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117 
‘Floral HbtrHamj, 
SEASONABLE ADVICE. 
This is the season when everybody tells everybody 
else what he knows about gardening. The papers, 
daily and weekly, abound with directions and sug¬ 
gestions. The moral, mental, and physical good ef¬ 
fects of amateur floriculture and horticulture are set 
forth in glowing terms, and so direct has been the 
transmission of our first parents’ bias that nine 
readers out of every ten feel their hearts stir within 
them at the mere thought of becoming “ tillers of the 
soil.” Unfortunately for many rvho go at it “ tooth 
and nail,” the writers of these are generally suc¬ 
cessful enthusiasts, who have arrived at the full en¬ 
joyment of horticultural delights after a patient, per¬ 
sistent, and practical apprenticeship, the hardships 
and discouragements of which are lost sight of in the 
soft radiance of its reward. So used are they to the 
many phases of nature that all are beautiful, and all 
are. met with precautions and supplements which 
render them harmless. Woe to the unlucky novice 
who thinks to find things as they are represented, in 
his or her first season of gardening! Bather will 
they wish Adam had been placed in a good-sized 
town, and Eve created in a first-class market-house 
from which to bring the early vegetables and cut 
flowers in time for Adam’s breakfast, if by that 
means all their descendants could have escaped the 
toils and miseries of defeated horticultural aims. 
Still, gardening is delightful — a little of it. Follow¬ 
ing directions and accepting suggestions is easy, 
pleasant, and profitable—if everything suits. The 
pith of these statements lies in the last clause of each 
sentence. Writers see from their standpoint; read¬ 
ers must reflect that circumstances hedge in each 
life from every other. In spite of all the physicians, 
health-officers, and visionaries, there are some per¬ 
sons who cannot garden, there are others who must not 
garden, and there are many who ought not to garden. 
If one belongs to either of the three classes, let him 
say so without fear. Flowers are lovely, indeed, but 
their price is too high when aching bones, strained 
sinews, neglected duties, and a general sense of too 
much to do, and so much left undone, is paid for 
them. Fresh and juicy vegetables are delicacies all 
appreciate, but they hardly cost more bought at a 
hothouse out ol season then they cost a poor man 
who has everything else to do, and must overtax his 
strength or hire help to cultivate them. No need to 
sit down in dust and ashes, however. If one has a 
ten foot square of ground or a sweeping lawn, he 
has just that much velvet carpet at his command— 
lovely in color, in texture, in pile as no woven 
triumph of the loom has ever been. Smooth, weed¬ 
less grass, a neat walk, a tree or two, a standard rose 
or so, and perhaps a few hardy perennials, are just 
as full of real comfort as the most ornate grounds, 
and any one can find time to care for them, even the 
grass. Lawn-mowers are expensive, but grass-hooks 
are cheap, and so are scythes. A woman can use 
either of the two last named, for a short time, as 
easily as she can a lawn-mower. I know she can, 
for I have seen it tried. “ Lone, lorn women,” who 
like things beautiful around them, develop many un¬ 
suspected powers, and one of these has taken up the 
scythe under competent direction, and quite enjoys 
a short swing at the nodding clover. It is infinitely 
“ nicer ” than sweeping a dusty, musty, crowded 
room, and no more difficult or trying. If any per¬ 
son takes the trouble to read this, and sorrowfully 
thinks he may be classed among the incapables, 
while he loves gardening, just let him take “ heart 
of grace,” and refrain this year at least. What is 
may not always be, and strength or opportunity may 
come if he is patient; never, if he tries to do too 
much. Sara T. Smith. 
THE HARDY PITCHER PLANTS. 
Mr. Geo. Such, of South Amboy, has lormed a 
full collection of the singular and, we may add, world- 
renowned Sarracenias, and thus describes them : 
“ Nothing in our houses proves more attractive 
than these beautiful and interesting Pitcher-plants, 
and consequently we cannot too strongly recommend 
them to the attention of our customers. Half a 
dozen, of the same variety, put into a ten or twelve 
inch pan, constitute one of the most remarkable 
objects that can be exhibited at a horticultural 
show. For florists these are valuable plants, and 
one, if no more, of each sort should be in the hands 
of all who have a greenhouse. 
“ Sarracenia Drummondi alba. The pitchers of 
this are two feet high, slender at the base and widen¬ 
ing towards the top—being shaped much like a tin 
fish-horn. They are mostly a fine green color, but 
towards the top are pure white, netted with crimson. 
