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EVEKY LADY

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ADDRESSED TO THE

INDUSTRIOUS AND ECONOMICAL.

CONTAINIXO

SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS

CULTIVATING PLANTS AND FLOWERS

IN THE GARDEN AND IN ROOMS.

BY LOUISA JOHNSON.

Eevised from the Fourteenth London Edition, and Adapted to tho
USE OF AMERICAN LADIES.

NEW YORK:
C. M. SAX TON AND COMPANY,

AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHERS,

No. 110 Fulton Street.

1851.

KntereJ accordiRff to act ol' Congress, in tae year 18.j'2, by

c. M. SArroK,

in th* Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the ^oulhero
District of Naw York.

m

•HJ-

PUBLISHER'S ADVERTISEMENT

The Publisher, having found the want of small, cheap Books, of
acknowledged merit, on the great topics of farming oconomy, and
meeting for those of such a class a constant demand, offers, in his
Ivural HandV^ks, of which this is one, works calculated to fill the
void.

He trusts that a discerning Public will both buy and read these
little I'reatises, so admirably adapted to all classes, and fitted by
their size for the pocket, and thus reada,ble at the fireside, on the
road, and in short everywhere.

C. M. SAXTON,

AgiicihUural Book Publisher,

I HAVE been induced to compile this little work from hearing many of vif
companions regret that no single book contained a sufficiently condensed and
general account of the business of a Flower Garden. '' We require," they
said, "a work in a small compass, which will enable us to become our own
gardener; we wish to know how to set about everything ourselves, without
expense, without being deluged with Latin words and technical terms, and
without being obliged to pick our way through multiplied publications, re-
dolent of descriptions, and not always particularly lucid. We require a
practical work, telling us of useful flowers, simple modes of rearing them,
simply expressed, and free from lists of plants and roots which require ex-
pensive methods of preservation. Some of us have gardens, but we cannot
afford a gardener ; we like flowers, but we cannot attempt to take more
than common pains to raise them. We require to know the hardiest flowers,
and to comprehend the general business of the garden, undisturbed by fear
of failure, and at the most economical scale of expense. Who will write ua
such a book t "

n PREFACE.

I have endeavored to meet their views ; and my plan of Floriculture may
be carried into effect by any lady who can command the services of an old
man, a woman, or a stout boy. In the present Edition, the publishers have
added a paper on Window Gardening, written by Mr. M'Intosh — and
another on Domestic Greenhouses, an apparatus by which a small collec-
tion of exotics may be given in great perfection, and by a process which
any lady may superintend with much gratification. In every other respect
the work is the result of my own experience, and I dedicate it to all of rr y
own sex who delight in flowers, and yet cannot allow themselves tc enter
u»to great expense in their cultivation.

LOUISA JOHNSON.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER 1.

INTRODUCTION.

Pleasures of Gardening — How conducive to health — Early taste for
Gardening in England — Pleasure-gardens at fhcobalds — Garden-
ins; for Ladies 0

CHAPTER II.

GENERAI 1EJIARKS.

Situation for a Flower-garden — On improving the Soil — Aspect and
choice of Flowers— Monthly Roses — Rustic Stages — Garden Tools
and Working Dress — India-rubber Shoes indispensable 13

CHAPTER 111.

LAriNG OUT.

Arrangement of Plants — Root-houses — Annuals — Biennials — Perennials
— Planting out Beds — Amelioration of Soils — Monthly Lists of
Flowers — Destructi\e habits of Hares and Ral)bits — Snails, Ear-
wigs, Mildew and Blight — Neatness and order indispensable in a
well-kept Garden — Spring Plants — List of Perennials 18

CHAPTER IV.

BULBS AND FKRENNIALS.

Transplanting Bulbs — Advantage of Salt Manures — Best arrangement
for choice Bulbs — Select Lists — Fibrous-rooted Flowers — Biennials
— Their Propagation — Protection necessary 36

CHAPTER V

ANNUALS.

Sowing and gathering Seed — Training and trimming Plants — List of
Annuals 56

VUl CONTENTS.

CHAPTER Vr.

ROSES A'SD JASMINES.

Poetry of Flowers- -Varieties of Roses — Pyramids — Climbing Varieties
Insec.ts injurious to the Rose — List of Roses — Luxuriant appearance
of the Jasmine — Devices for displaying its beauty 63

CHAPTER VIL

SHRUBS AND EVERGREENS.

On Planting — Distance between each — Various modes of Propagating —

List of best Garden Sorts — Pruning 69

CHAPTER Vin.

ON HOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING.

Plants proper for Window Culture — Treatment of House Plaiits — Mode
of Supply — Bulbs in Glasses — Nosegays and cut Flowers — Diseases
of Plants 76

CHAPTER IX.

DO.-\IESTIC GREENHOUSES.

Form of Apparatus — Preparing the Soil — Draining — Principles Cv the

Invention — Situation of Plants ... 91

CHAPTER X.

MONTHLY NOTICES.

Recapitulation of Work to be done in each Month ........... ... . 103

CADIiLs SLOWER GARDENElC

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

tT has been well remarked that a garden affords the pur«-sl o{
human pleasures. The study of Nature is interesting in all
her manifold combinations : in her wildest attitudes, and in
her artful graces. The mind is amused, charmed, and astonished
in turn, with contemplating her inexhaustible display; and we wor-
ship the God who created such pure and simple blessings for his
creatures. These blessings are open to all degrees and conditions
of men. Nature is not a boon bestowed upon the high-born, ut
purchased by the wealth)^ at a kingly price. The poor, the blind,
the halt, and the diseased, enjoy her beauty, and derive beneiit
from her study. Every cottager enjoys the little garden which
furnishes his table with comforts, and his mind with grateful febl-
ings, if that mind is susceptible of religious impressions. He
contemplates the gracious Piovidence which has bestowed such
means of enjoyment upon him, as the Father whose all-seeing
eye provides for the lowliest of his children ; and who has placed
the " purest of human pleasures " within the reach of all whc are
not too blind to behold his mercy. With this blessed view before
his mental sight, the cottager cultivates his little homestead. The
flowers and fruits of the earth bud, bloom, and decay in their
season ; but Nature again performs her deputed mission, and
1*

10 ladies' FLo\n!:u gai!Dk^ek.

spring succeeds the dreary winter with renewed beauty and two-
fold increase. Health accompanies simple and natural pleasures.
The cultm-e of the ground affords a vast and interminable field of
observation, in which the mind ranges with singular pleasure,
though the body travels not. It surrounds home with an un-
ceasing interest ; domestic scenes become endeared to the eye
and mind ; worldly cares recede ; and we may truly say —

" For us kind Nature wakes her genial power,
Suckles each herb, and spreads out every flower !
Annual for us, the grape, the rose, renew
The juice iiectariouSj aud the balmy dew :
For us, the mixie a thousand treasures brings;
For us, health gushes from a thousand springs."

Eth. ep. i. ver. 129.

The taste for gardening in England began to display itself in
the reign of Edward III., in whose time the first work on- the
subject was composed by Walter de Henly. Flower-gardening
followed slowly in its train. The learned Linacre, who died in
1524, introduced the damask rose from Italy into England. King
James I. of Scotland, when a prisoner in Windsor Castle, thus
describes its " most faire " gaiden : —

" Now was there maide fast by the towris wall,
A garden faire, and in the corneris set

An herbere green, with wandis long and small
Railit aboul, and so with treeis set
Was all the place, and hawthorn hedges knet,
That lyfe was now, walking, there forbye,
That might within scarce any wight espie,

So thick the bowis and the leves grene

Bercandit all, the alleyes all that there were;

And myddis every herbere might be sene
The scharpe grene swete junipere
Growing so fair, with branches h.<re and there,
That, as it seymt to a lyfe without.
The bowis spred the herbere all about."

The Qiiair.

Henry VIII. ordered the formation of his garden at Nonsuch
about the year 1509, and Leland says" it was a "Nonpareil."

INTRODUCTION. 11

Hentyner assures us of its perfect beauty, describing one ol its
marble basins as being set round with " lilac trees, which trees
bear no fruit, but only a pleasant smell."

