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ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Ignorance.— How shall I plant Crown Imperial ? 
Crown Imperial. 
Answer.— The bulb of Crown Imperial should 
be planted four or five inches deep and a foot apart. 
They do not flower until the second year. They are 
very hardy and persistent, and require scarcely any 
nursing. No bulb gives so much satisfaction, as its 
flowers are stately and elegant, and appear among 
the first in the spring. 
good. 
For red spider wash the plants in a decoc¬ 
tion of quassia, and rinse well with clear water. 
Keep the air moist. 
We have taken The Cabinet for a number of 
months and are much pleased with it. We missed 
one number, for which we were very sorry, as we 
find in each one something interesting or instruc¬ 
tive. Please tell us whether Amaryllis needs pecu¬ 
liar treatment. II. M. Moulton, 
Cohocton, Steuben Co., N. Y. 
Answer.— The bulb should ho planted in rich 
soil about up to the neck. It is not difficult to grow. 
A small fragment of the root will sometimes grow. 
Please give the treatment of Candidum Lily. 
Mine do not bloom, though they have good soil; 
some were reset two years ago, and some have not 
been disturbed for years ; neither bloom. Can you 
tell me what is the matter ? Also how to manage 
Crown Imperial. 
Mrs. W. B. Glenn. 
Answer.— As you give no data from which to 
judge, we cannot tell why your plants do not do well. 
The plant is a free bloomer under proper conditions. 
It forms its leaves in the fall, and, if healthy, puts up 
the flower-stem in the spring. Perhaps yon cover it 
too heavily in winter. Put only a very little straw 
over the leaves. Let the air come to the leaves, or 
they will he destroyed. Wheu a plant seems lan¬ 
guishing in summer take it up, see if the root is in 
good condition, and plant in another place. This 
should he done in August. 
How old must the Wisteria be. before it blooms ? 
Mrs. Blanche Ditto, Delphos, Ohio. 
Answer.— That depends upon the health of the 
vine. Sometimes it grows slowly at first and then 
takes a sudden start and makes twenty feet or more 
in a summer, but generally it does not bear flowers 
until it is quite a strong plant and pretty well estab¬ 
lished. It means business, and can afford to take its 
own time. For freedom of growth, elegance of flow¬ 
er-foliage and foliage, and hardy persistent endur¬ 
ance, we have no climber to compare with it. 
Please tell me when to cut off the flower-stalk of 
my Calla Lily ? 
Answer. —As soon as it has done blooming. 
What makes the leaves of Glorina curl ? 
Answer. —The leaves of thrifty plants curling is 
generally caused hy the puncture made by insects. 
See if there are not marks of their presence. Often 
a magnifying-glass is required to discover them. 
What is the best Moss Bose ? 
Amateur. 
Answer. —We think the Gloire des Mousseuses. 
It is a pale rose, rather large, very thickly covered 
with moss. 
I enclose leaf of Begonia I have. It has never 
bloomed, but about nine months ago it sent up from 
the root a new stalk, which is now five feet high, 
with many side-shoots. It has a jointed appearance. 
Please tell me what kind it is, and if it blooms. I 
hai‘e a Shell Begonia, which has leaves measuring 
thirteen and a half inches in length and nine in 
width. Thanks to the Cabinet for its kindly an¬ 
swers and most valuable instruction. I am a con¬ 
stant reader. Mrs. A. B. Mackie. 
Answer. —The leaf is Begonia Veitchii. The late 
growth is probably a flower-stalk, and you will be 
gratified by seeing it flower. 
Are the small black flies around our house-plants 
injurious ? If so, what remedy ? Also cure for red 
spider. E. E. II. Gilum, N. II. 
Answer.— Yes. Cleanliness and careful -watch¬ 
ing are the best protection against insects, but they 
will sometimes attack plants in spite of care. The 
larvae of the black fly will be found in the earth, in 
the pots, like minute white grains near the surface. 
Sprinkle the soil lightly with cayenne pepper. 
One way is to pour on a good supply of warm wa¬ 
ter, and when white, wriggling specks are seen on the 
surface, pour off the water; repeat the process until 
Wood-ashes are thought to be 
Please tell me proper name of enclosed shrub. I 
’send bean, bloom, and leaf. Some call it Bird of 
Paradise, some Texas Locust. It is hardy here, 
needing no protection. J. C. D. 
