t8S4. ] 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 
215 
A G-ARDEN IN para, 
(Ooiitimtcdfrom last numbcv.) 
“What can you do with so many OvnuKos 
Sonhor ? ” wo ask. ’ 
“Nothing,” is tho reply; “they give mo 
great trouble by falling oil and injuring tho 
plants. I, have five kinds in hundreds of 
bushels, and it would cost mo more to 
gather them and to send thorn to market 
than,they wordd bring ; I willingly give them 
to any one who will gather them carefully.” 
Tho border on our right is full of Cala- 
diums, of which Senhor Olinda has about 
fifty varieties, but at this season they are 
mostly at rest, and only the carpet of Tradcs- 
cantia sebrina appears. Trom. December to 
Jime the effect of the Caladiums, many with 
white foliage, above the dark mass of the 
Tradeseantia is very striking. On the left is 
a long border planted with dwarf Bananas, 
Hibiscus Iiidicus in many varieties, Dra- 
cceiias, Crinum Josephine, which grows to an 
immense size and gives stalks of bloom so 
heavy that one would not wish to carry one 
away, Alpinia vitfata, which is very richly 
marked, and a few Fig-trees in the back¬ 
ground. Li front, along the path, are great 
tubs with some of tho newer Hibiscus, white, 
rose, scarlet, orange and yellow, double and 
single, some tall-grow'ing Orchids, Crotons, 
among which Mooreanum. roseo-pictum, Steic- 
artii, Andreanum, and maculaium Kaloni are 
especially fine, and tall plants of Araliafdici- 
folia and Guilfoylei, the variegation of which 
last is superb. 
Passing onward, we come to a wicket-gate 
opening into the quintal, or orchard. Long 
rows of Orange, Alligator Pear (Persea 
gmiissima), Sapodilla, or Custard Apple 
(Achras (Lucuma) Sapoie), Abio (Acliras 
Caminto), Guava, and other fruit trees, ex¬ 
tend before us, and on every side are low 
tables of plants. All the trees and the 
fences hang thick with Orchids, and the 
variety of foliage and profusion of flowers are 
wonderful. 
The quintal is fenced on each side by a 
heavy palisade some ten feet in height, so 
that the surroundings are wholly shut out 
and the tables and trees are mostly in paral¬ 
lel lines, so one seems to be in an immense 
greenhouse with long aisles of brilliant 
plants. Close to the wicket, climbing up an 
Orange-tree, is a grand plant of Monstem 
deliciosa, the curiously cut leaves of which 
are as large as an umbrella. Tables close 
by hold one plant each of different species of 
Crotons, of which Senhor Olinda has about 
fifty. These plants, though by no nmans as 
large as many which stand around in gi^at 
tubs, are each a specimen; all are so ne 
and yet so different, that it would be ci eu 
fo choose between them. A large loun 
table is filled with white-leaved Begonias, 
Pteris tricoloi', and Marantas, and anot ei 
near, with Achimenes in about forty vane 
ties, all masses of bloom. By planting m sue 
cession, Senhor Olinda has these in 
every month in the year; they gi'ow vigoi 
ously and flower freely. . 
Passing on, we come to a fine P ° 
Roupelia grata, which, disdaining the re is 
provided for it, has mounted into a tie®) 
is just opei^ing its shell-tinted, waxy oweis. 
Megenia erecla, both wliite aiid blue, forms 
largo bushos, which are covered witli bloom 
every day in tho your. 
A groat plant of Croton microphyUnm seems 
to hold tlio sunlight, and an immense Anthn- 
rium. crystuliinum shows groat loaves veined 
wit'll frost-worlf. 
Some of tho Alocasias are very lino, espe¬ 
cially yeitchii, with leaves two foot long; 
Sedoni and metattica, bearing largo, lustrous 
bronze loaves; and zebrina, with zebra- 
variegated petioles. 
Drueiuna Oohtianu and fSansievera Zeytan- 
ica and (tuiensis, all of tlio same general 
shading, are very offoctive. 
Some Ixoras, especially salicifotia and 
milianmi, were in brilliant flower, and 
many herns and Lycopodia on tho ground 
under the tables are very attractive. 
At the bottom of the quintal an unex¬ 
pected siglit awaited us. We had seen so 
much to admire that we thought we had 
seen the best, but the tables of Tydaias and 
other gesnoraeeous iilants were, perhaps, 
more brilliant than anything in the garden. 
These tables are all covered with corrugated, 
galvanized iron roofing, supported on high 
jiosts so as to allow plenty of air, but yet 
protect the plants from the heavy rain and 
tho fiercest sun. The iron plates, slightly 
inclined to shed the rain, are simply laid on 
horizontal strips of board which sti’eteh be¬ 
tween the posts. Violent winds are unknown 
in Para, and there is no danger of a toimado 
whirling them through the air to the damage 
of everything near; they can at any time be 
removed irr a few moments. Some of the 
Tydaeas were four feet tall and two feet in 
diameter, and masses of bloom. Senhor 
Olinda has all Van Houtte’s best varieties, 
and the display is very fine. They are grown 
in very broad pans in vegetable mold, silver 
sand, and well-rotted manure, and, what is 
one secret of successful gro-n’th, they are 
never allowed to become dry. The only 
enemy they have is a small black bee, which 
bites the tube of the opening flower to get 
the honey, and thus causes it to fade quickly. 
