THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
361 
eagle was particularly attended to during the ceremony 
of the rites, it being considered so ominous as to predict 
the certain death of the person who took up the plant 
in the course of the year. In digging up the roots of 
some species of Hellebore, it was thought necessary to 
eat garlic previously, to counteract the effluvia of the 
plant; yet we find the root was afterwards dried and 
pounded to dust and snuffed up in the nostrils in the 
manner of snuff, as it is related that when Carneades 
undertook to answer the books of Geno, he sharpened 
his wit, and quickened his spirit, by purging his head 
with powdered Hellebore. 
No. 1 in our illustration is the only one cul¬ 
tivated as an ornamental flowering plant, and is com¬ 
monly known as the Christmas Rose, from the fact of 
its flowers being produced at that time. When planted 
in the open border in this latitude, it will rarely be in 
flower at that time. If grown in a frame it will be 
true to its name, and flower freely during the Christmas 
holidays, and, in fact, until nearly spring, and is one of 
the most attractive plants we cultivate ; not only be" 
cause it blooms in the garden when all other flowers 
have gone, but because it is really a very beautiful plant, 
attractive both in foliage and flower, and would at any 
season be welcome in the garden. The leaves are pedate, 
dark green, and shining ; the flowers rise directly from 
the root on foot-stalks about four inches long, are single, 
pure white, or tinged with green or pink, and from one 
to two inches in diameter, and full of bright golden 
stamens. It is necessary in our climate to cover the plant 
with a small frame to keep the snow from crushing the 
flowers; no cold will injure them; if gathered when 
frozen hard they will bloom out beautifully. The plant 
is perennial, succeeds well in common garden soil, in a 
shaded situation, but it must be where it will not dry 
up in summer. It is propagated by division of the root, 
but, except for propogation, it should not be disturbed 
when once planted, as it is much weakened by trans¬ 
planting. This is the best and hardiest species, but 
some of the others are very ornamental. 
H. lividus. The Livid Hellebore is a native of Corsica, 
and is sometimes cultivated. Its leaves are evergreen, 
composed of three leaflets, serrated on the margin, and 
those of the stem have sometimes a dilated leaf-like 
peteole. It would he more generally grown, but from 
the fact of its being difficult to propagate since it has 
not the creeping underground stem of the other species, 
and the seeds do not ripen well. 
Grouped with the two varieties of Hellebore shown 
in our illustration is the Trollius or Globe Flower. 
This is a genus of hardy herbacious plants closely 
allied to our common Buttercups, it derives its name 
from the old German word tree or trolheu, signify¬ 
ing round, on account of the globular shape of 
the flowers. Tins shape is most remarkable in the 
European Globe Flower—Fig. 3 of our illustration. 
This is a native of Great Britain and other parts 
of Europe, and has long been a favorite in gardens. 
The flower stem is erect and branched, each branch 
terminating in a single flower, these are at first small 
but gradually become larger, though without opening. 
The leaves appear palmate, so deeply are they cleft into 
five distinct lobes. This plant never improves by cul¬ 
tivation ; and those species which have been propagated 
from others kept in gardens for a great many years, 
produce flowers exactly similar to those which are found 
wild in the meadows. In gardens the Globe Flower will 
grow in any soil or situation, but prefers one that is 
somew-liat moist and shady. It is readily propagated 
by seeds or by division of the root. 
WILD FLOWERS IN TEXAS. 
I do not think any State can boast of more beautiful 
flowers than our ow T n fair Texas. For six years I have 
gathered botanical specimens from our prairies and 
river-bottoms, and every spring and summer find new 
treasures, something that seems to me wonderful, com¬ 
ing as it does from Nature alone. Now a flower-lover, 
who plants the little seeds and watches with tender love 
for the first signs of their germination, is on the 
qui vive all the time as he waits for the fulfillment of 
his hopes, and, in the meantime, cares for his little 
plants tenderly each day until at last they burst forth in 
all their beauty, and he feels repaid a thousandfold for 
all attention given them; but as we walk over our 
prairies, or along the rivers, we notice with pleasuro the 
beautiful green carpet spread about us over which the 
Mosquite bushes are scattered; we find the Prickly-peai" 
in bloom, also Turk’s-head, which is abundant around 
us. Verbenas greet you in all directions, begging not 
to be stepped upon. We see daily many of these beau¬ 
tiful blossoms, but when we come across something 
entirely new to us -we look upon it with wonderment 
and our hearts are filled with delight, and yet, why 
should we wonder ? There is a Hand that sowed these 
seedlings, feeds them, gives them drink and cares for 
them more tenderly than we can. 
During the summer I discovered in a pile of rocks a 
beautiful vine crawling over rocks and stones, grasses 
and pebbles, blossoming as abundantly as if tended in 
some loved garden. The blossoms were a lovely mix¬ 
ture of pink and buff, resembling in shape a Nasturtium. 
I marked the spot so that I might save the seed, for it 
certainly is a native Texan. I also found a beautiful 
specimen of Moss which differed from any I had ever 
known. It is branched similar to Portulacca, only 
much finer, and some of the branches are two feet long. 
It blooms in July and August, and the blossoms are 
little red cups set upright so that they can fill them¬ 
selves with sunshine. I found it in a flat mass of 
gravel, pebbles, etc., where there seemed to be nothing 
to nourish it. The seeds are similar to what is here 
called “ sandburrs,” which, by the way, are the most 
detestable “ stickers” known, are round, and when ripe 
have tiny, dark-colored horns on all sides. Breaking one 
of these burrs open, I found it filled with a substance 
resembling a hazel-nut. The question is now, how- 
should they be planted? should this outside shell be re- 