The pleasure-gardens at Theobalds, the seat of Lord Burleigh,
were unique, acording to the report of Lyson. In it were nine
knots exquisitely made, one of which was set forth in likeness of
the king's arms. " One might walk two myle in the walks before
Ite came to an end."

Queen Elizabeth was extremely fond of flowers, and her taste
ever influenced that of her court. Gilliflowers, carnations, tulips,
Provence and musk roses, were brought to England in her reign.
"William III. loved a pleasaunce or pleasure-garden ; but he
introduced the Dutch fashion of laying them out, which is still
horrible in our eyes. His Queen superintended in person all her
arrangements in the flower-garden, — an amusement particularly
delightful to her. In those days, " knottes and mazes " were no
longer the pride of a parterre, with a due allowance of " pleasant
and fair fishponds."

Queen Anne remodeled the gardens at Kensington, and did
away with the Dutch inventions. Hampton Court was also laid
out in a more perfect state in her reign, under the direction of
Wise.

Since that period, flower-gardening has progressed rapidly ;
and the amusement of floriculture has become the dominant /as-
sion of the ladies of Great Britain. It is a passion most blessed
in its efi'ects, considered as an amusement or a benefit. Nothing
humanizes and adorns the female mind more surely than a taste
for ornamental gardening. It compels the reason to act, and the
judgment to observe ; it is favorable to meditation of the most
serious kind ; it exercises the fancy in harmless and elegant occu-
pation, and braces the system by its healthful tendency. A
flower-garden, to the young and single of my sex, acts upon the

12 ladies' flower gardexer.

heart and affections as a nursery acts upon the matronly feelings.
It attaches them to their home ; it throws a powerful charm over
the spot dedicated to such deeply-interesting employment ; and
it lures them from dwelling too deeply upon the unavoidable dis-
appointments and trials of life, which sooner or later disturb and
disquiet the heart.

An amusement which kings and princes have stamped with
dignity, and which has afforded them recreation under the toils
of government, must become for ever venerated, and will bo
sought for by every elegant as well as by every scientific mind.
Floriculture ranges itself under the head of female accomplish-
ments in these our days ; and we turn with pity from the spirit
which will not find in her "garden of roses" the simplest and
purest of pleasures.

GENEKAL REMARKS. 13

CHAPTER II.

GENERAL REMARKS.

tN" the laying out of a garden, the soil and situation must be
considered as much as the nature of the ground will admit.
Let no lady, however, despair of being able to raise fine flow-
ers upon any soil, providing the sun is not too much excluded, for
the rays of the sun are the vital principle of existence to all vege-
tation. The too powerful rays can be warded off by the arts of in-
vention, but we have yet no substitute for that glorious orb. Unless
its warm and forcing influence is allowed to extend over the surface
of the garden, all flowers wither, languish, and die. Sun and air
are the lungs and heart of flowers. A lady will be rewarded for
her trouble in making her parterre in the country ; but in large
towns, under the influence of coal smoke, shade, and gloom, her
lot will be constant disappointment. She can only hope to keep
a few consumptive geraniums languishing through the summer
months, to die in October, and show the desolating view of rows
of pots containing blackened and dusty stems.

Many soils which are harsh or arid, are susceptible of improve-
ment by a Uttle pains. Thus, a stiff" clay, by digging well and
leaving it to become pulverized by the action of the frost, and
then mixing plenty of ashes with it, becomes a fine mould, which
1 have ever found most excellent for all flowers of the hardier
kind. The black soil is the richest in itself, and requires no assist-
ance beyond changing it about a foot in depth every three years,
as a flower garden requires renewing, if a lady expects a succes-

14 LAi)]K.s' li.OWKR GARDENER.

sion of handsome fiowei-s. The ground should be well dug ths
latter end of September or October, or even in November, and if
the soil is not sutHcientlj fine, let it be dug over a second or third
time, and neatly raked with a very fine-toothed vake.

Stony ground requires riddling well, and great care must be
taken to keep it neat by picking up the little stones which con-
stantly force themselves to the surface after rains. Nothing is so
unbecoming as weeds and stones in parterres, where the eye seeks
flowers and neatness.

Almost every plan* loves sand ; and if that can be procured, it
eniiches and nourishes the soil, especially for bulbs, pinks, carna-
tions, aui'iculas, hyacinths, &c. Let it be mixed in the proportion
of a third pai't to the whole.

If the dead leaves are swept into a mound every autumn, raid
the soap suds, brine, &c., of the house be thrown upon it, the
mass will quickly decompose, and become available the following
year. It makes an admirable compost for auriculas, &c., mixed
with garden or other mould.

If the ground be a gravelly soil, the flower-garden should not
slope, for stony ground requires all the moisture you can give it,
while the sloping situation would increase the heat and dryness.
A moist earth, on the contrary, would be improved by being
sloped towards the east or west.

The south is not so proper for flowers, as a glaring sun withers
the tender flowers ; but the north must be carefully avoided, and
shut out by a laurel hedge, a wall, or any rural fence garnitlied
with hardy creepers, or monthly roses, which make a gay and
agreeable defense. Monthly roses are invaluable as auxiUaiies of
all kinds. They will grow in any soil, and bloom through tlie
winter months, always giving a delicate fragrance, and smiling
Gven in the snow. Monthly roses will ever be the floiist's de-
light : they are the hardiest, most delicate-looking, and greenest-

GEJsERAL KEMAIIKS. 16

leaved of garden productions ; they give no t. uble, And speedily
form a beautiful screen against any oftViisive object. iNo flowei;
garden should exist without- abundance of monthly roses.

It has often ' been a disputed point whether flower gardens
should be intersected witli gravel walks or with gi-ass plots.
This must be left entirely to the taste and means of the part)'
fojming a garden. Lawn is as wet and melancholy in the winter
months, as it is beautiful and desirable in summer; and it requires
o-reat care and attention in mowing and rolhng, and trimming
round the border. Gravel walks have this- advantage : the first
trouble is the last. They will only require an old woman's or a
child's assistance in keeping them free from weeds ; and a lady
has not the same fears of taking cold, or getting wet in her feet,
duiing the rains of autumn and spring.

Many females are unequal to the fatigaie of bending down to
flowers, and particularly object to the stooping posture. In this
case, ingenuilv alone is required to raise the flowers to a conve-
nient height ; and, by so doing, to inci-ease the beauty and pic-
turesque appearance of the garden. Old barrels cut in half, tubs,
pails, (tc, neatly painted outside, or adorned with rural orna-
ments, and raised upon feet neatly carved, or mounds of earth,
stand in lieu of richer materials, such as vases, parapet walls, and
other expensive devices, which ornament the gardens of the
wealthy. I have seen these humble materials shaped into forms
as pleading to the eye, and even more consonant to our damp
climate, than marble vases. They never look green from time,
and are renewed at a very trifling expense. A few pounds of
nails, and the unbarked thinnings from fir plantations, are tiie
sole requisites towards forming any device which a tasteful fancy
can dictate ; and a little green paint adds beauty and durability
when the bark falls from the wood it protects. I have seen fir
balls nailed on to these forn s in tasteful patterns ; and creepers

16 ladies' flower gardener.

being allowed to fall gracefully over the brims, give a remark-
ably pleasing and varied appearance to the parterre.

Where mould is not easily to be procured — as, for instance, in
towns — the tubs or receptacles may be half filled with any kind
)f rubble, only space must be left to allow of two feet of fine
nould at the top, which is quite sufficient for bulbous roots,
reepers, &c. These receptacles have one powerful advantage
ever ground plots ; they can be moved under sheds, or into out-
houses, d uring the heavy rains or frosts of winter ; and thereby
finable a lady to preserve the more delicate flowers, which would
deteriorate by constant exposure to inclement weather.

