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EXCELSIOR 
5 llnekmnn Kt., New York. 
82 Hi ill it l<> Hi., UoohcHler.J 
$3.00 PER V EAR. 
SiilKl*’ No., Eij-lil Lentil 
WHOLE NO. 1)37 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY. NOVEMBER II, 1871 
f Entered according to Act of Co ngress. In the yenr 1871, by D. D. T. Mookk. In the office of the Librarian of CongreM, at Washington.! _ 
other somewhat coarser that look elegant, 
but I do not know their names. I would 
like to tell about our perennials and house- 
plants, but will desist for fear my letter is 
too loner. Rose Geranium. 
variety of excellent Asters, (but nothing 
superior, in my judgment to the lovely 
quilled ones and the dwarf Chrysanthemum 
flowered), very fine Candytufts and a great 
variety of lesser lights, crowned by that lit¬ 
tle gem, blue Phacelia. The white is a fail¬ 
ure, as it is not white. 
1 have not mentioned the Japan Pinks 
but they will take care of themselves in the 
estimation of all who know them, though 
IN THE FLOWER GARDEN, 
flruxthwrr 
Not much pleasure connected with being 
there now, to be sure, since the frost Inis 
passed that, way; but the Scabios, Snap¬ 
dragons, Sweet Peas, Petunias and Pansies 
still linger—lovely reflections of “the: (toys 
that are flown.” Those Petunias— there are 
a dozen varieties of them, of all shades from 
white to the darkest, velvety crimson—have 
CRINUM AMERIOANUM, 
FLORIOULTTJRAL NOTES. 
AVe give herewith an illstration of a 
beautiful native plant known in some locali¬ 
ties as Florida Lily. It is not, however, a 
true lily, but belongs more properly to the 
Amaryllis family. The larger figure shows 
a single flower of natural si/.e, several of 
which are produced in a cluster at the top 
of the stem, two or three feet high, as shown 
in the lower right hand figure, which is a 
muc.h reduced flower stalk, The slructure 
of the flower is as singular as it is beautiful, 
with its long, Blender petals and six thread¬ 
like stamens, each terminated with a 
crescent-shape anther, thus giving them a 
striking and unique appearance. 
This species of Crinuvi is a native of the 
Southern States, and quite abundant, in 
Florida, hence one of its common names. It 
grows in swamps and low grounds. The 
bulbs are large and globular in shape, often 
f*nliimnnr. I'ishur into a sort ol stem. Bulbs 
Dny Smell ilia Centrum-Centrum Dinrmim. 
I sent to one of our Eastern seedmen for 
IlrtuililicHii llono. 
I send you a specimen of a wild flower, 
a native of Northwest Kansas, near the Re¬ 
publican River. It is of a trailing hub’ll, the 
root resembles a parsnip, ami from ihe 
crown of llie root about six or eight vines 
or brunches start, covering a circle of six 
feet. The vine is divided Into sections or 
joints, from livu to eight inches long, aud at 
their junction from one to six buds and 
flowers and two leaves start, standing erect; 
(lie inclosed is a sample. The flowers open 
about nine and close at four o’clock in the 
day, one flower continuing in bloom for 
several days. The flower is of a bright Ma¬ 
genta color. It is propagated from seeds, 
HOW NOT TO HAVE NICE FLOWERS, 
To begin with, beg seeds of all your friends 
who cultivate flowers; never mind what 
kind they are; it is not worth the trouble to 
remember.; then when you put them in the 
ground, of course you cannot arrange them 
with any regard to lilght, color, season of 
blooming, &c., but must sow them as you 
have gathered; promiscuously. Lay out 
your beds in the grass and dig them all of 
two inches deep, but certainly not over a 
foot. If this is done some wet day the sod 
will cut easier, and the soil will be in nice, 
large lumps. Dig a hole about six inches 
deep and two in diameter, among these 
lumps, pour in half an ounce of your most 
delicate flower seeds, and if they don't grow 
blame the one you got them of. If you hap¬ 
pen to send to a seedsman for a lew kinds, 
his reputation will be much enhanced by it. 
