
\ 
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FOREST AND STREAM, 
Peon tasers 293 

3 

the spring is eighty-five feet and objects on its bottom can 
be seen almost as plainly as if held in the hand. Visitors 
usually take with them small, round, bright pieces of tin, 
which appear like tiny mirrors lying on the bottom, which 
is smooth and covered with a fine white sand. On the 
western side is a broad ledge or cliff of rock, the top of 
which is sixty-five feet below the surface. At the edge of 
this cliff the water is black, and I found bottom at a little 
over one hundred and twenty-five feet. Out of this Gulf 
’ the stream seems to gush, and one can see the fish floating 
over and in front of it, steadily maintaining their position 
—though the somewhat quick motion of the fins and tail 
show the resistance they are obliged to overcome. 
The water is impregnated with limestone, and is icy cold. 
One or two persons who have experimented in swimming 
in this spring, after a few seconds immersion, hecame so 
benumbed as to require assistance to get back into the 
boat. The sides of the spring are very steep; being almost 
perpendicular for some distance below the surface. The 
river leading from the spring is full of grass, and among 
this lie the fish. Fishing with a line is out of the question 
—but many are caught with a ‘‘gig.” 
There is a legend connected with the spring, which goes 
on to say that many years ago, long before the white man 
trod the shores of America, this spring was alittle fountain, 
and was the favorite resort of a pair of mastodons. One 
day while standing at the spring, cooling themselves by 
throwing over their backs ‘‘trunk-fuls” of the icy water, 
the ground suddenly gave way beneath their feet—and the 
ill-fated pair found themselves swimming in a lake of ice- 
cold water. Terrifically they ‘‘trumpeted,” and frantically 
they strove to clamber out upon the bank—but the steep 
sides afforded no foothold—until benumbed and overcome 
with the cold, and feebly struggling, they sank, with their 
trunks lovingly entwined, to rise no more. As my fair in- 
formant remarked: ‘lovingly they had spent their lives 
together, and in death they were not divided.” ‘The bones 
of the ill-fated pair remained long at the bottom of the 
spring—a memento of their fidelity and their fate. Some 
years ago, some enterprising individuals succeeded in get- 
ting out their skeletons, which were large and perfect, and 
shipped them to New York. The vessel was wrecked dur- 
ing the voyage and they were lost. * 
The country around Tallahassee is attractive and beauti- 
fully undulating. There are many fine views, and pleasant 
drives in almost any direction. All the varieties of forest 
vegetation peculiar to the country, are abundant. The 
superb magnolia, with its glossy deep-green leaves and 
large cream-white flowers, the bay-tree, the live oak, so 
famed for ship timber, the scarlet oak, the sweet gum, the 
syeamore, the long-leaved pine, the catalpa, the hickory, 
the beech, the wild plum and’crab-apple, of size almost in- 
credible until seen, the dogwood whose large, white flowers 
and berries of vivid scarlet far exceed in size those of its 
northern compeer—grape, and other vines of every variety 
and size; the yellow jessamine, which climbs the trees and 
overspreads their tops with its clusters, and hangs in grace- 
fui festoons from every branch, in a wealth of floral pro- 
fusion which illumines its surroundings, and covers its 
forest supporters with a crown of glory. Along the fences 
and hedges the Cherokee rose, (i may tell you its legend 
some day), clambers in wild luxuriance—its fair snow-white 
blossoms shining like stars in the dusk of the evening, as 
you ride along. The oleander, the cape-jessamine and the 
crépe-myrtle, puny shrubs and hot-house plants at the 
north, here are trees, and grow to the height of twenty feet. 
The camelia, too, reaches the height of ten feet or more, 
and, living in the open air, blossoms with a luxuriance un- 
known to its sisters of the northern conservatory. 
But why say more. The lover of the rod and gun 
keenly appreciates all of nature’s loveliness—and where is 
the beauty and delicacy of God's handiwork more manifest 
than in the ‘‘Land of Flowers?” MOonMOUTH. 

*Chas. Lanman, Esq., in his “ Wilds of America,” says that the bones 
referred to were sent to Philadelphia by Geo. S. King, of Florida, and de 
posited in the museum there.—ED. 