A lady requires peculiar tools for her light work. She should
possess a light spade ; two rakes, one with very fine teeth, and
the other a size larger, for cleaning the walks when they are
raked, and It-r raking the larger stones from the garden borders.
A light garden fork is very necessary to take up bulbous or other
roots with, as the spade would wound and injure them, whereas
they pass safely through the interstices of the fork or prong. A
watering-pot is indispensable, and a hoe. Two trowels are like-
wise necessary ; one should be a tolerable size, to transplant pe-
rennial and biennial flower roots ; the other should be pointed
and small, to transplant the more delicate roots of anemones,
bulbs, &c.

The pruning-knife must be always sharp, and, in shape, 't
should bend a little inwards, to facilitate cutting away straggling
or dead shoots, branches, &c. The " avroncator," lately so much
in request, is an admirable instrument ; but it is expensive, and
of most importance in shrubberies, where heavy branches are to
be cut awr.y. The Sieur Louis d'Auxerre, who wrote a work
upon gardening in 1*706, has a sketch of the avroncator of the
present day, which he designates as caterpillar shears.

A light pair of shears, kept always in good order, is necessarr

GENEJiAL REMAllHb. 17

to keep privet or liiurel hedges properly clipped ; and a stout
deep basket must be deposited in the tool-shed, to contain the
weeds and clippings. These are the only tools absolutely essen-
tial to a lady's garden. I have seen a great variety decorating
the wall of an amateur tool-house, but they must have been in-
tended for show, not for use. A real artiste, in whatever pro-
fession she may engage, will only encumber herself with essen-
tials. All else is superfluous.

I have reserved two especially necessary recommendations to the
last, being comforts independent of the tool-house. Every lady
should be furnished with a gardening apron, composed of stout
Holland, with ample pockets to contain her pruning-knife, a small
stout hammer, a ball of string, and a few nails and snippings of
cloth. Have nothing to do with scissors ; they are excellent in
the work-room, but dangerous in a flower garden, as they wrench
and wound the stems of flowers. The knife cuts slanting,
which is the proper way of taking cff slips ; and the knife is
sufficient for all the purposes of a flower garden, even for cutting
string.

The second article which I pronounce to be indispensable is a
pair of India rubber shoes, or the wooden high -heeled shoes
called " sabots " by the French. In these protections, a lady
may indulge her passion for flowers at all seasons, without risk
of rheumatism or chills, providing it does not actually rain or
snow : and the cheering influence of the fresh air, combined with
a favorite amusement, must ever operate beneficially on the nsind
and body in every season of the year.

18 ladies' flower gardeneb.

CHAPTER, ni.

ON LAYING OUT.

iHERE are many modes of adDrning a small piece of ground,
50 as to contain gay flowers and plants, and appear double its
real size. By covering every wall or palisade with monthly
roses and creepers of every kind, no space is lost, and unsiglitly ob-
jects even contribute to the general effect of a "Plaisaunce." The
larger flowers, such as hollyhocks, sunflowers, &c., look to the
best advantage as a back ground, either planted in clumps, or
arranged singly. Scarlet lychnis, campanula, or any second-
sized flowers, may range themselves below, and so in graduated
order, till the eye reposes upon a foreground of pansies, auriculas,
polyanthuses, and innumerable humbler beauties. Thus all are
seen in their order, and present a mass of superb coloring to the
observer, none interfering with the other. The hollyhock does
not shroud the lowly pansy from displaying its bright tints of yel-
low and purple ; neither can the sturdy and gaudy sunflower hide
the modest double violet or smartly clad anemone from observa-
tion. Each flower is by this mode of planting distinctly seen,
and each contributes its beauty and its scent, by receiving the
beams of the sun in equal proportions.

If the trunk of a tree stands tolerably free from deep over-
shadowing branches, twine the creeping rose, the late honey-
suckle, or the everlasting pea round its stem, that every inch of
ground may become available. The tall naked stem of the
young ash looks well festooned with roses and honeysuckles.

ON LAYING OCT. 19

Wherever creeping flowering plants can live, let them adcrn every
nook and corner, stem, wall, and post; they are elegant in ap-
pearance, and many of them, particularly clematis, are delicious
in fragrant scent.

If flowers are planted in round or square plots, the same rul'.
applies in arranging them. The tallest must be placed in thi
center, but I recommend a lady to banish sunflowers and holly
hocks from her plots, and consign them to broad borders agains^'.
a wall, or in clumps of three and three, as a screen against the
north, or against any unsightly object. Their large roots draw
so much nourishment from the ground, that the lesser plants suf-
fer, and the soil becomes quickly exhausted. Like gluttons, they
should feed alone, or their companions will languish in starvation,
and become impoveiished. The wren cannot feed with the vul-
ture.

The south end or corner of a moderate flower garden should
be fixed upon for the erection of a root house, which is not an
expensive undertaking, and which forms a picturesque as well as
a most useful appendage to a lady's parterre. Thinnings of
plantations, which are everywhere procured at a very moderate
charge, rudely shaped and nailed into any fancied fihrm, may
supply all that is needful to the little inclosure ; and a thatch of
straw, rushes, or heather, will prove a sure defense to the roof
and back. There, a lady may display her taste by the beauty of
the flowers which she may train through the rural fraa^e-work.
There, the moss-rose, the jessamine, the honeysuckle, the convol-
vulus, and many other bright and beautiful flowers, may escape
and cluster around her, as she receives rest and shelter within
their graceful lattice-work. There, also, may be deposited the
implements of her vocation ; and during the severe weather, its
warm precincts will protect the finer kinds of carnations, puiks.

20 LADIES' FLOW Ell GARDENER.

auricuiat", &c., which do not bear the heavy rains, or frosts of
lengthened duration, without injuring the plant.

Flowers are divided into three classes : — annuals, biennials,
and perennials.

Annuals are those flowers which are raised from seeds alone, in
the spring, and which die in the autumn. They are again divi-
ded into three classes : — the tender and more curious kinds ; the
less tender or hardier kinds ; and the hardiest and common kinds.

Biennials are those flowers which are produced by seed, bloom
the second year, and remain two years in perfection, after whicli
they gradually dwindle and die away.

Some sorts, however, of the biennials, afi"ord a continuation of
plants by offsets, slips, and cuttings of the tops, and by layers
and pipings, so that, though the parent flower dies, tlie species
are perpetuated, particularly to continue curious double-flowered,
kinds, as for instance, double rockets, by root offsets, and cuttings
of the young flower-stalks ; double wallflowers by slips of the
small top shoots ; double sweet-williams by layers and pipings ;
and carnations by layers.

Perennials are those flowers which continue many years, and
are pi-opagated by root offsets, suckers, parting roots, &c., as
will be more fully particulaiised under the head of Perennials.

It has been a debated point among florists whether plots or
baskets should be devoted each to a particular variety of flower,
or receive flowers of different kinds, flowering at separate seasons.
Thus, many ladies set apart one plot of ground for anemones only
— another plot receives only pansies, and so on. There is much
to be said on both sides the question.

If a plot of ground is devoted to one variety of flower only,
you can give it the appropriate mould, and amuse your eye with
its expanse of bright coloring. Nothing is more beautiful than
a bed of pxnsies, or a bed of the bright and glowing scarlet ver-

ON LAYING OUT. 21

bina ; nothing can exceed the gay and flaunty '.ints of a b&tlE of
tuHps, or the rich hues of the lilac and the white petunia. A
large space of garden allows its possessor to revel in separate
beds of flowers, whose beauty is increased twofold by masses ;
and from that very space, the eye does not so. easily discover the
melancholy appearance of one or more plots exhibiting nothing
but dark mould, and withered stems, arising from the earlier
sorts being out of bloom.

But in less spacious gardens, this gloomy and mournful vacuum
must be avoided. Every border and plot of ground should ex-
hibit a gay succession of flowers in bloom ; and that object can
only be effected by a pretty equal distribution of flowers of early
and late growth. As the May flowers droop, the June produc-
tions supply their place ; and these, again, are followed in succes-
sion, till the Golden rod and Michaelmas day daisy announce the
decadence of the parterre for the year.

