l PRICE SIX CENTS 
( S'i.50 PER YEAR. 
NEW YORK, AND ROCHESTER. N. Y„ JUNE 1 , 1372, 
[Entered according to Act of Confess, m the year K'j, b? D. D. T. M oore, in the Q«ce of the Librarian Of Co ngreBB, at Washington.] 
Winter, and lmvo some at the present, time 
witii spikes of flowers eight inches Ions. 
They were potted singly, one bulb in a pot 
of fme rich Boil. They have had no care, ex¬ 
cept being supplied with plenty of water 
and kept in a warm room. 
sown in the open (ground in May will pro¬ 
duce (lowering plants in June that will 
make a brilliant bed through the Hummer 
and Autumn. The blotched and stripod is 
the most Showy variety. Sow the seed thin¬ 
ly in a seed bed, coveringly with fine soil, 
and when the plants ai-e an inch or more 
high, transplant eighteen inches apart into 
rich soil, and they will completely cover 
the ground in a short time. 
Phlox Drummond!!. — Every one 
who cultivates flowers, should have 
Phlox. Borne of the varieties are bril¬ 
liant and dazzling, while others are 
very delicate in color, and when mixed 
in a bed, make a splendid display from 
June until hard frost. A foot apart is 
unite near enough to set plunts. One 
of the most common mistakes with all 
kinds of plants is to set them too thick. 
This is especially so with Phlox Druiu- 
mondii. Plants set thick will mildew 
badly, and the flowers will be much 
smaller than if set a good distance 
apart. 
Portalaca.—This is one of the most 
brilliant low annuals in cultivation. A 
bed in full flower almost puts one’s 
eyes out to look at it when the sun 
shines. The Double Rose - Flowered 
Portulaca, introduced a few years ago, 
is indeed a gem; the flowers, which are 
produced in great profusion, look like 
small roses, and are of many colors. 
Sow seeds in the open ground, and 
transplant six or eight inches apart 
into light, rich soil, fully exposed to 
the sun. A very good way is to put 
these kinds in ono round or oval bed 
made full and rounding towards the 
center. In the center put Petunias; 
next Phlox Drummondii, with a border 
of Portulaca. Such a bed will com¬ 
mence to flower in early Summer and 
make a constant and brilliant display 
until frost. Amateur 
Amherst, Mass. 
tops slightly projected above the eai*th; 
when grown in glasses, the water just 
touched their base.—J. Q. 
You are certainly unfortunate, hut we. 
cannot, tell why the bulbs fall to bloom. 
We have raised the bulbs ourselves, bought 
them at different seasons, and of various 
importers, but never experienced a failure 
in making them bloom either in water or 
earth. We have been forcing hyacinths all 
DRACJENA SURADOSI, VARIETY MACU 
LATA. 
BEST FLOWERS FOR A BRILLIANT SHOW 
The Dracfenna are all beautiful tropical 
plants, well suited to house culture. Tho 
best known, perhaps, is the 73. term hut llx, 
with its long, bright red or purple leaves. 
It is largely used by our florists for 
vases and as a center figure in hanging 
baskets. Among the many species 
known there are few which would not 
be an ornament to any conservatory, 
the foliage being more beautiful and 
attractive than the flowers. Africa has 
given us the best and most showy 
speoies, among which the one shown in 
the accompanying illustration is ex¬ 
ceedingly rare as well as beautiful. It 
was found on the banks of tho Old 
Calabar River, in 1803, by G. Mann, but 
afterwards sent to the Glasgow Botanic 
Gardens by Mr. Clarice. It is a shrub 
six to eight feet high, throwing up 
copious, stout, erect, rod-like surculi 
from the roots. Leaves in scattered, 
Petunias.—If I could have but one kind 
of flowers, it should be Petunias. Seed 
TROUBLE WITH HYACINTHS 
What is the matter with my hya¬ 
cinths? The flower spike does not, 
push up far enough, but begins to bloom 
in it poor sort of way when close to the 
bulb and hidden by the leaves. Many 
of the buds blast, and look us if their 
edges had been gnawed off. 1 havo 
tried raising hyacinths in the house for 
the past three years, and am nearly 
discouraged I y my poor success. Have 
purchased the bulbs of different deal¬ 
ers, and have procured single and 
double and common, as well as the 
choicest named varieties; have tried 
them in glasses, in pots and in boxes. 
Have kept some six or eight weeks in 
a dark closet, others in the cellar; have 
covered with a board the box contaiu- 
ing others until it interfered wit h their 
further growth. Have tried them in a 
warm room with a southern exposure, 
in a. moderate temporalure at a western 
window, and when it looked as if the 
old trouble was returning, removed 
them to a cool room with an eastern 
exposure. Have used common garden 
soil and one prepared with sand and 
the decayed refuse from under an old 
wood pile; have tried (with some little 
benefit) paper tones placed over the 
bulbs, to cause the stern to lengthen. 
When using glasses, with some I 
changed tho water frequently; with 
others only when it became foul; put 
charcoal in the water with some, and 
not with others. In fact, I have tried 
every expedient that suggested itself, 
in order to insure success, but all to no 
purpose. Two of the rooms in which 
my experiments wore conducted wore 
heated by direct hot air pipes, while 
the third was warmed by heat com¬ 
municated from the hall only. Tho 
bulbs have never been frozen; there is 
no gas in the house, no indications of 
mice, and tho bulbs wore planted so the 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES, 
Query About Plants.—1. Inclosed 
find a plant, which please name for me. 
2. Also, please tell me how to propa¬ 
gate Crown Imperials. 3. Is the LiUum 
Girjanteiem quite hardy ? — C., Sher- 
7ti an, Tecux. 
1. Anemone (hirolinianum. 2. Crown 
Imperials may bo propagated from seed 
sown as soon as ripe. They are also 
propagated by division of the old bulbs 
or from the small offsets which are 
produced around tho base of the old 
bulbs. Even the scales taken off from 
the outside of the bulbs, if planted in 
sandy soil and well watered, will pro¬ 
duce small bulbs. It requires several 
years to produce large blooming bulbs 
from scales or the small offsets. 3. The 
lJlluin Qlganteurn is not quite hardy 
in the Northern States, requiring a 
slight protection. But in Texas there 
would be no difficulty in growing this 
splendid lily, at least we think not. 
Geranium Leaves are often made 
spotted by the rays of the sun striking 
on them when wet. This occurs in¬ 
doors where air enough is not present 
to evaporate the moisture before the 
sun’s power is felt. 
The Flow'er Gardens cultivated 
by girls and boys ought to present a fine 
appearance this month. Do they ? 
DRACiENA SURADOSI, VARIETY MACULATA, 
RalpnEvans 
