THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
273 
nnpkin on his eyelids; but to the humble and reverent 
are all things revealed;” and so, of a truth, has the 
knowledge of the florist been as a mote to him in the 
development of the Chrysanthemum. As a proof of 
this, tlio Dahlia has been taken out of his hands by 
tlio public, who insist upon having single forms, not to 
the exclusion, be it noted, of double kinds, but as an 
addition to them. And now the public insist upon hav¬ 
ing single or Daisy-flowered Chrysanthemums, single 
Pyrethrums, single Camellias, single Eanunculuses, 
and single Anemones. I do not say that the florist has 
been altogether wrong, but that his “criteria ” were too 
narrow, and his sympathies too restricted, is generally 
admitted. Let us hope the day of globes and circles, 
the cart-wheel typo of beauty, is over, and that we may 
grow the Chrysanthemum in all its forms untrammeled 
by the globular theory of beauty. An old friend said 
to mo the other day, “I have often wondered 
why florists always favored double Chrysanthemums 
and double Dahlias, while they repudiated double 
Tulips or double Auriculas.” He did not blame 
them for growing their flowers in such forms as 
gave them greatest pleasure, but he blamed them as 
false prophets, who denounced all that floral beauty 
which, as a class, they could not themselves enjoy. 
We grant the florist Ins flowers, but we refuse his gospel 
of globe and circle, feeliug that flowers of all kinds 
have a higher purpose than to be made artificial. 
I have said so much, because no other flower with 
which I am acquainted has suffered from the florist's 
labors as has this, our favorite Chrysanthemum. Now. 
however, it is pleasant to know that we have growers 
who, as just stated, are most anxious to secure single 
or Daisy-flowered kinds, bright and rich in color. This 
is quite a new field, and a most fertile one, nor need it 
lead to the exclusion of the more plethoric varieties, 
whether of the Chinese or Japanese races. Speaking to 
a large grower of single-flowered Dahlias the other day, 
he told me that the advent of the single varieties, so far 
from supplanting the double kinds, had actually in¬ 
creased their sale, and we have no doubt that single 
Chrysanthemums will, instead of superseding the double 
kinds, only help to make them even more popular than 
at present, just as loreign imports of fruit and vege¬ 
tables lead to a greater home production of the same 
products.— The Garden (London). 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Smilax, (Myrsipliyllum). — Belle Cobb,Indian Territory. 
So many enquiries have been made in regard to the 
history and cultivation oif' this plant, that a passing 
notice seems insufficient to answer all the queries, 
hence we have taken from Henderson’s “Handbook of 
Plants” the following concise article, which will, we 
think, give all the desired information : 
“ill. asparagoides, the well-known Smilax of the 
florist, is a native of various parts of the Cape of Good 
Hope. It was first introduced into England in 1702. but 
was soon discarded. It was again introduced by Mr. 
Cooper about 1861, who sent it to Kew, where it flow¬ 
ered, and from whence it was disseminated. It is now 
one of the essentials of a florist’s stock ; in fact, it is of 
greater importance than any one flower, if we except 
the Rose. It is of easy culture, as may be inferred from 
the fact that it is treated in about as many different 
ways as there are growers. The seed should be sow i in 
the greenhouse in boxes of light rich soil, in January 
or early in February. As soon , as the plants are three 
inches high, prick them out first into shallow boxes, and 
again into thuiub-pots when established, and grow on 
in any convenient place, even partially under benches, 
where little else would grow. When required, shift in¬ 
to a three-inch pot, and grow on until about the first of 
August, and then plant out in the bed where they are to 
grow, at about six inches from plant to plant, and twelve 
inches between the rows. This is about the right dis¬ 
tance when strings of six or nine feet are used to train 
on; if longer strings are desired, the plants should be 
set farther apart. By the first of January following, it 
will have made a growth of eight or ten feet, and be 
ready for cutting. A second growth will at once com¬ 
mence, and be ready for- cutting by March or April. 
When the crop has been cut, give it a partial rest, clean 
the bed off, enrich with a light top-dressing, and put up 
the strings for the next year’s growth, which v ill com¬ 
mence in August or September. When growing freely 
it may be liberally supplied with manure-water once a 
week and syringed once a day. . . . One important 
caution in growing Smilax must be given: it will not 
stand tobacco, nor any otber kind of smoke or gas, the 
leaves quickly getting yellow. If infested by the aphis 
(green-fly), tobacco must be used in the liquid state, by 
steeping the stems until the water is the color of strong 
tea. When other plants in the same house with Smilax 
require to be fumigated, to save the Smilax from injury, 
it should first be freely syringed, as the smoke will then 
not hurt the leaves. The same plan should be used with 
Heliotrope, or any other plant the leaves of which are 
susceptible to injury by fumigation.” 
As a house-plant, Smilax cannot be successfully used, 
as nearly all the conditions of growth are unfavorable 
to it ; and it is for that reason we have given so much 
space to its cultivation in this article. 
Lilium Auratum—A friend sends us a notice of 
double-flowering Lilium Auratum, and asks if it is not 
rare, valuable, and hence desirable. We answer, No, 
simply because the flower is not double in the sense 
that the Camellia or the Rose is double. It is simply a 
monstrosity, or more properly, a twin-flower, having a 
double set of stamens, pistils and petals. With us, they 
are quite common, but never constant, as the plant will 
not produce the same flowers two years in succession. 
Every flower about the house certifies to the refine¬ 
ment of somebody. Every vine, climbing and blossom- 
i lg, tells of love and joy. 