Yet everj?- flower may be supplied with its favorite soil with a
little patience and observation. A light soil suits all descriptions
very well ; and I never yet found disappointment in any descrip-
tion of earth which was thoroughly well dug, and dressed yearly
from the mound of accumulated leaves and soap-suds, alluded to
in the first chapter. I particularly recommend a portion of sand
mixed with the heap. All bulbs, carnations, pinks, auriculas,
ranunculuses, &c., love a mixture of sand. I know no flowers of
the hardy class which reject it. Mix sand well into your borders
and plots, and you will not fail to have handsome flowers.

I subjoin a list of common flowers appertaining to each month,
in order to fill the borders with one or more roots of each
variety. I do not ir elude the annuals.

22

LADIES FLOWER GARDENER.

JANUARY.

In this month the following flowers are in blow :—

Single Anemones
Winter Cyclamens
Michaelmas Daisy
Hepaticas

Primroses
Winter Hyacinth
Narcissus of the Kasx
Christmas Rose

Single Anemones
Forward Anemones
Persian Iris
Spring Crocus

rEBRUARY.

I Single Yellow Gilliflowcr

I Single Liverwort

I Winter Aconite

I Ilepatii-as

Bulbous Iris
Anemones of all soits
Spring Cyclamens
Liverwort of all sorl.s
Daffodils
Crowfoots
Spring Crocus

JIAKCH.

I Hyaciiiilis of all sorts

Jonquils

Yellow Giliiilower
j Narcissus of several kinds
I Forward Bears'-eara
I Forward Tulips
I Single Primroses of iivere rv ors

Daisies

Yellow Gillitlowers
Narcissus of all sorts
Forward Bears'-ear
Spring Cj^clamens
Crocus, otherwise c.i

flowers
Anemones of all sorts
Iris

Pansies
Daflbdils

lied SiifTron-

Double Liverworts

Primroses

Honeysuckles

Tulips

Hyacinths

Single Jonquils

Crown- Imperial

Yellow GjllitioM ers,

single
Pasque-Fiowors
March Violets

double ind

Anemones

Gilliflowers of all sorts

Yellow Gilliflowers

Columbines

Asphodils

Orange, or flame-colored Lilies

Double Jacea, a sort of Lychnis

Cyanuses of all sorts

Hyacinths

Day Lilies

Bastard Dittarv

Daisies

Lily of th* ^-'alley

Mountain Pinks

Pansies

I'eonies of all sorts

Ranunculuses of all sorts

Some Irises : as those which we

call the Bulbous Iris, and the

C ha map- Iris
Italian Spiderwort, a sort of As-

phodil
Poet's Pinks
Backward Tulips
Julians, otherwise (ailed English

Gilliflowers

ON LAYING OUT,

28

Snap-draj^ons ol all sorts

Wild Tansies

Pinks, otherwise caUed Lychnises

Irises

Roses

Tuberoses

Pansies

Larkspur

Great Daisies

Climbers

Cyanuses of all sorts

Foxgloves of all sorts

Mountain Lilies

GilliHowers of all sort*

Monk's-hoods

Pinks of all sorts

Candy-tufts

Poppies

Tessamine

Spanish Brown

Basils

Bell-flowers

Indian Jacea

Great Daisies

Monk's-hoods

Pinks

Scabiuses

Nigellas

Cyclamens

Lobel's Catch-liies

Lilies of all sorts

Apples of Love

Comfrey

Poppies

Snap-dragons

Double Marigolds

Amaranthuses

Hellebore

Ox-eyes

Pinks of the Poets

Bee-flowers

Sea-hollies

Foxgloves

Vv'^ild Poppies

Everlastings

Roses

Ditta!:ies

Bindweeds

Lilies of St. Bruno

Tricolors

Squills

Motherworts

Climbers

Oculus Christ!

Camomile

Sunflowers

Belvederes

Gilliflowers of all soru

Thorn-apple

Valerian

Oculus Christi, otherwise called

Starwort
Belvederes
Climbers of all sorts
Apples of Love
Marvels of Peru
Pansies
Ranunculuses
Double Marigolds
Candy-tufts
Autumn Cyclamens
Jessamines

Sunflowers, vivacious and annual
Indian Narcissus

Foxgloves

Cyclamens

Pas^sion flov,ers

Everlastings

Tuberoses

Monk's-hood

Indian Pinks of all kinds

Bindweed

Passvelours

Great Daisies

White Bell-flower

Autumnal Meadow SafFrofi

Gilliflowers

24

LADBES' FLOWER GARDENER.

SEPTEMBER.

Tricolors

Love-apples
Marvel of Peru
Monk's-hood
Narcissus of Portugal
Snap-dragons
Oculus Christi
Basils
Belvederes
Great Daisies *
Double Marigolds
Monthly Roses
Tuberoses

Amaryllis

Autumnal Narcisrua

White Bell-flowers

Indian Pinks

Indian Roses

Amaranthus

Pansies

Passion-flower

Autumnal Crocus

Thoi'n-apple

Carnations

Ranunculuses planted in May

Colchicums

Tricolors
Oculus Christi
Snap-dragons
Colchicums
Autumn Crocus
Autumnal Cyclamens
Monk's-hood
Indian Pinks

Pansies that were sown in Auguil

Passion-flower

Passvelours

Double Marigolds

Some Pinks

Amaryllis

Autumnal Narcissus

NOVEMBER.

Snap-dragons

Double and Single Gilliflowers

Great Daisies

Pansies sown in August

Monthly Roses

Double Violets
Single Anemones of all sorts
Winter Cyclamens
Forward Hellebore
Golden Rod

Rabbits are an intolerable nuisance in a flower garden, and in
some country places tbey abound most destructively. A light
wire fence about two feet high, closely lattice-worked, or a net
of the same height, carried round the garden, is a sure defense
from these marauders. But where these conveniences are unat-
tainable, there are other modes which answer the purpose, but
they require a little trouble and patience.

It is the well-known nature of Rabbits and Hares to dishke
climbing or entangling their feet; and very simple inventions
deter them from attempting to gnaw the roots and hearts of

ON LAYING OLT. 25

flowers. They will not walk upon straw or ashes strewed thickly
round any plant : they equally dislike a fence of sticks placed
round a plot, with bits of white paper or card fastened to each
stick ; or a string carried round the sticks a foot or two high.
If they cannot creep under a slight fence, they never attempt to
leap over it. If a stick is run into the ground close to a plant,
and other sticks are slanted from the ground towards the center,
the plant will remain untouched, be the frost of ever so long
duration.

Snails are disagreeable intruders, but the following method is
an exterminating war of short duration : — -

Throw cabbage leaves upon your borders over night ; in the
morning, early, you will find them covered underneath with
snails, which have taken refuge there. Thus they are easily
taken and destroyed.

Earwigs are taken in great numbers by hanging gallipots,
tubes, or any such receptacle, upon low sticks in the boi'ders over
night. In these they shelter themselves, and are consequently
victimized in the morning. The gallipots, broken bottles, &c.,
should be placed upon the stick like a man's hat, that the vermin
may ascend into them.

Ants are very great enemies to flowers ; but I know no method
of attacking them, except in their ov/n strongholds, which I have
always done with cruel intrepidity and success. My only plan
was to lay open the little ant-hill, and pour boiling water upon
the busy insects, which destroyed at once the commonwealth,
and the eggs deposited within the mound. In some places ants
are extremely large and abundant, and they quickly destroy the
beauty of a flower by attacking its root and heart.*

* The Emperor Pagonatus, who wrote a treatise upon agriculture, assures
us, tliat to clear a garden of ants, we should burn empty snail shells with
storax wood, and throw the ashes upon the ant-hills, which obliges them to
remove. I never tried this method.

26 ladies' flower gardener.

Mildew and blight infest roses and lioney-suckles. Soap-suda
thrown over rose bushes ; heavy v?aterings with tobacco- water,
or the water in which potatoes have been boiled, is successful in
a degree, but the best way is a very troublesome one to perse-
vere in. Pinch every leaf well which curls up, by which you
may know a small maggot is deposited therein. By so doing
you destroy the germ of a thousand little monsters.

