114 
THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
else, and I stuck it in a pot of muck in the greenhouse, as 
the water was cold yet outside. 
“ However, it did not do anything there, and about April 
ist I filled a box two feet square with rich soil and manure 
and changed the plant into that; and, with a few rocks on 
top to keep the soil in place, I plunged the whole thing in 
the pond ; from this time it commenced to grow rapidly, 
and at the end of two weeks had several floating leaves 
and two shoots started from the surface of the box and 
commenced to make the circuit of the pond in different 
directions. I thought I would cut them off, but bet¬ 
ter counsel prevailed, and about June 30 these shoots 
bloomed. In the meantime the plant in the box had 
made several round floating leaves from fifteen to thirty 
inches in diameter, slightly^ cupped in the middle. After 
a shower about a wine-glass of water remains in the 
centre, and when that is broken up and scattered 
through the leaf by a breeze, it is the most gorgeous thing 
imaginable; no description can do it justice ; it must be 
seen. 
“About July 10 their second set of leaves commenced 
to appear and rise out of the box about two feet above 
the water, and with the exception of being a little larger 
are the same in every respect as the floating leaves; 
about July 15, the first flower-bud appeared above the 
surface of the water in the “ cluster.” I mention this to 
distinguish them from the flowers on the shoots which 
bloom on the surface: the flower stems in the cluster 
grow six or eight inches in twenty-four hours, and rise 
about two and a half feet or six inches above the foliage ; 
the flowers open about ten o’clock at night and remain 
open until between ten and eleven next day. They close 
and fall to pieces on the third morning; the color is as 
near to a La France rose as anything you can get, and I 
fail to see white in it at any stage, although Mr. Stur- 
tevant so describes it in his catalogue. To secure vigor¬ 
ous growth a space from four to five feet in diameter, and 
about three feet deep should be prepared by covering the 
bottom with manure; put rather more in the centre 
around the plant. Above this twelve inches of good soil 
will be needed and some rocks or broken brick to keep 
everything snug and in place. With six or seven flowers 
from five to six inches across, open every morning from 
July to October or later, I doubt if there be a more 
delightful object in nature ; if so, I have never seen it. 
“ There is another lotus, Nelumbium lutium, peculiar to 
the swamps and bayous of this State and elsewhere, with 
the same habit of growth as the foregoing. The flowers, 
however, are smaller and buff colored, and carry but one 
row of petals; so far at least, as any specimens have 
come under my observation.” 
* 
* * 
Tulips as Cut-Flowers.—For the past three years mil¬ 
lions of tulips have been grown annually in this country 
for the cut-flower trade, a single grower in Astoria, N. Y„ 
having grown this season 100,000, and many others have 
exceeded this amount. This is an important item for 
the Dutch bulb growers, as the plant when in flower is sent 
entire, flower, leaf and bulb, and this is the proper way to 
use the flowers, wherever it can be done, as they last 
fully twice as long as when they are cut from the bulbs. 
Catalogues Received. 
The number of really useful and beautiful catalogues 
that are sent us annually is rapidly increasing, showing a 
corresponding increase in business, which is indicative of 
culture and refinement, the great stimulants of floricul¬ 
ture. The vegetable garden, we are pleased to say, is 
receiving more attention than formerly; so that now, 
in villages, it is not an uncommon thing to see well- 
kept vegetable gardens. 
C. E. Allen, Brattleboro, Vt., has improved his cata¬ 
logue, not only as regards size, but in the selection of 
such varieties as will, with good culture, be most 
likely to please his customers. Roses, verbenas, gera¬ 
niums and carnations are specialties. 
The Paragon Seed and Plant Company, Newtown, 
Pa., have issued a neat and finely illustrated catalogue 
of the most useful vegetable and flower seeds. 
John R. & A. Murdoch, 508 Smithfield street, Pitts¬ 
burgh, Pa. This old and reliable firm always favors us 
with a good catalogue. It is well illustrated and com¬ 
plete in cultural instructions, that cannot but assist in 
making gardening a success. 
Irving Allen, Springfield, Mass., sends us an illustrated 
catalogue of small fruit plants, Mr. Allen confines him¬ 
self to this one line of trade. 
F. Walker & Co., New Albany, Ind., have a descriptive 
floral and nursery catalogue, with useful hints on trans¬ 
planting and managing fruit-trees, vines, shrubs and 
flowers. Trees and plants are quite useless, unless their 
requirements are understood, therefore cultural instruc¬ 
tions are the most important part of a catalogue. 
Alfred Bridgeman, 37 East Nineteenth street, New 
York city. Annual catalogue of vegetable, grass and 
flower seeds. This is one of the oldest establishments in 
the country, having been in existence more than fifty 
years. Trade, like plants, will run out in much less time 
than this house has been in business, unless it deserves 
success, which it can only do by keeping every kind of 
seed up to the highest standard of excellence. 
The annual catalogue of the Michigan Seed Company, 
Detroit, Mich., is a useful publication. 
Paul Butz & Son, New Castle, Pa. Illustrated cata¬ 
logue of greenhouse and bedding plants, ornamental 
shrubs and small fruit plants. The motto of this firm is 
“cheap plants,” and they wish it distinctly understood 
that low-priced plants are not always cheap plants; on 
the contrary, such only as will produce the most satisfac¬ 
tory flowers and fruits are entitled to this distinctive 
name. 
A. E. Spalding, Ainsworth, la. Annual catalogue of 
seeds, plants and bulbs. A specialty is made of collec¬ 
tions by mail, and it is surprising to see how many plants 
can be had at your post-office for one dollar by sending to 
parties who make the mailing of plants a leading feature 
of their business. 
The catalogue of Geo. S. Wales, Rochester, N. Y., is a 
modest, plain and practical publication, giving a useful 
list of every plant and seed required for the general orna¬ 
mental garden, with sufficient hints on the general care 
