74 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
place when it does not harmonize with its surroundings. 
Lilies rarely look well when mixed with other forms, 
and there are scarcely two varieties of these that look- 
well in the same vase. For large vases each class or 
variety should be used singly, with sufficient foliage to 
form a proper natural contrast. With the Lilium Can- 
didum, the most beautiful and pure of all known Lilies, 
a few sprays of Delphinium formosum makes a pleas¬ 
ing contrast, and for foliage in combination with these 
there is nothing equal to the more delicate species of 
Ferns; if these cannot be obtained, the Asparagus, used 
sparingly, produces a pleasing effect. For church 
decorations there can be no arrangement more chaste, 
beautiful or appropriate than this. Later in the season 
the Lilium Lancifolium Prajcox can be used in the 
same maimer, and with very nearly the same effect. 
White and green, happily blended, is the best possible 
arrangement. Where flowers are to be seen at a great 
distance, then the flowers should be large and distinct, 
and in tall vases with some drooping plant to relieve 
the vase, like the Passifloria or German Ivy : the vase 
should always stand in a mass of Ferns or Lily of the 
Valley. For the same purpose Gladioli make a beau¬ 
tiful display, and in their arrangement harmony of 
Color is of the greatest importance. Where flowers are 
to be seen at a distance, the whito and scarlet or crimson 
varieties only should be used ; theso colors can be used 
singly or together. For foliage, either Ferns, Asparagus 
or Carrot leaves can be used with good effect; [in 
Autumn, we know of nothing that adds more grace to 
a vase of flowers than Carrot leaves, and we use them 
very largely. The Eulalia Japonicn and Zebrina har¬ 
monize well with the Gladiolus, and for large displays it 
is the best for foliage of anything wo have tried. 
For a basket of flowers in their season, for any pur* 
pose whatever, whether for the platform or the parlor, 
there is nothing more beautiful than Apple blossoms; 
these should not be mixed with any other flowers. Cut 
such as aro just opening, arrange in such a manner that 
your basket resembles a miniature Apple tree, and your 
arrangement is perfect. If the Viola Pedata can be ob¬ 
tained, place the basket in a mass of these flowers with 
their own leaves as foliage, and the effect will bo very 
pleasing. 
The proper arrangement of flowers may be stated in a 
few words: Never put more than three varieties or 
colors in the same vase or bouquet, and let those colors 
be such as perfectly harmonize. Arrange the flowers so 
that each one can be seen entire. In all your arrange¬ 
ments, imitate nature in hers. 
' FLOWERS. 
Oh 1 they looked upward in every place 
Through this beautiful world of ours. 
And dear as a smile on an old friend’s face 
Is the smile of the bright, bright flowers ! 
They tell us of wanderings by woods and streams. 
They tell us of lanes and trees ; 
But the children of showers and sunny beams 
Have lovelier tales than these. 
They tell of a season when men were not, 
When earth was by angels trod. 
And leaves and flowers in every spot 
Burst forth at the call of God ; 
When spirits singing their hymns at even, 
Wandered by wood and glade, 
And the Lord looked down from the highest heaven 
And blessed what he had made. 
That blessing remaineth upon them still. 
Though often the storm-cloud lowers, 
And frequent tempests may soil and chill 
The gayest of earth’s flowers. 
When Sin and Death, with their sister Grief, 
Made a home in the hearts of men, 
The blessing of God on each tender leaf 
Preserved in their beauty then. 
The Lily is lovely as when it slept 
On the waters of Eden’s lake ; 
The Woodbine breathes sweetly as when it crept 
In Eden from brake to brake. 
They were left as the proof of the loveliness 
Of Adam and Eve’s first home : 
They are here as a type of the joys that bless 
The just in the world to come. 
—[Selected. 
GARDENING IN THE EVENING OF LIFE. 
I WOULD recommend to every man, especially in the 
autumn of his life, to take to gardening if he has not 
already experienced its pleasures. Of all occupations 
in the world, it is the one which best combines repose 
and activity. It is rest in work, and work in rest. It 
is not idleness; it is not stagnation ; and yet it is per¬ 
fect quietude. Like all things mortal, it has its failures 
and its disappointments, and there are some things hard 
to understand. But it is never without its rewards, 
and, perhaps, if there were nothing but successful 
cultivation, the aggregate enjoyment would be less. It 
is better for the occasional shadows that come over the 
scene. The discipline, too, is most salutary. It tries 
our patience and tries our faith. But even in the worst 
of seasons there is far more to reward and encourage, 
than to dishearten and disappoint. There is no day in 
the year without something to afford tranquil pleasure 
to the cultivator of flowers, something on which the 
mind may rest—rest with profit and delight .—Ccrnliill 
Magazine. 
