204 
showing a marked improvement in this flower 
introduction, not only as regards form and 
distinctness of color. For Autumn flowers no n ^ ggg 
passes a good collection of this common annual. 
Verbenas, Phloxes and miscellaneous cut Ao"'®” ' 
in moderate profusion. One very fine display of P6 
Gradiflora variegata was noticeable. 
In bouquets and floral designs the display was no ■ 
large as usual, but was very good.. Conspicuous m u 
class was a Placque set on an easel covered with 
and Smilax, giving it a graceful, airy appearance. ® 
centre of the Placque was of yellow Cluysanthemu^j 
or wliat is termed yeilow Marguerites; in the centix, 
parched on a stick, were two owls made of blue Agera 
turn, presenting as ne,xrly a natural appearance as any 
work of art could be made to do. Tms Placque was set 
in a frame of crimson Carnations, oraameated with 
choice roses aud rare vines. A companion piece was a 
yacht in full sail in a sea of Lycopodium, densum, the 
border of which was a mass of Tea and other Roses 
arranged with the most perfect taste. The hull of the 
yacht was of crimson Carnations, the deck of yellow 
Chrysanthemums, bordered with violets; the sails were 
of paper covered with florets of Pampas Grass. 
There was also a flue display of greenhouse and other 
plants, prominent among which we noticed several 
choice colleetions of Ferns and Lycopodiums, Agaves, 
Crotons, Coleus, Geraniums, Carnations, Alooasias, 
Palms, Dracaenas, Begonias, etc., etc. We were particu¬ 
larly weU pleased with some fine specimens of Jasminiun 
Hirsutum, an old favorite, now coming into notice, 
having been laid aside many years to make room for 
plants greatly inferior in all the points that constitute 
a desirable plant. 
vate them with their own hands, simply for the 
the pursuit' affords. 
This is a move in tiro right du-ection, one that cann- 
but encourage and stimulate the cultivation of 
and flowei-s to a vei-j' great extent. *3 
In the floral department of the exhibition, there wa,, 
a far better display tlian urn have ever seen at any e J 
bition of our State Agricultm-al Society. 
The Longest-Spurred Columbine. 
Aquileoia Longissima. 
This is a new Columbine, a native of the mountanis of 
Northern Mexico, where it was first discovered, in 1880 
by Dr. Edward Palmer. Dr. Palmer secured dried 
specimens for the herbarium and seeds for the garden 
here, and from those seeds I liave raised several plants, 
some of which are now in flower. I raise my Colum- 
bines in Spring from seed, transplant them in cold 
framis in M.iy, and leave them there till the succeeding 
Spring, when I transplant them to their blooming quar¬ 
ters. This new Columbine shared the same treatment 
with sevei-al others, and judging by how bravely it has 
come through the Winter, I have not found it to be in 
any way more tender than any otlier Columbine. 
It belongs to .the Chrysantha or Golden Columbine 
section, and appears somewhat like that species in habit 
of growth, color and form of flowei-s, and time of bloom¬ 
ing. It appears to be less robust and profuse than the 
Golden Columbine, and not so good a decorative plant. 
It began to blossom in July, and it is stiU (August 24) in 
bloom, but at no time did it have a full crop of flowers 
on it, nor has it “ set ” a seed. The flowers are yeUow, 
more open than those of Chrysantha, and odd-looking, 
on account of then- very long, slender spurs, which hang 
down like frin.ge, or rather like dodder tlu-eads. They 
are quite pretty, too, but liable to damage by wind, 
sunshine or rain; in fact, they ai'e so long, slender and 
inuch-in-the-way, as it were, that they are apt tq be in¬ 
jured before they are properly developed. On our culti¬ 
vated plants the spurs vary in length from to 6 
inches, but on the wild specimens in the herbaidum they 
are much longer. 
Beyond the few plants that have been raised here, a 
few of which we have distributed, there are no others 
n cultivation, and slioidd we fail to secure seeds from 
home-grown plants, I fear it may continue to be a very 
scarce plant. Tlie following description of this Colum¬ 
bine is by Serene Watson, in Vol. xvii. of the Proceed¬ 
ings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: 
“ Aquileoia Longissima.— Grey in herb; somewhat 
pubescent, with sUky hail’s; stem three feet high J 
leaves deeply lobed with narrow segments, glaucous 
beneath, green above ; flowers ‘lake, white and straw 
color;’ the lanceolate segments broadly spreading, 
to 15 lines long; the petals spatulate, about 9 lines long i 
the claw opening by a naixow orifice into the very sis® 
■ der elongated spur, which is 4 inches long or more, 
the Caracol Mountains, south of Monolova, Coab 
--- amateurs. Of the and A. Chnjsantha, but 
prizes fully thres-fourtlis were awarded to ladies fL * gashed from both by the narrower petals and 
most of which fell into the hands of those who constected mouth of the much more elongated spw- 
^“ 1 “- w. Falconer. 
Fertilizing Moss. 
The Dnmssnfl Fertilizing Moss Co., seem to think 
we do not put a proper estimate on their moss, when, 
in fact, we have not made an estimate on it at aU. We 
simply said, growing plants in fertilized moss was nothing 
new, neither is there any secret in regard to its prepara¬ 
tion. We stUl say so, and would refer the Company, or 
any others interested, to the experiments just made by 
Peter Henderson, Esq., the results of which were that 
plants of the same kind grown in the new (?) patent, in 
moss and bone-dust mixed, and in soil, all grown side 
by side, under precisely the same conditions, did not 
thrive any better under the one than the other. AVe 
wish to say, f ui’ther, that we examined one of the pots at 
the American Institute, and found soil mixed with the 
moss, and are of the opinion that it did not injure the 
plant in the least. 
Country Fairs. 
We are pleased to notice the encouragement given to 
those who gi’ow flowei-s for their inti’lnsic worth, by the 
directors of the various agricultural societies. At the 
Queens County New York Fair, held at Mineola on the 
26th, 27th and 28th of Sept., there were nearly four hun¬ 
dred dollars in prizes offered for flowers and plants, one^ 
half of which was exclusively for amateurs. 
