*dral 
EXCELSIOR 
5 Bcclciunn St., New York 
H‘t Unllain Hi,, llocbeater. 
NEW YORK CITY AND ROCHESTER, N. Y 
#3.00 PER YEAR, 
Single ,\u., Eight (Jenta 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MAY 20,1871 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by I). D. T. MoOUE, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 
which are excellent 
to place in groups of 
broad - leaved plants. 
The variegated-leaved 
Java Pandanus, (P. 
javanicus rnriegatms) 
is one of the most 
beautiful of the genus, 
and we give herewith 
an illustration of a 
handsome specimen of 
the same. 
veiy handsome when only the main stalk 
is left and all the branches removed. When 
treated in this way they are a perfect 
wreath of flowers, t have had them with 
the blossoms so crowded I could not get my 
fingers between to pick them. 
Zinnias and Balsams both are inclined to 
run to stalks and leaves, but judicious prun¬ 
ing remedies all this, and from June until 
alter hard frosts they are covered with a 
wealth of bloom. Remove all the old blos¬ 
soms except enough to form what seed you 
wish to use. This keeps the plant from 
having a ragged appearance, and gives all 
its strength to new blossoms. It also im¬ 
proves the quality of the seed saved, and 
they will form better plants llu; succeeding 
year. I believe that flowers were made to 
tench generosity, for the more you pick of 
them the more there will be; this is espe¬ 
cially true of these varieties. 
Our Zinnias are almost as large as Dahlias, 
and of very rich colors. The white ones are 
a late introduction and a decided success, ns 
they give a lively appearance to the darker, 
richer colors. Some of our Balsams could 
not be told from roses, at a little distance, 
when picked from the stalk, buing of the 
same shape and color, while others are 
spotted and are full as pretty and desirable. 
The Camellia-flowered are more double. 
T heir colors are rich and of almost every 
hue from pure white to the darkest maroon. 
The largest leaves should be removed from 
Balsams. 
In arranging cut flowers Balsams can only 
be used in a flat dish, but are very charming 
in this way witli their leaves and buds. 
—Loretta E. Knapp. 
cession of blooming 
bulbs from year to 
year. And, as these 
small offsets require 
two or three years to 
form blooming bulbs, 
it is quite important 
to make calculations 
accordingly. 
4. The bulbs should 
be kept in a very dry, 
warm place during 
winter, else the core 
or center will decay; 
while, at the same 
time, the outside may 
remain sound. 
5. Imported bulbs,or 
those grown in warm 
climates, arc far pref¬ 
erable and more cer¬ 
tain of producing 
flowers tli an those 
grown in northern 
latitudes. 
JmrlcttltHrr 
LILIUM OA.NABENSE. 
The new lilies introduced from Japan, in 
the past few years, have attracted so much 
attention that wc fear our native species are 
being neglected. This ought not to be ; for 
beauty hud merit in the lily family may be 
found at home as well as abroad. Our 
woods and fields are well supplied with 
native species of the lily, and can be im¬ 
proved more or less by cultivation. 
The Lilium Cunadeitse is found in moun¬ 
tain meadows, from Georgia northward into 
Canada. The flowers arc usually yellow, 
spotted with purple, but the color is quite 
variable, and several distinct varieties are 
often found growing near together. 
This species is quite distinct from the L. 
Superburn found common in low swamps, 
the stems being few-flowered, usually not 
more than two or three on each, while the 
latter often lias ten to twenty, disposed In a 
pyramidal raceme. The color of the Su¬ 
perbum is also deeper, there being more of a 
red or orange, instead of yellow. In form 
and size the llowers of L. Camutense are as 
shown in the accompanying illustration. 
All of our native lilies thrive under culti¬ 
vation in any good garden soil, and they lire 
well worthy of the little care required in re¬ 
moving them from the woods and fields. 
Spring is a good time lbr transplanting 
them, uml the location of flic bulbs can 
usually lie determined by the old flower 
stems of last year. AVo have always con¬ 
sidered tin-in worthy of a place by the side 
of lh(! more gorgeous-colored foreign species, 
am! know that many other flower worship¬ 
ers are of the same opinion. 
New Wlilin Weiirela— 
Weiirrlu Niven, 
We have cultivated 
this beautiful shrub 
for the past two years, 
and value it very 
highly. It is one of 
the most profuse flow¬ 
ering varieties of this 
lovely genus of plants 
that we have seen, the 
plants Continuing in 
bloom during the 
greater part of the 
summer and autumn. 
A few weeks since 
we received a cluster 
of flowers of this 
Weigel a. from Mr. 
Wm. Davison, the 
well known florist of 
Brooklyn, and accom¬ 
panying it. was a note 
stating that Wcigela 
Niven had proved to 
be a most valuable 
plant for forcing in 
winter. Its beautiful 
white llowers were 
always acceptable, 
and especially for bou¬ 
quets in winter; and 
the plant produced 
there abundantly and 
continuously when 
grown in pots in the 
forcing house. Weigela 
Nicea is an acquisi¬ 
tion. 
FLOML NOTES. 
Stulico J.utifoliu. 
We presume there 
arc few readers of the 
Rural .New-Yorker 
who do not know the n 
little Sea Pink (Staiice 
armeria of old bota¬ 
nists, now Armaria 
•vulgar la.) Although 
t his species is so well 
known, the hundreds 
of others that are more 
beautiful seldom ap¬ 
pear in cultivation. 
