37 
les 
oral Baijiunei leuiS ftetorral BHEawie: iBooijmaion. 
Ifuma iarbamttig. 
A NEW MIGNONETTE. 
A Dew and very desirable Mignonette has just been 
introduced this season, for the first time, being, im¬ 
ported by B. Iv. Bliss & Sons, from England. It be¬ 
came of great notoriety when first shown in public at 
the Horticultural Exhibition of So. Kensington, in 
May. 1877, and was specially noticed then by Queen 
Victoria. 
It is known as Miles’ new Hybrid Spiral Mignon¬ 
ette. It is a remarkably robust grower, very abun¬ 
dant bloomer, and produces the largest flowers of any 
variety yet seen, which grow in erect column spikes 
of six inches or more, covered with fully expanded 
blossoms. Its habit is dwarf, with branches of eight 
to fourteen inches in length. By pinching the side 
shoots the centre spike will attain a length 
of from eighteen to twenty-one inches. It 
is found to be quite hardy, fully as fragrant 
as any other variety, and being so distinct 
in appearance is very desirable lor deco¬ 
rating purposes. 
It should be sown in the open ground in 
the months of April or May, covering the 
seeds about quarter of an inch deep. For 
winter and spring flowering, sow in pots of 
loam, mixed with a little leaf mould, in 
August or September, and protect in a 
cold frame. Thin out or transplant before 
the plants get crowded. 
GARDEN FLOWERS. 
Success in the cultivation of out-door 
plants depends in a large degree upon the 
selection of varieties suited to the climate, 
location and soil in which they are to be 
placed. 
The choice having heen made, care 
should be taken to procure good seed or 
cuttings, and if to these requisites be added 
a real love and interest in tbe work, the 
battle is half won. 
Indeed, without the latter, the others 
would be of little value, for from the pre¬ 
paration of the soil and planting of the 
seed, until florescence, a constant war is 
waged with sun, wind, weeds, and insects 
to keep the plant alive. If the sun be 
too burning, the young seedlings must be 
shaded; if the wind threatens to tear them 
limb from limb, they must be staked and 
tied securely, weeds and insects must be 
fought with a vigorous hand. In short, it seems as if 
every vegetable production had its enemy ready to de¬ 
stroy it as soon as its leaves are above ground. Each 
cultivator will find peculiar difficulties to encounter, 
but patience and experience will conquer them all. 
One of the charms of gardening is that one has 
something to plan and hope for continually ; that he 
can make preparation this year for the next—that the 
mistakes of one season, will show the improvements 
of another summer. 
While snow covers the garden, spend a few winter 
evenings in searching the catalogues of seedsmen and 
florists, in learning how to properly prepare the soil, 
to plant and care for the seed, and to transplant the 
young seedlings. Make a list of such flowers as seem 
most easy to raise, and when spring comes go forward 
with a brave heart, letting each failure be an incen¬ 
tive to more strenuous exertions. 
As much as possible, I save my own seed and add 
to it each year a dollar’s worth of new varieties. 
Then for a small expense I obtain a large collection 
of flowers, which is increased by the addition of house 
plants and slips. I find no difficulty in rooting almost 
everything in sand. I have a shallow wooden box 
about four inches high ; this has pebbles placed in the 
bottom for drainage, and is filled with sand that is free 
from sticks or stones. This I keep always wet, not 
muddy, and iu the brightest sunshine. Whenever I 
have a cutting to root, I stick it into the sand, and 
when it is rooted, which is known by the growth of 
new leaves, I take it out carefully and plant in a 
small pot. Shade, a day or two, until well estab¬ 
lished, then let it go on unto perfection. 
I usually germinate seeds in a hot-bed, but have 
mm 
New Hybrid Spiral Mignonette. 
been successful iu the house by taking a box of finely 
pulverized soil, which has been warmed in the oven, 
covering the seeds lightly, and placing over them a 
newspaper wet with warm water. Place the box on 
the urn of a coal stove or where it can get under heat; 
allow the paper to remain, and keep it wet until the 
plants appear. Thus the two essentials of germina¬ 
tion are obtained, namely, warmth and moisture. 
In selecting plants, the size of the yard, or the place 
to be ornamented, should be considered. Tall, large 
foliaged plants, like Riciuus Cannas and Caladiums, 
are too cumbersome for small quarters, but give a 
tropical aspect to a broad lawn. 
Vines of rapid growth are desirable to cover un¬ 
sightly walls or buildings. One of the best for this 
purpose is the Wild Cucumber or Lace Plant, so called 
from the resemblance of the pericarp to a small cu¬ 
cumber, which opens at one end, disclosing a lace-like 
lining holding the four seeds. 
The flower is deliciously sweet. Plant the seed in 
the fall in a rich bed where you wish it to grow, and 
iu the spring you will find plants looking like young 
squash vines, which will climb like Jack’s bean stalk, 
and amaze you with their rapid growth and long 
feathery white flowers. 
Do not forget foliage plants in planning your gar¬ 
den. The bright yellow-green Golden Coleus makes 
a charming border, or any of the red-leaved species. 
If seeds are started in a hot-bed be careful to plant 
the finest, such as Petunias or Portulacca on the sur¬ 
face, and pat them into the soil with a light tap of the 
trowel. Water very gently lest they be washed away 
or drowned. Shade them by a covering over the 
glass lest the heat of the sun dry them while sprout- 
ting, which is sure death. Remember, 
within each little black shell there is life, 
for which you are responsible, and any 
neglect after the embryo starts to grow is 
destruction to its vitality. 
The plants being well up, they must 
still be shaded from the most intense rays 
of the sun, watered by gentle drops, not 
showers, and given a breath of fresh air 
lest they damp off. Some sturdy growers 
like Balsams and Zinnias, will stand like 
sentinels and take a shower-bath without 
winking, but the delicate and most beau - 
tiful ones need petting and tender care. 
We transplant in this northern climate 
as soon as the late frosts are over, about 
the middle of May or first of June, then 
if you would have vigor and quick growth 
and luxuriant bloom give them plenty of 
water, not once a week, but every evening 
during the dry season until the welcome 
showers relieve you from duty. I have no 
faith in the lazy plan of withholding wa¬ 
ter because “ if you begin . ,you have to 
keep it up.” I have seen too many 
baked, starved-looking plants that had 
been tortured with such treatment. If I 
am thirsting, I want water, and I believe 
my plants like it as well as I do. Neither 
do I boil the tea-kettle before giving them 
their supper. I pump nice cool water 
from the well, and give them a good sup¬ 
ply. I do not see that they take cold or 
go into consumption, but they laugh up 
into my face as if they enjoyed it, and 
grow' faster and faster, and stouter and 
stouter, just like healthy children that are 
out in all kinds of wind and weather. 
To those who wish to cultivate plants 
with little trouble, I would say, try perennials. These 
brave-hearted veterans will bear almost any treatment 
and live through it, but like everything else they enjoy 
a little attention. Choose such as will give a succes¬ 
sion of bloom from early spring till fall. Fill the va¬ 
cancies wuth hardy annuals that will soon sow them¬ 
selves. Then by stirriug up their bed in the spring, 
and giving them a covering for the winter you wall be 
encouraged to go farther, and try a little more work 
with a proportionate amount of pleasure and satisfac¬ 
tion. 
Much seed is lost if left to dry out of doors. It 
should be gathered when fully grown, and dried in the 
house, and then put up in labelled packages for future 
use. 
E. L. E. 
IV! 