Mildew and blight come from the east ; therefore honeysuckles
should be sheltered from that aspect ; for, as they rise and spread
widely, they are not so manageable as a rose-bush. A mass ot
luxuriant honeysuckles is beautiful to the eye and delicious in
fragrance : but covered with mildew, it is a blackened and miser-
able object. Mildew, fortunately, does not make its appearance
every spring ; but once in four or five years it comes as a plague,
to desolate the garden. A great deal may be raked away it
taken off as soon as it spreads its cobwebs over these lovely
flowers ; but it should be done without dfilay.

I cannot lay too great stress upon the neatness in which a
lady's garden should be kept. If it is not beautifully neat, it is
nothing. For this reason, keep every plant distinct in ihe flower-
beds ; let every tall flower be well staked, that the wind may not
blow it prostrate ; rake away dead leaves from the beds, and
trim every flower-root from discolored leaves, weeds, &c. ; re-
move all weeds and stones the moment they appear, and cleai
away decaying stems, which are so littering and ofi'ensive to the
eye. There is always some employment of this kind for ever^?-
week in the year.

Old iron rods, both large and small, are to be procured cheay
at the ironmongers. These old rusty rods, painted green, or lead
color, are excellent stakes for supporting flowers, and do not
wear out. The slighter rods are very firm upiight supporters
for Carnations, Pinks, &c., while the taller and larger rods are

ON LAYING OUT. 27

the firmest and best poles for hollyhocks, sunflowers, and the
larger class of plants. Fix the flower stem to its stake with
string, or the tape of the bass matting, soaked in water to pre-
vent its cracking, and tie it sufficiently light to prevent the wind
tearing it from its position. Tie the large stems in three places
for security.

The term Deciduous, applied to shrubs, signifies that they
shed their leaves every winter.

Herbaceous plants, signify those plants whose roots are not
woody, such as stocks, wallflowers, &c. <fec.

Fibrous-rooiQ^L plants, are those whose roots shoot out small
fibers, such as Polyanthuses, violets, &c.

Tuberous-rooie^ plants, signify those roots which form and
grow into little tubes, such as Anemones, Ranunculuses, &c.

PERENNIALS.

Perennials are flowers of many years' duration ; and they
multiply themselves most abundantly by suckers, offsets, parting
the roots, tkc. They require little trouble beyond taking care to
renew the soil every year or two by a somewhat plentiful supply
from the compost heap ; and by separating the ofisets, and part-
ing the roots in autumn, to strengthen the mother plant. Wher.
the flowers are past and the stems have decayed, then the opera-
tion may take place. Choose a showery day for transplanting
the roots, or give them a moderate watering to fix them in tlieir
fresh places. When you transplant a flower root, dig a hole with
your trowel sufficiently large to give the fibers room to lie freely
and evenly in the ground.

I have, throughout my little work, laid great stress upon pos-
sessing a heap of compost, ready to apply to roots and shrubs
every spring and autumn. Wherever the soil is good the flowers

28 LADIES' FLOWER GARDENEK.

will bloom handsomely ; and no lady will be disappointed of that
pleasure, if a compost heap forms one essential, in a hidden cor-
ner of the flower garden. If you raise your perennials from
seed, sow it in the last week in March in a bed of light earth, in
the open ground. Let the bed be in a genial, warm situation,
and divide it into small compartments ; a compartment for each
sort of seed.

Sow the seed thin, and rake or break the earth over them finely.
Let the larger seed be sown half an inch deep, and the smaller
seed a quarter of an inch. Water the beds in dry weather often
with a watering pot, not a jug. The rose of the watering pot
distributes the water equally among the seedlings ; whereas,
water dashed upon them from a jug falls in masses, and forms
holes in the light earth, besides prostrating the delicate seedling.

About the end of May, the seedlings will be fit to remove into
another nursery bed, to gain strength till October ; or be planted
at once where they are to remain. Put the plants six inches
apart, and water them moderately, to settle the earth about their
roots.

But it is rarely required to sow seed for perennial plants,—
they multiply so vigorously and quickly of themselves, by offsets;
and cuttings may be made of the flower stalks in May and June
in profusion.

The double Scarlet lychnis, and those plants which rise with
firm flower stems, make excellent cuttings, and grow freely when
planted in moist weather. Double Rockets, Lychnidea, and many
others, succeed well.

Carnation and pink seedlings must be taken great care of.
They will be ready to plant out about the middle of June, and as
innumerable var.cties spring from sowing seed, they should be
planted carefully in a bed by themselves six inches asunder, and
they will flower tlie following year, when you can choose the

ON LAYING OUT 2^

colors you u.ost approve. Carnaiiuns pro^.. .rly rank undet the
head of biennials ; but pinks are strictly p n-ennial plants, and
much has been written upon this hardy and beautiful flower. It
comes originally from a temperate climate, 'therefore the pink
loves shade : the fervid sunbeams cause its flowers to languish and
droop. You may give them an eastern aspect.

Be careful to watch pinks when they are budding, and do not
allow two buds to grow side by side. Pinch off the smaller bud,
which would only weaken its companion. Keep the plants free
from decayed leaves, and gently stir the earth round them occa-
sionally with your small trowel. This operation refreshes them.
Stake them neatly, that they may not fall prostrate after rain.

If you wish to preserve any particular pink, let it grow in a
pot, or upon a raised platform, that it may be placed beyond the
reach of hares, rabbits, or poultiy, and be more easily sheltered
from long and severe frost or rains in winter, and from the dry
heats in summer, either of which destroys the beauty of the
flower. The pots can be sunk in the ground in fine weather. Do
not hide your pinks among larger flowers : let them be distinctly
seen. If you water pinks too much, their roots become rotten ;
and if you suffer them to be too dry, they become diseased. Be-
w^are of extremes. The best rule is to keep them just moist.
A. fine pink should not have sharp-pointed flower leaves ; they
should be round and even at their edges, and the colors should be
well defined, not running one into the other. The flower should
be large ; it should possess a great many leaves, and form a sort
of dome. Piping and slipping, is the most expeditious mode of
propagating plants from any selected pink.

Pansies, violets, &c., are very easily propagated by parting the
roots when the flowers are past. Pansies are very beautiful
flowers ; and cuttings of their young shoots will grow very freely
if kept moist and shaded for some little time. By refreshing the

30 LADIES* FLOWER GARDENER.

soil every year, you insure large flowers. Pansies and violets
bloom early in the spnng.

IIe2n(icas must be parted like violets. They appear so very
early in the year that no garden should exist without these gay
and modest flowers. The leaves appear after the flower has past
away.

The Polyanthtis blooms among the early tribe. In planting
this flower, be careful to insert the roots deep in the soil, so that
the leaves may rest upon it, for the roots are pi'oduced high upon
the stem, and those roots must be enabled to shoot into the soil.
The polyanthus, like almost every other flower, loves a good soil,
with a mixture of sand.

In dividing these fibrous-rooted perennial plants, take only the
strong ofi"sets, with plenty of fibers attached to them.

Polyanthuses, auriculas, double daisies, double camomile, Lon-
don pride, violets, hepaticas, thrift, primroses, gentianella, &c.,
succeed well, taken up and divided in September, for they will
all have done flowering by that time. Indeed, all perennial
fibrous-rooted plants may be taken up in October to have their
roots parted, and the soil refreshed round them.

Peonies, and all knob-rooted plants, should be taken up in
October to part their roots and transplant them to their intended
positions.

The saxifrage has very small roots, which are apt to be lost in
borders if not very carefully looked after. Like the anemone,
&c., sift the earth well for them.

Dahlias require a word or two upon their culture. They love
sand, therefore allow them plenty of it, but do not put manure
to their roots, Avhich throws them into luxuriant leaf and stem,
to the deterioration of the flower. Peat mould is good, if you
can obtain it, to mix with the sand, as it assists the flower in de-
veloping stripes and spots. Train each plant upright, upon one

ON LAYING OUT. 81

gietn only, and give it a strong stake to support its weight, which
soon succumbs under gusts of wind. Plant them in open and
airy places. When the stems become black, take them up, sepa-
rate the roots, and plunge them into a box of ashes, barley chaff,
or sand, to protect them through the winter. Plant them out in
May.