Don’t pay any more attention to them 
until you see other people’s flowers In bloom, 
thou pull out some of the largest weeds and 
wonder why you don’t have any luck raising 
flowers. Don’t dig around them for fear of 
disturbing the roots; don’t thin out the 
plants, for you want to get the worth of your 
money; don’t prune off any of the branches, 
for there won’t lie room for so many flowers. 
Don’t pick any of the blossoms, but let them 
all go to seed, then sit down and say that a 
seedsman who sends seeds that won’t grow 
ought to he compelled to send enough more 
to make it up. 
Go right back to the friends you begged 
seeds of last year, and call them mean and 
stingy if they don't give you us many more. 
Of course, they can pay a good price for 
rare varieties, and then distribute them gra¬ 
tuitously with the greatest pleasure imagin¬ 
able; in fact, you are rather favoring them 
by accepting. If you have summer bulbs, 
forget to remove them to the cellar until the 
ground is frozen up. 
When you find farmers can raise potatoes 
by planting a bushel in a hill, or excellent 
corn without hoeing or cultivating, you will 
probably produce nice flowers from this sort 
of culti vation. 1 have been an eye witness to 
several cases of lids sort of Floriculture, and 
know how it works. 
North Fairfield, O. Loretta E. Knapp. 
little of politics. Better stick to the scien¬ 
tific name, which is CaUirrhw pedata. It is 
certainly a beautiful plant and pretty well 
known, ns the seeds are kept for sale by 
most of our seedsmen. 
IIn la I i ii m and Tuberose*. 
I wish you or some of your correspond¬ 
ents would tell me what Is the matter with 
my dahlia roots. There came a frost, or 
rather a freeze, here (along the creek), about 
September at or 22, which totally destroyed 
my dahlias, tuberoses, balsams, zinnias, mari¬ 
golds, and in fact nearly all my flowers, ex¬ 
cept verbenas. Borne of the dull lias had not 
blossomed at all; the tuberoses were nearly 
out of bloom. Not knowing wbut to do, I 
let flicm remain for over two weeks, then L 
took them up, dried and stored them in a 
light, dry, airy cellar. It is now a liille 
over a week, ami 1 find them wrinkled, 
shriveled and drying up, and expect to lose 
every one. i wish to know the cause. I 
forgot to say when they were dug they were 
sprouted anew, some having sprouts an inch 
or more in bight. — Ignoramus, Brunswick , 
Ohio. 
Put the dahlias in a box of dry sand, so 
that they shall be excluded from currents of 
air, which are now injuring them. Perhaps 
they are too immature to keep; but dry 
sand will preserve them if anything. The 
tuberoses may bespread upon a shelf and in 
the dryest place at command. Of course 
the more perfect and mature the tubers of 
any kind the hatter they will keep through 
winter. Dahlia tubers need attention during 
Hie winter, as they will often become loo 
dry or too wet, and a change in condition 
will be necessary. 
SecilmniMt’* Catalogue* ot Flower BeciU. &c. 
14 Taking time by the forelock” applies 
equally as well to Floriculture as to many 
other callings; and now is the time to pie* 
pare the flower garden and plant out bulln, 
roots, etc., so that during the next spring 
and summer it will be of such beauty as is 
rarely seen. But to make a good collection 
Camellia seed this spring. I received six 
seeds which were two-thirds as large as a 
chestnut, and so hard that I tried to cut one 
with a sharp knife, but failed to make an 
impression. I put them in the hot bed the 
first of April, and by the first of May eight 
little plants came up as if from one seed; 
five rotted. The plants grew finely; by first 
of September they were twenty inches high. 
Two plants are now in bloom, and to my 
great disappointment are nothing like Ca¬ 
mellias I have seen grown in green houses. 
Can Camellias be grown from seed, and are 
they always double flowers? You will find 
inclosed specimen of leaf and flower.— Mrs. 
French, St. Bavin. Ohio. 
We give the name of the plant above. It 
is a native of the West Indies, and some¬ 
times cultivated by our florists. How any 
seedsman could have made such a mistake 
as to send you Cestrum seeds for those of 
the Camellia we cannot conceive, for they 
are quite distinct. Hud you broken open 
tyjpl ii 
‘wc3ir 
