222 
THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
the origin, introduction or the patronage of the new things 
that are being constantly brought to our notice. I only 
want to enter my protest against accepting the statements 
of an originator or introducer for a thing unless he is 
known to be a man of honor and integrity.” 
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The Cabinet.—One of our subscribers, after receiving 
a few numbers of The Cabinet, thus expresses her 
opinion: “ I have already received more valuable infor¬ 
mation from your reliable journal than from a book on 
floriculture for which I paid $1.50, and I know from ex¬ 
perience that I would have been more successful with my 
flowers had I subscribed sooner.” We are constantly 
receiving letters of a similar character. We cannot no¬ 
tice all or even a small part of them without encroaching 
on the space which justly belongs to our subscribers, and 
which we fill with such information about plants and their 
culture that makes The Cabinet so truly valuable. 
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Tuberoses Again.—A correspondent at Spartensburg, 
S. C., writes us “that in June number of Floral Cabi¬ 
net the editor says it is difficult for an inexperienced 
person to select bulbs of tuberoses certain to flower. As 
I make the growing of them a specialty, and have read 
much and examined them closely, I think I can teach 
any one how to be certain on the subject. First—Buy 
bulbs of those only who have facilities for keeping them 
at the proper temperature. Second—It is best not to buy 
until ready to plant; if you must buy, put them in a 
warm, frost-proof closet, for if the bulbs get chilled they 
will not be perceptibly injured, but the heart (the unde¬ 
veloped flower-bud) will be, and failure of bloom will 
surely result. But you can utilize such bulbs to obtain 
more sets, which will eventually grow to blooming bulbs. 
(Northern States in three seasons; here at the South the 
next year after planting). Third—Before planting, take 
each bulb and pinch the top out carefully; if not injured, 
you will see at once a fresh, pure white heart, but if the 
bulb has been injured, a dark-brown, threadlike line down 
its entire centre will be seen. When this is the case no 
blooms should be expected. 
I see it is now asserted by some, notably Josiah 
Hoopes, in New York Tribune, that it is a mistaken 
notion that one bloom is all a bulb can yield. He says 
“ he has tested carefully their capacity to bloom continu¬ 
ously for a succession of years, and the spikes were pro¬ 
duced regularly, but a marked diminution was plainly 
perceptible ; ” and an amateur grower claims that he has 
produced two separate flowerings in the satne year from 
one bulb. The period of flowering can be advanced 
considerably by potting in four-inch pots. I did about 
one hundred in this way last February, and to-day (July 
8) the flower spikes are to be seen. I also delayed plant¬ 
ing many until June, and these, I hope, will furnish me 
with an abundance of flowers when the cold is well upon 
us. The advantages of the climate here can hardly be 
appreciated at the North, it is so very different. Last 
September I bedded out thousands of narcissi, which by 
May 1 were not only done flowering, but sufficiently 
ripened to be taken up and tuberoses planted in their 
place; these, by October 15, will be ready to lift, which 
prepares the ground again for fall planting of hardy 
bulbs. 
Books, &c„ Received. 
Mushrooms of America : Edible and Poisonous. By Julius 
A. Palmer, Jr. Published by L. Prang & Co., Boston, 
Mass. 
The cultivation of mushrooms as articles of food is now 
carried on to a considerable extent in this country, where 
they are found in almost unlimited numbers in our mea¬ 
dows and roadsides. It is safe to say that a large pro¬ 
portion of our people are deterred from eating them be¬ 
cause of the difficulty of distinguishing the poisonous 
from the edible sorts, and from the many accidents that 
have occurred from eating the former. Messrs. Prang & 
Co. are entitled to the thanks of the multitude for the 
publication of their chart, which will enable the most 
casual observer to distinguish at a glance the two sorts, 
and select with perfect safety the wholesome varieties. 
The work consists of two charts, containing twelve 
chromo-lithographic illustrations (eight edible and four 
poisonous) of twenty-eight species of the most common 
mushrooms, with full directions to distinguish them and 
to prepare them for the table. Price, $2. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Paeonies— Mrs. E. G. Buries .—We cannot say what 
causes the buds to drop from your paeonies; there are 
many causes for such results. Insect depredations oft- 
times destroy them. We have known them to blight; 
why, we cannot say. They frequently drop their buds 
for a year or two after removal, and the cause is often 
the want of proper root action. Time is your best rem¬ 
edy. They should have a heavy soil, and remain undis¬ 
turbed for many years. 
Mulching— Same .—Mulching is placing mulch, or long, 
moist stable litter, upon the surface of the soil over the 
roots of newly-planted shrubs or trees to prevent too 
rapid evaporation. Leaves, straw or marsh hay are also 
employed for the same purpose. Mulching has a double 
purpose, that of retaining moisture, and also for prevent¬ 
ing frost from penetrating to the roots. For this pur¬ 
pose newly-fallen leaves and clean straw are valuable, as 
both are poor conductors of heat. When rapid growth 
is desirable, the mulch should be removed at times in 
bright sunshine, that the soil may become heated; for, if 
deeply mulched, the leaves may be enjoying the climate 
of the equator, while the roots are nearly as cold as if at 
the poles. 
Mulching is of greater importance in horticulture than 
