tPEBETJARf 
WHO SETS THE FASHIONS? 
Who sets the fashions, I’d like to know. 
For the little people beneath the snow 
And are they working a weary while, 
To dress themselves in the latest stylo ( 
There’s Sirs. Primrose, who used to be 
The very pioture of modesty, 
i Plain were her dresses, but now she goes 
With cramps and fringes and furbelows. 
And even Miss Buttercup puts on aii'S, 
Because the color in vogue show'ears; 
And as for Dandelion, dear me! 
A vainer ercaturo you ne’er will see. 
When Mrs. Poppy—that dreadful flirt— 
Was younger, she wore but one plain sldi’t, 
But now I notice, with great surprise. 
She’s several patterns of largest size. 
The Fuchsia sisters — those lovely belles! — 
Improve their styles ns the mode compels; 
And though everybody is loud in their praise. 
They ne’er depart from their modest ways. 
And the Pansy family must have foimd 
Queen Elizabeth’s wardi-obe under-gi’ound. 
For in velvets and satins of every shade 
Throughout the season they’re all arrayed. 
Finks and Daisies and all the flowers 
Change their fashion, as we change ours; 
And those who knew in olden days 
Are mystified by their modern ways. 
Who sets the fashions, I’d like to Imow, 
For the little people beneath the snow? 
And are they busy a weary while 
Dressing themselves in the latest style ? 
Xem-Yovk Independent. 
SEASONABLE HINTS. 
It is hardly to be supposed that any of 
our regular readers do not have at least 
a few flowers about their homes in sum¬ 
mer; but among those who see The 
Ajieeican Garden for the first time to¬ 
day, there may be some who share the 
common error that the raising of fiowers 
is necessarily expensive and laborious. 
To maintain extensive green-houses and 
elaborate lawns cost, of coiu’se, consider¬ 
able money, but the degi’ee of enjoyment 
derived from plants and flowers is fort¬ 
unately not always proportionate to the 
amount of money spent for them. We know 
many a modest flower-garden tended by lov¬ 
ing hands, after a hard day’s work, or at odd 
moments snatched from household duties, 
which gives more genuine pleasure and real 
enjoyment to its possessor than all the 
hot-houses, graperies and velvety lawns, 
cared for by paid labor, can offer to the 
millionaire. 
Gardening Operations should be commenced 
now, by making careful plans of whatever 
is contemplated, by procuring the necessary 
seeds and implements, and by thoroughly 
informing oneseU as far as possible about 
the requirements of the plants to bo grown 
Soil for Flower Beds.—A light, friable loam^ 
containing a moderate amount of vegetable 
matter and sufficient sand to render it 
porous is best adapted for most flowering 
plants; but as it rarely happens that the 
amateur gardener has much choice of soil 
he must make the best of given circum¬ 
stances. Fortunately, most plants accom¬ 
modate themselves to various and sometimes 
most dissimilar conditions. 
of the newer 
With the introuuou->- ^he 
Western genTs these beautiful 
botanioal name of ® ^ renewed at- 
perennial plants ha cultivation 
tention. AH the ^“tCbaceous border. 
are worthy a place m j^j^jors have 
In addition to tli®®®’ ^ , g^es as to 
created so many hybrids and 
almost obliterate some ^1*®“ , and 
The various shades of 
.nd .while L 
and size has long been sought fo . 
one has recently been 
Eocky Mountains, and is now ^ 
notice under the name ^ « 
JamesH. The flowers are pui’e white, veiy 
large and of remarkably gi-aceful habit. 
It is easily gi’own from seed, and if so^ 
early in pots in the house or in a hot-bed, 
flowering plants may bo obtained the firs 
year. Sown in spring in the open ground it 
will bloom the following season. If the 
plantscomeup too thick, they have, of course. 
AQUILEGIA CCERULEA JAMESII. 
to be thinned out, and the young plants may 
be transplanted. A moderately rich, rather 
dry soil suits them best. They are perfectly 
hardy, yet they are materially benefited by 
a light covering of leaves duiing winter. 
all directions, a good specimen forms a 
rounded mass of foliage, covering a space of 
f ur or five feet across. The foliage is much 
finer than that of most garden plants, and 
would make this plant well worth growing 
•f it had no blossoms. Its flowers, which are 
l,ri<^ht rose color and white, are borne in 
“ mes Each raceme usually contains 
!!om twenty to forty flowers. The flowers 
mns gracefully along the stem, and seem to 
ie dancing in the aii’ mth every movement 
of the plant, for the stem connecting each 
Lver with the stalk is so slender that at a 
little distance yon do not see it. It blooms 
verv profusely in May and June, and occa¬ 
sionally thereafter, but its later crops are 
never so profuse as that of the months 
named. It is a very easy plant to manage. 
Every spring, before it starts into growth, 
give it a dressing of well-rotted manure. 
On account of its ease of management, 
and the certainty with which it can be 
forced successfully, it is a favorite with 
florists for winter flowers, and any one hav¬ 
ing a large clump should take up some roots 
° and pot them for use in the sitting-room. 
Take them up in October, and allow the 
pot you put them in to remain outdoors 
until about the time you want to start 
them into gi’owth. Or, instead of leav¬ 
ing them out of doors, remove them to 
the cellar after potting them, and leave 
them there until the last of December. 
Then bring to the light; water sparingly 
at first. As growth advances, give water 
more freely. After the shoots are a foot 
high, give a weekly watering with liquid 
manure or some good fertilizer. After 
blooming, return the plants to the ceUar, 
and leave them there until spring, when 
they can be planted out in the border. 
E. E. Eexpord. 
DIOBNTHA BPEOTABILIS, 
The Dicentra, or, as it is more popularly 
known, the Bleeding Heart, from a rather 
fanciful resemblance of the flower to a 
heart, though just whore the drop of blood 
IS supposed to be I have never been able to 
detemme, is a very handsome and showy 
plant. I do not know that florists will justify 
me in calling it a tuberous rooted plant- 
perhaps it is not, strictly speaking, but it 
has very thick, succulent roots, which ro- 
semblo tubers quite as much, if not more 
than they do ordinary roots. 
In a soil made deep and rich, this plant 
high. The stalks, which are many, aro of n 
freel'^"^ ^ ®hrving habit; and as they branch 
HOSES IN THE GARDEN. 
Cannon Hole, in his charming book 
about Eoses, writes: “ He who would 
have beautiful Boses in his garden, must 
have beautiful Eoses in his heart. He 
must love them well and always.” This, 
said the late Mr. H. B. Ellwanger, is 
the sum and substance of w-hat consti¬ 
tutes our success in Eose culture; with¬ 
out this true love, failure, partial or 
complete, must surely attend our efforts. 
Because we are imbued with a love for the 
Eose, it does not of necessity follow that we 
can grow Eoses well—experience teaches 
otherwise; the novice must be prepared to 
expect some disasters arising from the mis¬ 
takes which ho will certainly make. 
FLOWERS AT FUNERALS. 
Flowers, like tears, are made to servo the 
expression of our greatest joys as w’oll f>s 
our deepest sorrows. The use of flowers at 
funerals is certainly a beautiful custom ; but 
when wo road of throe huge wagon-loads of 
floral work being carried in the tunor.al pro¬ 
cession of an illustrious French statesman, 
one may well bo in doubt which of the two 
was intended to bo the most prominent 
feature,—the funeral or the llowef-show; 
and the juost ardent lover of flowers would 
latlior trust tlio green grass and wild Daisies 
to bedeck his grave than that his funeral 
should be made the occasion of a pageant 
flower-show. 
