Vi 
onie 
omjmituoifi, 
pretty pebbles, and fragments of rare rooks should be 
scattered upon white or colored sands, on the surface 
of the soil around the rocks, and fragments of mirror, 
placed in proper positions, to resemble mimic lakes, 
or that they may reflect the scene, add greatly to the 
beauty of such a fernery. Very much depends upon 
the taste and ingenuity of the operator, in arranging 
such a scene, which should resemble as much as pos¬ 
sible, a Lilliputian garden or a mimic grotto, and if 
such a variety of colors, so many shades and markings. 
We have almost every color but yellow. There seems 
to he a law regulating the color of flowers. Who ever 
saw a blue Rose or a yellow Verbena f 
The cultivation of the Verbena is considered by 
many as very difficult. It is not many years since I 
thought so myself. I prefer seedlings for getting a 
good variety. The seed should be sown in shallow 
boxes, in February or March; cover the boxes with 
_ — ^ glass to retain the moisture. 
- IX Keep them near the stove un- 
^ til they begin to come up, 
,—v--- 1 "= ~~ wmm-j which will be in ab< rat a week; 
^=^^M|Bgj=itgBjj then move to a sunny window, 
and keep them in the light, as 
B lIjjj B ijlBBl pgg jjll much as possible, to prevent 
"jjB ra fflft pB the young plants from becoming 
B drawn and slender; when they 
have made sufficient growth to 
have two or three sets of rough 
leaves, transplant into boxes or 
small pots. 1 prefer boxes, as 
it is less work to care for them, 
(lj|Bi(|lJj|jjgjjjj|gjji they do not need watering near 
as often as when in small pots. 
They can be put out doors as 
SHilllfBillBSSSlIiSjJ soon as all danger of frost is 
over in the spring. Verbenas 
are not very particular about 
soil, provided it is well enriched with well-decayed 
manure. Noted Verbena growers tell us, that Ver¬ 
benas do not do as well planted year after year on 
the same ground. I have raised Verbenas on the 
same bed for three years; and the last spring I had 
dirt from the road put on my bed aud dug in to the 
depth of two or three inches; and the growth of those 
Verbenas the past summci has been wonderful. For 
house plants they are unsurpassed. If you wish to 
Ip ^ — ~ - 1 succeed with the Verbena 
1 as a house plant, don’t wait 
' until Jack Frost makes his 
and then pot 
The costly Ferneries sold at the stores are very 
elegant; hut as they are expensive withal, and money 
is a desideratum with the majority of people, it will 
perhaps he a satisfaction to some lover of the beau- 
fasten 
narrow box, sus-. 
tained by brackets, which stain 
with umber to correspond with 
the large box, and, after fillim 
Bryn Mawe Station, Pennsylvania. 
the latter, arrange the stones in the shape of a tiny 
cave, lining the arch with small shells (the little pearl, 
rice, and rose-leaf shells); also fasten crystals and 
large pieces of frosting through it, and place a vessel 
filled with clear water in the bottom, surrounding the 
edges with mosses and delicate ferns': When finished, 
cover with a shade made of window sash, either square, 
six, or octagonal, or one of the cylindrical kind sold in 
the shops. After once sprinkling such a-box of plants, 
pervivums, or any shade-loving plants. A minia¬ 
ture castle placed among " 
the rocks, with a tiny •. eMBRaBiiMlIIIBI 
bridge or other such ad- ~ : A- 
llitioHs, ^ are an ^ improve- 
about the plants; as this fV: 
little rockery can he sprin- ipBjBjj ■ - 'BSdMBlI 
kled every day, no dust jj;i f *v / 1 IT jjW 
need he allowed to accu- j| 
mulato about or upon it. MH^^Sjggjg ' ~~Sgm 
Upon this stand place a 
pan, box, or howl, eight » 
inches dec]i, with holes for 
drainage, to aid which 
place an inch or so of c 
broken crockery, pebbles, ”_3iti i»Mllji8M lliilllM 
charcoal, or crushed brick Li ; VW 
—upon this a mixture of " ” —- 
loam, sand, and leaf j _ 
mould, or well-rotted cow 
or hen manure. Form a 
little rockery by fastening the stones together with 
aquaria cement (or what is called hydraulic cement 
will answer). Plant the common hut nevertheless 
beautiful ferns, mosses of various kinds, and a few 
bright-leaved plants, such as Begonias (of the Rex 
tribe), Ivy, and Partridge Vine, or indeed any plants 
that delight in moisture. One of the pretty; castles, 
sold for aquaria purposes, placed, on the summit 
of the rocks, and some delicate vine trained over its 
turrets and parapets, is a beautiful addition; shells, 
appearance 
the old plant: if you do you 
v* will surely fail. My favor- 
r_ ite method is, to take slips 
that will snap when bent; 
and if they have little roots 
igjga | started so much the better. 
Fill a vial with water, label 
v ;' w fw your slips and put them 
mHmmem into it—and wait with pa- 
tience for them to root; 
pBifBss-: ./J MBBl when tlie roots have made 
i -V T^ pMUg jBMm an inch growth put them 
* n mellow rich dirt, and 
yjf fi keep them shaded for a 
few days. Green lice are 
their greatest enemies, hut 
they can he kept away by 
the use tobacco smoke 
I t ^ and sprinkling' with warm 
water in which a few 
drops of ammonia has been 
put. Verbenas thus treated will bloom from Jan¬ 
uary [until warm weather, when they can he 
planted out in the open border. 
Lauraett Smith. 
Scene at Bryn Mavr, Pennsylvania. 
and covering securely with the glass case, sealing the 
bottom with plaster of Paris, it will require no atten¬ 
tion for several months, unless by the rampant growth 
the plants become too large and cover the rocks or 
other ornamental parts so much, as to appear crowded. 
Monroe, Mo. . C. S. J. 
Blandford, Mass. 
Caladiums. —Will your contributor (Marie Ant.io- 
nette) please tell me where I can obtain the Caladiums 
spoken of in the last number of the Cabinet, and at 
what price ? 
Palmyra, Mo. Mrs. M. J. G-reen. 
VERBENAS. 
I have often thought if I was limited to one single 
flower to cultivate it would he the Verbena; it jfPesents 
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