Several months since a store boat sank near the little 
town of Reno, Indiana, which had on board among other 
things several kegs of powder. One keg was carried up to 
Mr. Galey’s and kicked around the yard for several days, 
but at last the inquisitiveness of Mr. G. overcame his accus- 
-tomed prudence and he determined to experiment upon the 
key. The powder had caked and become, to all appear- 
ances, a solid mass, but was in fact streaked all through 
with little veins of dry powder, which the water had affected 
very little. Mr. G. applied a torch to the mouth of the keg, 
and after considerable scraping and poking, the fire took 
hold a few seconds before Mr. G. let go. The keg made a 
puff like an infant Vesuvius, and bounded up the hill like a 
frightened coon—endwise. It puffed and smoked a few 
moments, when it made another spring into the air, turned 
over several times, and made straight for Mr. G.; who by 
this time became somewhat frightened and began to yell 
for water. This roused the entire family, and while Mr. 
G. and his eldest son were vainly endeavoring to capture 
the keg, and kept busily avoiding it in its peregrinations, 
the other members were busily heaving bucketful after 
bucketful in the slirection of the kicking keg. One bound, 
more lofty aud vigorous than any of the preceeding ones, 
carried the keg to the top of the house, where it whizzed 
and buzzed behind the chimney, until finally it rolled off 
and landed just in front of Mr. G., who sprang astride the 
smoking thing and yelled for more water. It came. Buck- 
etful after bucketful was thrown upon the man and keg as 
they rolled over and over the ground. filling the air with 
smoke and soot and cuss words, until the fire in the keg 
and curiosity in Mr. G. were both totally extinguished. 
The bare sight of a powder keg is sufficient to cause a cold 
streak to run down Mr. G.’s spinal column.—Zz. 
> 
—The oldest timber in the world is in the ancient temples 
af Egypt. It is 4,000 years old and perfectly sound. 
Woodland, Zawn and Barclerr} 

WINDOW, OR PARLOR GARDENING. | 
) 

