ivies' Iftorai BoXiiiet Suctorial Home fiomjiaiiioii. 
FLORAL CORRESPONDENCE. 
Will you please inform me if there is such a tree 
as the “Weeping-flower Tree” in existence? Is it 
very fine, hardy, and what is its height and usual 
price ? Mrs. M. W. Young, 
Dallas, Texas. 
Ans. —We lmow of no tree by this name. It is 
possible the shrub you mean may be an Abutilon, 
often called the Flowering Maple. The leaf bears a 
strong resemblance to the Sugar Maple, and the 
plant has something the appearance of a dwarf Ma¬ 
ple. The flowers are bells, and fall very gracefully. 
What size pot, what kind of earth, and what treat¬ 
ment is best to mature the Cactus and produce the 
largest amount of bloom ? Jas. E. Masters, 
St. John, N. B., July 4, 1879. 
Ans. —The number of varieties of Cactus is so 
great that it is impossible to give anything but gene¬ 
ral directions. All Cacti are natives of warm cli¬ 
mates, and generally require dry and light., sandy 
soil: they grow rapidly during three months of the 
year, and then rest entirely. When the buds begin 
to appear they require frequent watering with warm 
water, so as to keep the soil moist, but not wet. After 
they have done blooming they need scarcely any 
water at all, and will survive without any. Some 
cultivators mix one part sand and one garden earth 
to one part brick-dust and debris from the brick¬ 
kiln. No Cactus thrives as well in a rich soil as in a 
poor one. 
I would like to ask what is the difference between 
the Cacti belonging to the Cereus family and the 
other varieties of Cactus, and how are we to tell 
which are the Cereus when we meet with the unnam¬ 
ed varieties. I have been a great admirer of the 
Cactus, but since coming to this country have seen so 
little of it, and the florists seem to have so few va¬ 
rieties, that I had almost given them up, till of late 
The Cabinet readers are bringing them to light. 
I would like to ask if any of the readers have slips 
of the Cactus that they would like to exchange 
for wild flowers of Oregon. 
M. G., a reader of The Cabinet, 
Salem, Oregon. 
Ans— The genus Cereus has many species; some 
authors name a hundred. They are distinguished 
by botanists from all others by several peculiarities, 
which one must be a botanist to understand j from 
each other by the number of their angles. The 
names of the leading species we give below. The 
most beautiful is C. grandiflora, five or six angles; 
the largest is C. giganticus, which attains the size 
of a tree—it presents the strange appearance of a 
tree with a green succulent trunk, with huge arms, 
and bearing fruit out of the side of the trunk, but 
entirely without leaves; the flowers rise from the 
angles of the trunk— C. genilis, C. flageliformis or 
creeping Cereus, C. speciosissimus. A genus very 
near Cereus is Echino; differs from it in having its 
sepals and petals distinct from each other, not united 
into a tube as they are in Cereus. We do not 
undertake exchanges. 
As I read in The Cabinet that all subscribers 
are entitled to ask questions, and as I much value 
its instructions, I wish to ask how to cultivate Pelar¬ 
goniums, when to pot them., etc. 
Ann C. Teed, 
Kansas City. 
Ans. —Pelargoniums require repotting every 
spring and autumn. A very rich soil suits them, as 
they are great feeders. Put old plants in the cellar, 
if you wish, through the winter, but see that they do 
not suffer for water; they should have enough to 
keep them from wilting, though not enough for 
growth. 
I have been for years an ardent friend and reader 
of the delightful Cabinet, and I now take the privi¬ 
lege of asking some help about my roses. Why can 
I not get them to grow after the slips are nicely 
rooted ? I always have good success with everything 
else, but almost invariably fail with young rose 
plants, even when I buy them already started. 
Mrs. Alice M. Gregory, 
Bedford, Ind. 
