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Night-blooming Cereus. —In the November No. of 
your paper, I saw au account of the blossoming of a 
Night-blooming Cereus in Utica, N. T. as being some¬ 
thing rare. Allow me to say that here in Northern 
Maine they are quite common. I have two that bloomed 
every year since they were four years old. Last summer 
they had thirteen flowers—eleven in one week. No other 
flower that I have ever seen bears any comparison with 
this in beauty or fragrance. 
A Lover op Flowers. 
Blooming Callas. —I have been very successful in 
the cultivation of plants, because my whole heart was in 
the work. For blooming Callas, I use the soil from the 
hennery; and on cold mornings I pour hot water in the 
saucers ; I have had a bloom from every bulb. As my 
Fuchsias never grew very large, I put in fresh soil and 
then used some fine manure from the hennery, and before 
spring it covered the window, with every shoot in full 
bloom. My Begonia has never failed to bloom. 
Mrs. E. B. 
Easter Lilies. —Besides Callas which are grown in 
immense quantities for Easter decorations in the vicinity 
of Boston, Lilium Candidum is also forced to bloom for 
Easter, and, being a truo lily, is perhaps better entitled to 
the name, “ Easter Lily.” 
M. P. G. 
Ferns.— I should like to say to the person who wishes 
to know what Ferns can be grown in the house, that I 
have had for three winters, in a furnace-licated parlor, very 
handsome plants of Aspidium molle and Adiantum 
cuneatum; and I have a friend who has Pteris tremula, 
looking as woll as id could in a greenhouse. I also know 
that Pteris hastata does well in the house; so does the 
Japanese Climbing Fern and Lygodium scaudons. All 
require to be kept comfortably warn, not too wet, and 
seldom sprinkled—just often enough to keep thorn clean. 
I have found that wetting the foliage often causes it to 
turn black. 
M. P. G. 
Winter Decorations. —Many people who do not 
burn coal canuot keep the parlor warm all the time, and, 
of course, can have no flowers therein. I will give a 
few hints in the way of brightening up the winter parlor. 
Take a round, rough board, and make a table of it, by nail¬ 
ing on firmly three legs of as twisted and gnarled roots or 
limbs as you can find; do not varnish, hut have them as 
rough and mossy as possible; tako dry moss—which you 
can find in the woods and on the trunks of trees, and with 
glue, stick it all over the bottom of the board; put a large, 
round, shallow tin on top of the hoard (which is now a 
table), and fasten with a round-headed tack; fill with 
green mosses of all kinds; then stick dry moss all over 
the space between the tin and the edge of the table. Wet 
the moss as it needs it; no amount of freezing and thaw¬ 
ing will injure this. A vase containing wax autumn 
leaves adds a bit of color to it, placed in the centro of the 
moss. Wax branches of autumn leaves, and Jiang' them 
gracefully, and naturally, over the pictures and curtains; 
also pressed ferns, and mountain cranberry. The herb 
commonly called Life-everlasting, is beautiful for winter 
decorations. The flowers can be dyed any color, and with 
evergreen, make lovely wreaths, bouquets, etc. A hang¬ 
ing basket containing a deep plate maybe filled with moss, 
and a bouquet of these flowers placed in the centre. A 
pasteboard, or wooden bracket may be covered with dry 
moss, in the same manner as the table, and hold a basket 
of worsted flowers, made with double zephyr like hair 
flowers. Weave over a lead pencil, cut the worsted, and 
comb with a fine comb. Copy from nature in making the 
flowers up, and wind the stems with green split zephyr, or 
floss. Add little fancy articles, tidies, etc., from the pages 
of the Cabinet, and the room will be cheerful, even in the 
gloomiest weather. 
Anabel 0. Andrews. 
Geraniums, Veronica. —1. What are Zonale Gerani¬ 
ums? 2. Will Yeronicas live out through the winter, or 
would it he best to bring them in the house ? 3. How 
old do Geraniums have to be from the seed before they 
blossom ? I have some planted last spring; do you think 
they ought to bloom this winter ? 
State Centre, Iowa. Mrs. 0. J. W. 
Answer. — 1. The typical Zonale Geraniums have a zone 
of darker color on each leaf; the flowers run through 
various shades from white to pink, and deep scarlet. 2. 
The hardy herbaceous varieties will, but not the shrubby 
sorts. 3. Generally the second year. 
Geraniums. —In the February number, Lady Cullum 
speaks of tue ever-blooming variety of Geraniums. Will 
she please give the name; also, will correspondents always 
give the State they live in, so I may know what kind of a 
climate the plants are raised in? We lovers of flowers in 
this far western country, meet with many discouragements 
in finding- flowers that will stand our cold winters. I 
should like to hear from some of our friends in the north¬ 
western part of this state, on the best kind of roses for 
out door culture. 
