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when the water returns fresh leaves burst 
foi’th. Whenever the earth around even 
the smallest portion of it remains moist, 
that portion puts forth leaves when again 
covered with water. The other species 
My Medley Basket.— I've sickened on 
half a dozen costly florists’ “novelties,” and 
concluded to refresh myself with a change; 
so I’ve filled a basket with our commonest 
plants—wild “Gill-over-the-ground,” ferns, 
LATTICE-LEAF PLANT. 
Ouvlrandra Fenestralis. 
1 -- 
This interesting Madagascar aquatic be¬ 
longs to a genus containing some eight dis¬ 
tinct species, six of which bt-long to India, 
and two, viz., Ouvlrandra fenestralis and 
0. Berne riana, to Madagascar. In its na¬ 
tive counti’y the leaves of 0. Fenestralis 
measui'e from ten inches to fifteen inches 
in length, and from two to three inches 
in breadth. In a young state they are of a 
pale yellowish green, which, as they ad¬ 
vance in growth, changes to a deep olive 
green, and ultimately, before they decay, 
they assume a dark-brown hue. Of the 
structure of the leaves little need be said as 
a glance at our illustration will at once ex¬ 
plain that. When full}’ grown they resem¬ 
ble a piece of lace or lattloe work, but when 
very young the openings to which they owe 
their peculiarity are tilled up with cellular 
tissue, which as the leaves increase in 
growth disappears. 
A plant in Kew GiU’dens has no fewer 
thaxx 173 leaves on it, the largest of which 
are 15 ]4 inches in length and %% inches in 
breadth. This plant is growing in a tin 
Dan, seven inches deep and fourteen inches 
In diameter, in a compost of fresh, turfy, 
yellow loam, and a good admixture of sil¬ 
ver sand. In the bottom of the paix a layer 
of Clocks Is laid, over which some of the 
roughest pieces of the loam are placed, and 
the remainder filled up with the compost 
from which the finest part has been sepai'H- 
ted. In potting, the soil is pressed rather 
firmly around the plant, and the whole is 
watered with tepid water through a fine 
rose, au operation which not only firmly 
settles the soil, but thoroughly cleauses the 
leaves. 
On a side shelf in the wannest part of one 
of the stoves is a wooden tub fourteen inch¬ 
es deep and two feet six inches in diameter; 
in the bottom of this are placed an inch or 
two of cleanly washed pebbles, and the re¬ 
mainder is tilled with soft water. In this 
the pan containing the plant is placed, the 
top of which when the tub is full of water 
is about six inches under the surface. Some 
•nay think this too near the surface, but ex¬ 
perience has proved that the plant succeeds 
very well at that depth. In shallow water 
the leaves float immediately below the sur¬ 
face, although in our illustration they 
would appear to be much deeper. The tem¬ 
perature of the house in which it grows ran¬ 
ges during the winter months froixx 55 at 
night to 65 during the day, with sun heat, 
and this is increased as the days advance in 
length. An ordinary-sized pot of soft water 
is placed beside the heating pipes every eve¬ 
ning. and the following morning its con¬ 
tents are emptied over the plant through a 
fine rose into the tut), which is kept level so 
as to admit of au equal overflow of the wa¬ 
ter on all sides. By this means the nlant 
DAILY RURAL LIFE 
FROM THE DIARY OF A QENTLEMAN NEAR NEW YORK CITY 
LATTICKl-LKAJ"' PLANT' 
from Madagascar, O. Berneriana, requires 
deeper water than O. fenestralis. Its leaves 
are not so open, and are from 15 to 20 inches 
in length. It is, in short, altogether a 
coarser growing plant than 0. fenestralis. 
lOuvii'andi'a I ene.Mti'alis.) 
blue-flowered myrtle and “love-entangled ” 
'tioss. I pierced innumerable little holes all 
around the sides, and, with a blunt stick, 
pressed in it little slips of vine. It is a fair 
ball off greenness, and will endure sunshine 
or shadow, flood or drouth, heat or freez¬ 
ing about equally well. We have nianv 
pretty vines with better pretentions, but I 
like this best of all. 1 intend, as a civilizing 
touch, to plant a Caladium in the center,— 
Rose G khaniit m . 
NAMING PLANTS, 
If our coi'i'espondents wish us to name 
plants for them, they must send good speci¬ 
mens. Moi - e than two-thirds of those re¬ 
ceived are merely a small section of a plant. 
Sometimes nothing but a single leaf, or a 
half developed flower. It is sufficiently dif¬ 
ficult to name dried plants fi*oni good speci¬ 
mens; but when only fragments are sent, 
we cannot afford the time of solving Mich 
problems. We must have well pressed and 
preserved specimens of both leaves and 
flower, at least as a starting point, and we 
hope our correspondents will do this much 
to aid us as well as themselves. 
