THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
221 
presume that all that we term insect enemies have their 
uses, in fact, we firmly believe it; and, at the same time, 
if they have accomplished their mission, we shall have no 
cause for regrets. And this, too, provokes another ques¬ 
tion, Where are the rose-bugs ? We can answer this 
question feelingly; here, there and everywhere. We 
failed to see any desirable qualities in this creation when 
it confined itself to the rose, but now that its ravages ex¬ 
tend to strawberries and all manner of fruit-bearing 
trees, to say nothing of our clumps of cannas they have 
so completely ruined and from which we have always de¬ 
rived so much pleasure, we begin to lose our stock of 
patience and wonder, after all, if every created thing has 
its uses, and if testing our good nature is one of them. 
. * 
* * 
Society of American Florists.—Preparations for the 
annual meeting and exhibition at Cincinnati, on the 12th 
inst., are now complete, and from the flattering reports 
received, we think it will be one of the most successful as 
well as one of the most useful exhibitions and meetings 
ever held in this country in the interest of horticulture. 
We hope to give a complete report of its proceedings in 
the September number of The Cabinet. 
* 
* * 
“ Land and Water ” has done auseful service in pointing 
out the fallacy of the widespread belief that ivy trained 
against the walls of a dwelling-house is productive of 
damp walls and general unhealthiness. The very op¬ 
posite of this is really the case. If any one will carefully 
examine an ivy-clad wall after a shower of rain, he will 
notice that, while the overlapping leaves have conducted 
the water from point to point until it has reached the 
ground, the wall beneath is perfectly dry and dusty. 
More than this, the thirsty shoots which force their 
way into every crevice of the structure which will afford 
a firm hold act like suckers in drawing out any particles 
of moisture for their own nourishment. The ivy, in fact, 
acts like a greatcoat, keeping the house from wet; and 
warm into the bargain. One more virtue it has, in giv¬ 
ing the ugliest structure an evergreen beauty. 
* 
* * 
A Venerable Beech. —The beech is one of the grand¬ 
est forest trees either in this country or in Europe. It is 
a tyrant in the wood or wayside, as no other vegetable 
form will grow beneath its shade. Under favorable cir¬ 
cumstances it grows to an immense size, and its beauty 
increases with its years. One of the finest specimens of 
this noble tree is now growing vigorously on Long Island, 
in the town of Riverhead, and within a quarter of a mile 
of Long Island Sound. This noble patrician of the forest 
was beheaded soon after the revolutionary war, to make 
a brush-harrow. Not at all discomforted by this rude 
treatment, it threw out branches in all directions, forming 
a beautiful and symmetrical head. Its trunk is fully three 
feet in diameter, with several branches nearly two feet in 
thickness at the trunk, reaching out in a horizontal posi¬ 
tion nearly fifty feet each way and just high enough from 
the ground to enable a person to walk under the branches 
without hitting them, forming a beautifully shaded camp¬ 
ing-ground one hundred feet in diameter. This tree is 
said to be destitute of dignity. As compared with the 
oak, it may not have much of that characteristic ; but for 
a beautiful tree, we have never seen one that could sur¬ 
pass this noble specimen, whose white bark, broken with 
lichens, and its dark lines and scars of age and storms, 
are so attractive as to charm the appreciative eye. When 
viewed from any direction it is picturesque and full of 
variety. * 
* * 
Golden-rayed Lily, Lilium auratum .—The following 
from one of our foreign exchanges expresses our views in 
regard to the hardiness of this popular lily, one that we 
consider the easiest of cultivation : 
“ There is a great deal of talk about the tenderness of 
this world-renowned lily, but it is greatly exaggerated. 
There is a bed constantly under my notice where these 
lilies flower without any special attention, except in the 
way of soil. The bed is in an exposed situation, without 
the slightest protection whatever for the tender stems in 
spring, when Jack Frost generally plays his pranks and 
leaves his mark behind. This year the bulbs have sent 
up stems over four feet in height, bearing seven or eight 
of its deliciously fragrant flowers, smaller rather than 
those generally seen at shows, but yet, nevertheless, what 
people generally call “ passable.” I am sure many ama¬ 
teurs are deterred from planting this lily because it is 
considered very tender, and to need special knowledge 
and tact in order to cultivate it successfully, but it grows 
like other lilies, and needs no special skill to cultivate it.” 
* 
* * 
Albert Williams, Sharon, Pa., writes us as follows con¬ 
cerning novelties : 
“ Every year adds something new to the already large 
list of seeds and plants, and, although there are some 
really meritorious new varieties introduced each year, it is 
a fact, nevertheless, that too many new things of both 
domestic and foreign origin are catalogued by the large 
seedsmen and florists without a sufficient guarantee as to 
their worth. Usually we get the originators’ descriptions, 
which in the main are not exaggerated, but then it some¬ 
times seems that such descriptions are very much over¬ 
drawn. 
“ Now, I think I hear some one say that man is an “ old 
fogy,” he isn’t progressive in his ideas, or he wouldn’t 
decry the introduction of new varieties. Such, however, 
is not the case, as no one in the business, or out of it, is 
more eager, or has been, than myself to see all the dif¬ 
ferent strains of seeds and varieties of plants improved 
and brought up to the highest standard of perfection ; in 
proof of which assertion I may say that I have always 
been a liberal patron of new seeds and plants, and indeed, 
one of the first in Western Pennsylvania to patronize the 
introducers and originators of new varieties. 
“ I have many times invested in certain new plants and 
seeds that were lauded to the skies, only to be disappointed. 
Among the former a rose sent out a few years since under 
the name—well, they call it the true tea Jack. I need 
only to refer to this, as a great many others in this vicinity 
were deceived along with myself. 
“Now, it is not the object of this letter to discourage 