Dahlias grow from cuttings, which require care and a hot-bed
to do well, but they multiply themselves very sufi&ciently without
that trouble.

It is a great perfection to see every tall plant in a flower-garden
well staked, and trimmed from dead straggling shoots. Let no
branches trail upon the border, but, as in the ease of Chrysan-
themums, cut away the lowest branches or shoots, that each
plant may stand erect and neat in its order, without intermed-
dling in its neighbor's concerns. There will be plenty of em-
ployment all through the simimer in watching the growth of
your plants, in cutting away decayed stems, and trimming off
dead leaves. Let nothing remain in the flower's way after the
brightness of its bloom has past by : cut off the drooping flower
befoz-e it runs to seed, which only tends to weaken the other
flowers, and leave only the finest flower to produce seed on each
plant.

Perennials grow remarkably fine always in newly turned-up
ground, but they gradually degenerate if they are allowed to re-
main above two years without replacing the substance they have
exhausted in the soil. Add every year to that substance, by
liberal supplies from the compost heap.

Be careful to multiply your supply of jasmines, honeysuckles,
&c., by cuttings in their due season.

I subjoin a list of the hardier sorts of fibrous rooted Perennials,
eligible to adorn a garden, from which my readers may stock
t];eir borders.

32

ladies' flowek gardener.

LIST OF HARDY PERENNIALS.

Aster, or Star wort

Large blue Alpine

Coinmon Starwort, or Michaelmas
Daisy
_ Early Pyrcnean

Blue Italian Starwort

Catesby's Starwort

Dwarf narrow-leaved Starwort

Midsummer Starwort

Autumnal white Starwort, with
broad leaves
Tripolian Starwort

Divaricated-branched

Virginian Starwort, with spiked
blue flowers

Early blue Starwort

Rose Starwort

Latest Starwort, large blue flowers

New England Starwort

Red-flowering
jSpocynum, Dogsbane

Red-flowering

Orange-colored

Syrian
Arum, Italian large-veined leaf
jlsdcpias, Swallow-wort

White

Yellow
Aslragahts, Milk-vetch
.dlysson, White

Yellow

Violet
Borage, the Eastern
Bachelor^ s Button

Double red

Double white
Double Ragged Robin
Campanula, or Bell-flower

Double blue

Double white

Double blue, and white nettle-
leaved
Caliha, double-flowered

Marigold
Cassia of Mai-yland
Pinks, double pheasant's eye

Dobson

Deptford

Cob white

Red cob

White stock

Damask

Mountain

Matted

Old man's head

Painted lady

Clove pink, emd many otnei
varieties _

Stock July-jlower, the brompton

Double scarlet Brompton

Single scarlet

Purple

White Brompton

Queen stock

Purple double

Striped double

Single of each sort

Twickenham stock
Lichnidea, early blue

Spotted-stalked, with purple spikes
of flowers

Virginia, with large umbels

Low trailing purple

Carolina, with stifi^" shining leaves,
and deeper purple flowers
Cyanus, broad-leaved

Narrow-leaved
Lychnis, or Campion

Single scarlet lychnis

Double scarlet lychnis

Catchfly, double floweis
Hepaticas, single white

Single blue

Single red

Double red

Double blue
Lineria, toad ilax

Purple

Yellow
Bee Larkspur
Fraxinclla, white

Red
Gentiania, great yellow
Gcntianclla, blue
Globularia. blue daisy
Fox-glove, red

White

Iron- colored

ON LAVi^^G OUT.

33

Perennial Sun-flower

Double yellow, and several other
species.
Cyclamen, red

White
Goldy Locks
Chelo^ie, white

Red
Li/y of the Valley, common

Double-flowering
Solotnori's Seal, single

Double
Filapendula, or Dropwort
Columbines, common blue

Double red

Double white

Double striped

Starry, double and single

Early- flowering Canada
Thalictrum, feathered columbines
Pulsatilla, blue Pasque flower
O rob lis, bitter vetch
3axifrage, double white

Thick-leaved

Purple
Veronica, upright blue

Dwarf blue

Hungarian

Blush
Golden Rod, many species
Valerian, red garden Valerian

White garden
Rudbekia, American sun-flower

Dwarf Virginia, with large yellow
flowers

Dwarf Carolina, with narrow red
reflexed petals and purple florets

Virginia, with yellow rays and red
florets

Tall yellow, with purple stalks
and heart-shaped leaves

Taller, with yellow flowers and
large five-lobed leaves, and those
on the stalks single

Tallest yellow, with narrower
leaves, which are all of five
lobes
pulmonaria, Lungwort

Common

American

2*

Monarda, purple

Scarlet
Ephcmeron, Spider-wort, or flowers
of a day

White

Blue
Jacea, American knapweed
Primrose, double yellow

Double scarlet

White
Polyanthus, many varieties
Auriculas, many varieties
Violets, double blue

Double white

Double red

Russian

Banksia
Violet, the Major
London-pride, or None-so-pretty
Day-lily, red

Yellow
Fumitory, the yellow

White

Bulbous-rooted

American forked
Aconite, iMonk's-hood, or Wolf's-bane

Blue Monk's-hood

Yellow

White

Wholesome Wolf's-bane
Winter Aconite
Hellebore, or Bear's-foot

Common black hellebore

Green-flowered
White Hellebore
Christmas Rose
Geranium, Crane's-bill

Bloody Crane's-bill

Blue

Roman

Bladder-cupped
Daisies, common double red garden
daisy

White

Double variegated

Cock's-comb daisies, white and red

Hen and chicken, white and red
Dahlias, many varieties
Peony, double red

Double white

u

ladies' flower gardener.

Double purple

Ma.e, with large single flowers

Sweet-smelling Portugal

Double rose-colored
Silpuium, bastard Chrysanthemum
^m, Fleur-de-lis, or liags

The German violet-colored

Variegated, or Hungarian, purple
and yellow

Chalcedonian iris

Greater Dalmatian iris

There are several other varieties
of Irises, all very hardy and very
beautiful plants
Cardinal Flowers, scarlet

Blue
Rockd, double white
£alm of Gilead. sweet-scented ; must

be sheltered in winter

Everlasting Pea
Eupatorium, several varieties
Eryngo, blue

White

Mountain, purple and violet

There are some other varieties
Snap Dragon, or Calf 's-snout

Red

White

Variegated
Moth Mullein
Angelica

Asphodclus, King's-spear
Lupins, perennial, blue-flowered
Ononis, Rest-har

Large yellow-flowered
Tradescantia, or Virginia Spideri

wort

The Saxifrage is propagated by cuttings and offsets, which the
roots produce abundantly. Take the offsets and plant them out
in August. The double white saxifrage is a beautiful flower, and
blooms early in the spring. The pyramidal saxifrage is a very
handsome decorative flower, but it must be planted in little clumps
to make a showy appearance.

October is the busy month for transplanting and removing the
offsets of all perennial and biennial plants. In this month every
flower of summer has passed away, and the garden is free to
receive all new arrangements in its future dispositions. Golden
rod, Michaelmas daisies, everlasting sun-flower, and other branch-
ing plants, will require taking up eveiy four years, to part the
main root into separate plants, and replace them in the ground
again. Peonies, lilies of the valley, fraxinellas, monk's-hood, flag-
leaved irises, &c., must be increased or removed when required.
All this is most effectually done in October.

In the same month, finish all that is to be eftected among the
pei'onnial tribe. Campanulas, lychnises, polyanthuses, vio'^its,
Econites, cyclamens, gentianella, yelbw gentian, double daisies,-

ON LAYING OUT. 35

hepaticas, saxifrage, &c., must be attended to, and propagated,
by dividing the roots, before October closes. November is tbe
season of fogs and severe frosts : if a lady is prudent, she will
perform all these needful operations in October, and November
will have no alarms for her.

All the double-flowering plants, such as double sweet-william,
double rockets, double scarlet lychnis, &c., should be placed in
sheltered situations in October, to weather out the storms of
winter. Double flowers are very handsome, and deserve a little
care.

