83 
larai uKoJoiriet tm3 SHctariui 3HEamu ftQmjiamaii. 
i^adles’ 
liave a bed of Gladiolus. These, like the spring- 
flowering bulbs I mentioned first, need only to be 
planted, and then you have no further trouble, ex¬ 
cept to thin them out every two or three years. Of 
course every garden must have a generous-sized bed 
of Violets and Mignonette, and its borders of Sweet 
Alyssnm and White Candytuft. Then I should have 
half a dozen good Dahlias, and these, with the gayly- 
colored Double Hollyhocks and fragrant Chrysan¬ 
themums, will keep your garden looking bright and 
cheerful until frost. And now I come to the last, 
and perhaps most important of all, for it is the only 
one that will furnish us blooms in abundance when 
the ground is frozen and icicles hang from the eaves, 
and that is the Camellia Japonica. By all means 
have two or three of different colors, and during the 
dreary winter days, when even the sturdy little 
Violets have disappeared, you can have your rooms 
brightened and beautified by these lovely floral 
gems. There will be, perhaps, during the winter a 
few days when they may require some slight protec¬ 
tion, such as a piece of carpet thrown over them; 
but when the ‘ cold snap ’ passes off you can remove 
it, and they will smile out upon you in unimpaired 
loveliness.” 
“ Thank you again, auntie. I know I should 
succeed if I could only have you here to help me.” 
“ I can introduce you to a much more competent 
instructor than myself. As soon as I reach home I 
will send you a copy of The Floral Cabinet. I 
need not advise you to subscribe for it, for you will 
be sure to do so as soon as you see it; and if you 
follow its instructions, I have no doubt but that on 
my next annual visit I shall find your garden a per¬ 
fect bower of beauty.” 
Her prophecy was verified; at least, she was kind 
enough to tell me so when she came to see us last 
summer. J. W. L. 
THE FAILURES AND SUCCESSES OF AH 
AMATEUR FLORIST. 
“ Spake full well in language quaint and olden 
One who dwcllcth by the castled Rhine, 
When he called the flowers, so blue and golden, 
Stars that in earth’s firmament do shine. 
Wondrous truths, and manifold as wondrous, 
God hath written in the stars above ; 
But not less in the bright flowerets under us 
Stands the revelation of his love.” 
The poet having thus so beautifully declared the 
mission of the flowers, let us open wide the portals of 
our hearts and homes to these gentle messengers of 
love, and banish to the potato patch all those prosaic 
individuals who sneer at these sweet treasures be¬ 
cause “ there’s no bread and butter in ’em.” Flow¬ 
ers will give somewhat of a real home air to the most 
dreary-looking dwelling; while if a cozy, cheerful 
cottage were placed on a smoothly-shaven lawn bar¬ 
ren of shrubbery, Roses, and Lilies, the flowers 
taken from the vases and windows, the delicate 
vines torn from pillar and trellis, it would appear as 
“ forlorn as an old bachelor.” 
Feeling and recognizing the cheering, home-bright¬ 
ening influence which these “blue and golden” 
pets gave my girlhood’s home, I have always endea¬ 
vored to keep my own dwelling under their sweet 
spell, but for several years contented myself with 
summer flowers, annual, biennial, and perennial, to¬ 
gether with hardy Roses and shrubbery, for we lived 
in a small country town, far away from any green¬ 
house, and our house was so cold it would not keep 
plants from freezing. Visions of Heliotropes, Gera¬ 
niums, and Begonias oft flitted through my head 
when sleeping and waking, but these were put by as 
the idle longings of discontent, until one day we pur¬ 
chased another property, purposing to remove there, 
and in making repairs moved the house and dug a 
cellar. Then did my day-dreams become so bright 
as to appear almost reality, and under my supervision 
the cellar was dug to extend five feet beyond the 
house on the south side, this extension being cover¬ 
ed with glass. This was almost a success. My 
Geraniums, Heliotropes, etc., grew well all winter, 
keeping green and thrifty instead of sending out long, 
sickly, white shoots, as they do when kept in the 
dark; but there was no way of entrance except from 
the outside, and in long-continued seasons of cold the 
plants would damp off. 
Having told of my failures, I must hasten to speak 
of my success, for I think I have attained this de¬ 
sideratum. We now live in a pleasant home of our 
own building, but while examining draughts and 
studying plans previous to building, I did not forget my 
flowers; not even when those delights of good house¬ 
keepers, spacious closets and commodious pantries, 
occupied my thoughts. In order to carry out my 
plans conveniently, and at the same time economi¬ 
cally, I have a cellar for storing winter vegetables 
under my dining-room. The floor is paved and 
cemented so it is rat-proof. On the south side it 
extends five feet beyond the house. This extension 
is twelve feet long and is covered with glass placed 
at an angle of forty-five degrees. This is covered at 
night and in severe weather with wooden shutters; 
the centre one, running in grooves, can be pulled 
down off the glass. The end ones arc hinged and 
lift back. The cellar lias an inside entrance through 
a pantry which connects with the dining-room. 
