom freely 
throughout the summer, if planted iu the 
garden, and taken up iu uutumu; or tho 
season may be reversed, and by cultivating 
under glass, they may be made to bloom in 
winter, uud dried off and given rest in sum¬ 
mer. 
2 .—Phccdranassa chloracea is a South- 
Americau bulb, requiring similar soil and 
treatment as that given to our common 
lilies, except that, lu localities where the 
ground freezes iu winter, the bulb should 
bo taken up and kept, dry iu winter. Tho 
flowers are crimson. The other label you 
seud we are uuable to make out, and think 
that the same is misspelled, us we know of 
uo plaut, the name of which comes any¬ 
where near it. 
Ivy Culture.—Will some one give tho 
name of au Ivy that can live in a room 
where it will freeze occasionally? I read bo 
RalpnKvans 
