% 
VWNAE. [VTVN'tf 
t PRICE «I3C CENTS 
1 $2.50 PER YEAR. 
VOL. XXVTTI. No. tO. | 
WHOLE No. 1232. ) 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1878, by D. D. T. Muons, In the offlco of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 
moiBt, while at the same time, from the ef¬ 
fects of good drainage, which is essential to 
the well being of all plants in an artificial 
state, all the lower roots would perish for 
want of water, and the plant would become 
sickly and eventually die. 
our common and pretty wood plants can be 
grown in these cases. When the planting is 
done, the soil should be well drenched and 
will not, if the case is tight as it ought to be, 
require watering more than once a month— 
perhaps not as often, Let those who have 
pretty selections of plants, tell our corres¬ 
pondent what they are. 
more satisfactory, to send to some nursery- 
man and get your roses at the rate of two 
dollars per dozen. I am more than satisfied 
with the reward of my efforts in that direc¬ 
tion, having a few weeks ago sent a Pennsyl¬ 
vania firm $5.50 and received by mail, and in 
fine order, forty-five roses. Aunt Lou. 
MARANTA MAKOYANA 
This is a welcome ad iition to an already 
popular genus of stove perennials, op account 
of its beautifully spotted and delicately pen¬ 
ciled foliage. Our illustration gives an ex¬ 
cellent idea df the peculiarities possessed by 
this novelty. Its leaves are borne on reddish- 
purple petioles, and are from six to seven 
inohes long, by about two-thirds that width. 
The ground color of tho leaf is semi-trans¬ 
lucent, and of a pale, greenish straw color, 
while the symmetrically arranged oblong 
markings are of a very dark olive tint; or 
perhaps, what is popularly termed bottle- 
green will better explain our meaning. Dark 
green veins spring from the midrib, and di¬ 
verge gracefully on each side to the margin, 
and, between these, very fine dark green hues 
are closely arranged at right angles, remind¬ 
ing one very forcibly of those to bo observed 
in°lhe semi-pellucid leaves of Aponogeton 
dlstachyon. The under surface of its leaves 
is of a port wine color, that color being 
deepest beneath the dark blotches above. It 
U much smaller m all its proportions 
than M. 1 ettchti or AT, Limi-mi, which 
it somewhat resembles in general ap¬ 
pearance. It is a robust grower when 
liberally dealt with, and, like its con¬ 
geners, succeeds well in a compost, of 
equal parts of turfy loam and peat, to 
which a little leaf-mold and coarse 
sand have been added. So says P. W. 
B., in The Garden. 
MY RUSTIC BASKET 
WARDIAN CASE PLANTS 
As I sat looking at my yard, I felt as 
though 1 wanted to tell you something about 
my flowers. Although the Benson has been 
very unfavorable, they are looking very well. 
Right opposite my window I can see a rustic 
basket that I conjured up (excuse the word) 
tills spring, not having the ready money to 
purchase a better one. Now tho way 1 did, 
was this I took a suitable stump from tho 
wood pile, set it (irmly in the ground, filled 
up around with good Boil, gathered up all the 
odd and fancy stones about the promises, 
placed them carelessly about the stump ; 
hied to tho woods with a basket, gathered 
the different kinds of mosses ; then to my 
seed bed, took out some Sweet Alyssum, 
Phlox and Portulaeca ; took an Ice Pink and 
Gazenia from out the pots, and planted them 
promiscously between the stones and an ivy 
to run up and around the stump ; filled the 
spaces with the moss, wetting all thor¬ 
oughly every eveiling. 
For the basket, I used a small tub ; 
placed a large grape vine to it for a han- 
Sj$y die ; next I proceeded to twine a long 
3* grape vine around it, enough to make it 
Jft look well ; filled it with rich soil, plant- 
2 ed a Madeira vine at one side, tho Cy- 
press vine at the other, and a variegated 
' • Alyssum in the center, tilling out with 
1m Scarlet and Variegated Verbenas; and 
jni now that the plauts aro all in bloom, it 
RH forms a pleasing sight to tho eye and an 
SV ornament to the yard. Let us hear from 
W some of the other lady readers of the 
„ Rural. Tell us what you are doing in 
your yards this summer, giving us de¬ 
signs, <fcc. It will help others next sea¬ 
son. Mrs. H. S. Brown. 
(Jatskill, N. Y. 
