WINDOW GARDEiMNO. 
221 
beauty of the leaves of some of the plants, and the spicy fragrance of others, 
makes it suitable for the smallest collection of plants. 
It requires a fiiable loam, and does not need the sun during the warmest part 
of the day in the summer. 
There are three metliods of increasing this pretty plant: hy seed, which ripen 
abundantly in this country, and from which the various beautiful hybrid varie- 
ties recently introduced have been obtained; by cuttings, and by divisions of tho 
roots. Seed sown in sandy soil in Jlay, will make fine blossoming plants in 
January. 
Cuttings strike readily in damp sand or water. The dwarf varieties are quite 
an improvement upon the older sorts. 
TJie Wall Floicer. 
The "Wall Flower is an old fashioned flower, not much cultivated in these days 
of novelties. Yet many flowers, much less worthy of admiration, are seen, and 
the double varieties are particularly attractive, on account of their sweetness and 
peculiar colorings. We read in old literature of '* The yellow "Wall Flower 
stained with iron brown," and again 
" The rude stone fence with fragrant "Wall flowers gay. 
To nic more pleasure yield 
Than all the pomp imperial domes survey." 
Tradition associates with this plant one of her wildest fantasies: 
In ancient days a noble castle stood amid woods and wilds near the Trent, 
and a fair damsel had long been detained a prisoner within its walls, because she 
had given her j'oung love to the heir of a hostile clan ; and although the youth 
was of equal birth, and renowned for feats of arms and strength, the deadly 
hatred of those fierce days forbade all thoughts, of their marriage. 
Many stratagems did the youth devise to obta'n possession of his love, but they 
had all failed. At length a serving woman came to his aid, and it was arranged 
that with a silken ladder she should descend tho fearful height and meet her 
lover, and the poetry thus describes her fate : 
"Dp then she got upon a wall, 
Attempted dovm to elide withal; 
But the silken twist untied, 
So she fell, and bruised, she died. 
Lovo in pity to the deed, 
And her loving luckless speed, 
Tum'd her to tins plant, we call 
Kow, the Flower of the WalL" 
Hence, the "Wall Flower lias become an emblem of fidelity. 
The ancient English dames took much pleasure in cultivating this plant, and 
in wearing its bli)s>oms, so that the title of " Dames' Violet " was applied to it. 
The blossom is cruciform, having in its natural state only four petals ; but cul- 
tivation has changed the stamens into petals, as is often the case. It will not 
bloom until the second year from the seed, but if potted in Septcmb.r will bloom 
