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Raising Mushrooms.—Please tell me how to 
raise mushooms from spawn. T. S. Thornton. 
Answer. —Make in a dark cellar, where the temper¬ 
ature does not fall below forty-five degrees, a bed of cow 
m mure and loam ; beat it well, and make it firm, letting 
it remain a few days. Then shake it up and mix it 
again well together, and if fermenting very strongly, 
add more soil, treading and ramming down as before. 
The bed should be from sixteen to eighteen inches 
thick. Break the spawn into pieces the size of a large 
nut and plant them through the bed when it has a uni¬ 
form genial heat. Then cover a few inches of soil 
over the bed. 
Climbers for Windows.—I have two flower¬ 
pots seven inches across and nine inches deep. I want 
to put one each side of a window, southern exposure, 
sun all day till four P. M., and connect them by an 
iron rod forming an arch over the window. What 
vines shall I plant in them ? 
What plants will do well in a western window and 
sun only in the afternoon ? 
Hudson, N. Y. Anabel C. Andrews. 
Ansiver. —English Ivy; German Ivy, (Senecio 
scandens), any of the varieties of Tropseolum minus ; 
possibly Smilax. 
Geraniums, Daphne, Camellias, Azaleas, Chinese 
Primrose, Cyclamen. 
Deutzia from Seed.—Will Deutzia crenata grow 
from seed? Mrs. J. P. 
Carney Springs, Mass. 
Answer. —There is no reason why it should not; 
but you would find seed difficult to procure. The best 
way to obtain it is to order a plant. 
Fuchsias, etc.—What makes the leaves drop off 
Fuchsias, those of Heliotropes curl up and fall off', 
and of Begonia Rex die and fall off? 
Ada, Ohio. Mrs. J. E. Lowry. 
Answer.— Various causes may produce the effects 
described. Gas in the air, a cold sodden soil, with in¬ 
sufficient drainage, or too low a temperature. The 
remedy in last case will suggest itself. 
Crape Myrtle, etc.—Please tell me how to treat 
Crape Myrtle. I have two, a pink and a white one. 
When shall I plant and how treat Rhododendrons ? 
Canton, Mo. Mary Belle Wagner. 
Ansiver. —The Crape Myrtle does well planted out 
in the garden in summer and rested in a frost-proof 
cellar in winter ; south of Virginia it is hardy. 
Rhododendrons may be planted at any time when 
not in growth, but spring is the best season ; the soil 
should be rich vegetable mold, not likely to dry up. 
Ferns, Saxifrage, etc.—What Fern is best for 
a hanging basket? How many will a basket, a foot 
across hold ? I have a Saxifrage that does not do 
well; how shall I cultivate it? 
Rantoul, Ill. Mrs. Maria Wall. 
Answer. —No Ferns do well in hanging baskets, as 
the air high in a room, where the basket hangs, is 
usually too dry. The best Fern for house culture is 
Pteris tremula. It is large-growing, and one is enough 
for any pot or basket. 
Give your Saxifrage (S. sarmentosa, we suppose), 
a well-drained soil, plenty of water, and hang it in a 
sunny window. 
Wardian Case.—I want to ask a few questions 
about my Wardian Case. My case measures fifteen 
by twenty-one, and seventeen inches high, and the 
lid opens at the top; the zinc pan is five or six 
inches deep. In the fall I procured some mold from 
the woods, where the ferns grow very thick, and mixed 
with it a little earth from the garden, which was quite 
rich from decayed hones, etc. ; after planting my ferns j 
I filled the spaces all up with damp moss from the 
woods—(I should have mentioned that I covered the 
bottom of the pan with lumps of charcoal)—I then 
watered it well and closed it; it sets in a bay-window 
facing west. 
In a few days my ferns began to grow, and looked 
nicely. In the course of a week or two, however, I 
discovered that something was eating them. My Cis- 
sus discolor had thrown out several new leaves ; and I 
was quite proud of it, as I had tried many times to 
grow one on the window without success. One morn¬ 
ing I found the whole top had been bitten off, and I 
felt discouraged enough. I also found slimy trails all 
over the glass; so I took my ferns all up and baked 
the earth in the oven. I found in the moss a great 
many of what I called snails or borers, and I threw it 
all away. Then I arranged my plauts in the case once 
more, feeling confident that all would he well. I 
watered it as at first, and it did not seem too wet, as 
there was not a great deal of moisture gathered on 
the glass. 
In two or three weeks I found some of my plants 
all moulding and dampening away. As fast as- the 
Maiden Hair threw up new shoots, the old ones 
mouldered away. The AnoectochiluS died entirely; 
also a plant with green and white striped leaves, which 
was quite expensive; the Partridge Vine, and some 
others. A spotted leafed Begouia and Begonia Rex, 
and a silver leafed fern are about the only ones not 
affected. 
Some one told me I must leave the cover lip a while 
every day, which I did, and my Cissus discolor wilted 
right down. I have thought that perhaps I did not 
have charcoal enough. I did not mix any with the 
earth ; all I had was put in as drainage at the bottom. 
