406 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
urge its general cultivation, Not that we expect it to 
take the place of other well-known varieties, for all 
purposes, particularly, for late keeping: but for early 
use it by far surpasses any other sort we have ever seen. 
At this time, November 1st, we have it fully as large as 
the “half-dwarf,” perfectly white to the tips, and of 
much better flavor than any of the other sorts we have 
growing. 
* 
* * 
The following, from one of our foreign exchanges, 
shows the esteem in which one of our native Ferns is 
held, where it is an exotic. There is nothing like going 
from home to be appreciated: 
“The Pennsylvanian Ostrich Fern, which will be 
found in the books and catalogues under the designa¬ 
tion of Struthiopteris pennsylvanica, is without question 
the most noble of all the hardy Ferns, not even 
excepting the stately Royal Fern, and it would be 
interesting to know why it is so seldom seen in either 
trade or private collections. I am fully pursuaded that 
few cultivators are acquainted with it. The fronds, 
which spring from an erect caudex, attain under good 
cultivation a height ranging from four to five feet, and 
standing nearly erect produce a striking effect. They 
are pinnate and about six inches in width, and bear a 
very close resemblance to those of the well-known 
Dicksonia ant’rctica. Indeed, a well-grown specimen 
might readily be mistaken for a specimen of the Dick¬ 
sonia with a very short stem, were it not for the more 
erect habit. The Ostrich Ferns, of which there are two 
in commerce, are not difficult of cultivation, either in 
pots or planted out, and make magnificent exhibition 
specimens; the Pennsylvanian form being the largest 
in growth and the most handsome in appearance. 
They are readily increased by means of the underground 
stems, and thrive in a mixture of loam, peat, and 
sand.” 
■3fr 
* * 
Dtj Chaillu, in his “Land of the Midnight Sun,” 
states that when at Lulea, on the Gulf of Bothnia, 
over 65 deg. north, and more than 5 deg. north of Cape 
Farewell in Greenland, he saw in gardens on the 20th of 
August, Raspberries quite ripe, Strawberries ripening, 
Currants getting red, Gooseberries and Blackberries 
still green; Beets, Turnips and Carrots in good condi¬ 
tion; Cabbages not yet headed, Spinach and Radishes in 
plenty, and Peas blossomed and podded. Apples and 
Cherries do not grow there. Among the flowers in cul. 
tivation were Dahlias, Asters, Petunias, Dicentra, Lark¬ 
spurs, Daisy, Foxglove, Violets, Tulips, Pseonias and 
Lilies. The shortness and coolness of the summers may 
be seen from the late progress of vegetation, but to set¬ 
tlers in Northern Minnesota and Dakota, more than 17 deg 
further south, this success will suggest what may be ac¬ 
complished by selecting such fruits as are adapted to 
the climate. Three degrees further south, at the agri¬ 
cultural school of Nordvik, the experimental gardens 
contained the hardy Russian Apples, the fruit of which 
was small, and some of the trees were overloaded. 
There were also ripe Cherries (August 28th), ripe Straw¬ 
berries and ripening Gooseberries. But the most strik¬ 
ing examples of growth far north, and several degrees 
within the Arctic Circle, were “thick green grass, dot¬ 
ted with Buttercups and Dandelions, Violets, the com¬ 
mon Plantain, and dwarf Birch and Willows.” 
Our knowledge of the chemistry of vegetable pig¬ 
ments is not yet sufficiently advanced, for which reason 
the effect of artificial influence upon the color-tone of 
flowers has not yet received its merited attention. Ac¬ 
cording to most views, tannin is an important factor in the 
generation of vegetable colors; it is found in almost 
every plant, the petals not excepted, and by the action 
of the most varying reagents—alkalies, earths, metallic 
salts, etc., it assumes the most manifold hues from pale 
rose to deep black. A darker color, therefore, is pro¬ 
duced in flowers rich in tannin, when manured with 
iron-salts, since, as everybody knows, tannin and iron- 
salts dye black and produce ink. A practical use has 
been made of this fact in the raising of Horten sias and 
Dahlias. The former, which in ordinary soil blossomed 
pale-red, became sky-blue when transplanted into soil 
heavily manured with iron ochre, or when occasionally 
watered with a dilute alum solution. English gardeners 
succeeded in growing black Dahlias by similar manipu¬ 
lations. It is well known to every florist that a change 
of location, that is, a change of light, temperature, and 
soil (replanting), occasionally produces new colors, 
whence it may be deduced that an interrupted nutrition 
of the flowers may, under circumstances, effect a 
change of color. We see no valid reason why the well 
authenticated fact of the change of color produced by 
manuring with iron oxide, thereby changing the nutri¬ 
tion of the plant, should not be practically employed by 
the hot-house gardener. Another very singular and 
successful experiment, in producing a change of color 
in a bird, has recently been made. A breeder of canary 
birds conceived the idea of feeding a young bird with a 
mixture of steeped bread and finely pulverized red Cay¬ 
enne pepper. Without injuring the bird, the pigment 
of the spice passed into the blood, and dyed its plumage 
deep red. The celebrated ornithologist Russ believes 
that the color of the plumage of birds might be 
altered according to desire by using, appropriate re¬ 
agents. 
* 
* * 
The Noble Ladies’ Slipper. Here is what is thought 
in England of one of our native plants, which would be 
hard to find under cultivation, in our own country. 
“ The lovely Cypripedium Spectabile has been flower¬ 
ing very finely this season, and we have had abundant 
opportunities of seeing what a capital plant it makes 
for rockeries and moist places; so, also, of course, in a 
cut state, it makes a pretty subject for table decorations. 
We may well feel proud of having such a beauty, rep¬ 
resenting one of the most famous race of plants growing 
in our climate, as well as in its native country. It is 
by no means an English Orchid, as some are led to 
think, but it is a native of North America. However, 
it has for sometime been a worthy occupant of our soil, 
and we are beginning to regard it, and rightly so, as a 
necessary adjunct to the hardy garden. TheLabellum, 
as in most of the species, is the striking feature of the 
plant, and it is of a delicate rose color, while the sepals 
and petals are pure white. Some of the Cypripediums are 
well worth growing, simply for their foliage. However, 
we can hardly claim the hardy species as a foliage plant, 
yet the broadly egg-shaped leaves, clothed with rather, 
long soft hairs, are quite as graceful as some of the 
other members of this family. It likes a moist, shady, 
and well-drained position, so it will not be advisable to 