Under a broad-roofed shed, close by, wore 
many choice Marantas, Ferns, and other 
shade-loving plants, while on tables exposed 
to the hottest sun were Tillandsias and 
other Bromeliads. 
Surely one’s whole time must be occupied 
w'itli the care of such a collection, in all 
some ten thousand plants! In another cli¬ 
mate several gardeners would be needed for 
snch a service; but in Para it is different. 
Senhor Olinda is obliged to be at his office 
in the city every day from nine to fotir 
o’clock, and no one but himself over touches 
or waters a plant. The labor of potting and 
propagating, to one who lurderstands it, is 
comparatively light, and the daily afteimoon 
shower does most of the watering. 
The Senhor told ns that from December to 
August he had only twice been obliged to 
give a hea-vy general watering, but every 
plant is looked over morning and night. Tho 
labor of watering is gi-eatest in October and 
November; but by a systematic gi'ouping of 
the plants, it is reduced to a miuimum, and all 
is accomplished in two hours, morning and 
night. To us it seemed the perfection of 
gardening —tho maximum of pleasure and 
the minimum of labor; and as we turned om- 
steps cityward, we thought that Para, with 
its perfect climate, is a Paradise for a lover 
A HOUSE OF FLOWERS. 
Roses and Lilies were wreathing the in¬ 
terior of an ideal London residence. In the 
entrance hall of this fine house, says«a eor- 
I’ospondont of the London Globe, the fire¬ 
place was hidden in pink Geraniums' and 
grasses. Tho two fire-places in the dining- 
hidl wore respectively dressed, the one with 
Hunflowers and blue-ball Thistle on the 
cliimney-picco, mixed with variegated Ferns 
and foliage .and pink Boses at the base, the 
other with scarlet Gladioluses and ivhite 
Hydrangeas; against the deep toiTa cotta 
of the walls they showed up splendidly. As 
07ie ascended the stairs, three huge balls of 
Roses, each about three feet in diameter, 
were hung by long pink ribbons, twined with 
a creeping plant from the balustrade at in¬ 
tervals ; the lowest the darkest, the next a 
medium, and the top the lightest shade of 
pink. The large drawing-room had two al¬ 
coves. Opposite its entrance was a large 
miiTor framed rvith Palms that rose out of a 
bank of pink Lilies, pink Heaths and Roses, 
interspersed with lovely leaves. 
But the other alcove, the wonder of the 
whole affair, was liter-ally a bower of Roses. 
Wire netting, covered close with these sw-eet 
blossoms and leaves, lined the interior, with 
the exception of a mirror. It rvas quite 
fairy-like. The chimney-piece and fire-place 
were arranged wholly with pink Gloxinias 
and variegated foliage, a delicate Cocoa 
Palm at each end serving as a fi'ame. 
The back drawing-room mantel-shelf was 
similarly arranged with irink Carnations, 
and that of the boudoir beyond was em¬ 
bowered in magnificent Lilies, Oleanders, 
irink Geraniums, and the lower part in 
glorious Roses with most exquisite green¬ 
ery. The cm'tains throughout the rooms, 
were all looped back by bands of Roses; in 
fact, it was a perfect “nocturne in pink,” 
and culminated in the beautiful dress of the 
hostess, who wore a rich brocaded white 
satin, trimmed 'with Boses and priceless lace, 
set off by a superb set of large, pear-shaped 
Russian emeralds hung from rivieres of 
diamonds. 
A ROYAL FLOWER MISSION. 
The Queen of Holland is the leading spirit 
of an enterprise -which is well worthy of 
commendation and imitation. It is a society 
for the purpose of encouraging floricultirre 
and horticulture among children, invalids, 
and aged people. Every year grain and 
flower seeds are distributed among these 
classes, and at the end of the, season.prizes 
are awarded to those who have taken the 
"most interest in their work, or have been the 
most successful. The members of such a 
society deserve to be known as philanthro¬ 
pists, for they benefit the world just as surely 
as the founders of insane asylums or chari¬ 
table institutions .—Prairie Farmer. 
ASPARAGUS IN PUTS. 
At the recent exhibition in Tm’in, Italy, a 
number of Asparagus forced in pots attracted 
considerable attention. The pots were com¬ 
paratively small, and many contained each 
some twenty sprouts; in fact, they were 
ei'owded with them. With sufficient quan¬ 
tities of liquid manure, it would seem not 
more difficult to raise Asparagus in pots 
than fruit trees. 