Magnolia, Iowa. S. L. B. 
Answer. —We cordially agree with our correspondent’s 
very sensible remarks. 
Madeira Vine. -I have a Madeira Vine. One sprout 
from the bulb has grown quite thrifty, but an offset of the 
same bulb in the same pot, has sent out one or two small 
leaves, and there it has remained, just about so for six 
months; looks fresh and vigorous, as though it must send 
out some branches. It lias the south sun part of the day, 
and occupies a warm placo in my window garden; which, 
by the way, is a source of great pleasure to me. 1. Would 
it injure the Madeira Vine to transplant or repot ? 2. 
My Geraniums, of which I have a largo number, look a 
healthy green ; but the stem to the leaves grow so long. 
Could it be caused by too much furnace heat at night? 3. 
And would pricking back the new shoots be of any use ? 
Joliet, Ill. Mrs. N. E. Feller. 
Answer. — 1 . No. 2. Keep the plants in a more cool and 
light place. 3. Yes. 
Oxalis. — 1 . Wliat shall I do with a white Oxalis that 
has bloomed all winler, and now shows signs of dying. 
Should it bo taken from the pot and dried. " What kind of 
soil does it require ? 2. Aro old roses that have bloomed 
several winters as good as those newly started? 3. When 
is the best time to renew the soil for Cacti ? 
Madeliene. 
Answer— 1. Stand it out of doors in the pot until fall. 
Repot in any good soil. Tlio Oxalis is not particular. 
2. Yes, if healthy and growing freely. 3. In the spring. 
Geraniums and Fuchsias.—1. My Geraniums grow 
very tine and large, but they do not bloom freely. I 
usually place them in fresh, rich soil, early in the spring ; 
does this interfere with the blooming ? 2. What is the 
name of “ a species of the Royal Family,” which has largo 
pink flowers? 3. What kind of Geranium has yellow 
leaves bordered with green ? 4. Do Fuchsias require 
much sun? 5. How can I get my plants to bloom in 
winter ? 
Flower Lover. 
Answer — 1. Try repotting your Geraniums in Septem¬ 
ber, and use less rich soil. 2. Will any of our readers 
inform our correspondent. 3. Cloth of Gold, and several 
others. 4. Not in summer. 5. Few plants flower in both 
winter and summer. It is necessary to grow some specially 
for winter. 
Cyclamen.—1, I wish to ask liow the Cyclamens aro 
propagated. I saw in the January numl er of the Cabinet 
that the bulbs must not be divided? 2. How can a 
Caladium Esculentum, that has the center decayed and 
lias side stems, be managed ? 
Mrs. D. Leonard. 
Answer —1. From seed. 2. Remove offsets and plant 
separate, or plant the clump entire. 
Ivy and Cliantlius. — 1. I enclose a leaf of Ivy, also 
a leaf and flower of a plant which we have always called 
Wax plant. The Ivy is a twining plant, with runners 
from fifteen to twenty feet in length. The leaves drop off 
every fall, leaving a long space leafless. Please give the 
reason why, and whether our kind blossoms or not. The 
Wax plant grows about two feet high, the same form as 
I he leaves that I send. The bulbs live over winter in the 
earth. Please give correct names of each ? 2. This 
spring we sent for some Clianthus and Lantana seed. 
They have been in the ground for five weeks. Neither 
kind aro out yet. I fear it is soil, treatment or watching 
too closely. Please tell us which, and how to treat them, 
so that they will germinate ? 
Craries Mills. Ella M. Wood. 
Answer —1. A single leaf is probably the Senecio 
scandens. The leaves probably drop from the soil being 
too poor and dry. The flowers are not ornamental. 2. 
Polygonatum Angnstifolium. Tlio seeds probably failed 
from the dry weather at the time of sowing. 
Prairie Sod for Flowers.— Will some of your intelli¬ 
gent contributors who have ever had the tough prairie sod 
of the West to contend with, please tell me what I can do 
to enhance its richness so that my plants will flourish 
vigorously. I had much trouble last spring with both 
my vegetable and flower gardens ? 
Mt. Ayr, Iowa. Helen A. Rains. 
Answer— You will probably have less trouble after the 
first year; the soil might be burned. We wish tlio same 
tough sod was in our locality, which is sandy. 