Staging is erected in this extension or flower part in a 
way to economize space as much as possible. 
One who is not accustomed to arranging plants 
would be astonished at the number which can be 
placed in so small a space. My cellar contains at 
present thirty Geraniums: Ivy, Apple, Rose, Eng¬ 
lish and Fish Geraniums; eight varieties of Fuchsias; 
five of Abutilons; three of Begonia Rex, besides three 
other kinds of Begonias; Tradescantias, Vulgaris, 
Zebrina, and RepensVitata; Ivies, Ferns, Farfugiums, 
Verbenas, Maurandias, pink and scarlet Salvia, and 
Heliotropes; a Calceolaria, an Echeveria, a Crassula, 
and an Achania. I like Cacti and they do so well in 
the cellar that I keep several varieties. I have now 
three species of Night-Blooming Cereus. One, the 
Cereus Grandiflorus, bore two flowers in the summer 
of 1875. The largest was fourteen inches in diame- 
tei. Another is now twelve feet high, far too high 
for my ceiling, and as it will not bend without break¬ 
ing, the box which contains it is set on the floor in one 
corner and turned almost on its side, that the stem 
may not come in contact with its edge, and the 
plant hangs suspended from the ceiling by soft strips 
of cloth. This has bloomed also, but the flowers 
were not so large as Cereus Grandiflorus. Then there 
is a large pot of Cereus Flagelliformus, or Snake or 
Rat-tail Cactus, which is now full of tiny pink buds. 
It has borne forty perfect flowers. Then there is a 
pot of Cereus Phyllanthoides full of buds. This has 
bloomed every spring for several years, and last fall 
it surprised me very much by sending out five beauti¬ 
ful flowers in November. There is also a pot of 
Cereus Truncatus, one of Lace Cactus, one of Crab 
Cactus, a Globe, a Pincushion, and two species of 
Agave. 
It is sufficiently light behind the staging for my 
Justicias, Oleander, Dwarf Orange, Aloysias, Pome¬ 
granates, Lantanas, Amaryllis, Agapantlms, and 
Tritoma. 
Now, any one who has not the means to buy such 
plants as they wish every season, or one who lives 
far from a city or large greenhouse, can in this way 
keep their plants with but little trouble and no ex¬ 
pense. 
All the attention my flowers receive during the 
winter is a little water once a week, and the shutters 
opened and closed morning and evening. I have 
kept plants in this way for eight years, and have 
never lost one in that time from freezing or damping 
off. Of course the atmosphere is too low, in a green¬ 
house of this kind, to keep some very tender kinds, 
such as Coleus, Achyranthus, and Bouvardias, but 
if you are so fortunate as to have a window garden, 
you can safely add them to your list. I have one 
that is beautiful with its ruby-centred Euphorbias, 
snowy, fragrant Cyclamens, and the varying tints of 
Achyranthus and Coleus. I have kept several vari¬ 
eties of these last for four winters in succession, and 
in a frame house, too, the room heated by a common 
wood stove—although some eminent florists say that 
Coleus cannot be kept in a dwelling-house. 
Some one has truly said that “ flowers are God’s 
thoughts painted in colors.” Then, while tending 
and admiring these beautifully illuminated texts 
from his great book of Nature, let us not forget the 
bountiful Author and Giver of all these benefits. 
Lois. 
Primroses hold a first rank among plants for 
house-culture. They are easily raised from seed, and 
continue in bloom for a long time. The seed is 
very fine and is best sown in the house. 
Take a shallow box, about three inches in depth, 
and fill with a mixture composed of equal parts leaf- 
mould and sand; sprinkle thoroughly with water, and 
sow the seed on the surface; do not cover the seed 
with earth, but press it gently into the ground with 
the palm of the hand. Lay a pane of glass over the 
box, and place it in a warm place ; in a few days the 
seed will sprout. As soon as the third leaf appears, 
carefully pot off the young plants into another box, 
planting them three inches apart. Keep the glass 
over the box to retain the moisture, and avoid the 
direct rays of the sun. 
Repot as often as the plants require room; I pre¬ 
fer boxes for small plants, as they do not dry out as 
soon as pots; if pots are used they should bo in¬ 
serted in boxes filled with earth; this will keep the 
roots cool. 
