medsummee, 
BY JOHN G. WHMTIEK. 
Aiound tuis lovely valley rise 
The purple hills of ParacUsc; 
Oh, softly on yon bank of haze 
Her rosy face the summer lays 1 
Becalmed along the summer sky 
The argosies of cloud-laud lie, 
Whose shores, with many a shining ntt. 
Far off their pearl-white peaks uplift. 
Through aU the long midsummer day 
The meadow sides are sweet with hay; 
I seek the coolest sheltered seat 
Just where the field and forest meet 
Where grow the Pine-trees, tall and bland. 
The ancient Oaks, austere and grand. 
And fringing roots and pebbles fret 
The ripples of the rivulet. 
I watch the mowers as they go 
Through the tall grass a white-sleeved row; 
With even strokes their scythes they swing. 
In tune their merry whetstones ring; 
Behind, the nimble yoimgsters run. 
And toss the thick swathes in the sun; 
The cattle graze—while warm and still 
Slope the broad pastures, basks the hiU; 
And bright when summer breezes break 
The green Wheat crinkles like a lake. 
The butterfly and bumble-bee 
Come to the pleasant woods with me: 
Quickly before mo runs the quaU, 
The chickens sulk behind the rail, 
High up the lone wood-pigeon sits, 
And the woodpecker pecks and flits; 
Sweet woodland music sinks and swells. 
The brooklet rings its tinkling bells. 
The swarming insects drone and hum, 
The partridge beats his throbbing drum ; 
The squirrel leaps along the boughs, 
And chatters in his leafy house; 
The oriole flashes by — and look 
Into the mirror of the brook 
Where the vain bluebird trims his coat. 
Two tiny feathers fall and float. 
As silently, as tenderly. 
The dawn of peace descends on me ; 
Oh, this is peace! — I have no need 
Of friend to talk, of book to read: 
A dear companion here abides. 
Close to my thrilling heart he hides; 
The holy silence is his voice; 
I lie, and listen, and rejoice. 
of 
black 
Indian Shot iror. ^ Indica. 
seeds of the typioal spec^^^ name 
As both the ^ ^uthas for many 
show, it is ““f^ ’Ji tropical conn- 
years been naturalized m ^^^uey, 
Ivies. In Brazil far up field 
we found deep m house it 
of this plant. Thong a j^haiidoned 
probably marked " .^s that, 
garden; but the stramj to^^^^^ 
although we searched fo t, 
plant in any garden within 
"“iisplmit is now seldom grown as it ha^ 
been supplanted by more 
few years ago, wdth the groivmg taste of si 
tropical gardening, Cannas became veiy pop 
ular andmany new species were clissemmatec. 
Theii’ easy cultiu-e and rapid growt con 
mended them, and tlie size and rich, varied 
luxuriance of their foliage caused them to be 
SEASONABLE HINTS. 
Although the principal work of sowing , 
and planting in the flower garden is finished 
at this season, there are many annuals 
that may still he sown to good advantage, i 
Mignonette, Sweet AJyssum, Candytuft, I 
and many others sown now in good mellow 
soil, and watered in dry weather, will give 
an abundance of flowers all through autumn, 
Bedding Plants of various kinds may also 
still be planted, and will, where circum¬ 
stances have not permitted earlier planting, 
richly repay the trouble and expense. One 
of the most pleasing and effective Mbhon 
Beds we have ever seen for the outlay was 
planted on the fifth of July, 
The center consisted of seven Cannas, the 
circle surrounding these of six Bahia splen- 
dens pen followed twelve CWm fWm/-- ! wion bo effective 
/c h, then twonty.four Scarlet Geraniums, ^ But it is 
edged by the outer ring of forty-eight Altor- 
nantheras. The ground w,as, of course in 
the bestcondition; but all autumn the brill 
iant SaUvas formed a striking contrast 
against the rich green foliage of the Cannas 
and the Geraniums hai-monizcd ploasimriv 
•with the Coleus and Altomantheras. ^ ^ 
CANNA, 
masses of effective foliage 
CLUMP OF 
planted wherever 
were required. 
