loro! Sft&fanet m 3 Pictorial Home ftamjianioii. 
101 
hanging-basket ; then put in it some trailing little 
plant, or a few cut leaves and flowers. If kept filled with 
water it will last all winter. We have seen in Bos¬ 
ton a man selling these for fifteen and twenty cents 
apiece, a tiny bouquet of everlasting flowers being 
in each pitcher. 
Late in the summer we shall have flowers from 
this swamp, than which there are none more beauti¬ 
ful and fragrant among all our natives—the small pur¬ 
ple-flowered Orchids. We shall give these a tall 
lava vase, with shining beech leaves, polypody 
Ferns, and flowering grasses among the rose-purple 
trusses. Here at the end of the pines grow the 
sweetest of all the Violets, the Bird-foot — Viola pc- 
data —with its delicately-cut leaves, in such neat, 
compact shape ; the large velvety blossoms rising 
above on long, graceful stems. We have counted six¬ 
teen in full bloom on a single root, with half as many 
buds. These take very kindly to cultivation, and 
thrive beautifully as petted favorites ; throwing up 
flowers more freely, as well as larger and sweeter, 
than in its woods home. 
Now come down to the brook ; we shall find ever¬ 
green ferns there. See how those large ones bend 
under the weight of ice-drops. There are many set 
in the icy borders of the brook ; and here is a perfect 
frond imbedded in the ice, every delicate point 
showing as plainly as if under glass. And see those 
baby-ferns, none more than three inches long, fresh 
and green in their mossy bed, as if this were June 
instead of January. We will lift a clump of the fro¬ 
zen moss, little ferns and all. This, with a handful 
of the larger ones, we will keep for a few hours in 
a basin of cold water ; then their bright fresh beauty 
shall grace our tea-table. The moss on a plate ; a 
silver vase in the centre with the larger ferns, one 
pure Calla in their midst, and Partridgeberry Vines, 
with plenty of the berries, drooping around. 
Going home through the old pasture we shall see 
where the Bluets grow. No sheltering, shading trees 
for them. They must catch every ray of the spring 
sunshine, for they are our earliest flowers, as Arbu¬ 
tus passed away years ago, and is known here no 
longer. Bluets, too, like the Bird-foot Violets, are 
delightful pet plants. Last year we had a clump in 
a moss-bordered soup-plate which was a thing of ex¬ 
quisite beauty for several weeks. If transplanted 
early — taking up enough earth to fill a shallow pan 
or tray—they will bloom steadily for months. They 
like a good deal of water, but they are very patient 
under a course of careless neglect. Bluets, Eye- 
brights, Innocence, Dwarf Pinks, the tiny flowers 
are called by many names; Houstonia cerulia, the 
botanist says “ Dwarf Pink,” is simply absurd. 
Of the others Dr. Gray says: “ The French Cana¬ 
dians call them Bluets, but in the States they do not 
seem to have got any one well recognized popular 
name, to which they have a clear title. Innocence is 
one which they may share with many a simple 
flower. Eyebright is not bad; but it belongs to a 
very different blossom, which is rare in this country. 
Bluets is an importation, but it is coming into use, 
and is preferable to the others. But Houstonia it¬ 
self makes as nice a common name as Magnolia.” 
Of course this is a dictum indisputable, yet we can¬ 
not help thinking that “ Magnolia,” which belongs to 
a superb tree, would not lie quite so euphonious if 
given to a “ wee bit ” blossom on an inch-high stalk. 
We wish that Eyebright had not been condemned ; 
but if “ Bluet ” is allowable, Bluets they shall always 
be to us, though they are hardly blue enough to war¬ 
rant the name, as some have not even a tinge, and 
those that are deeply colored when they first open 
usually fade to pure white in the sunlight. The tiny 
blossoms, each with a golden star in its centre, rise 
on stems from one to four inches high ; sometimes in 
clumps, where the stems are set as thickly as the 
blades of grass around them. We have read of the 
little plant covering yards of ground with this dense 
growth. Here we usually find the flowers scattered 
in the grass, not far apart but separate, each little 
branching stem by itself, and it must be the bluet 
which grows in this way that has been linked with 
the stars of heaven, to teach one of life’s noblest 
lessons: 
“ The starry flower, the flower-like stars that fade 
And brighten with the daylight and the dark, 
The Bluet in the green I faintly marh. 