J. W. M. sends three small specimens of 
three different plants, and only one is suffi¬ 
ciently complete to name, viz.: No. 1, which 
is Aquilegiu canadensis, or wild C'olum- 
their production than others. Should 
their presence about the plants become ap¬ 
parent, they should be at once removed; 
the aquarium should be well washed with 
clean water; fresh gravels or pebbles ought 
to be introduced, and the plants should be 
watered rather foi’cibly overhead, and re¬ 
turned as soon as possible to their fonner 
quarters. 
The flower spikes rise directly from the 
root to a few inches above the water and 
ai*e separated at the apex into two, and 
sometimes more, divisions, which produce 
flowers of a whit ish color Seeds from these 
flowers frequently ripen, and if sown imme¬ 
diately will produce young plants. Young 
plants, too, conic up thickly from self-sown 
seed on the surface of tlie soil around the 
parent, and sometimes among the pebbles 
in the bottom. 
By some the plants are grown in an earth¬ 
en pan in the warmest corner of an orchard 
house, and are treated exactly similar to 
the one above described. Young plants, 
China Brier. — Please give me through 
the Rurai, New-Yorker the name of the 
leaves inclosed. It is a vine, hardy here, 
growing wild. — F. \Y, Heroman. Baton 
Rouge, La. 
Smitax Pseudo-China, or False China 
Green Brier. There are many species of 
the Green Brier, native of both the North¬ 
ern aud Southern States. Some of the 
species are a great pest in woodlands and 
hedges, the stems bearing quite long, hook¬ 
shaped thorns, others, like this species you 
send, have few or no thorns and are quite 
handsome ornamental plants for covering 
arbors and rock work. 
of Nature’s alphabet. 
Watering Plants.— June 18.—A few dry 
days remind one that newly set plants re¬ 
quire watering in order to keep them alive. 
I do nut believe that a slight sprinkling does 
much good, and I have never practiced wa- 
toriixg plants as extensively as many do who 
keep a good garden. Unless we can apply 
water enough to soak t he earth down to and 
about tbu roots, it really does more harm 
than good by making the surface compact 
and impervious to air. Whenever flower 
beds or any ground on which small plants 
are growing is watered aitificially, the sur- 
face should be st irred soon after, or at least 
before it has time to become hard and dry 
again. I have never watered a tree in ail 
my experience in gardening; for if I think 
they are likely to suffer for want of mois¬ 
ture, I apply mulching to the surface about 
the roots, which is, as a general x-ule, far 
better than any artificial application of wa¬ 
ter. Of course mulch canuot bo so readily 
applied to small delicate plants or seeds; 
besides, the looks of the thing is decidedly 
against its use in the flower garden, and our 
only recourse in time of drouth is to water. 
But the condition of the soil, as well as the 
time and manner of application, has much 
to do with its value. The surface of the 
soil should be well stirred before the water 
is applied in order to secure its rapid de¬ 
scent into the earth. Evening is also the 
best time to apply to prevent evaporation, 
and above all, let the quantity be a liberal 
one—none of the too common surface sprink¬ 
lings. 
Astralngus and Anemone.— Inclosed 
you will find two wild flowers, for which 
please give name in your valuable paper.— 
C. H., Worthington, Minn . 
The one with a small, loug, violet colored 
flower, is an Astragalus , but we cannot de¬ 
tenu iue the species without the seed-pods. 
Pi’eserve specimen iu tlxe various stages 
when iu flower as well as in fruit. The 
other plant with handsome purplish flowers 
i9 Anemone Nuttalliana. It is a very 
handsome plant, and worthy of careful cul¬ 
tivation. 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES, 
Goatsbeai'd Spiraea. —I send you speci¬ 
mens of two plants for name. No. 1 is a 
wild flower found in Illinois; it is found 
both on high land and ktw. The white 
plume-like flowers are beautiful; the leaf 
resembles a raspberry leaf. No. 2 is a plant 
given me by a friend, who did not know the 
naine. I send a stem wit h leaves, also one 
which has bloomed. Every leaf has a white 
silvery looking stripe through the center.— 
Mi's, M. A. W., Petersburg, III. 
Tills first is Spiraea Aru turns, or Goats- 
beai’d Spiraea. It is a handsome herbaceous 
plant, found wild from Western New York, 
Southward and West. It is also cultivated 
Leaf for Name.—Will you please give 
the name of the inclosed leaf? We call it 
Holly. There are two varieties, one bearing 
tiny white flowers. It is evei'green anu 
hardy if inured to the open grounds.—R ose 
Geranium. 
Fuonymus Japonica. 
