ame laompcuiion,. 
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER, 1878. 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
I do not believe that it matters what station we oc¬ 
cupy in life; every one of us likes sincere approbation 
of our acts or labors. Therefore, it is a pleasant duty 
for me to write my opinion of Mr. Williams’s Floral 
Cabinet. I do not think there is any other publica¬ 
tion just like it in America. It fills a place that no 
other magazine can. Nearly all the finely-gotten up 
periodicals are lavish in fashion articles and such like 
literature, which can be useful only to wealthy people— 
those with money sufficient to purchase ready-made 
all their little elegancies and articles for home adorn¬ 
ment; but there is little knowledge that can be useful 
to the women of the middle class in the above- 
mentioned works. 
Now, I claim that in the middle class is the birth¬ 
place of genius. From that class have arisen the in¬ 
ventors, the discoverers, the artists, the poets, and the 
self-made men and women of the world. Many a wo¬ 
man with fine poetic tastes and artistic eye and talent 
finds her home barren of those beautiful things that 
please the mind and lighten the labor of every-day 
life. For such as these The Cabinet is a gem of great 
worth. It shows how, from the homeliest materials, to 
form useful, pretty, and oftentimes elegant articles; 
and I wish that it might be found in every home in the 
land. Its pictures are sermons and “ things of beauty,” 
and, therefore, “ a joy forever ”; and, as I have gained 
many useful hints from its pages, I feel inclined to re¬ 
ciprocate. About flowers. Persons are apt, if they 
are passionate lovers of this wonderful gift of God, to 
crowd too many together, whether they cultivate in¬ 
door or outdoor plants. In crowding too many plants 
upon the' stand by the window you interlace the leaves 
or branches and destroy the individuality of the plant. 
Some will shade others and there will not be “ equal 
rights ” and the flowers will not prosper. 
Now, take a large pot (even a water-pail does very 
well), and place a handful of broken earthen ware or 
oyster-shells in the bottom, for drainage, and fill it 
with rich earth. Then place a plant of slim, erect form 
in the center, and some creeping vine around the edge, 
and give it a central position before the window, and 
it will soon grow and be enough, with perhaps a small 
thumb-pot on either side, for the lower part of the sash. 
This, with a hanging-pot above, gives a much finer 
effect than crowding. Then, if you choose to have 
some light, pretty curtains, parted in the. center and 
looped each - side of the window, the effect is fine. I 
never saw a finer living picture than that of a friend 
of mine—a dear lover of plants—who has an Oleander 
tree of low, bushy form, showing hundreds of blos¬ 
soms and buds at one time. This sets in an ordinary 
tub, of the size of a barrel sawed in two, and around 
the foot of this tree is planted what we call “Dew 
Plant ”—a vine with small, fleshy leaves and innumer¬ 
able flowers, of a pink color and looking like brushes of 
floss silk. 
With the vine hanging like a fringe of green around 
the tub, and the tree with its dark, glossy, lanceolate 
leaves above—it is such a picture! And it wants to be 
raised a bit from the floor and to have the whole win¬ 
dow to itself. 
Then a Cactus that she has, with its upright and its 
pendant leaves, with its pencil stems and its fluted, tri¬ 
angular leaves—for its blades are of all forms—ought 
to stand alone too. Another lady had a beautiful 
Calla in the center of a large pot, and a creeping, mossy 
plant entirely covering the earth at its roots, setting 
alone on the window-ledge, with an Oxalis hanging 
above, which made a “living chromo.” So I say 
again to the window-gardeners: “Don't crowd.” 
Last summer I saw the only beautiful window of 
crowded plants that I remember. They were so ar¬ 
ranged that the Zonale Geraniums presented a bunch 
of their rich, varied-hued flowers in the center of each 
pane of glass in the entire casement. 
M. I. Cummings. 
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
New and Beautiful Premiums. 