Marshall, Mo. 
Answer. —This plant is not recognized by any 
florist. It is undoubtedly an Acacia of some kind, ' 
but the species is not known. It is certainly very ; 
beautiful. The leaves closely resemble the Mimosa; 
the flower is yellow, five-petalled, with innumerable 
stamens the thickness of a hair, more than twice the 
length of the flower, and dark crimson in color. The 
pod is pale green mottled with specks of dark red. 1 
The one sent about two and a half inches in length, j 
Please name enclosed leaf. J. B. Edsall. 
Columbia Cross-Roads, Pa. 
Answer.— It is a variegated Day Lily, or Funlria. 
ROSES ON THE PACIFIC SLOPES. 
California bids fair to vie with the vale of 
Cashmere in the production of roses. On page 114 of 
this number we quote the account of the “ Feast of 
Roses” held in Santa Barbara, and we think that it is 
evident that that display of beauty has roused the 
greatest interest among the lovers of roses, and it will 
no doubt excite a healthful and honorable emulation 
between different parts of the State. A letter in the 
California Horticulturist for June gives an account 
of the rose-gardens of Fresno, a town not yet six 
years old. The names of five or six persons are 
mentioned as having fine collections. One lady is 
said to grow more than a hundred kinds. The fol¬ 
lowing account of another garden will strike East¬ 
ern readers as singular in its arrangement as it is 
tasteful: “ The garden of Mrs. 0. F. is unique and 
very characteristic. In a real grove of Italian Cy¬ 
presses and Acacias in front of the dwelling-house 
Mrs. F. cultivates some of the most beautiful and 
perfect roses to be met with anywhere. 
“ The number of her varieties is very limited, but 
those she has grow to the greatest perfection. Her 
Marechal Niel is unsurpassed in size, and numerous 
bushes of General Jacqueminot, covered with dark 
bluish flowers, are unequalled in beauty. Here, if 
anywhere, we can see what can be effected with 
taste and care.” 
The writer adds: 
“ Lastly, in my own garden, I grow about one 
hundred and forty varieties of roses, several of which, 
however, are young and have not yet blossomed. 
The following twelve roses I consider the finest I 
have. Hybrid perpetuals: Antoine Mouton, La 
France, both unsurpassed in form and color. Chest¬ 
nut hybrid (hybrid tea): Reine des Violettes, Em¬ 
press of India, and Fraupois Michelon, all as near 
perfection as T can wish. Among teas the finest are 
Perle des Jardines, Rubens (splendid), Aline Sisley, 
Souvenir de Madame Pernet, Marie Yon Houtte, 
and Regalia. But I suppose as my roses are coming 
into bloom I will have to change my views and give 
the place of honor to some other varieties. 
Some varieties stand the heat of the sun better 
than others. Among these I consider Appoline, 
Pink Daily, Clare Carnot, and Reine des Massifs, 
perhaps also Niphetos, to be the best. When we 
had it 116° Fahrenheit in the shade they stood it 
splendidly in the full blaze of the sun, when at the 
same time other varieties, such as Mine. Margottin, 
Bon Silene, and Marie Guillot were burnt to crisps. 
But my letter is getting too long and I must cut it 
short. A few words of how I treat the plants. I 
flood my garden every ten days during the hottest 
months of the year, and sprinkle the leaves two or 
three times a week. When some roses do not open 
well I give them plenty of wood-ashes, and some¬ 
times a little lime. When the ground is sandy a 
shovelful of pulverized clay will in a short time 
produce a wonderful growth. Such a treatment is 
especially recommended for Marechal Niel, which 
rose in sandy soil will hardly grow at all. In the 
middle of April our roses are in full blossom, but 
even now, in the beginning of June, I can ] ell a 
few hundred rosebuds every day.” 
If the new States advance with such rapidity in 
flower culture the East will have to look out for her 
laurels. 
Surely all has not been done that might be done 
in the cultivation of the Queen of Flowers. To have 
“ hundreds ” of rose-buds to gather daily is worth 
no little exertion. 
VS 
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V. 
