SEPT. 24 
cuttings of many kinds of plants not usual¬ 
ly increased with facility by amateurs, may 
be rooted easily in a Wardian case in the 
sitting-room. I have just seen several of 
the simplest kinds of these oases filled with 
nioely rooted little plants of Conifers, Hol¬ 
lies, and various other choice evergreens.— 
FLORICTJLTURAL NOTES 
crosses the back just above the tail; below, 
it is white, rather dusky; the head in Au¬ 
tumn is rich scarlet, but in Summer is more 
palo; its habits are similar to those of the 
formor, with the exception that this is not 
a ground Woodpecker. 
There are two other Woodpeokers found 
about here; these are the Hairy Woodpeck¬ 
er, rici/M vtllosus, Linn, which is smaller 
t han either the Red-headed, or the Golden- 
winged Woodpeckers, and the Downy 
Woodpecker, /Volts- puhexccns, Linn, which 
is even smaller than the llairy Woodpeck¬ 
er. There are many other kinds of Wood¬ 
peckers found in the North and South, but 
these are the only ones that are found in 
the Atlantic States. S. L. Willard. 
Utica, N. V. 
Best Roses at a London Show.—At 
a London exhibition of roses, Mr. B. R. 
Caut exhibited 48 superb cut roses, “ of 
large size and full substance," whioh are 
thus referred to:—The following were extra 
fine:—Mdlle. E. Verdier, Marquis do Mor- 
temart, a beautiful white Rose; Horace 
Veruet, Barronne do Frailly, salmon piuk, 
very fine; Marie Baumann, Duke of Wel¬ 
lington, Black Prince, Elie Morel, Mar¬ 
guerite de St. Amand, Ferdinand do Les- 
seps, Antoine Ducher, Abel Grand, Prince 
Camille de Rohan, Fisher Holmes, Mons. 
Neman, Beauty of Waltham, and Mdlle. 
Therese Levet, all hybrid perpetuals. The 
following Tea Roses were algo good:—Mare- 
chal Niel, Souvenir d’ Elise, La Bouled’Or, 
Souvenir d’un Ami, and Rubens. Messrs. 
FASCIATION AND HYPERTROPHY 
Probably there are very few readers of 
the RitralNew-Y’orker who have not no¬ 
ticed plants in their gardens with stems 
that appeared to have beeu made up of 
several, combined and growing together, 
often flattened out in a ribbon form; these 
are known among scientific gardeners as 
fasciated stems. Wo have often seen beets 
set out for seed producing fasciated stems; 
and it is not unfroquently the case that be¬ 
lievers in sigmr> and witchcraft look upon 
such freaks among vegetables as sad omens 
of death in the family; or that something 
very bad is going to happen to the one who 
set out such plants. As¬ 
paragus beds, which are 
highly manured, are more 
or less likely to produce 
plants with fasciated 
stems, and such instances ujgVliW 
come more particularly 
under the head of hyper- 
trophy, which means an 
over or excess of a nutri- 
Woods along the road- ’ 
sides are often seen with 
fasciated Btems, but less 
common than among cul¬ 
tivated plants ; and al¬ 
though among vegetable 
physiologists these pecu¬ 
liar forms are considered 
as tho legitimate results 
of disease, still the horti¬ 
culturists accept, them as 
varieties that can in many 
instances be perpetuated 
as unique additions to our 
gardens. The L111 u m 
monstrosum ruhrnm and 
album are probably the 
most familiar instances of 
the fasciated stem among 
our more common plants, 
although such forms are not wanting in 
other families and orders. 
Perhaps one of the most singular, unique 
and beautiful instances of fasciation is that 
of the Cockscomb variety of Scdum vires- 
cens , as shown in the accompanying illus¬ 
tration Copied from the Gardener’s Maga¬ 
zine. The natural form of this species 
gives us only small slender stems and 
leaves; but the specimen from which our 
illustration was taken measured seventeen 
inches broad, and was one solid pulpy mass. 
Of course cuttings taken from this plant are 
likely to perpetuate the freak; and in a 
few generations tho habit becomes fixed. 
Now when any of our readers happen to 
meet with specimens of fasciation among 
plants we hope they will not consider it the 
work of the Devil, or a sign that some one 
of the family is to die prematurely, but 
look upon it as no uncommon freak among 
plants. 
THE WOODPECKERS 
These I deem very useful in destroying 
injurious insects infesting forest trees; they 
may be seen, according to their habits, 
climbing a tree or seeking caterpillars on a 
post. They are divided into the Ground, 
SAGACITY OF THE CAT. 
How many times we are almost made to 
think that certain animals are possessed of 
reason in lieu of instinct. 
If one has a favorite ani¬ 
mal that can be taught to 
perform many feats, he is 
certainly fond of the ani¬ 
mal ; but when he performs 
some act which seemingly 
indicates thoughtfulness, 
we almost believe he has 
Smakwfilf' reasoning powers. 
Such au animal was our 
°ld cat, Tabby. She seemed 
to know whether a thing 
waH right or wrong. Wo 
all had a groat aversion to 
kittens around the house. 
We liked them well enough 
in their plane, but did 
not want them underfoot, 
and Tabby fouud it out by 
experience; so she kept 
her two black little ones 
at the barn, safely nestled 
in the straw, out of sight 
(as she thought), until they 
were of sufficient size to 
help themselves a little, 
when one day she brought 
one to tho house and 
showed it to some of tho 
family to ascertain if it 
was welcome. When she fouud that it met 
with a good reception she made her joy 
manifest in many different ways, and soon 
brought the other kitten to bear the first 
one company. 
