192 
THE 
August. 
TO A DAMIEIiION. 
■Little mimic of the sun, 
lUcling in the fragrant grass, 
Have you any Jdssos won 
From the pretty maids who pass? 
■wnien the sun slips down tlie west 
Some fair girl shall come in ciucst 
Of the secret which you lock 
In your tiny golden breast; 
You shall hear an aiiy lurock. 
And a question: What o’clock? 
At the very verge of night, 
Wlion Uic smnmer twilight’s breath 
Mokes you dizzy witli delight. 
Dance in happiness to death: 
tVIjen the peaceful moon shall peep 
Down from star-lit skies that weep 
Teai-s of sweet, delicious dew. 
Tender, gracious eyes shall keep 
Quiet company with you 
’Neatli the heaven’s cover blue. 
Ah, you dainty, snowy ghost. 
See what bUss your wisdom brings! 
Tell me, pray, what angels boast 
Such a zephyr for their wings? 
Just because the hour you tell. 
She i-epays your magic well,— 
Wafts you off to paradise; 
Sounds for you a gentle knell; 
Lights your journey with her eyes; 
Would that I were half so wise! 
— Fraiil' D. Sliemiaji, in Outing. 
SEASONABLE HINTS. 
Pansies .—^The great favor in whicli the 
Pansy is held by all true lovers of flowers is 
natural enough, for there is no other flower 
that can compare with it, in its sweet, fasci¬ 
nating loveliness, and none tliat may be had 
the year round with so little trouble. If 
confined to the growing of but one kind of 
flowers, we think we should choose tlie 
Pansy. 
To hiive a brilliant show of flowers all 
next spring and early summer, seed should 
be sown from the middle to the end of this 
month. 'When a cold frame is available, 
this is the best place for the purpose, other¬ 
wise, any sheltered, dry spot, made rich 
with decomposed manure, will do. A bed 
of a yard .square is ariijily large enough to 
furnish all the plants required for a private 
garden. 
After spading and leveling the ground, 
the seed should be scattered broadcast, cov¬ 
ered lightly with firm .soil—or sand, if the 
natural soil is heavy, and pressed firmly 
with a board. No more care is necess.ary 
duilng the remaining season than is given to 
•seedling annuals and perennials. During 
winter a light covering of leaves and bi-ush 
should be given. 
Early in .spring, so soon as the permanent 
bed can be made ready, whicli should be 
done by making the soil dee)), rich and mel¬ 
low, the seedlings have to be ti-ansj)lanted 
to it, about eight to ten inches apart. 
For fall-blooming, sow in early spring, and 
transplant to a jiartly shaded jjosltion. Hut 
it is useless to expect good llowei-s fi’om 
poor seed; better j)ay a liberal pi’ice foi’ the 
best than accept poor seed as a gift. 
JMcayinrj Plower Interns ofall kindsof ])lants 
sliould be cut down, and the beds kej)t as 
neat as pos.sible. It is a |)oor i)lan to allow 
any plants to beai'seed which is not wanted for 
use, as seed-bearing is far more exhausting 
than the production of flowci’s. 
The plants i ^ 
pots by the first of gu grown 
exhibition. If they have gjjtfted into 
from the start [hey may ^ f 
12-inch pots, though it is semo 
to use larger than " own in sev- 
specimens may even be gio 
some 1 
eral sizes smaller. When the P"^ 
of roots, give liquid nianure 
OX .« InrO’O 
and when the buds begin ^PP® ’ ^ “jg 
flowers arc wanted, thin them o 
bloom on each shoot. 
I never had satisfactory 
success with 
Clu-ysanthemums grown outside and hf^ 
ed for potting after the buds had formed, 
but never failed to get fine flowers by 
growing in pots all summer. Few peo¬ 
ple know the full beauty of well-grown 
Chrysanthemums, and it is to be hoped that 
the present fashion for them will lead to 
C. A. 
rood results. 
To 
THE BEST WHITE BOSE, 
iiu inquiry of oue of our readcis foi 
the best White Kose, Mr. A. Schulthcis, the 
well-known Rose grower, replies: Merveille 
de l.you, introduced a few years ago, is the 
best white out-door Rose I am acquainted 
with. It may be termed an improved Mabel 
Morrison, but of purer white, more double, 
and with firmer petals than the latter. 'I'he 
buds are beautiful in form, resembling Bar¬ 
oness de Rothschild, but fuller. I’he flow¬ 
ers retain their beauty a long time, and, 
when fading, the inner petals become tinted 
with salmon, or rose color. After being cut 
the buds may be kept in good condition for 
several days, even in warm weather. The 
growth of the plant is similar to Baroness, 
only more robust, the stems are less thorny, 
and the blossoms appear singly on the 
branches. Taking all points together, I do 
not know of a more desirable variety, es- 
])ecially for cutting. 