THE HALF DOZEN PLANTS.—No. I. 
“Bright gems of earth, in which perchance we see 
What Eden was—what Paradise may be.” 
E often hear it remarked, in relation to plant culti- 
vation in rooms in the winter months, that Mrs. 
Flora, or Mrs. Pomona, or Miss Barefeet always has a 
bright and lovely stand near her front windows always 
bright and glowing with green leaves and flowers. And 
quite often our fair questioners ask, ‘‘Why cannot I have 
as fine a variety of rare plants in my room as Mrs. Laven- 
der?” You can do so, and we are disposed to give you a 
few practical hints of how to begin in order to be suc- 
cessful. 4 
Beginners frequently make a mistake at the very outset. 
They quite naturally suppose, after looking at a finely ar- 
ranged, thrifty window garden, that this is all very easy, 
and they have only to go and do likewise, and have as fine 
ashow as their friend. Very well; so they will, provided 
they take the care, and notice every little requisite that 
they will find they have overlooked. We do not wish to 
discourage our lady friends from the pleasing amusement 
of window gardening, but we wish them to understand in 
the beginning that from the most simple elements the most 
beautiful combinations and gratifying results* may be ob- 
tained. 
As you have constituted me your mentor, you must fol- 
low asIlead. You must inthe first place make up your 
mind that were you to attempt the stocking and culture of 
a large number of plants with complete success you will 
assuredly fail. First attempts generally fall far short of 
our anticipations. You must try and fail, and try again, 
to a certain extent, and if you lose in plants you will have 
gained in knowledge what you have lost in plants. Gar- 
dening, and window gardening in particular, like all arts, 
requires practice, self-reliance, and careful observation; 
every little thing tells in the window garden. <A lady said 
to me, ‘‘O, the many, many failures I have made in my at- 
tempts to cultivate good flowers! I have made such sacri- 
fices to cash, time, and patience that I think I should suc- 
ceed, if only to reward me for my patience.” ‘‘Have you 
not obtained your reward in the knowledge you have ob- 
tained under difficulties? Does not this beautiful passiflora, 
that so gracefully twines its blossoming branches, covered 
with flowers, alone compensate you for all your time, 
money, and observation, your study and patience? Is not 
this one splendid plant a reward in itself sufficient for all 
your pains?” ‘‘Most truly, and now I can cultivate every 
plant I attempt to place in my window, for I have learned 
never to attempt impossibilities.” This is my second point 
of consideration—never attempt to cultivate plants or flow- 
ers you know nothing at all about. True, you will have 
failures in the beginning; you must have, but remember, 
you will have success in the end. 
The most essential requisites to window plant cultivation 
is a knowledge of the proper appliances. Take as an illus- 
tration of our subject, its simplest form. You have one 
window which you propose to make into a window recep- 
tacle of plants, flowers, &c. We will suppose it to be an 
ordinary window only. This window is to be fitted with 
shelves to receive your pots, and in the first place you will 
quite probably place a board upon the window sill, on the 
inside, of eighteen inches width. This is for your bottom 
shelf, and upon this shelf you will place your larger sized 
pots, and you will place them as near to the glass as pos- 
sible, in order to give them all the light and heat possible 
from the outside as well asinside of the room. About 
three or four shelves is as many as I wonld recommend to 
begin with, and one shelf of six good pots is better well 
cultivated, thrifty, and, as I expect from you, understand- 
ingly, than a full shelf of meagre starvellings, as unsightly 
as undesirable. If you prefer, instead of pots you can 
have a neat bed made, of the requisite dimensions to place 
on your shelf. Itisa good plan. 
Full light and open air are loved by plants; one they 
must have all the time, the other occasionally. With such 
a window, arranged in this manner, suppose you begin 
with one shelf of six, pots, or a single long box of earth. 
We think you could do yourself credit with these prelimi- 
nary instructions, for they are as the stepping stones across 
the brook. If you would ford the stream you must look 
carefully to the wey marks. If the window is fitted with 
double sash, or a recess between the outer and inner sash, 
so much the better, but of all these progressive arts we 
shall inform you as you are prepared to receive the neces- 
gary practical instruction. 
You will observe that in the first attempts at window gar- 
dening on a small scale the great principles of heat, light, 
moisture, air, earth and soils, in elementary or primitive 
parts, and their compostings, are to be thoroughly consid- 
ered. First—heat, the mover and great motive power, is 
to be supplied as the plant requires, within certain limits; 
tropical plants, heat of a certain degree, and plants of a 
more temperate clime their climatic heat as nearly as pos- 
sible. The medium heat is from forty to eighty degrees. 
Now, we suppose, you are ready to commence your simple 
window garden with good plants. Do not buy your plants 
of the itinerating tribe of flower sellers, whose name is 
legion, and who are generally humbugs, but go to your 
seedsman or florist, ask him to select for you good honest 
plants and bulbs, and if he is an honest man he will do you 
no wrong. Always obtain new plants—plants that have | 