Eva May. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
In the March number, 1876, I find this, in speak¬ 
ing of rooting plants : “ Bryophyllum requires even 
less pains, as new plants will form on the edges of a 
leaf hung up, which may then be repotted.” 
The enclosed leaf will grow in that way, or by 
putting in ground with edges of leaf exposed. It is 
from a plant with straight grayish-green stalk, sel¬ 
dom, if ever, branching ; no blossoms; can be set out 
in the ground during summer ; growing rapidly. We 
call it Air Plant. Please tell me if it is Bryophyllum 
or what. 
This is the third year I have taken the Cabinet, 
and I intend to be a life-subscriber, for I cannot 
keep house without it. Lora Myrne. 
Rockford,III. 
Answer. — The leaf is certainly Bryophyllum. It 
is the peculiarity of the plant to produce buds from 
the edges of the leaf. No other plant has this power, 
so far as we know. 
In next Floral Cabinet please tell something of 
the management of “ Iloya,” or Wax Plant. I have 
one the branches of which are three or four yards 
long; has a few blooms, but no leaves, except at the 
bottom. Should it be cut back ? 
A Calla Lily, which bloomed profusely two years 
ago, has not bloomed since. What must be done 
with it 1 
I find your Floral Cabinet very useful and in¬ 
structive. Respectfully, B. B. W. 
Big Lick, Roanoke Co., Va. 
Answer.— Do not think of cutting back your 
Wax Plant; it is probably doing well. The Wax 
Plant is very peculiar in its habit of growth; in some 
respects like the Cacti. It has a season of very 
rapid growth, during which it sends out long cord¬ 
like processes, which attain a very considerable 
length without showing any sign of leaf or bud. 
They are of a dark reddish-brown, and have a very 
singular appearance; after a little the leaf-buds 
show themselves, and unfold in thick glossy pairs. 
During this season of rapid growth it needs to be 
well watered and have plenty of sunshine until the 
flowers appear, which is usually about midsummer. 
The fact that your plant has leaves only at the bot¬ 
tom only means that the leaf-buds have not yet 
formed. The growth of the stem is much more 
rapid than the production of the leaves. 
The flower-buds appear at the bottom of the leaf¬ 
stalk. Be careful not to break off the flower-stalk 
when the flowers have fallen, as the same stem will 
produce flowers for several years—a fact not generally 
known. When the flowers have fallen the plant re¬ 
lapses into a state of rest, and through the winter it 
may be left without fear in any room where it will be 
secure from frost. In February it generally begins 
to wake from sleep, and it then needs more air, 
warmth, and water. 
Your Calla has probably become crowded for 
room, or needs more water ; immerse the pot in a 
tub of tepid or quite warm water about to the brim, 
and let it have plenty of sunshine. 
Mrs. Jennie Duncan, Burgettstown, Pa.—- 
The leaf sent is White Jessamine. 
Should Ferns have ventilation at bottom of War¬ 
dian case ? Sophia A. Homer. 
Hancock, Ind. 
Answer. — No; Ferns in Wardian case need only 
to have the glass raised once or twice in a month. 
Will you please tell me how to treat an Irish Wall¬ 
flower. Mrs. H. J. Fleury. 
Rouse’s Point, N. Y. 
Answer. — The seed of Wallflower should be 
sown in the spring, in the first warm weather, in open 
border. It will bloom in the spring following. In 
the climate of New York it should be kept in a cold- 
frame through the winter. Choice kinds are propa¬ 
gated by cuttings. Seeds cannot be depended on to 
bring the same variety. The plant is a native of 
Southern Europe. It grows among rocks and upon 
old walls; hence its name. The colors vary from 
light orange and brown to deep blood color, running 
through innumerable shades. It needs rich loamy 
soil, and not too much water, but a moist atmos¬ 
phere. 
Miss Eva Belden.— Try charcoal dust about the 
roots of your roses. If they still languish, smoke 
them with tobacco to destroy insects, and repot in 
good rich loam, giving good drainage, that the soil 
do not sour. It often saves a rose to cut back se¬ 
verely. 
Mrs. T., Montreal, Canada.— Your Geranium 
trusses should be large if the plant is vigorous. Has 
it not been injured by insects V Some flies attack 
only the flower-bud, and do not touch the leaves; 
perhaps this has been the explanation of the failure 
of your flowers. Try treating the first buds to a little 
tobacco-water, and watch closely. 
<S 