Crape Myrtle.—1 . How should a Crape Myrtle be 
treated during winter (should it bo kept growing or put in 
cellar) in order to have it blossom abundantly in the sum¬ 
mer; also tlio kind of soil the Myrtle requires ? 2. Would 
Tritoma be best kept during winter packed in dry sand or 
kept dry by laying them in a dry placo free from frosts 
and cold ? 3. Also, will it do to start them early in the 
spring by sprouting same as Dahlias ? 
Otis T. Casey. 
Answer —1. In cellar; any good soil. 2. In sand, a 
moderate frost will not injure the plant. 3. Yes. 
A Dream. —I have been reading my Floral Cabinet 
for November, and had fallen back in my arm chair, rested 
my feet upon the stool in front of the lire, and lost myself 
to all around. I saw with my mind’s eye, a room facing the 
north and west; it was carpeted in brown, with a vine 
stem of darker brown running over it, here and there en¬ 
livened with hits of light green leaves, and a few purple 
berries. It was furnished with a set of plain brown wood, 
and fine white shades with brown lambrequins. On the 
dressing case, for’tis a bedroom, are mats of some white 
canvas, worked with Pansies and light green leaves. Up¬ 
on the wall, hang pictures of friends, framed with black 
walnut; also, a motto done in water color, and in the 
window, a hanging basket made of beads, and filled with 
Tradescantia. Under it on a light window stand, is a case 
of New England Ferns, and the gray moss that grows on 
rocks ; and under the gas fixture was a match scraper, 
made of white card-board, and on the front a gray tabby 
cat, with “scratch my back” under it. It is useless to 
say, of course, that it was lined with sand paper. Some¬ 
thing disturbed me ; I stirred, and the clock was striking 
ten ; the fire was dead, and I awoke. 
Adline. 
California Flowers.—I have often thought I would 
write the ladies of our interesting paper a short letter, and 
tell them of some of the pretty places and prctly things 
that the sun shines on in far off California, and Loro I 
wish to tell you some thing that every State cannot boast 
of, and that is the different climates one can ho in. In 
traveling a few miles, (by a few miles I do not mean fifty); 
you can be in tlio valley where the pomegranate tree, 
lemons and orange, and tobacco, cotton and sweet 
potato© flourish in a fine luxuriant growth, and up a 
short distance in the mountains, the nights are so cool that 
a pair of blankets and a good quilt arc acceptable; and 
on the summit of these same mountains, snow keeps its 
whiteness and glitters in the sunshine the year round. 
The locality is to be found in tlio county of Tulare, near 
the town of "V isalia. In San Francisco I havo seen 
Fuchsias twelve feet in height, and with a stem between 
two and three inches in diameter, and with hundreds of 
blossoms thereon, Hydrangeas as large over as a bushel 
basket, and what we call Australian Pea covering tlio 
fence. Geraniums four and five feet tall, and Callas a 
mass of leaf and bloom growing out in the open air the 
year round, without any protection whatever. Here, 
where I live during the months of May and June, tlio wild 
flowers are so pretty and tempting I want to gather them 
all and preserve them in their beauty forever; I cannot 
name them as I do not know their botanical name, and we 
are in the habit of speaking of them by names of our own. 
I name one as it is so pretty, and that what is called the 
Vegetable Fire Cracker, or Brodiaca Coceinea, natural 
order Liliaceae, it is found in gravelly and rocky soils, on 
mountain tops and in shady cool places, and if kept in cool 
fresh water it will not wither for several weeks after being 
detached from the plant. Even to-day, December 11th, 
there is in bloom in my garden, Seahious, two varieties 
Marigold, Mignionette. Diantlius, Fish and Zonale Gerani¬ 
ums, Alyssum and Sweet Peas, and also velvety Pansy. 
[ think sometimes the people of the Eastern States enjoy 
themselves better, and perhaps the society is more settled 
and possess a greater degree of refinement, but our 
people are warm hearted, impulsive and generous, and 
that is quite a recommend, hut they are so uneasy, never 
staying but a few years in one place. There is a great 
deal of our State unsettled, and mountainous, and the 
favorite hiding place ior deer, and occasionally a bear. 
Our Hills are again getting a faint tinge of green, 
which is quite welcome to us, as we are not blessed with 
enough rain in the summer to keep the grass growing, 
and we get pretty brown and drjq hut the soil is rich 
enough to grow almost anything for those who have the 
means of irrigation. I hope other writers will not for¬ 
get to communicate anything of interest in their letters 
from time to time, as they have done me a great deal of 
good, and taught me how to make several articles for use 
and ornament. The questions and answers, and in fact all 
of the Cabinet, is of great benefit to those who wish to 
know how to grow and cultivate plants. 
Mendocino County, California. 
An Amateur. 