bloomed during the summer are not such as you should 
place in your window. Now as to the plants—nearly all 
our ladies say first the old calla lily. Well, it is a grand old 
plant, and its green leaves alone are full of beauty. Place 
this lily, if you have only one, in a good sized pot in the 
| centre of your window. You are to recollect that for this 
lily the soil is to be composed of a compost made from rich 
loam, one quarter sand, thoroughly decayed cow manure 
two parts, and a small portion of leaf mould from the 
woods. Two or three attempts will give you the required 
parts of each. One fact bear in mind, for a general winter 
compost have on hand in barrels in your cellar rich loam, 
clean sand, old well rotted manure, leaf mould from the 
woods, meadow peat, and for some plants the old rotted 
stump soil found in our woods. We could tell you the ex- 
act component parts, but we think you had better rely 
somewhat upon yourself in the preparation, of particular 
soils. A very good compost for general use may be made 
from rich loam, sand, cow manure, and leaf mould in equal 
parts. I have successfully used it in the above form. If 
you wish to add acamelia, rose, or geranium to your win- 
dow, you will pot them in one part river sand, one part 
leaf mould, two parts of turf or garden soil. In potting 
your plants, press the carth well about the roots. There is 
what we call an unpardonable mistake, made by many of 
our friends, in not looking at the plant they would repot. 
Repotting is an art of itself, and you will find it requires 
knowledge to considerable extent, simple as it appears. 
Watch a skilful florist the very next time you visita 
green-house, and see how he repots any rose or geranium, 
We will tell you how he does it, or how he should do it, to 
have a good plant. He will take the plant he is to repot, 
and turn it upside down, with his left hand over the pot, 
the stem of the plant being between his fingers; he now 
gives the pot a smart rap, over the bin or barrel, and lifts 
up the pot, having in his hand the plant, with its ball of 
earth. See how very carefully he removes every worm or 
insect he may find. ‘‘Now,” he says, ‘‘this plant requires 
a larger pot, for the roots are large and matted together, 
sometimes closely around the sides of the pot.” Heed this; 
it is an infallible sign of ‘‘bigger pot’ wanted. Give this 
plant a pot one size larger than the one you took it from. 
Now place the ball of earth or roots in the centre of the 
pot selected for its home, and fill it up all around with fresh 
soil, pressing it down firmly either with a stick or with 
your hands. Cover the “‘ball” with half an inch, and settle 
the dirt in the pot by gently striking the same on the edge 
of the table. You can now set your pot in your window. 
As for stimulating your plants, there are quite a number 
of good fertilizers, the effects of which I shall give in their 
proper places in these papers. But after adding a good 
strong plant of the English ivy (Hedrahelix) on one side to 
climb up a rustic trellice, and on the other side (if you do 
not prefer the lantana, or running German ivy) you can 
place a fine plant of the Begonia rex as a side plant. Never 
think of potting a plant that nas the ball of earth very dry. 
You must have your root moist, for you cannot well water 
it after repotting. A badly formed root will sometimes be 
found in pots, and are called ‘‘snake curls” or “‘snag roots;” 
these require skilful prunings to ever succeed. You can 
only in cases like this repot in a smaller pot, to which you 
have added powdered charcoal dust, and give gentle heat 
and moisture, and you may succeed. 
There is no better or more showy plant to be had in this 
country, or one that will give you the satisfaction that this, 
under good culture, will. The leaves of this plant, in good 
circumstances, grow to considerable height, are of quite 
large size, and beautifully shaded with crimson, with an 
intermixture of broad silver zones and irregular patches. 
It is, as the ladies say, ‘‘a love of a plant,” and we place 
it first among our list of plants as deserving especial atten- 
tion. 
In this paper we have laid down a few practical, simple 
rules, the results of our own careful experience, and leav- 
ing our readers to profit by the instruction of this paper we 
will in paper number III take them a few steps further 
on in this delightful study. OLLIPOD QUILL. 
——_—___.) 0—_ 
Pruning OvurT-poor GRAPE Vrines.—This work, if not 
already done, should not be delayed. Let the pruned vines 
lie flat upon the ground, as it is warmer there than on the 
trellis. Besides allowing them there until the buds have 
started in the spring, it will have the effect of causing buds 
to strike low, and thus provide new leaders to take the 
place of old ones. Rampant growing vines should be cut 
back more severely than slow growers, and none should be 
trellised higher than six feet from the ground. Lateral 
branches should be cut to two or three buds. The soil in 
which grapes are grown should be kept in the best condi- 
tion—ground bones being probably the best fertilizer.— 
Germantown Telegraph. 
ee ___—_ 
RESURRECTION OF Lona BurteED GERMS.—The Canan- 
daigua Repository and Messenger has the following :—‘‘About 
thirty years ago, near the southern boundary of this coun- 
ty, a farmer's wife, living in a small log cabin on a hillside, 
planted in front of her door a plat of flowers, among which 
was the purple poppy. After the farmer built himself a 
new house at a little distance from his former abode, to 
take advantage of the hill, the road was moved so as to 
run directly across this plat of flowers, and for twenty-five 
years or more there has not been seen the least vestige of 
any flower that formerly grew there. Last year, in work- 
ing on the road, the hill was ploughed and scraped and gra- 
ded down, and this year, circumstances proving favorable 
for the germination of the long buried seed, purple pop 
pies are blooming along that roadway.” 
——___— —_——_— 
—What is the difference between a great coat and an in- 
fant? One you wear the other yon was. 