The most charming little perennial flower which can adorn a
lady's garden is the scarlet verbena, but it is very difficult to pre-
serve through the winter. Its beauty, however, repays the care
which may be bestowed upon it. This tender plant — the onl}'-
really tender root which I admit into my work — is not only de-
sirable from its fine, full scarlet blossoms, but it blooms from
April to November. The scarlet verbena loves a rich, light, dry
border or bed, in a sunny situation ; they delight also in rock-
work, where they have been known to exist through the winter.
Plant the roots about six inches apart in the middle of April, and
keep pegging down the shoots as they throw themselves along
the bed. A profusion of flowers and plants are produced by this
means. A bed or border sloping to the south is the best situa-
tion fcr the scarlet verbena.

36 LAuIKS ri.OWEP. GARDENER.

CHAPTER IV

BULBS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED FLOWERS — PERENK1AL8.

/^N SHALL ffive the bulbous and tuberous-rooted flowers a Chan*
>=^^ ter to themselves. They are the earliest treasures of the
^-^0 flower-garden, and deserve especial notice. There was a pe-
riod when two hundred pounds was ofiered for a hyacinth root, and
even the enormous sum of six hundred pounds was given for a Sem-
fer Augustus tulip, hy the Dutch tulip fanciers. But though a few
florists are still particularly nice with respect to their bulbs, the
time is past for paying such splendid prices ; and such an inex-
haustible variety offer themselves to our notice now, that we are
somewhat puzzled in making a choice collection. Seed produces
immense nunibei's yearly, and an infinite vaiiety of new colors in
each species. The florist is lost in admiration of the magnificent
blooms which meet the eye in every flower-garden which is care-
fully attended to.

Bulbs love a mixture of garden soil and sand, well mixed, and
dug about two spades deep to hghten it. Break the mould fine,
and rake the surface even. Plant the bulbs four inches deep,
and let them be six inches apart, placing the bulb with care int(v
the dibbled hole, and pressing the earth gently round each. All
bulbs should be replanted in September, and taken out of the
ground when Hiey have done flowering. When the leaves and
stems decay, dig them neatly up, in dry weather, with your
fi^arden fork ; take the offsets carefully from the main root ; spread
them out to dry on a mat, and put them in a cool dry place to
plant again in September.

TEANSPL ANTING BULBS. 37

The common bulbs, sucb as Snowdrops, Crocuses, &c., may be
left two or three years untouclied ; but at tlie end of that peiiod
take them up, to separate the offsets and small roots from the
mother plants. You can replant them immediately, taldno- care
to thin the clumps, and separate each root six inches from its
neighbor, that they may rise healthy, and throw out fine blooms.

JVcn-cissuses, Jonquils, and Irises, may also remain two years
untouched ; but if annually taken up, they will flower finer, and
for these reasons.

By taking up your bulbs as soon as their leaves and stems de-
cay, it not only allows you to separate the offsets, which weaken
the parent bulb, but it prevents their receiving any damage from
long drought, or the equally destructive moisture of heavy rains,
which would set them growing again before their time, and ex-
haust them. The two or three months in which they are laid by
contributes to their strength, by allowing them that peiiod of
complete rest.

The autumn-flowering bulbs, such as the Colchicums, the Au-
tumnal Crocus, the Yelloio Autumnal Narcissus, &c., should be
taken up in May or eaily in June, when they are at rest. Ti-ans-
plant them now, if you wish to remove them ; part the offsets,
and plant them six inches apart. If you keep them out of the
ground, put them in a dry, shady place, till the middle of July
or August, when you must plant them again, to blow in the au-
tumn.

Be careful to take up bulbs as soon as the leaves decay. If
they are incautiously left in the ground beyond that period, they
begin to form the bud for the next year's flowers ; and the check
of a removal would injure them. They might produce flowers
in due time, but they would be weakly.

The httle offsets will not flower for a year or two. They may

38 ladies' flower gardener.

be consigned to a nursery-bed to remain for that time, in order to
swell and strengthen by themselves.

If you wish to procure new varieties from seed, it must be
sown in August. The healthiest flower-stalk should be chosen,
and deposited in pots or boxes of fine light earth, for the con-
venience of removing under shelter in wet or frost. Keep the
pots or boxes in the shade during the heats, but, as the cold
weather advances, remove them to a warm sheltered spot. Litter
will shelter them from the frost, if you cannot command any
other covering. The plants will appear early the following May :
they must be kept very clear from weeds, and be moderately
watered in dry weather. These seedlings must be transplanted
every summer to be thinned, and placed further apart from each
other till they blow, when they may be removed into the flower-
beds.

This method is troublesome, and requires patience. Tulip
seedlings are seven years before they flower, and a lady may find
her patience severely tried in waiting for their blooms. Seven
years is a large portion of human life. If you can persevere,
however, you will be rewarded by beautiful varieties of new colors
and stripes.

Fine tulips should have six leaves, three on the outside and
three on the inside, and the former should be broader than the
latter. The stripes upon the ttdip should also be defined and dis-
tinct, not mixing with the ground tints.

Hyacinth seedlings are four years before they flower ; this is
not so harassing a period as the Tulip requires ; but every plea-
.sure has its counterbalance. If you will have fine flowers, you
must wait for them. These bulbs love a sunny situation.

The Orchis tribe prefer a moist ground and a northern aspect.
Columella says, that when orchis bulbs arc sown in autumn, they
germinate and bear flowers in April,

BULBOUS PLANTS. 39

The Colchicums or narcissus are hardy bulbs, and will grow in
any sort of ground ; only, the better the soil is, the finer they
will flower.

The Guernsey Lily and Belladonna will not thrive in the open
ground, therefore it is needless to speak of those very splendid
flowers.

The Lily of the Valley, though scarcely to be classed among
the lily tribe, is a beautiful flower, and as fragrant as it is lovely.
They must be multiplied by dividing the roots, which should be
parted with a knife, as they are very intricate : do this in Decem-
ber. Plant them three inches deep in the ground, and disturb
them as little as you can help, as they do not like to be often
moved. They are larger in their flowers when grown in the
shade, but they are sweeter in perfume in the sun's full rays.
Thin broad leaves are sufficient shelter to the flowers.

All bulbs love salt : be careful, therefore, to throw a portion
of common salt or brine upon your compost heap. My cousin,
Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esq., in his " Observations on the Em-
ployment of Salt," quotes a passage in a letter addressed to him
Dy Mr. Thomas Hogg, the eminent florist, upon the advantages
of salt in the cultivation of flowers. I will transciibe it here : —

" From the few experiments that I have tried with salt as a garden ma-
nure, I am fully prepared to bear testimony to its usefulness. In a treatise
upon flowers, published about six years since, I remarked, that the applica-
tion of salt, and its utility as a manure, was yet imperfectly understood. It
is d matter of uncertainty, whether it acts directly as a manure, or only as a
kind of spice or seasoning, thereby rendering the soil a more palatable food
for plants.

" The idea that first suggested itself to my mind, arose from contemplating
the successful culture of hyacinths in Holland. This root, though not in-
digenous to, the country, may be said to be completely naturalized in the
neighborhood of Haerlem, where it grows luxuriantly in a deep, sandy, allu-
vial soil . yet one great cause of its free growth, I considered, was owing to
the saline atmos/^ere: this induced me to mix salt in the compost; and '/

40 ladies' flowek gakdener.

am satisfied that no hyacinths will grow well at a distance irc»n the sea
without it. I am also of opinion, that the numerous bulbous tribe of Amaryl-
lisses, especially those from the Cape of Good Hope ; Ixias, Aliums, which
include Onions, Garlic, Shalots, &c., Anemones, various species of the Lily
Antholyza, Colchicum, Crinum, Cyclamens, Narcissus, Iris, Gladiolus, Ran-
unculus, Scilla, and many others, should either have salt or sea-sand in the
mould used for them.