The splendid scarlet 
sea pink (Status coc- 
cinea) is, it. is true, be¬ 
coming quite com¬ 
mon ; but we do not 
know of any extensive 
collection of species in 
this country. One of 
the most hardy and 
beautiful species i.s the ,^a| p§lglE3 l 
broad-leaved Siberian ^^f||p|8§lSS 
(Stuticc lalifoiia ), an 
illustration of a sped- 
men plant of which r**” 
is herewith given The 1 
flowers are blue and 
produced on strong DKEP coi,( 
stems high above the 
leaves as shown. The plants may be prop 
ligated in the same manner as our more com¬ 
mon sorts, viz., dividing the stools. 
Plunging PelnrgoniuniH. 
Mrs. L. M T. of Ontario writes:—“ I have 
a number of Pelargoniums , three to four feet 
high. AVill it do to bed them out this sum¬ 
mer or plunge the pots in an open border V” 
The Pelargoniums may be planted in tlm 
open border, but they will require careful 
staking to prevent the wind breaking off the 
branches. When taken up next fall, shorten 
every branch, cutting away at least one-lmlf 
of each. This will insure a safe removal 
and cause them to throw out fresh blooming 
shoots. 
Hypericum In Open (.round. 
“ I have a low, shrubby plant called ITg- 
perieum ; will it bo safe to plant it out in the 
open ground ?” The low, shrubby Hyperi ■ 
cum is probably the well known Katmianum, 
a native of Western New York and Canada, 
and quite abundant about Niagara Falla; 
consequently hardy. 
Dutch HiiIIim. 
“ How long should Dutch bulbs remain in 
the pots after bloomiDgV” Dutch bulbs, 
grown in pots, may be removed after the 
leaves have all died, but not safely before. 
TRITOMAS AND TUBEROSES, 
Why Plant* do not Rlooni. 
Mrs, (!., Marshall, Mich., writes;—“ I wish 
some of your readers would tell me what to 
do with some of my plants to make them 
blossom — especially Trilotna Uvaria and 
Tuberose. I have had them a number of 
years and have never yet seen them in 
bloom.” 
The Tritojnas and Tuberoses are both au¬ 
tumn blooming plants and require a long 
season to bring them to maturity. In nil 
of the Northern States they should be start¬ 
ed in the house as curly us March or April, 
and then pluuted out whenever the weather 
is sufficiently warm to insure a continued 
growth without a check. If your Tntovias 
do not come into bloom this summer take 
up and pot the plants before frost, and then 
place them in a warm room, and we are 
quite certain, that they will blossom during 
the winter. 
Tuberoses may also be treated in the same 
manner, but they will not bloom unless the 
bulbs are large and round, or in other words, 
“ blooming bulbs.” There are few plants 
grown in our garden upon which climate, 
soil and mode of culture has such an appar¬ 
ent eject as upon the tuberose. We will 
give a ffiw of the conditions necessary to 
successful culture: 
1- A tuberose bulb never blooms hut once; 
'■cnee, old ones may be thrown away unless 
desirable l'or producing offsets lor propa¬ 
gation. 
Ia localities where the seasons are short, 
a b for instance, in latitudes north of the city 
ol New York, the bulbs should be started 
111 ^ arc D by being polled and placed in a 
"aim room or greenhouse. If not forced 
e,u '- v season, the flower stems will 
otti-ii make their appearance just before 
cold weather in autumn, the frost killing 
L >-m, and the bulbs thereafter are worthless 
except for the purpose named above. 
' • A supply of young bulbs, propagated 
irom offsets, are necessary to keep up a suc- 
Double '/.i ii n in * ami 
KhIhuiiim. 
We have no floral 
beauties which excel 
these in constant and 
brilliant display. But 
(Lilium Cana dense.) to reap the advantages 
of all Iheir possible 
beauty some little care must be taken in 
their management. Sow the seed on rich 
ground, and thiu the plants out well, or sow 
in a hot-bed or cold frame and transplant. 
The Zinnia seed may bo sowed as early in 
the season as the ground will do to work; 
but Balsams will not endure frosts. Keep 
free from weeds. As fust as the branches 
appear pinch them off, only leaving three 
or four on a stalk. The Balsams are 
lion are in a great degree distinct from those 
of Northern climes, and when intermingled 
with them the contrast is very striking and 
commands our attention. The thick, succu¬ 
lent leaves of the Cadi , and the broad foliage 
of the Banana, are among the most beautiful 
and interesting of tropical plants. Inter¬ 
mediate between the two we find the strange, 
half-rigid but graceful Pandanus , or, us coin- 
rnouly called, Screw Pine of our hot-houses, 
Pnmlauiix Javuuicu* Varleirnt um. 
The employment of tropical and sub¬ 
tropical plants for bedding out in summer, 
affords an opportunity to those who possess 
them of making the garden appear exceed¬ 
ingly unique. The tropical forms of vegeta- 
A Ml I II K II 1 11 H Tell lH'MMCrilMi N. 
J. N., of Dallas, Texas, sends us a fow 
leaves and flowers of the above-uamed plant. 
He says the pods are cooked and used in the 
same manner os string beans. 
The Astragaluscs belong to the great Legu- 
minosee,av pulse family,wliere we also find our 
common garden sorts of peas and beaus. 
There are an immense number of species of 
Astragalus ; but the one received from Tex¬ 
as is a low-growing, half-trailing species, the 
stems and leaves covered with white hairs; 
llowers bluish purple, succeeded by oblong 
curved, thick, fleshy pods. 
VHnlity of Plant*- 
There is a curious example ot the vitality 
of plants in the Edinburgh Industrial Mu¬ 
seum. A large dried root of the Brunsvigia 
lily, presented in 1807, and kept in a glass 
case, has this year commenced to grow, 
having thrown out leaves of about one foot 
in length when 1 saw it last February. The 
root, to all appearance, is as dry as tinder. 
—R. B., in Land and Water . 
STATICE LATii'OLlA, 
PANDANUS JAVANICUS VARIEGATUS. 