After that she lived us happily as a cat 
matron usually doe*, except that her path 
was occasionally crossed by the dog who 
delighted in teasing her “ kittys.” But she 
was always on hand to punish him if he at¬ 
tempted to molest them. 
One day the dog, as usual, left a part of 
his food in his dish, and went away a short 
distance and sat down to watch it. Then 
tile kittens, thinking no harm, emerged 
Paul & Son, Cheshunt, were second, with 
Oliver Delhomme, Madame Laurent, Marie 
Baumann, Paul Verdier, Xavier Ollbo, Au¬ 
gust Newman, Francois Lou vat, Alfred 
Colomb, Beauty of Waltham, General Jac¬ 
queminot, Duo de Rohan, Dupuy Jamain, 
Marie Rady, Souvenir d" Elise Vardon.and 
Marie Van Houtte, very fine, the two last 
named being Tea-scented varieties. 
and the Tree Woodpeckers. The Golden- 
winged Woodpecker is one of the most com¬ 
mon of our ground Woodpeckers. It is 
about 10 inches long from the tip of the 
bill to the end of the tail; it is brown above, 
with lines and streaks of black, crossing 
horrizilntally; the head is palo bluish-ash, 
and has a movable crest, margined with 
deep scarlet; tall black, of which the un¬ 
der part is rich golden yellow; throat and 
neck is of a yellowish-red color, with a slight 
pink tinge; the upper,throat has two black 
streaks, about >ff Inch wide and extending 
in an oblique direction from the bill; breast, 
Dicksonia Antarctica of Australia.— 
This, (see engraving), which is one of the 
noblest, is perhaps the hardiest of the tree 
ferns. The trunk varies considerably in 
FLOWERING PLANTS IN TEXAS 
Wn,L you please give a list of twelve of 
the beat flowering plants to give a constant 
supply of flowers during hot, dry weather? 
1 have tried a great many kinds, and find 
but few that will " fill tile bill," The Petu¬ 
nia and the Gomphrena will withstand hot 
and dry weather, and Zinnias, Dianthus, 
Phlox, Portulaca and Balsams will with¬ 
stand any amount of hot weather if it is not 
too dry. Many flowers that are indispen¬ 
sable in your Northoru gardens are worth¬ 
less under our hot sun—such as Asters, 
Stocks, Pansies, etc. I would like very 
well for some of your numerous Southern 
readers, who have more experience than 
myself, to give a list of the flowers best 
suited for a long, hot, and sometimes dry 
season. 
Also, in reply to a former query, you say 
you think all the Amaryllis would be hardy 
in Texas “ where the ground does not freeze 
over two or three inches.” But we are told 
to plant Amaryllis so that the “neck will 
he even with the surface of the ground.” 
If the ground then freezes “two or three 
inches” will not tho Amaryllis be killed? 
Or must 1 cover with straw to prevent 
freezing?— Dick Hopson, Sherman, Texas. 
nAD you merely asked for the names of 
twelve good plants for your locality we 
should have tried to answer the question; 
but your comments on those named chow 
that you are far better qualified to give the 
desired information than ourselves. Such 
notes and comments about the plants you 
cultivate are just the information that 
many of our subscribers in the Southern 
States desire, and we hope to hear from 
you again on the same subject, Of course, 
where there are Bevere frosts in Winter, 
Amaryllis bulbs would require protection, 
Ed acating Birds to Sing Tunes.—This 
is done in the town of Fulda, Germany, 
where they keep regular educational insti¬ 
tutions for bullfinches. They place the 
young birds into classes Of six to ten each, 
and keep them in the dark, turning a little 
hand-organ for them when they are fed. 
Finally, the birds commence to associate 
the music with the feeding, and when hun¬ 
gry commence to slug a few notes of tho 
tunes they hear daily. Those who do this 
are at once placed in a more cheerful room, 
when some light is admitted. This encour¬ 
ages them and makes them more lively; 
then they like to sing and are soon taught 
more. The most difficult part is the first 
starting of tho birds, some of which have 
to bo kept a long while in the dnrk, aud on 
starvation rations, before their obstinacy 
is overcome. In order to teach them sev¬ 
eral tunes they receive (after being thus 
first taught in classes) private instruction 
from the little boys of Fulda, each of whom 
has a few private pupils of this sort. Their 
education lasts nine mouths, when it is 
completed, and the birds sent into the 
world as accomplished performers. The 
principal markets are London, Paris, and 
New York. They ftro valued in Europe at 
twenty dollars for every tune they can 
sing, bo one wfio cap sing threp tunes costs 
sixty dollars. 
uicivSONiyk 
thickness, and in its native country attains 
a hight- of thirty feet or more, bearing at 
its summit a magnificent crown of dark- 
green lance-shaped fronds from six to 
twenty feet long, beautifully arched, and 
becoming pendulous with age. The crown 
itselr is frequently ten or twelve feet across, 
and is evergreen. 
white, with a dull yellowish tincture, and 
spotted with round spots of black. The 
first and second quills are longest, and each 
has a yellow stripe in the center of each 
quill: the wings underneath are also of a 
rich yellow color. The Latin name is Co- 
laptea rmratm , Swaenson. 
The Red-headed Woodpecker, Melancrpes 
formocivirus, Bonaparte, Is the handsom¬ 
est Woodpecker we have; it is black above, 
with the exception of a white baud, which 
Striding Cuttings in Wardian Cases, 
•It is probably not generally known that 
