t 
I 
-- fPglti -ilUocmuni\ 
Cllcrcus qrantutloi'us 
I°f 
Natural Order: Ccictcicece — Cactus Family. 
,r PIS not the fairness of the brow, 
L Nor brightness of the eye; 
Nor vet the cheek whose radiant glow 
Can with carnation vie, 
That has a power to chain my gaze, 
Or hold it in control; 
The beauty that I most admire 
Shines spotless from the soul. 
Mrs. R. T. El dr edge. 
TITHO hung such beauty on such rugged stalk, 
* * Thou glorious flower? 
Who pour’d the richest hues 
In varying radiance o’er thv ample brow? —Mrs. Sigourney. 
64 
ERE is one of a class of plants which we should more fre¬ 
quently find in our dwellings than we do, as there are 
none that demand so little attention, requiring only a rough 
soil, containing a free admixture of coarse sand and small 
fragments of rocks or potsherds, and a little water once or 
twice a week. They endure any amount of heat, but will 
not withstand a positive frost. The Cereus grandiflorus is a native 
cy of Mexico and the West Indies, where it grows to a large size, as do 
the other varieties. The blossom is magnificent, appearing at night, 
and wasting before day approaches. The flower is sometimes cut 
when in its prime, and preserved in a large glass jar with alcohol, 
as a curiosity. 
Intnsbnl Bennhu 
^ (y 
TP LOWER of the night! mysteriously awake 
When earth’s green tribes repose, why stealthful thus 
Comest thou to meet the stars — unfolding soft, 
Beneath their tranquil ray, thy peerless form? 
Flower of the night! chaster than Alpine snows — 
Unvisited by aught save Heaven’s sweet breath — 
Why hide thy loveliness from mortal eye, 
Why pour thy fragrance to the unconscious night? 
— H. I. Joktis. 