They are all easily raised from seed, which 
pi-minates soon if scalded previous to plant¬ 
ing or If sown in a brisk l.ot-bcd. If sown 
in the open borders the seed lies long i„ the 
giound, and the plant has time to make but 
giow^i jofore autumn. As soon as the 
plants are two inches high, if the weather is 
warm, say about the first of .lane fll , 
them )u the positions they are In , 
Bet the soil bo very rich-ill ^ 
too rich-.a„d let il n T '""’'"y 
the roots wilinot drv w "'■®*-® 
freely and liquid mamirn ' / ’® 
_" 0 t from seed that the 
masses of foliage which one "sons'i'."' 
are produced. The Cnim r K'lrdons 
root stocks, and t!:Lo 
frost has wiled the tops and 'l ''’'® 
froBt-proof cellar 
planted in a frame or poLd i "’■® 
transplanted to the garSen w!m;;'thoy°;;‘™ 
with wonderful luxuriance. At fir t 
were valued only as foliage plant# 
terly some species which eombin ’**^'**• 
foliage with showy flowers have h* 
duced. Pto. 
The latest novelty is Canna'Ehm 
variety of the old, scarce, hut very b-**”?’ * 
n The foliage is hroafi*”*^'i 
A +i,„ n_ . “> ratlij, 
C. iridiflora. 
light-gi-een, and the flowers are rich'red 
as large as a Gladiolus. N 
For a choice selection, well contrast 
color, we should seiect liikerelliyfH]^ ^^ 
flowers and brown leaves; discolor ®, 
very tall with spl endid dark foliage, hut ’ 
bloomer; BendcUleri, glaucous foliage laj 
canary-yellow flowers; Warscmcicziil' 
striped leaves, red flowers; Mareehal 
Uant, tall, dark green with orange flowers 
AnrwH, crimson flowers, green leave, 
Sellotvn, scarlet and gi-een; Depute Bertion 
with orange and yellow flowers. There ate 
many species and a host of seedlingvarieties 
and a largo selection both in seeds and roots 
can be found at seed stores, almost any ot 
which will be worth a place in the garden, 
_S. Basd. 
SLUGS IN GAEDENS. 
Our dry, hot summers are not as genial to 
tlie development of these garden pests as 
the damp atmosphere of England; yet sev¬ 
eral inquiries from readers of TheAmeeicak 
Garden seem to indicate that they are on 
the increase in some localities. A snhscribei 
writes; “ A slimy, creeping snail is very de¬ 
structive to my plants; how can I destroy 
these insects ?” 
Well, in the first place, a snail is not an 
insect, hut a mollusk; and, in the second, 
the animals which destroy your plants are, 
properly' speaking, slugs. The garden snails 
of Europe (Helix Iwrtensis) do not exist here. 
There are a few species of this genus found 
here in damp woods, but they are never 
seen in sufficient numbers in our gardens 
to do any damage. The term snails, as 
commonly used, comprises all land mol- 
lusks with shells or houses; while under 
slugs are understood all land inollusks with¬ 
out shells. 
In English gardens slug-hunting is amond 
the most important routine operations, an 
a method which is found as satisfactory a- 
any is to go along all the walks of the gar 
don each evening with a bag or bucket fa 
bran, and place a handful of it on the her 
dors, at every eight or ten feet, iu * 
Slugs are very fond of bran, and it , 
attract them from all quarters, so tlia 
heaps are soon found covered with a . 
oCtou a complete mass. Early next i"® 
ing traverse the same ground with an 6’’’ 
bucket, a dnst-pan and small broom, 
ing bran and slugs into this dust-pn" 
emptying all in the bucket. By the 
circuit lias boon coinplotod mauyhm' 
if not thousands, aro thus oaptar® 
throwing somo salt in the bucket tiO) 
1)0 killed in a very' short time. leavi’S’ 
Anothor plan is to lay Cabbng®" 
upon wliiob somo fresh lard 
near the plants in most danger of t m 
diitioiiB of tlio slugs. This is ^®’'®|.pfthr 
evening, and early next morning 
slugs noav by will be found ^*** 1 * 01 ®**’ 
'I’hoy may then bo serapod off and d®® gfiad}' 
and by kooping tho loavos in a ^8e■' 
placo during tho day-timo, they m®!’ 
for many nights. 
