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NEW YORK, MARCH, 1874. 
PANSIES. 
Eor richness and varied coloring, flowering freely 
from March until December, I think the Pansy excels 
any other plant with which I am acquainted. I have 
grown them for six years, and am more in love with 
them to-day than ever. The first 
spring I bought three plants, at fif¬ 
teen cents each, but soon killed them 
with loving kindness, keeping too 
wet in a box without drainage, which 
will kill most any plant. Have a hole 
in the bottom to let off surplus water, 
as Pansies have a tendency to damp 
off, which must be guarded against. 
They bloom longer and better if 
watered freely, but must not be kept 
soaking wet. I then bought two 
packets of seed, obtained eight plants, 
instead of two hundred, as I could 
now from the same packets; planted 
them in the ground—which I believe 
to be a poor way; they bloomed well 
the second spring; the hot noonday 
sun of summer killed them. The 
third year I bought two packets 
more; they bloomed so well in the 
fall and spring that it encouraged me 
to try again. The fourth year I 
bought three dollars and fifty cents’ 
worth of seed, and experimented, 
which 1 am very fond of doing. I 
have planted from February to Sep¬ 
tember. My experience is, that plant¬ 
ing in June gives me the largest and 
most flowers from the same bed; if 
planted earlier, they flower too soon; it later, I do not 
get a good, tall display. Get the choicest seed if you 
wish satisfactory results. The fancy Pansies are good. 
The Odier is extra fine. The new blue for 1873 is all 
it promised. Obtain boxes any convenient size, about 
twelve by fifteen inches, by three inches deep; for 
soil, use equal parts of leaf mold and sand, sifted 
through a sieve, with meshes one-fourth of an inch in 
diameter; nearly fill the box; sow the seed evenly; 
then sift on one-eighth of an inch of pure leaf mold 
for covering; press gently with a flat board; water 
carefully through a fine Rose watering-pot, that the 
seeds may not be displaced; place the box in a cool 
place, where it will not get sun or much air, until in a. 
week, or when the plants break ground, give strong 
light, but no sun until well up, then give morning and 
evening sun. I grow mine on the north side of a 
| tight board fence, which location suits me well. They 
| come stronger and better when the thermometer ranges 
about 60 degrees. I planted seed last June, when it 
averaged about 80 degrees; they postponed coming up 
until the weather cooled off, when they came up finely. 
| During the last of July I had many hundred 
plants nearly ready for transplanting; some from seed 
I sowed in June. I water every evening, when the 
top looks dry, that they may not suffer for water. 
Pansies, to be fine and large, must grow fast. When 
they have grown five or six leaves, transplant ten 
inches apart, into a bed slightly raised above the sur¬ 
face, made of leaf mold and saridy loam equal parts; 
cow manure, on sandy soil, dries up too soon, but will 
do on clay. Choose a situation where they will not 
get the sun more than one-half the time; they will 
make a fine display until winter; just before winter I 
cover with leaves, putting on brush that they may not 
blow away. Freezing does not hurt them any if they 
can stay frozen until the frost is well out of the 
ground in the spring, when the covering must be taken 
off, being careful not to expose to strong sunshine too 
suddenly. I did not lose a plant. Buds that grew 
last fall bloomed this spring. From a bed of seventy- 
five plants I have had thousands of blossoms. My 
Pansy stands well above the foliage, is flat, and has 
thick petals, with a round, good-natured face. Pull 
up the long, consumptive-looking faces, showing from 
want of care they have gone into a decline. Any poor 
plants growing near will materially impair the quality 
of the seed. Mrs. D. L. A. 
THE LARGEST ROSE-BUSH IN AMERICA. 
The sketch we give on page 36 is one which will 
astonish most of the flower lovers of the United States. 
This Rose-bush is located at Santa Rosa, California; it 
was planted in 1858; is the Lamarque variety of pure 
white color. It has grown so vigorously that it forms a 
huge bouquet, 25 feet high, covering 400 square feet, 
and has at one time no less than 4,000 full bloom 
Roses, and 20,000 buds upon it. Santa Rosa is well 
named—a city of Roses. They bloom in almost 
every yard, and perfume the atmosphere in every street. 
A . Lawn Fountain. 
husband thought 1 picked them rather freely. One 
evening in May, I picked eleven handfuls; the next 
morning he had to acknowledge that he could not 
miss them. I have the best I ever saw; so say many 
admirers of the Pensee. I renew the bed every year 
with fresh leaf mold and choice seedlings. A perfect 
PUBLISHER’S ANNOUNCEMENTS. 
Missing Money.— It is a good plan for each subscriber to keep 
a record of exact date when his subscription was sent to us, and how 
—whether by money order or otherwise. 
A Novel Premium. —A novel set of premiums is offered by 
Graham, Emlen & Passmore, in our advertising columns, for the best 
essay on “Making and Keeping Lawns.” Our smart essay writers 
now have a good chance to win a prize. We know the house; they 
are reliable. 
Complimentary.—The Floral Cabinet is one of the few 
papers devoted to Floriculture which talks sense and puts it in plain 
English. What most ladies need in such a paper is how to grow 
plants in a common sitting-room without devoting one's whole time 
and attention to them. However much we may admire window 
plants, most of us have other claims which need some attention. 
Janesville, Mich. Mrs. A. G. Spaulding. 
Our Chromo was not sent mounted , because it was too large, 
and would not go through the mails without spoiling. It is, however, 
a genuine chromo and printed in oil colors ; is not a lithograph. 
Busy Times— Our readers can form no idea of the “busy times” 
in our office. From December 1 to March 1, no less than 20,000 let¬ 
ters were received'at our office. Think of the 
immense amount of work needed to take care 
of them! 
Missing Copies. —Subscribers not receiv¬ 
ing chromos or Cabinet regularly, will, in their 
letter of complaint, state date when subscription 
was sent; we can then hunt up more easily. 
Premiums.— Some club agents neglected to 
claim premiums at time of sending club; they 
Mill, in claiming it afterwards, state dates when 
each list M r as sent, and the full number of names 
Compliments. —We rarely publish compli¬ 
ments, yet we receive them by the thousand. 
We are only too glad to know that the paper 
gives such excellent satisfaction. A little note 
just received, says: “ Splendid is no word for 
the Cabinet. I never saw a paper in my life 
which took so with the ladies and was so eagerly 
welcomed.” The publisher says to his readers, 
*worh for the paper and he will work for you, 
by making it handsomer every month. 
To Club Agents .—For convenience of 
sending carefully, all the February numbers, 
with chromos, for each club, were sent to the 
club agent. They go through the mail more 
solidly and in better order than if separately. 
The postmaster should not charge postage to 
the agent, but equally to each member of the 
club. Hereafter each copy is addressed separately 
to each subscriber. Our object was to fave 
trouble to the postfnaster, for the club agent 
could deliver better than the postmaster, who 
might, without knowing it, spoil the paper and 
chromo in folding. Where the postmaster has 
charged extra postage to the agent, he should 
refund it, and collect quarterly postage from 
each subscriber. If he does not, the subscribers 
should pay their proportion to the agent. 
Pets of tire "Drawing Boom. —A large supply of these is or¬ 
dered from PaiiA and we expect to send them to club agents in March. 
Other premiuriDS we are sending off daily. 
Not in tbe Trade. —The Cabinet is in no way connected with 
any house selling plants, seeds, or bulbs; hence, it grinds no axes; is 
no medium to push plants, &c., on its readers; it is edited with 
care; its recommendations are reliable; it is independent, and all 
may have confidence in it. 
