348 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
body. Nature, ever frugal and infinite in resources as 
the Infinite Mind of which she is the outward expres¬ 
sion, effects the separation without any shock or the 
least disturbance of the old cold routine—cold in the 
sense that it becomes of necessity; but the term ‘ ‘ cold ” 
jars on the mind that finds delight in beholding the 
beauty of the dying leaf, and the great work that is 
involved in its fall The leaf falls because it is dead ; 
its deadness is accompanied with a shrinking of the 
vascular tissues ; it falls because it is incapable of 
holding and is in part pushed off by the swelling 
of the bud and the healing of the cicatrix. Pro¬ 
perly speaking, this is not a process of death, but 
of life ; the living tree is the active agent; it is busy 
preparing its buds for next year, and cannot be ham¬ 
pered with garments it has worn out, or with lungs it 
can no longer use, or with alembics that have ceased to 
distil, because the sunshine, which was as the fire 
needed to render them active, has declined in power, 
and so has ceased to act as a motive force.” 
TALKS ABOUT FLOWERS. 
The summer season has passed away so rapidly with 
me, it is with a genuine feeling of regret that I see my 
flowers droop and die, all their beauty and sweetness 
swept away by the rude touch of autumn. 
Sometimes, when I look at the desolate places, I wish, 
and for the moment most heartily, that it were possible 
to transport my garden, ere Jack Frost had meddled 
with its treasures, to a more congenial clime until the 
cold blasts had passed by. But since it is impracticable, 
and we are powerless to stay the “wheels of time,” it 
behooves us, who live in the colder sections of the coun¬ 
try, to look at the matter in a philosophical way. In¬ 
stead of sighing over the inevitable, let us turn our 
attention to our window gardens, where we may still 
have a good display of flowers, if we give them a genial 
temperature, in spite of the raging elements without. 
There is something delightful in the companionship 
of flowers. It is refreshing to see the dainty nurslings 
we have protected so carefully from the cold, unfold 
their loveliness in the depth of winter as if in gratitude 
for our fostering care. 
Perhaps, some reader of the Cabinet may find it a 
little perplexing to decide what plants to select for the 
window, particularly if she has a large collection of 
choice varieties, and only a limited space to fill. 
But, first, I should consider the temperature of the 
room, and the situation. If the windows have a south¬ 
ern exposure, and the room is a warm one, any and all 
plants that delight in heat and sunshine will thrive well, 
providing they have good care ; but I fail as yet to find 
a plant that will give entire satisfaction in any position 
without proper attention. 
If you have a south window, then you can indulge in 
Eoses, Geraniums, Coleus, and a host of other plants 
that will not grow in a manner to please us in a cool, 
shady room. 
If your windows look out at the east or west, select only 
such plants as mature with but little sun, and there are 
a great many that will do this if they can have a strong 
light; not a compromise between curtains and plants, 
for light is absolutely necessary, and without it we shall 
look in vain for blossoms. 
In a floricultural journal of recent date, I read the 
following paragraph: “Plants will not bloom well in 
a west window, and it is folly to place them in such a 
situation unless we court a failure, for it is sure to fol¬ 
low.” Now, I beg leave to differ with that correspon¬ 
dent for my experience has been quite the reverse, and 
if the writer will come with me any time from Decem¬ 
ber to May, I will show her such a profusion of flowers 
in one west window, that she must necessarily be con¬ 
vinced that the effort has not ended in a failure, nor 
proved inconsistent with the dictates of reason. 
I make a little summer of my own at this window 
every winter. My table has but one broad shelf, and 
that drops six or eight inches below the sill; about half 
way up I have a shelf, with brackets above and below, 
that can be swung back into the room at evening. My 
room is heated by an open wood fire, an old-fashioned 
luxury, and one that promotes the health of vegetable 
life, as well as human life. 
This collection is made up of the following plants : 
Abutilons, Begonias, Crassulas, Cineraria, Calceolaria, 
Geraniums, Fuchsias, Primulas, Bouvardias, Heliotrope, 
Oxalis, drooping and upright Maurandya, Pilogyne 
suavis, Farfugium grande, etc. 
These plants are selected and especially prepared for 
winter blooming ; they are kept clean and in good health 
throughout the season, and a bountiful harvest of 
flowers well repays me for all my petting. Some of 
them begin to bloom in November, and by the holidays 
I have a good representation. 
But, in justice to the writer mentioned above, I will 
add that the same tender care of plants at this window 
in hot weather would not bring about such happy 
results. "With so little sun and our excessively warm 
weather they would grow too slender, and the flowers 
would not be so fine nor so freely produced. In summer 
I use only the brackets for plants that will grow in 
shade; it is only for a winter window-garden that I 
would recommend it, and then it should not be crowded; 
each plant should be allowed space enough so that the 
light and afternoon sun may strike it fairly, or it will 
grow slender, and that will surely end in failure. 
It has been said that the culture of flowers is a pleasure 
that brings no pain. This may be true in the abstract, 
but there are times in the experience of many an ama¬ 
teur florist, when the saying would be more significant 
if its order were reversed; for instance, when they 
labor from October until May trying to get their plants 
to blossom, but all in vain; not even one little spray of 
flowers puts out to crown their efforts. If this brings 
no pain, it most assuredly cannot bring a high degree 
of pleasure. 
However, our most signal failures often prove our 
best lessons; for their severity makes us more observant 
of Nature’s grand and beautiful laws, and teaches us to 
study more carefully the peculiarities of every species 
of plants. This, in due time makes us wiser, and with 
wisdom comes success. 
