larger flowers than the drier sorts, and they 
are pure white and very fragrant 
The old van ©{rated roses to which you 
refer have nearly gone out of cultivation, 
although we do see an occasional plant of 
the Seven Sisters, York and Lancaster, and 
variegated Damask in the collections of 
seen 50,000 Gloxinia plants in bloom, each 
plant carrying twenty to fifty flowers and 
set in foliage of the most perfect health im¬ 
aginable. Every one of these plants was 
raised from seed sown in the spring and not 
one of them was or had been potted. Out of 
this immense number of plants less than a 
COEN INJURED BY WHITE 
GRUBS. 
A Subscriber residing in Lawrence Co 
Pa., writes that the White Grub was very 
abundant in his neighborhood last summer 
destroying entire cornfields as well as mead' 
ows. by eating the roots of both corn and 
grass. They commenced upon the corn 
when it was about a foot high, and continued 
to work at the roots during the entire sum¬ 
mer. 
We do not usually attempt to name or 
iden ,fy an insect without specimens or a 
full description, but in this instance we have 
no doubts in regard to the one referred to 
under the name of White Grub, as fhev are 
too common and widely known to bn mis¬ 
taken for any tiling el w . Thoso White Grubs 
are the larvae of some of the numerous a » e - 
cies of May beetle, which frequently enter 
our houses In the evening during the spring 
or ear y summer months, as they fly about 
at, night and uro attracted by the light of a 
lamp or Are. The female beetle 
and esthetic souls are rejoicing that it is so,) 
fo: American young and old ladies to wear 
natural flowers for adornment at evening, 
dinner or other parties. Such ladies will 
always be glad of such suggestions a 3 are 
contained in this clipping and accompanying 
illustration, from the London Garden of 
April 3 : 
That natural flowers in the hair have a far 
more, pleasing effect than artificial ones is 
almost too well known forme to draw atten¬ 
tion to. 1 hey would he much oftener em¬ 
ployed, 1 have no doubt, were they not apt 
to flag when not mounted properly, and so 
the general idea is that they last but a short 
time fresh when placed in the hair. If, how¬ 
ever, a little care be taken with the mount¬ 
ing, they will look quite as fresh at the close 
as at the beginning of the evening. Blooms 
for this purpose should always be mounted 
on wires, and a little damp Moss bound in 
with the stems to keep them fresh ; that is, 
if the flowers selected have short stems, such 
n= Orchids, Camellias, &c.; but, if the stems 
be of moderate length, the end of the spray 
can be inserted in a little glass tube, such as 
i3 used for button-hole bouquets (the hook 
being removed), which can 
usually 
aoposiiuimr egg, in grass lands or unculti¬ 
vated fields and the grubs feed upon the roots 
ol various plants and live in this state two to 
four years. If pasture or meadow lands are 
plowed and the grass killed, then planted 
with corn or other similar crops, the grubs 
haying been deprived of other food, would 
naturally seek the roots of whatever plant 
they could find. Thoso grubs are especially 
fond of the roots of Corn and strawberries 
and they will also feed vnrueiously upon po¬ 
tatoes ; hone® the frequent failure of eU ch 
crops upon sod, although otherwise it is 
usualiy considered preferable to land which 
has not, been seeded down with grass. 
Now, the grubs which were so destructive 
to t he corn last season, may all pass through 
this last transformation ami become beetfes 
this spring, seeldng uncultivated fields for 
future depredations; bub of this we cannot 
bo positive without an examination of the 
infested field. In plowing the old cornfields 
this spring they should be carefully examined 
for grubs, end if nous or only a few arc found 
then it will be safe to plant aguin with corn’ 
because the beetles will seldom frequent a 
cornfield for the purpose of Jay ing th -ir , rs 
there, preferring a loss disturbed location 
The Crow and Blackbird arc the great 
natural enemies of the White Grub race and 
whenever these birds I'req uert a newly-plow¬ 
ed field wo niav rest, assnrmi rt...* .i. 
