170 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
treduction, however, the Phlox has been greatly im¬ 
proved in size, form and texture, and the colored plates 
published at that time bear but little resemblance to the 
large and almost perfect flowers of the present day, 
the latest improvement being of American origin, viz.: 
Vicks new Double "White, a very fine robust half dwarf 
variety, very desirable for cutting, nearly all coming 
true from seed. Although the Phlox is an American 
plant, we must acknowledge our indebtedness to the 
European florists for the wonderful improvement in the 
size, form and texture of the flower, and this has been 
carried on to such au extent of late that it has been 
necessary to divide them into three classes or sections, 
viz.: Drummondii, Grandijiora or large-flowering sec¬ 
tion. and the new dwarf, Xana Compact a. 
Xo annual can equal the Phlox, or produce a more 
magnificent display than a bed of the mixed varieties 
which will give an endless variety of colors, and pro¬ 
duce a dazzling display of flowers from June until frost, 
and a very fine effect can be obtained by planting each 
color in a separate bed or in ribbon lines, its constant 
profusion of bloom making it very desirable for this 
purpose. When selecting plants for a ribbon bed get 
good contrasts of colors, as white, scarlet, red. and pur¬ 
ple. The plants generally come true from seed, so if a 
plant is of the wrong color, it can be easily removed, 
and the place will be soon filled, as the Phlox grows 
rapidly when it has plenty of room—the ease with 
which the plants can be cultivated, and the moderate 
rate at which the seeds can be obtained being additional 
points in its favor, and place it within the reach of 
almost every person. 
The Phlox is a plant easily cultivated, requiring a 
moderately enriched deep soil, and the plants when 
placed where they are to bloom should be set about a 
foot apart, for if closer they are liable to mildew. In 
order to obtain good strong plants, which, by the way, 
is an essential point; the seeds should be sown very 
thinly in shallow boxes of light rich soil, in a gentle 
hot bed or warm greenhouse about the middle of April, 
and as soon as the plants arc strong enough to handle 
they should be transplanted into other boxes (similarly 
prepared), placing them three or four inches apart each 
way: keep the young plants close until they become 
well established, afterwards gradually harden off and 
plant out when all danger of frost is over; pinch out 
the leader in order to obtain stocky plants, and do not 
permit the plants to become drawn before they are 
planted out. 
The seed can also be sown in a cold frame about the. 
end of April, or on a nicely prepared border about the 
tenth of May, but then it will not flower so early. 
This Phlox varies in color from dark scarlet to pure 
white, but for the benefit of those who desire a few of 
the most distinct varieties, I will describe some of the 
best. 
Flore a Wo —Pure white. 
AWo occidata —White purple eye. 
Isabellina —Light dull yellow. 
Atrococcin nea —Dark scarlet. 
Atropurpurea —Dark purple. 
Rosen—Bright rose. 
JRadoiritzi —Rose striped white. 
Fadoicitzi ciolacea —Violet striped white, and of the 
grandiflora section. 
Splendens —Bright scarlet with a large white eye, the 
finest variety and very constant. 
Coccinnca —Scarlet, large and splendid. 
Elegans —Margin from rose to crimson, with a very 
large round white centre. 
Phlox Drummondii Heynoldii and its varieties are of 
dwarf and compact habit, attaining a height of six or 
eight inches. They do not do well in the open air. but 
make the prettiest pot-plants imaginable. 
The new dwarf section (Xana compacta) is of more 
robust growth, and does best grown in the open air. It 
is of dwarf and compact habit. The most desirable of 
its varieties are, Coccinnea, light scarlet; Fireball, 
bright scarlet, and Snowball, white. 
Chas. E. Parnell. 
THE WONDERS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 
Remarkable Trees —( Continued ). 
The Plane Tree (Platinus orientalis) is a tree of noble 
growth, in many respects resembling our common Syca¬ 
more. It is a native of the Levant and of the temperate 
portions of Asia, and is commonly planted in this 
country as an ornamental and roadside tree. It is one 
of the largest trees of the Old World. Pliny relates that 
in his time there existed a celebrated Plane tree in 
Lycia, the hollow trunk of which formed a kind of 
grotto, measuring 00 feel in circumference, its branch¬ 
ing arms resembling a little forest; the branches com¬ 
passing it covered an immense space of ground. The 
hollow of the trunk was carpeted with moss, which 
gave it still more the appearance of a natural grotto. 
Licinius Mercianus, the Roman Governor of Lycia, gave 
a feast in this grotto to eighteen guests. Pliny men¬ 
tions another Plane tree which the Emperor Caligula 
found in the neighborhood of Veletria, the branches of 
which were so disposed as to form a grotto of natural 
verdure, in which the emperor dined with fifteen per¬ 
sons. Although the Emperor occupied a part of the 
tree alone, the guests were all quite at then ease, and 
the slaves were able to perform their offices with perfect 
convenience. De Candolle, in his “ Physiologie Vege¬ 
tate,” records the statement of a modern traveler in the 
East, to the effect, that in the valley of the Bussekdure, 
three leagues from Constantinople, there exists a Plane 
tree 100 feet in height, the trunk of which was 170 feet 
in circumference. The trunk presented an excavation 
of 80 feet in circumference. Its shadow extended over 
000 feet square. 
Conspicuous among historic trees, is the famous 
CHESTNUT TREE 
of Mount Etna, called in Sicily the “ Chestnut of a 
Hundred Horses,” which is reported to be 170 feet in 
circumference. Jean Houel gives the history and di- 