Now please tell me what the trouble is, and advise me 
what to do. Mrs. G. W. Whiting. 
East Somerville, Mass. 
Answer. —Your letter is very interesting. The first 
trouble was from slugs or snails. You could have 
caught them all by hollowing out raw potatoes or yel¬ 
low turnips and placing them in the ease. Baking 
does not improve the soil. Your second trouble was 
too much moisture and insufficient ventilation ; the 
third, giving air too suddenly upon the weak growth 
of the Cissus. Are you not mistaken as to your hav¬ 
ing an Anoect.oehilus ; they are rare plants. The only 
effect of mixing charcoal with the soil would be to 
make better drainage, and to keep it from becoming 
sour ; it is not necessary. 
Roses Unhealthy, etc.—I see on the leaves of 
my Roses what looks like a small worm, and it ap¬ 
pears to start from the stalk. The new shoots and 
buds blight and fall off'. Do small black flies around 
house plants do any harm ? Mrs. D. K. 
Vassalboro, Me. 
Answer. —Your Roses are in sour, sodden soil: re¬ 
pot them and give good drainage; keep the surface 
of the earth loose. If there are green worms on the 
stems—which we doubt—kill them. The small black 
flies themselves do no harm, but green aphis suck the 
juices of the plant, and should be destroyed by smok¬ 
ing. 
Daphne not Growing.—I have treated my 
Daphne as a hot-house plant; it only puts out new 
leaves, but does not grow at all. Can you give me 
any information ? Mrs. L. L. 
Answer. —The Daphne is a cool greenhouse plant 
and needs very little heat; it grows after blooming, 
and then matures flower-buds for the next year. You 
keep yours too hot and force it into premature foliage. 
Funkia or Day Lily —Would like to ask if the 
Funkia or Day Lily will live in the ground during the 
winter ? Mrs. W. H. 
Pescatonica, Ill. 
Answer. —All the Funkias are perfectly hardy. 
Give them a rich deep soil and they will bloom freely 
every year. 
Daphne Odorata. —Where can Daphne Odorata 
be had? Is it a bulb? D. M. M. 
Fredonia, Pa. 
Ansiver. —See our answer to “ L. L.” above. It is 
a hard-wooded greenhouse plant, and very desirable 
for parlor culture. Seedsmen would not have it, but 
at any greenhouse you could probably procure it. 
Schizostylis Coccinea, etc. —How shall I treat 
Sehizostylis ? How long before it flowers from seed ? 
How should Eupatorium be treated after blooming? 
Does it live from year to year ? Subscriber. 
Answer. —Schizostylis requires treatment similar to 
Cape bulbs; pot in sandy loam, water moderately, 
but do not let it dry up ; when foliage fades dry it off 
gradually. It grows freely from seed and seedlings; 
blooms in about eighteen months. 
Prune in your Eupatorium after it has bloomed. 
The plant will become woody, and flower from year to 
year. 
Phoenix Daetylifera. —Is Phoenix Daetylifera a 
rapid or slow-growing palm ? Is it suitable for bouse 
decoration ? Where can I get plants and pots of the 
right shape to grow them ? E. C. Maxwell. 
Wilkesbarre, Pa. 
Ansiver. —It is slow-growing, suitable for the par¬ 
lor, but there are many better. It requires no peculiar 
pot. You can get plants from George Such, South 
Amboy, N. J. It is not an expensive plant. 
Honeysuckles to Exchange. — I have a large 
quantity of Honeysuckles, the Coral, Sweet Monthly, 
Yellow Trumpet, Halliena, Chinese Scarlet, flowered, 
Douglasii, Golden-veined, Dutch White, and Chinese 
Evergreen; the latter a luxuriant grower, constant 
bloomer, and delightfully fragrant, with white flowers. 
Would be glad to exchange for other plants with any 
readers of the Cabinet. Mrs. J. A. Powell. 
Danceyville, Tenn. 
How to Grow Wax Plant.—Please tell me 
how to cultivate Hoya carnosa or Wax Plant. 
Quaker Bottom. E. J. P. 
Answer. —The Wax Plant needs a rich soil and 
plenty of heat; too much water rots the roots, and the 
pots should always be well drained. It is a very 
good parlor plant, and stands well the beat, dust, and 
gas of living rooms. When large it flowers very 
freely. 
Flowers for a Warm Room. —Can you give 
me the names of some plants which I can cultivate in 
a warm room, with furnace heat, and temperature 
seventy degrees at times? Ethelverta. 
Answer. —Your plants probably suffer more from dry 
beat and furnace gas than from temperature. Try 
Calla Lilies, Cyclamen, Chinese Primroses, Daphne 
odorata, Cuphea hyssoyifolia, English Ivy, Acharea 
malvaviscus, Abutilon striatum or Darwini, Hyacinths, 
Narcissus. 
