THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET AND PICTORIAL HOME COMPANION. 
Tho immense demand for Gladiolus the past 
■year proves most conclusively the great populai-- 
ity of these beautiful and easily cultivated bulbs, 
and we are sure that all who grow them, fully 
appreciate the many new varieties annually sent 
out. Very many who have availed themselves 
of the older sorts that are now so remarkably 
cheap, arc looking around for something better, 
yet do not feel able to indulge in those that seem 
" high,” because of their scarcity. The follow¬ 
ing sorts arc hard to boat, and arc indispensable 
to every choice collection: 
Meyerbeer', brilliant light red, blazed with 
vermilion, large flower, perfect shape, a very long 
and well opened spike, a vigorous and healthy 
plant; it stands pre-eminent among the red. 
Belle Gabriclle is a free growing plant; flower 
• large, perfect shape, fine lilac-colored rose, slight¬ 
ly marked ndth light rose. 
Lord Byron is a very brilliant scarlet, stained 
and striped with pure white; very showy plant. 
La Poussin, a general favorite, a plant of 
medium size; flower light red, white ground, with 
large white stains on the lower petals; a charm¬ 
ing variety. 
Shalcespcare, when grown from small bulbs, 
has no superiors; flowers very large, perfect 
shape, white, very slightly blazed with carmi- 
natc rose, with large rosy stains. 
Stella is finely variegated; flower large, well 
shaped, white ground, slightly tinted with yellow 
and rose, and blazed with carminate red. 
Princess of Wales is a pleasing and low 
priced sort; flowers white, slightly flaked with 
rosy crimson; inclined to sport unless protected 
from the hot sun. 
Meteor, a twin sister to Lord B 3 ’Ton, e.xcept 
its being somewhat larger and a djjrker shade. 
( La Favorite', flower Large, rose well blazed 
with carmine, lower divisions light yellow, very 
attractive. 
! “rci y 
r orange-colored flowers on cherry-red ground, 
J with pure white stains on lower petals. 
■ Charles JOielcens', delicate rose, tinted with 
chamois, blazed and striped with bright carmi¬ 
nate rose. 
BEST THESE HYACINTHS. 
Three kinds of bulbs are now sold by our 
florists—single blooming Hyacinths, double ones 
and miniatm-e ones for juvenile flower lovers. 
To our taste, the single flowers are much the 
most tasteful and satisfactory. The following 
are the three best we have chosen out of a pick¬ 
ed list of 100 varieties: 
■ Norma has a verj’’ fine spike, large bulbs, and 
of a very delicate rose color. 
Grand Vamqtteur, pure white, thick spike, 
and dense bells. 
Grand Lilas, delicate porcelain blue, large 
bells, and a superb spike. 
HOW TC QKOW PLANTS PBOM CUTTINGS. 
Anna Warner tells the flower readers of The 
Independent, how to do this nicely. 
Do not attempt to make long cuttings. I think 
from two to four inches is quite enough; and a 
single inch of your wood is very available, even 
in the hands of a non-professional. Regular 
florists, of course, with all their facilities, can 
work with still less. Make a smooth, clean cut 
across your shoot, just close below a joint, say 
the old gardening books; but it seems now that 
this is not needful for most plants. Clip off 
some of the lower leaves, if there arc many, and 
set your cuttings pretty close toge'her in three 
or four inches of sand or earth, covering them 
up to the first joint. Press the sand firmly 
around tliem, water them gently and thoroughly, 
and then never allow them to wilt. If you are 
trying the “saucer” plan, of which I have 
spoken before, the cuttings must be kept in the 
full sunshine, more than wet. If not, let them 
be sliadcd liglitly and have plenty of air and 
just water enough. Remove carefully, without 
disturbing the fi.xedness of the cutting, any dead 
leaves that drop off, so as to keep the surface of 
the sand fresh and clean; and as soon as the 
cuttings strike root put them off separately in 
very small pots. You can easily tell when they 
arc ready for this, for as soon as J'oung leaves 
begin to start at the top of the cutting, it is 
almost sure that the j'Oung roots have started as 
well. Have fine, light, rich soil in which to pot 
them off; shade them a little for a day or two; 
and when the white roots begin to creep out at 
the bottom of the pot, skillfully transfer the 
young plant, with its ball of earth, to a pot just 
one size larger. .\nd let this last process be 
continued from time to time, so that the plant 
m.ay have room to grow without any danger of 
becoming pot-bound; while, on the other hand, 
it is not over-fed bj’ being given much more 
earth than it is ready to occupy. 
IN-DOOE CULTTTEE OF HYACINTHS. 
Like other flowers of the window garden, 
hyacinths hardly do well in a close room or near 
the Are. They should not be placed on the man- 
telpiec'e. ■ The be.st time to begin planting hya¬ 
cinths in glasses, is October or beginning of No¬ 
vember. Fill the glasses with pure water as far 
os to touch the bulb, and must be renewed as 
soon as the ends of the roots begin to look wool¬ 
ly, which happens sometimes after a fortnight 
or three weeks. A little wood charcoal is very 
effectual in preventing the water from becoming 
feetid. Put the glasses in a cool, dark place till 
the bulbs have made sufiSciently long roots, after 
which they can bear from 60 to 70 degrees Fahren¬ 
heit. After bringing out to the light, give them 
always as much fresh air as possible to keep, 
them dwarf, as much light and sun as possible 
to get the colors in full perfection, and by pouring 
every day some rain water on the tops before 
they are in bloom (a soft shower would do them 
much good), makes the bells open and large, and 
the flower robust. 
Place the glasses always on wood, as stone, 
brick or iron makes the water too cold for the 
growth of the roots, . 