TO EVERY YEARLY SUBSCRIBER 
-OF THE - 
I(kdie^’ Jdofctl dkbinet. 
Dieffenbachia JVobilis .—This is a new plant lately 
introduced from South America, of a remarkably bold 
and effective character, especially intended for the 
greenhouse. The plant is stocky in habit and well set, 
with spreading leaves. The leaf-stalks are very pale 
green, mottled transversely with brighter green. The 
blades are of a deep, rich green, marked over the central 
portion to within about an inch of the margin, with larg¬ 
ish, angular, irregular, and variously confluent white 
spots, which contrast strongly with the color of the 
margin and intervening portions. 
Canyon Scene in Colorado .—In Southern Colorado 
is a place of remarkable beauty —Wagon Wheel Gap. 
The Rio Grande River flows through a canyon whose 
walls rise precipitately nearly 2,000 feet into the air, 
and whose course is very winding and gives charming 
views of fine scenery. It is about 800 miles from Den¬ 
ver, southwest into the San. Juan mining district, and 
is reached by the Denver and Rio Grande Railway and 
stages of about a day’s ride, beyond its terminus at 
Alamosa. 
Straw Picture Frame. —This design, upon page 
12 is a sketch of a pretty ornament, made of the little 
straws usually sold in fancy stores, cut of different 
lengths and with colors intermixed, and bound with 
blue or crimson ribbon into a pretty easel or picture- 
frame. 
The Wall Pocket, on same page, is constructed 
of Fret Work, being sawed with a Fret Saw out of 
White Holly or Black Walnut. 
The Saucer Garden is nothing more than a 
sponge in a cup, saturated with a little water, upon 
which is sprinkled some flax seed, which has sprouted 
and is growing most beautifully. 
o every one hereafter subscribing for one 
Y ear to “THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET,” 
at $1 30 for Monthly Edition, One Year, 
or 50 Cents for Quarterly Edition, One Year, 
will be given your choice of any of the following beautiful Pre¬ 
miums, sent postage prepaid. Some of these Premiums are alone 
worth as much as the Paper itself, and all are just what everybody 
needs. We specially recommend Premiums Nos. 2 and 0 as re¬ 
markably choice. 
If you will get up a Club of Seven, for one year, to either 
edition, each member of the Club will receive a choice of one of 
these Premiums, and the Club Agent will receive, free, one Pre¬ 
mium, and also the Paper one year, free. 
There will be published hereafter two editions of THE FLO¬ 
RAL CABINET, to accommodate all lovers of flowers and all 
purses. One edition will be published Monthly, at SI 30 per 
year, each subscriber being entitled, free, to any of the Premiums 
named below; and a Quarterly Edition, at 50 Cents per year, 
with the privilege of the choice of same Premium, will be sent to 
any who cannot afford the higher price of the Monthly. 
Hereafter, instead of spending large sums of money in Chro- 
mos, Engravings, etc., as Premiums, we will spend an equal 
amount in giving to each Subscriber a beautiful and useful Floral 
Premium, which will furnish not only pleasure to every Sub¬ 
scriber, but also ornament and utility. 
Subscriptions may commence at any time this Fall, 
and Clubs may be made up from separate post-oflices. 
Tlie Premiums of Bulbs and Flowers must be sent 
either before November 1st or after March 1st. 
LIST OF PREMIUMS. 
No. 1.— 50 Cents’ worth of Flower Seeds. Five package* 
seeds, each worth 11 ) cents. 
No. 2.— One Bulb Gladiolus. A new seedling variety, worth 
$100. These Gladiolus bulbs are of finest seedlings; 
never sold before; and have splendid flowers of all pos¬ 
sible colors - Stripes of Red, Pink, Scarlet, Violet, Rose, 
Carmine, Crimson, Lilac, Vermillion, Yellow, and White, 
variegated most charmingly. We esteem this offer most 
choice and recommend every Subscriber to obtain one. 