Next best I consider Elise Boclle. This is 
a lovely Rose, white, delicately tinged with 
pink, of medium size, double, and of circu¬ 
lar foi-in. 'I’he wood is light green, and be¬ 
set with numerous small si)ines. 
POBTULAOAS. 
q'he Portulaca, by its creeping habit, cov¬ 
ers, when well-grown, a foot or two of space 
so thickly as to hide the ground under its 
lle.shy leaves. Its flowers are of m.any col- 
oi s: rose, crimson, puri)lc, white and yellow 
ami many are striped and splashed in bril¬ 
liant combinations. A bed of it is a mo.st 
gorgeous sight on a hot summer day. It is 
a great lovei- of heat, and flourishes luxuri¬ 
antly when .-ill else sullcrs from drouth, ft 
likes a light, warm, sandy soil, with full c.x- 
l)osure to the sun, and low beds on the lawn. 
It is une(|iiiilled among annuals. It is a pro¬ 
fuse blooniei’, and usually covered with flow- 
ors tlio ('iitiro Huiiiinor, 
)\lost vai’ieties are single, but of late years 
double ones have been pro.lueed, resembling 
httic! hoses, and prefe.’.-ed by many for l|,,. 
beauty of the in.lividual flowers, though tl e 
single ones are quite as showy and",sel l 
lor masses of color. 'I’he seed ... 
of the “double” |,>m-t„|,i,.,I i,,|g proiiueell with 
me about ten j,er eent of double flowers 
that one (ainnot ile|,end on getting double 
lloweis, even when the seed has l,e,m n. 
ered fi’om such. v ,,, ’ hi'Bi- 
It. Ruxtoiii,. 
■ the 0LBMATI8. 
For as long as I can remember, the Ciena- 
lis Flammula has been a widely-known fa¬ 
vorite among us, and it is likely to remain 
so Its hardiness and rapid growth, its nu¬ 
merous pretty white flowers and grateful 
f,-agrance, have won for it a love among the 
masses which is not likely to be soon super¬ 
seded even by the larger and gayer flowers 
of more recent introduction. Even our na¬ 
tive Virgin’s Bower (what a pretty name 
that is) aften finds a place trained over the 
simple “stoop” of the old farm-house and 
on more pretentious verandas. After a 
while we liad ccerulea, Sophia, Helene, and 
others; but perhaps the Clematis that has 
done most to make the later forms grown is 
Jackmani. It is to-day, according to my ob¬ 
servation, the most widely giown of all, 
with the possible exception of C. Flammula. 
'The Clematis ranks among the most useful 
and charming of climbing plants. It is 
easily grown, and is at home in a variety of 
soils, but thrives best in a loam of some 
body; it is a rapid grower, and quickly cov¬ 
ers a large space; it embraces a pleasing va- 
i-iety of color; it is equally well adapted to 
covering a veranda, trellis, or out-buildings, 
and may be used in large beds or for covering 
rocks; and, not least, it is hardy, the latest in¬ 
troductions having passed through the last 
trying winter unharmed in this latitude. 
'There is this to be said, however, in re¬ 
gard to its hardiness: while a very rieh soil 
produces the largest flowers and the most 
luxuriant growth, it has a tendency to make 
the plant more or less tender. IVhere the 
winter is generally severe, therefore, the 
plant should be grown in a soil only moder¬ 
ately enriched. It may be stated in this 
connection that the Clematis will also grow 
and bloom very well in a light, sandy soil, 
with flowers, however, diminished in size. 
Its accommodating nature in this respect 
adapts it to a wide extent of country, and it 
nray therefore, in a sense, be claimed as a 
plant for the multitude. 
It has generallj’^ been thought that the 
beautiful varieties that have been introduced 
during the ]iast ten years or so are tendei’, 
and this has deterred manj^ from planting 
them. 1 have tested the majority of the 
new kinds, and have found them to be quite 
hardy, and 1 therefore unhesitatingly advise 
the readers of The Ameiucan Garden to 
plant them. 1 believe there are veiy few, 
if any, that will not endure our coldest 
winters. 
In regard to the time to plant, it may be 
done either in the spring or in the fall. I 
prefer, liowcver, to plant early in the siu’ing, 
thougli I have planted in the fall with about 
as mucli success as in the spring.. Much div 
pends u|)on tile condition of the plants. 
I )ast Call upwards of 50 varieties were planted 
on the see.ond of December, and only one 
failed to appear this spring, the rest not 
only making a lino growth, but some of 
I'lusm a fair show of flowers. So nmclt for 
the liardiiuiSH of tl\e newer varieties of 
Clematis. 
IMants may lie Imuglit grown in pots or 
grown in the open air. 'I’lie former are to 
so 1)0 preferred, if not too largo. In tlve .spring 
I’lant cjirly, before niueli growth has been 
made. In tlie fall, plant late, or as soon 
us tlie wood has ripened. l’ot-g«'W'« 
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