WATERING HOUSE PLANTS, 
“An Appreciative Reader” asks the 
names of plants best adapted to Wardian 
Cases ; also the proper time of putting them 
in, &c. The soil of the plant case should be 
equal parts of sand, good loam, powdered 
charcoal and some leaf mold. The prettiest 
plants are ferns ; and almost any of t he spe 
cies are pretty for such cases. Lycopodium, 
small Orchids, Drunena, Croton -pi Hum , 
Croton mrlegatmri , Aphrlandra Leopold'!-, 
Aioontnna, Caladium, Passiflor t IrifancinUt, 
and Ftttnnia nrgenlea are good plants to use 
in a Wardian Case. The case can be filled in 
spring or autumn. The ferns can be gathered 
or selected better in spring. But there are 
enough wood plants that can be got at any 
time of year. Not only ferns and mosses, 
but Wintergreens, Princess Pine, Partridge 
Berry, the Trailing Arbutus rnd scores of 
The English Garden is inclined to dispute 
the rule that water “ should be given in mod¬ 
erately small quantities, and supplied fre¬ 
quently.” If the causes of failure where 
plauts are cultivated in windows were min¬ 
utely investigated, the dribbling system of 
watering would be found to be the principal 
cause. A plant ought not to be watered 
until it is in a fit condition to receive a liberal 
supply of that element, having previously 
secured a good drainage, in order that all 
who are constantly dribbling a moderately 
small quantity of water upon their plants 
will not have them in a flourishing condition 
for any length of time. This must be obvi¬ 
ous to all, for it is quite evident that the 
moderately small quantity of water frequent¬ 
ly given would keep the surface of the soil 
PROPAGATING R08E8. ETC., FROM 
CUTTINGS, 
Dear Old Rural You request your 
lady friends to give you such items of 
experience as may interest and benefit 
Others. I have often thought this would 
in- a pleasant recreation if it were not 
lor the necessity of the oft repetition of 
the little personal pronoun “ I,” making 
the writer appear egotistical. However 
I will make an effort to write with as 
little egotism as a woman can possibly 
display. As the season for fall work 
among the flowers is near at hand 1 will 
begin with that. I have spent many 
years in cultivation of plants, propagat¬ 
ing from seeds, layers, cuttings, etc.; 
the most satisfactory results from cut¬ 
tings were obtained from those made 
li'om the fall primings of shrubs, roses, 
&c. This is done in November. I have a 
good-sized dry goods box, with the bot¬ 
tom taken out, plant in the ground to 
the depth of three feet; at the bottom 
throw in brickbats, ftones, Ac. for 
■ Irainage ; then a mixture of sand and 
good garden soil to within eighteen 
inches of top : In this put your cuttings, 
quite close together, the cuttings having 
one bud at the lower extremity, and 
one or two above. The box is then cov¬ 
ered with a gla. s, and left without fur¬ 
ther care until spring. It should, how¬ 
ever, stand tiAvard the south, so as to 
get all the benefit of the sun. Many of 
the cuttings will be rooted by tile middle 
of May. 
But while speaking of this I will say, 
that after having much experience in 
this matter, I have learned that unless 
one wishes to do this for mere pastime, 
it is much cheaper, far easier, and much 
EARLY FLOWERING TULIPS, 
An English gardener gives a list of 
tulips, of such varieties only as were all 
in perfection together on April 21st ; 
and as they are sorts that were done 
blooming by the time the collection in 
general was in flower, the selection will 
be of value to any one requiring early 
kinds to be got off the ground in time to 
allow early bedding plants to be put 
out L’lmmaculee, fine, pure white ; 
Vesuvius, crimson ; Pottebakker, yel¬ 
low ; Pottebakker, white; King’s 
Crown, scarlet, belted with yellow ; 
Golden Prince, light golden yellow ; 
Moliere, purple ; Due Van Thol, scarlet; 
Joost Van Nondcl, vermillion, white 
feathered ; Van Der Neer, pnrplish 
puce; Proserpine, rose; Vermillion 
Brilliant, largo scarlet; Brutus, scarlet, 
shaded with orange; Duo Van Thol, 
rose ; Van dcr Heist, rose, blush feath¬ 
ered ; Gloria Solis, double crimson and 
yellow. 
Schizopetalon Walkeri is a hardy 
annual which, when sown in spring, 
blooms in June or July and its flowers 
are said to be deliciously scented, per¬ 
haps even more so than Mignonette, a 
few flowers in a tumbler of water per¬ 
fuming an apartment for several days. 
jfr /Wy 
( yh | 
Y/M 
