TIIE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
223 
king’s chamber, which he was pacing in one of his peri¬ 
odical fits of melancholy. “Behold the new flower of 
the Phillipines,” she cried, as her husband welcomed 
her with a fond embrace. “I have kept the best for 
you; tho other you shall present to-night to Rozalez, 
who plays so well in ‘ Ciuna ’ at tho Theatre del Prin¬ 
cipe.” 
* * * 
Attar of Roses is prepared by distillation of the petals 
in Persia, India, and other Eastern countries, whence it 
is exported in small vials. It is very costly, and is often 
adulterated; it is often called olio of Roses. That of 
Adriauoplc is called the best. 
it 
* * 
In the white sand of tlieErgent Mountains, atSarepta, 
Asiatic Russia, are found some curious stones. They 
have round, cylindrical and target-shaped forms, and 
range in size from lumps smaller than walnuts to masses 
of more than fourteen inches in length, and from two 
to seven in thickness. Each of the cylindrical stones, 
which are often forked and root-like in appearance, is 
found to contain a brown kernel with a white spot in 
the centre. These singular formations have perplexed 
many persons, including Alexander von Humboldt, who, 
while declaring the stones to be of recent date, could 
not explain their origin. Alex Becker now believes that 
he can with certainty assert that they have been pro 
duced around roots of plants containing milky juice" 
Several such plants grow abundantly in the white sand, 
Tite long roots are lacerated by insects, and the milky 
fluid flows continually from the wounds, sticking 
the chalky sand firmly around the roots. In time the 
roots die and disappear, leaving in their places white, 
often hollow kernels, together with the brown color of 
the root-cortex. The round and target-shaped stones, 
only few of which have a brown kernel, may have 
formed where the milky fluid ran away into the sand. 
* 
* * 
Postal regulations and fees are an ever new, ever old 
topic of wonderment. Our subscribers in Canada can 
make remittances to us in registered letter's for a five- 
cent fee for registry, whilst a registered letter from the 
United States to Canada costs a ten-cent registry fee. 
Under the new postal rate for letters, going into effect 
next October, a letter to Canada will cost but two cents, 
while a letter from Canada will cost three cents. In 
sending out our premium seeds and bulbs to supply a 
Canadian subscriber, postage costs ten cents, whereas, 
those in Great Britain are sent at a cost of but one cent, 
and those sent to South Africa cost but four cents. 
•!r 
* * 
The Grammanthes, an interesting succulent herba¬ 
ceous plant, for rockwork, derives its name from gram¬ 
ma, writing, and anlhos, a flower ; marks like V being 
on the corolla. A strange coincidence, from the fact of 
the plants belonging to the 5tli Class, and 5th Order, 
Peutandria-Peutogijina) of the Linnrean system. 
* 
* « 
Among the concessions recently granted by the Mexi¬ 
can Government, is one which allows Louis Legorreta 
and Arthur Mayer to gather for ten year's the Cactus or 
Maguey plant on Government lands. These persons 
must establish in the country within two year's a paper 
and textile mill in which the Cactus leaf is to be used, 
and for each such mill erected at a cost of not less than 
$150,000 the Government will give a premium of $30,000. 
The plant is said to be so abundant that the industry- 
can be extended almost without limit. 
* " * 
A feature of vegetation in Australia is the number of 
distinct species to be found. There are more than 
10,000 species of flowering plants, being more than can 
be found in the whole continent of Europe. The high¬ 
est tree in the world, being 480 feet in height, was found 
in Australia, and trees are frequently seen there now 
which are more than 400 feet in height. 
* “ » 
A great many children have puzzled themselves over¬ 
tire surname of the royal family, and indeed, it is a 
question that older people have failed to answer satis¬ 
factorily; but a writer in The Whitehall Review seems 
to have settled the question, and says: 
“At dinner the other night the conversation lapsed, 
as it sometimes will lapse with the best, into ques¬ 
tions hardly distinguishable from conundrums. A 
celebrated historian was present, and I put a question 
to him which I know has puzzled a great many people 
at different times: ‘What is the surname of the royal 
family?’ ‘Guelph, of course.’ That is the usual 
answer, and it was the historian’s. I ventured to 
suggest, that although the royal family are Guelphs 
by descent, her majesty’s marriage until Priiice Albert 
of Saxe-Cobourg must have the effect which the mar¬ 
riage of a lady has in all other cases, and that the 
surname of the present house must be the Prince 
Consort’s. But what is the surname of the Prince 
Consort’s family? Simple, but staggering. No one 
knew. All guessed, ‘and all were wrong. I hap¬ 
pened to have looked up the subject a few months ago, 
so I knew that the name was ‘ Wettin.’ Of course no 
one had heard it before. Every one smiled at the hor¬ 
rible idea of the Guelphs being reduced to Wettins! 
Tlie point was referred to Theodore Martin. ‘ You are 
quite right,’ said the graceful biographer of the Prince 
Consort. ‘Wettin is the family name of the house of 
Saxony, to whom the dominion of Saxony came in the 
year 1420. The king of Saxony and the minor princes 
of the house are, therefore, all Wettins; or, German, 
Wetner.’ ” 
» * # 
Weeds should never be permitted to get an inch high. 
Go over the garden beds with a steel rake as often as 
once a week. The labor will be more than repaid by the 
increased growth of the crop, and the weeds will never 
make their appearance. The labor will be far less than 
is required to clear out wfeeds after they have grown 
several inches, and have checked and partly spoiled the 
crop. ' 
* 
* » 
Cultivate frogs, toads and lizards. Put them in your 
gardens, and as the evening approaches they will hop 
from their hiding-places and snuggle down in some 
convenient spot near the gutter, or where they know 
their food will come plentifully. The ants, roaches, 
mosquitoes, etc,, they consume in the night is marvel¬ 
ous, and thus they keep down the insect pests. 
* 
* * 
If you have neighbors interested in floriculture, send 
us their ' names for] simple copy of the Flobai, 
Cabinet. 
