CULTURE OF FAVORITE PLANTS. 
' of the name, though there is no relationship between the two 
families. It is called Crape from a loose resemblance between the 
blossoms, when seen at a distance, and a bunch of red or white crape. 
Loosestrife family is necessarily popular. Its bright, deep-green, 
‘ glossy leaves, like those of the Myrtle, give rise to the second part 
Wherever there exists a true love of flowers, this member of the 
CRAPE JVCYR TLR. 
These flowers grow in large clusters or panicles, of which there are sometimes 
several hundred to a plant, and continue in bloom until nipped by the early 
frost, the first bloom varying with the latitude in which grown, from May to 
August. Each individual blossom presents a singular appearance, the many 
long, silken stamens standing apart from the rest of the flower, and the multi¬ 
tude of these flowers, when seen against the background of the leaves and 
skv, give the semblance, as has been said, of masses of crape thrown loosely over the 
plant. The branches are thin and soft when growing, and may easily be kept in place 
by pinching off the straggling shoots, thus securing a compact, tidy and symmetrical bush. 
Smaller specimens can be grown indoors for blooming in early winter, if placed in good, 
open sunlight. The plants intended for this purpose should be allowed to rest during the 
previous summer in some shady place, with only enough water supplied to keep them 
from dying. In northern latitudes the outdoor specimens should be transferred to some 
dry cellar or dark corner of any spare room, which in ordinary winters is all the protec¬ 
tion they need. They are all the better to withstand the frost if the wood has been well 
ripened by withholding moisture for two or three weeks before frost, upon the first appear¬ 
ance of which they should be immediately housed. A rich loam, lightened with leaf- 
mold, or rather with peat, is the most favorable soil, which, during the season of growth, 
ought to be further enriched by plentiful supplies of liquid manure. It is propagated by 
new shoots, like the Abutilon. 
C R OCRS. 
ASILY cultivated, as it grows freely in any soil not positively soggy, 
the Crocus is an admirable little bulb to bloom in early spring. After 
planting, the bulbs will take care of themselves if supplied with an 
annual dressing of manure. They should he set deeply, some three 
or four inches, either in groups or rows, as desired; and should not be 
disturbed except they appear on the surface, as sometimes happens, 
the cause always being the formation of the new bulb on the top of the old one. 
The bulbs are very cheap, and might be set abundantly. Their most appropriate 
use in the garden is for bordering beds of other bulbs, or they may be used with 
great effect in forming letters or other simple designs on the lawn. Except 
when a bed is wanted for other purposes, they may be planted about an inch 
apart; but where that is the case they can be set at a greater distance, and after the leaves 
357 