The flowers are crimson. 
“ Sarracenia flava. The pitchers in this are 
erect, and two or three feet long, narrow at the base, 
widening upwards, and forming a large open throat 
with a broad lid. The color is a fine bright green. 
A light yellow flower is produced on a tall stem; 
but even without this the plant attracts great at¬ 
tention. 
“ Sarracenia psittacina. The most compact in 
its growth, and one of the finest of the Sarracenias. 
The pitchers are beautifully tinted, and mottled with 
white and rose color, and are very oddly shaped, 
being crooked like a parrot’s beak. 
“ Sarracenia purpurea. Our hardy Northern 
Pitcher-plant, which for quaintness of shape and 
fine markings is second to none of the family. We 
have made a selection of some fine plants of varied 
and distinct character. 
“ Sarracenia rubra. These pitchers are slender, 
varying from one to tivo feet in length. The color is 
bright green, profusely marked with crimson veins. 
The purplish-red flowers have the odor of violets. 
“ Sarracenia variolaris. This throws up pitchers 
eighteen inches long, which are green, finely mottled 
with white. The flowers are yellow.”— The Garden¬ 
er's Monthly. 
GIVE FLOWERS AWAY. 
This is the month, in all our bay gardens, for an 
overflowing abundance, somewhat sobered down, it 
may be, from the untempered luxuriance of June 
and the earlier enthusiastic outpourings of hoyden- 
ish May. But now the gardens have settled down 
to exactly thirty-one days of continuous bloom. 
Each lovable and treasured little garden is now a 
sort of blessed opportunity for gift-making. Sup¬ 
pose you have Pansies, at this season apt to blossom 
too much, go to seed, and become comparatively 
small. Pick them daily, give them away, mail them 
to every one you can think of — to tired teachers in 
dusty ravines, and to weary toilers in stores and fac¬ 
tories. Even the censorious and often-quoted Mrs. 
Grundy might, we imagine, be mollified into a for¬ 
giveness of other people’s peccadilloes if she were 
sufficiently overwhelmed with gifts of flowers from 
all sorts of quaint and stilly gardens. Golden-heart¬ 
ed lilies there should be, and slender, creamy rose¬ 
buds, and clustered, drooping fuchsias. But the list 
is too long; let the brotherhood and sisterhood of 
flower-lovers finish it for us.— California Horticul¬ 
turist. 
CACTI ON ROCKS. 
One day, not long ago, as we rode slowly up a 
winding mountain road, we passed a cottage sur¬ 
rounded by vineyards which covered a rounded hill 
near the house, and crept far up the mountain slopes 
until the soil became too scanty, and chaparral and 
rocks thereafter possessed the ridges. Pink wild 
roses covered the rude fence of slowly decaying logs, 
and close beside the cottage was a rugged pile of 
weather-beaten rocks, in whose crevices vines clung 
and tangled, while on its sunnier side a dozen bril¬ 
liant scarlet-blossomed Cacti had been planted. 
That was all; this was no home of wealth and of 
carefully considered effects. But a royal landscape- 
gardener, fresh from costly labors, could not have 
surpassed the simplicity of the effect. That one 
flash of Cacti color, which, as our readers know, is 
indescribably velvety and glorious, was the central 
point in the landscape, and yet found a sufficient re¬ 
lief in the waves of soft green on the summer hillsides, 
and in the deep masses of entangled vines about the 
base of the rocks, which even half hid the scarlet 
flashes. Is there no suggestion here for our own 
wild gardens ? Let us try something similar, if there 
is any rocky point or southern slope intensely hot 
during summer.— California Horticulturist. 
Obtaining Impressions of Leaves. — Several 
methods are known, but most of them are somewhat 
intricate and not always satisfactory in the results. 
A simple plan, but one that requires a little practice 
to perform it efficiently, is the following: Lightly 
coat the surface of the leaf of which a cop;' is desired 
with ordinary printer’s ink, and then place the leaf 
between two sheets of white paper and press heavily 
and evenly, and, provided too much ink was not ap¬ 
plied, a very fair representation will be produced. 
Another mode is to cover one side of a sheet of white 
paper with olive-oil, then fold the paper in four, plac¬ 
ing the leafbetween the second foldings. After press¬ 
ing remove the leaf and place it between two clean 
sheets of paper, the impression thus obtained being 
dusted with black lead or charcoal, a little resin be¬ 
ing added to fix the color. 