No. 3.— Set of Five Tidy Fasteners, of different colors, for 
fastening tidies to sofas, chairs, lounges, etc. 
No. 4.—One Package of Household Byes, for dyeing silk, 
woolens, cotton, or anything. Will dye Crimson, Vio¬ 
let, Yellow, Purple, Green, Maroon, Scarlet, Slate, 
Brown, Black, Blue, Red. One package, of one color, 
your choice, given to every Subscriber. Any one can 
use them. 
No. 5.— Three Patterns of Embroidery. Designs for em¬ 
broidering on Java Canvas, Crochet Work, etc These 
Patterns are in large sheet form, printed in blue, and 
are sent in tollers. 
No. 0.— Hydrangea Grandiflora. A plant of most beautiful 
flowers, very large and extremely showy. The prettiest 
of all shrubs for the lawn. One plant, worth Ac. to $1 Oil, 
given to every Subscriber. Enclose 1J cents extra for 
postage. 
No. 7.— The last three months of 1878 wi 1 be given free to 
anv one paving 81 30, in advance, for CABINET for 
1S79 before December 31st. 1818. This offer, however, 
does not include any of the other Premiums named 
in this list. 
No. 8.— New Scented Geranium, “ Mrs. Taylor” (Scarl t 
Flower). This is a distinct variety of the Scented Ge¬ 
ranium, with a strong Rose fragrance and large Deep 
Scarlet flower, of the Hybrid Perpetual class, combin¬ 
ing free-flowering qualities with fragrant foliage. It is 
very useful for summer cut-flowers, and as a pot-plant 
for winter, to grow in-doors, it cannot be surpassed. To 
“ window gardeners” this is a very agreeable accessory. 
Enclose 10 cents extra for postage. 
No. 9.— Crnssula Pcrfoliata. A very desirable wint r-bloom- 
ing plant. Blossoms just before Christmas and lasts In 
flower a long time. Plants in small pots will give three 
or four large spikes of flowers, consisting of hundreds 
of pure white flowers. Enclose ten cents extra for 
postage. 
No. 10.— Marshal Neil Rose. This is now fully established as 
the best of the Yellow Roses In cultivation. The buds 
are really magnificent, of a deep Canary color, shaded to 
a Golden Yellow toward the center. A fine bloom, of 
exquisite fragrance. One fine plant, worth, at least, 
60 cents, sent to any one subscribing for one year. En¬ 
close 10 cents extra for postage. 
No. 11.— New Rose.—“Duchess of Edinburgh.” Thisisthe 
finest of all the new Roses and the demand for it is ex¬ 
traordinary. In habit and profusion of flowers it is a 
Tea Rose, with the true Tea odor. In color, shape, and 
flower it is like the old hybrid perpetual “ General 
Jacqueminot,” whose Deep Crimson flowers are so flue. 
The “ Duchess of Edinburgh” has the additional advant¬ 
age of being a monthly bloomer. Single plants are sell¬ 
ing now at *100 each. One plant given to every Sub¬ 
scriber. Remit 10 cents extra for postage. 
No. 12— Set of Goodrich Hemmers and Dress Binders 
for Sewing Machines. This is silver-plated and the 
best manufactured; the same as has been advertised so 
largely tlie past few years. Every one who possesses a 
sewing machine needs a set. Retail price is $100. In 
selecting this Premium, please state what sewing ma¬ 
chine it is for. Remit also 5 cents extra for postage. 
E 3 - Remember that Every Subscriber remitting his 
Subscription for One Year to either edition of The Floral 
Cabinet is entitled to one of the above Premiums Free. Most 
of them are postage free; but with a few a small sum is added, 
to cover necessary postage. 
In addition, any one getting Clubs of Seven will receive his 
Paper free one year, and a Premium free also. 
Address 
HENRY T. WILLIAMS, Publisher, 
46 JBeekman Street, New York City . 