FOR THE HAIR. 
dozen were selected to add to the catalogue 
collection for propagating purposes. 
IHrds BiUtiff off Crocus and Primrose 
//m/s.—In England much complaint is made 
of the sparrows and chaffinches biting off the 
flowers of these plants when they first np- 
pear, or pulling them out from tiie calyx. 
One. gentleman thinks it more than probable 
that the cause of their doing it is that they 
are in search of small insects as vdl as the 
nectar found In these flowers. Have any of 
our readers had a similar experience in this 
con- 
The 
Course, accord- 
tl flowers ; but 
rather a long 
’ill as possible. 
At this season, some of the best flowers 
for this purpose arc obtainable; as, for 
example. Orchids, Camellias, Eucharis, 
Cyclamens, Hyacinth pips, Lily of the 
"V alley, Roses, Kpirmas, Stephanntis, Know- 
drops, Azaleas, and many others which 
space will not allow me to enumerate, I 
saw two sprays a few days ago which I 
admired very much at the time, and T shall 
endeavor to describe them as they may be 
useful ns a guide to some of your readers. 
One was composed of a Eucharis, pink 
Hyacinth pips, blooms of Stephanotie, 
mounted singly, pink Heaths, Lily of the 
Valley, and foliage ; the other of a white 
Camellia, scarlet Pelarironi II 111 111 ns Rrw-.ni 
CALLA ETHIOPICA 
1. When Callas are set out 
should they be taken out of 
merely plunged in the ground t 
2. Should they lie watered freely, or kept 
rather dry f * 
3. Is a shady position preferable to one 
fully exposed to the sun ? 
4. When suckers appear about, old plants, 
should they ha removed ? If so, when and 
how should the operation be performed ? 
The o’d Calla Lily, or Egyptian Calla, has 
of late been honored with another name, 
and is now called Richardia Africana by 
our botanical authorities. We mention this 
in order that the readers of I ho Rural New- 
Yorker may not bo misled into purchasing 
this old plant under a new or unfamiliar 
name. 
1. No, it is not. necessary, nor advisable, to 
remove them from the pots when set aside 
for rest in summer. 
2. Kept rather dry ; in fact, they are to be 
allowed to rest at this season, but the pots 
may he plunged in the ground, and there let 
them take their chances. Florists some¬ 
times set them aside, giving no water for ... 
in summer, 
the pots or 
a patent furniture polish, invented by 
Mr. C. A. Libby, of Lnbygno, Kansas, is 
composed of the following ingredients :—Two 
gallons raw linseed oil, one and one-half 
gallons turpentine,one-fourth pound dragon’s 
blood, one-fourth pound rosin, one fourth 
pound alum, two ounces iodide potassium, 
one half pound sulphuric acid, eight ounces 
nitric acid ; using avoirdupois weight for the 
dragon's blood, rosin, alum, iodide potassium, 
and sulphuric acid ; common wine or liquid 
measure for the oil and turpentine ; apothe¬ 
caries’ measure for the nitric acid. 
I he directions fur preparing the polish are 
follows. First, put the oil and turpentine 
into an earthen vessel ; then pulverize the 
dragon’s blood, rosin, alum and iodide 
potassium to a fine powder, stir this 
powder slowly into the oil and turpentine ■ 
watering, slightly at first, adding more as 
the leaves appear. 
8. Either will do, but usually a half-shady 
place is preferable. 
• 1 . Ihe best time to remove the offsets is 
when re-potting the plants after their brief 
period of rest in summer. They may be 
•slipped off with a sharp knife, cutting close 
up to the old root, in order to have a few 
roots retained by the young plant. The 
latter should then be potted singly and given 
the same treatment as the old stock. 
Few persons seem to he aware of what 
may bo done in the way of growth and 
bloom upon this old and sho wy water plant. 
Give it an abundance of pot-room, rich soil, 
plenty of water and a warm atmosphere,' 
and the rapidity of growth will he somewhat 
astonishing to a person who has never seen 
a plant treated in the most liberal manner. 