Ans. —It is impossible to say what is the reason of 
your want of success, as you do not give your method 
of treatment. Roses are subject to many enemies 
among insects ; perhaps some of these have attacked 
your plants. The green fly is an insidious and 
dangerous foe. Constant vigilance is the price of 
success with roses. Do not let them suffer from sud¬ 
den changes of temperature. Water regularly with 
tepid water. Apply liquid manure carefully, not too 
strong, and now and then dissolve a tablespoonful 
of soot in two quarts of warm water, and give it as a 
stimulant. If the plant is weak and slow of growth 
after this treatment, cut back and let it make a fresh 
start. 
Please tell something of management of Fuchsia. 
E. B. Strathmey, 
Ayletes, Va. 
Ans.—W e refer you to a late number of The 
Cabinet in which full directions were given. 
of frost, but are not quite able to stand our severe 
northern winters. As soon as planted I cover the 
pit with boards loosely, leaving space between each 
for air; throw over them some straw or corn-stalks, 
and when there come a few fine days I remove a good 
part of the covering for the sake of air, always tak¬ 
ing advantage of a January thaw for this purpose. If 
I have an old sash or two I use them instead of boards 
for the sake of light. I have no trouble in keeping 
plants in such a pit, and can pick Pansy flowers half 
the winter, and sometimes Tritoma blossoms.” 
Of course it would be much better to have a pit 
properly walled with brick and covered by neatly- 
fitting sliding sashes. Such a pit, if properly aired 
and placed in a sheltered southern exposure, will 
often afford many flowers through the coldest 
weather, and keep the plants in fine condition. In 
extreme weather additional protection should be 
given. 
Are Sweet Violets as hardy as Pansies ? 
Answer.— Yes. 
Will Hedera Helix live over winter out of doors in 
Northern Indiana ? J. M. Simon, 
Swan, Ind. 
Answer.— Yes, in sheltered places, but not en¬ 
tirely without protection. The danger is not so 
much from extreme cold, but from the sudden 
changes of temperature. Cover with a little straw 
about the roots if it is planted in a protected situa¬ 
tion, but if in a north exposure it is well to screen it 
with boards. Hedera Helix is the hardiest variety 
of Ivy. 
EVERGREENS AND BIRDS. 
Will The Cabinet please tell exactly how to 
make a pit to keep my plants in over winter?—if 
plants will live in one in this climate over winter ? 
M. D. Mitchell, 
Lewisburg, Pa., Sept. 4, 1879. 
Ans. —Plants that are not hardy enough to stand 
out of doors, but not delicate enough for a greenhouse, 
can be kept in a pit very successfully. A very 
simple affair will often give great satisfaction, if 
carefully managed. A correspondent of Vick's 
Magazine gives an experience with one of the sim¬ 
plest construction which is very encouraging indeed. 
He says: “ I dig a pit, say two feet deep, looking 
well to drainage, so that water will not settle into it 
during the winter thaws or in spring. In the bottom 
of this I plant such things as will bear a good deal 
Few persons who are not in a position to notice it 
are aware of what an interesting harbor, for a great 
many varieties of birds, is a cluster of evergreens 
near a house. They are objects of interest for sev¬ 
eral reasons, and are frequented by birds at one time 
of the year for one purpose, and at another time for 
another; so that they are visited at all times by a 
number ol different birds. In the winter the thick 
green boughs of balsam fir, Norway spruce, and 
pines afford an excellent shelter to such birds as 
stay with us during that inclement season. Among 
these are the common sparrow, song sparrow, ground 
and tree chippers, snowbirds, and sometimes the 
lesser red-pole of the far North will, during extreme 
cold, visit us as far south as the northern part of New 
Jersey, and eat the seeds from the cones of such 
trees. During the breeding season most birds that 
build a hanging or bag nest, besides many others, 
visit those trees to get the gum for sticking the 
threads of their houses together. While thus en¬ 
gaged gathering the gum they are so busy that they 
allow one to approach very close to them. The trees 
are also a great resort for birds that make their 
domicile in the branches, particularly robins and 
cat-birds. Such trees are kept clear from insects, 
and afford a fine shade in summer, and are very 
beautiful also in snowy weather, affording a pleasing 
contrast in color to the pure white snow. 
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