2’he Meyyerbee7' Gladiolus. 
PEETTY HOUSEHOLD OENAMENTS. 
Take a tiu-nip or carrot, scoop it out, fill with 
earth, plant with canary seed or chicken weed, 
and suspend by strings in the window. The 
oddity of the sight will be quite as attractive as 
the prettiness of the idea. 
Take a common pine cone, and plant in its 
crevices a few canary seeds, place this half way 
in a hyacinth water glass, and the seeds will 
sprout and throw out delicate little green feathery 
blades, shortly filling the whole upper portion 
with a little festoon of verdure. 
The sweet potato rine is also a curiosity; few 
would believe, until they tried it, how pretty a 
sight might be made of it. Put a sweet potato 
in a tumbler of water, or any simiLar glass ves¬ 
sel, fill with water, keep the lower end of the 
tuber about one to two inches from the bottom 
of the vessel, keep on the mantel shelf, sun it for 
an hour or two each day, and soon little roots 
will appear, the eye will throw up a pretty vine, 
and grow rapidly over any trellis work above. 
The Morning Glory is one of the prettiest 
climbers for parlor windows, give it plenty of 
sun. 
GIVE YOUE FLOWEES PLENTY OF EOOM. 
A lady writer in the Country Gentleman, 
speaking of her flower garden, warns those who 
are thinking of starting one, against “ too great 
economy of space.” She writes: “I once fan¬ 
cied it a great waste of ground to sow Aster 
seeds an inch apart, as a friend said I ought, but 
thought five or six seeds to the inch better; the 
flowers can be imagined! I learned, by experi¬ 
ence, ^owever, that twelve inches were better 
than one!”^ 
HOW TO MAKE MOSS BASKETS. 
Get the moss from some old woodland; the 
green feathery moss is best. Then take paste¬ 
board and make a frame in anj' form desired. 
When the p.asteboard forms are cut out, take 
bright colored thibet, silk or satin, and cut pieces 
the same shape as the pasteboard forms, onl)’' 
one-fourth of an inch larger. Place the paste¬ 
board on the cloth, glue or paste the edges down 
and sew the pieces together. Take a narrow 
strip of pasteboard, cover with the same the bas¬ 
ket is covered with. Then take pieces of ohenile 
cord and braid over and under the length of the 
strip. Fasten each end to opposite sides of the 
basket. Cut the moss from the roots, paste it 
thickly on the outside of the basket; takechen- 
ile cord, like that on the handle or bail, glue it 
in every seam inside and around the top, taking 
pains to do it all nicely, and the work is done. 
TO CEYSTALLIZE GEASSES, FLOWEES, Etc. 
Disolve six ounces of alum in one quart of 
water, boil until dissolved; steep the grasses or 
flowers in the solution while hot. By the' time 
the water is cold the crj’-stals will be formed. If 
the crystals arc too large add more water. Sep: 
rate the little branches gently, taking off the 
superfluous lumps. Fern leaves, oats, flax and 
the long feathery passes are the most beautiful 
for crystallizing. 
TO PEEPAEE GUM TEAGACANTH 
for making moss baskets or sticking dried flow¬ 
ers, etc., to paper, get three cents’ worth, put it 
into a tumbler, cover ^vith water. A little acetic 
vinegar will keep it a long while. When thor¬ 
oughly dissolved it is ready for use .—Maine 
Farmer. 
BASKET FOE CLIMBING PLANTS. 
~ A Michigan laUy •^ vnlgS' - WS IVgBhl 'AlfrdC 
that she has had good success with the Cobaeea 
Seandens. “It is a beautiful climber, grows 
very thrifty, branching largely, and but for the 
difficulty in germinating, it would be the one I 
prefer above all others. 
“ By the way, I must tell how I made the 
basket containing it. Cut grapevines as large .os 
the little finger, in pieces ten inches long. With 
penknife, make holes in each piece, one inch 
from the end. Have the sticks well soaked so 
they will work easy; pass a piece of steel hoop 
through the holes, burn the ends to make it bend, 
so as to fasten it. Get the distance evenly, and 
pass another piece of hoop through the other 
ends of the sticks, fasten the steel together so 
as to have the basket about thirteen inches in 
diameter. Have th(^ sticks two inches apart; 
put at equal distances three pieces of hoop, from 
top to bottom, that the weight of the dirt may 
not come on the sticks so as to split them. 
Weave the vines of five-leaved ivy around the 
hoop at top and bottom of basket, and also 
around the'basket midway. Put pieces of hoop 
or/Strong wire acioss for the bottom, and line 
with moss. 
This is a very pretty rustic basket, and one 
can m.ake it without expense. The five-leafed 
or American ivy is very pretty for baskets. It 
requires very little to support it, and grows 
rankly. Ground ivy (^Nepeta glechoma') is nice 
for baskets. I do not know of anything which 
will better repay one’s care than this. A little 
pot or b.asket of it in Winter is beautiful, and it 
possesses the advantage of being perfectly hardy. 
Indeed, an occasional freezing improves it. It 
requires much moistime and little sun. 
“ Nothing pleases me more than the Dianthus 
as a bedding plant. It sports badly. Last year 
I had three colors only; this year I have at least 
twenty, from seed saved from them. Some are 
large and beautiful, others small and inferior. 
The Whitlavia is very pretty, hardy, and a free 
bloomer. When the first blossoms are gone, cut 
off the seed stalks, and a second crop wiU be 
produced. 
“A box with holes bored in the sides, in which 
house-leaks are placed, is a pretty ornament for 
a piazza or garden. I have one made three years 
ago, which is entirely covered, no part of the 
box being visible.” 