The Calla is a water nlant. frrnwino* nofuroiiw 
ABOUT CERTAIN ROSES. 
i hHInVoJI te i! ?? w , hat '* a Micro¬ 
ti, I la Rose? also what is the Banksia * I 
lac had, for many years two or three kinds 
a mall, dwarf-growing bushes, very 
thorny small leaves, summer roses white 
flesh colored and straw-colored. To what 
hi ineli or the rose family do they belong i 
Some 25 years ago I had a hardy summer 
r0 ! " yariegnted crimson, on a pale pink 
gro'in.l , but T lost It and can never see P any 
f j nor find any variegated roses named 
If nmt - KlWS SI ' lce ' 1)0 any of your readers 
kno,\ ol any such rose ?— Mrs. G. H. a. 
Trie Mirrophylla , or what are more com¬ 
monly added Macartney roses, came origin¬ 
ally lrom China. They are very dwarf in 
halut with very small leaves, as the name 
indicate. \re have seen few in this country 
years ago, but none of late, and presume 
they have gone out of cultivation because 
i Ufa arge n ir sufficiently showy to attract 
attention or suit the popular taste. 
Tlm Banksian ( Rosa Banksta) are elegant 
ittlc climbing roses, producing their flowers 
corymbs, those of the single varieties 
unlike Tm eded by Smal1 b!ack fniifc not 
unlike a black currant in size and form. 
y are sub-evergreen, quite tender and 
doo!?m° Gai ly * n sprin S» whtn grown out of 
SCALE INSECTS ON PLANTS. 
Dear Rural:—I inclose a leaf from my 
Oleander that is covered with rose scales or 
Insects. I have a small green house—oif from 
sitting-room, warmed from the coal stoves 
My Roses, Oleander and wooded plants are 
getting covered with the scales. I wash them 
off and smoke them, but they come on again 
Will you please tell mo through the Rural 
what [ can do to get rid of the posts ? If 
any of the Rural readers had the same 
trouble will they be so kind as to tell me a 
remedy ? What is the name of them ? My 
plants have been loaded with blossoms all 
winter, Oleander, beautiful Morning Glories 
as well as many choice exotic plants. The 
dear old Rural is ever welcome. We have 
taken ir, six years, and think that we cannot 
live without it. Mrs Cl rn 
Fremont, Ohio, 1875. 
The leaf sent is infested with what is 
usually termed the “ Oleander Scale.” a mi¬ 
nute species of insects Closely allied to the 
App!" tree bark lice. We do not know of 
any better way of ridding the plants of these 
pests than to wash them eff, using strong 
hot soapsuds, applied with a brush ; or alco¬ 
hol, or even whisky, will also kill them We 
have been using alcohol to destroy in- a-ts 
upon our greenhouse plan! * during *the past 
winter with excellent results. It is certainly 
the best thing we ever tried for what is 
known as the Mealy bug 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES 
u.x lyoveiiy in i alaryontumR is announced 
in the French and German gardening jour¬ 
nals. it is believed to be an accidental cross 
between P. hederoefolium and P. zonale, and, 
what is more, it freely bears seed. M r. Jean 
Sisley describes it as near P. hederce,folium 
in its prostrate habit of .growth, with leaves 
more like those of P. zonale. The flowers 
are of a dazzling red, and there are from 15 
to 20 in each truss. It was found in a garden 
at Nice, in a bed planted with several vari- 
s are quite small, a half-inch, or 
tie more in diameter, and some 
•ties possess the fragrance of 
‘ Double White Banksian and 
■nan are among the oldest and 
Fortnniarin, introduced from 
• Robert Fortune, in 1850, has 
To Remove Stains from Maubx.k.—T ake 
two parts of common soda, one part of 
pumice-stone, and one of finely-powdered 
ffialk ; stft it through a fine sieve, and mix 
it with water; then rub it well over the 
marble, and the stains will be removed, 
vv ash the marble afterward with soap and I 
water. 
