THE LADIES^ FLORAL CABINET. 
203L 
• • t non, rule at all to our taste, owing to the fact ern gardening. At Allegheny Park an immense amoimt 
mg IS not, as a ' jg go poo^iy ti,is work is done; more than one himdred and 
thatma largo maw ^^oadmassesofstrikingcolors, plants are used annually, and thework wso 
vdtti hut very little regal’d for hai-mony, constitutes mod- well done, that art is almost lost sight of; Mr. Hamilto n 
A Ccnious Vase. 
is a true artist, and makes evei-ything seem perfectly 
natiu-al. We figure one, or a poi-tion of one, of his beds, 
composed of ordinary bedding plants, but so arranged 
as to appear to the beholder, standing but a few feet 
distant, to be an upright vase, filled with growing 
plants, when in fact, what appears to be the vase is but 
a mass of Echeverias in variety, but a few inches high; 
and what appears tall-groiving plants are various bed¬ 
ding plants arranged to produce the effect described ; so 
perfectly is tliis work done, that when the deception is 
discovered, the beholder, by again stepping back a few 
feet, will again see the upright vase with its rare grow¬ 
ing plants. There are many other objects in the park 
equally astonishing: and it is conceded by those well 
qualified to speak on such subjects, the finest ornamen¬ 
tal gardening in this country.—E d;] 
AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 
Horticultuhal Department. 
The Fifty-first Annual Exlubition of the American 
Institute is now being held at their Hall, embracing the 
block bounded by the Second and Third avenues and 
63d and G4th streets. New York ; and, we should judge, 
the number and variety of exhibits are superior to any 
of the preceding years. The Horticultui-al department, 
at the present time, is pai’ticularly interesting, the show 
of flowers being far more extensive than we are accus¬ 
tomed to see at the monthly meetings of the New York 
Horticultural Society. Conspicuous among the cut 
flowers was a very flue display of Gladiolus, many new 
and very beautiful sorts, seedlings, from the nurseries 
of the most prominent grower’s in this country. It is a 
rare thing to see so many perfect flowers of this class, 
so late in the season; they can, however, be had by late 
plantings, in favorable seasons. To have Gladiolus in 
October, good, strong, healthy bulbs should be set aside, 
and hot planted until the middle of July; then, if the 
elements are kindly disposed, much larger and finer 
blooms will be obtained than from the early plantings. 
The Dahlia, now in its perfection, contributed largely 
to the exhibition. There were several large exhibits, each 
embracing some fifty or more of the most beautiful 
soi’ts kno-wn to the trade. The new single varieties, 
that are now competing for the honors so lavishly be¬ 
stowed on the double varieties, were greatly admired, 
they certamly merited all tlie attention they received, 
and if they do not become popular it will not be because 
they ai’e not deserving. Among the new varieties, 
shown tills season for the firat time, was a beautiful rose- 
colored flower of the pompon class, perfect in form, 
petals clasping the stem and full to the centre, making 
a flower nearly globular in form. This new-comer will 
appear in the list of novelties the coming season under 
the name of Marguerite. 
There were several fine exhibits of double Zinnias, 