" I invariably use salt as an ingredient in my compost for carnations ; a
plant which, like wheat, requires substantial soil, and all the strength and
heat of the summer, to bring it to perfection ; and I believe I might say,
without boasting, that few excel me in blooming that flower."

Colcliicums, the Autumnal Narcissus, Amaryllis, and the Au-
tumn Crocus, should be planted in August, to blow in September
and October.

Replant all the bulbous tribe by the end of October, at the
latest. Choose a mild, dry day to put them in the ground, and
let each bulb be six or nine inches distant from its companion.
All bulbs become weak by being placed too closely together, the
soil becoming soon exhausted.

Bulbs of the more choice varieties are better attended to if
they can be placed in beds or compartments by themselves ; for
they are more easily sheltered from frost and rain when in a bod3^
The eye, also, is more delighted by the beautiful variety en masse.
Their favorite soil, too, can be composed and preserved for them
more exclusively, unexhausted by the roots of larger plants around
them. Some of the commoner sorts can be planted out in
patches, to add to the gay appearance of the borders, among the
spring flowers.

Martagons, orange liUes, and bulbs, of tall growth, should
never be planted among the smaller tribe ; their large bulbs
would exhaust the soil, and weaken the smaller flowers. They
look very handsome in borders and plots, placed near, or in. theit
center.

TUBEPOUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.

41

LIST OF BULBOUS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.

Jimaryllis., comprising the autumnal

yellow Narcissus
Spring ditto
Crocus vcrnus, or spring-flowering

crocus
Common yellow
Large yellow
Yellow, with black stripes
White

White, with blue stripes
Blue, with white stripes
Deep blue
Light blue

White, with purple bottom
Scotch, or black and white striped
Cream-colored
Autumnal flowering Crocus, of the

following varieties : —
True saffron crocus, with bluish

flower, and golden stigma, which

is the saffron
Common autumnal crocus, with

deep blue flowers
With light blue flowers
Many-flowered
Siioii'drop, the small spring flowering
Common single
Double
Leucojum, or great summer snowdrop
Great summer snowdrop with an-
gular stalk : a foot high, and

two or three flowers in each

sheath
Taller great snowdrop, with many

flowers
Ornithogalum, or Star of Bethlehem
Great white pyramidal, with nar-
row leaves
White, with broadsword-shaped

leaves spreading on the ground
Yellow
Pyrenean, with whitish green

flowers
Star of Naples, with hanging

flowers
Umbellated, producing its flowers

in umbels, or spreading Dunches,

at the top of the stalk
Low yr low umbellated

Erijthroninin, Jens canis, or dog's
tooth

Round-leaved, wi*h red flowers

Same, with white flowers

The same, yellow

Long narrow-leaved, with purple
and with white flowers

Grape hyacinth

Purple

Blue

White

Musk hyacinth

White

Ash-colored

Blue feathered hyacinth

Purple

Musky, or sweet-scented, with full
purple flowers

The same, with large purple and
yellow flowers

Great African Muscaria, with sul-
phur-colored flower
Fritillaria checkered tulip

Early purple, variegated, or check-
ered with white

Black, checkered with yellow spots

Yellow, checkered with purple

Dark purple, with yellow spots,
and flowers growing in an um-
bel

Persian lily, with tall stalks, and
dark purple flowers growing in
a pyramid

Branching Tersian lily
Corona Imperialism crown imperial, a
species of Fritillaria

Common red

Common yellow

Yellow-striped

Sulphur-colored

Large-flowering

Double of each variety

Crown upon crown, or with two
whorls of flowers

Triple crown upon crown, or with
three tiers of flowers one above
another

Gold-striped leaved

Silver-striped leaved

i2

ladies' flower gardener.

Tulip, early dwarf tulip

Tall, or most common tulip

Early, yellow and red striped

White and red striped

White and purple striped

White and rose striped

Tall, or late-flowering, with white
bottoms, striped with brown

White bottoms, striped with violet
or black brown

White bottoms, striped with red
or vermilion

Yellow bottoms, striped with dif-
ferent colors, called Bizarres
Double Tulip, yellow and red

White and red
Gladiolus, corn flag, or sword lily,
common, with sword-shaped
leaves, and a reddish purple
flower ranged on one side of the
stalk

The same, with white flowers

Italian with reddish flowers ranged
on both sides of the stalk

The same, with white flowers

Great red of Byzantium

Narrow grassy-leaved, and a flesh-
colored flower, with channeled,
long, narrow, four-angled leaves,
and two bell-shaped flowers on
the stalk

Great Indian
Anemone, wood anemone, with blue
flowers

White flowers

Red flowers

Double white
Garden Double Anemone, with crim-
son flowers

Purple

Red

Blue

White

Red and white striped

Red, white, and purple

Rose and white

Blue, striped w^ith white
Ranunculus, Turkey with a single
stalk, and large double bloo!>
T'^d flower

Yelljw-flowered

Persian, with branching stalk, ant
large double flowers of innumer-
able varieties, of which there are

Very double flowers

Semi, or half double

(The double are most beautiful,
propagated by ofl^sets)
Pancratium, sea daffodil

Common white sea Narcissus, with
many flowers in a sheath, and
tongue-shaped leaves

Sclavonian, with taller stems and
many white flowers, and sword-
shaped leaves

Broad-leaved American, with large
white flowers, eight or ten in a
sheath

Mexican, with two flowers

Ceylon, with one flower
Molij {Allium), species of garlic pro-
ducing flowers

Broad-leaved yellow

Great broad-leaved, with lily
flowers

Broad-leaved, with white flowers
in large round umbels

Smaller white umbellated

Purple

Rose-colored
Fumaria bulbosa, or bulbous-rooted
fumitory

Greater purple

Hollow-rooted

American, with a forked flower
Narcissus, or daffodil, common double
yellow daffodil

Single yellow, with the middle cup
as long as the petals

White, with yellow cups

Double, with several cups, one
within another

Common white narcissus, with
single flowers

Double white narcissus

Incomparable, or great nonsuch,
with double flowers

With single flowers

Hoop petticoat narcissus, or rush-
leaved daffodil, with the middle
cup larger than the petals, and
very broad at the b'ira

TUBEROUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.

43

Daffodil, with white reflexed pe-
tals, and golden cups

White daflbdil, with jjuiple cups
Polyanthus Narcissus^ ha\'ing many
snnall flowers on a stalk, from
the same sheath. Of this are
the following varieties : —

White, with white cups

Yellow, with yellow cups

White, with yellow cups

White, with orange cups

White, with sulphur-colored cups

Yellow, with orange cups

Yellow, with sulphur-colored cups

With several intermediate varie-
ties

iVutumnal narcissus

iquil, common single

.^arge single

Uommon douhle

Oouhle, with large round roots
i Mum, the lily, comm^on white lily

iVith spotted or striped llowers

With douhle flowers

With striped leaves

White lily, with hanging or pen-
dent flowers

Common orange lily, with large
single flowers

With double flowers

With striped leaves

Fiery, bulb-bearing lily, producing
bulbs at the joints of the stalks

Common narrow-leaved

Great broad-leaved

Many-flowered

Hoary

Martagon lily, sometimes called
Turk's-rap, from the reflexed
position of their flower-leaves.
There are many varieties, and
which differ from the other sorts
of lilies in having the petals of
their flowe/s reflexed, or turned
backward. The varieties are —

Common red martagon, with very
narrow sparsed leaves, or such
as grow without order all over
the flowe.~-stal?c

Double martagon

White

Double white

White spotted

Scarlet, with broad sparsed leaves

Bright red, many-llowered. or pom
pony, with short, grassy, sparsed
leaves

Reddish hairy martagon, with
leaves growing in whorls round
the stalk

Great yellow, with pyramidal
flowers, spotted

Purple, with dark spots, and broad
leaves in whorls round the stalk,
or most common Turk's-cap

White spotted Turk's-cap

Canada martagon, with yellowish
large flowers spotted, and leaves
in whorls

Campscatense ma-rtagon, with
erect bell-shaped flowers

Philadelphia martagon, with two
erect bright purple flowers
Squills, sea onion, or lily hyacinth,
common lily hyacinth, with a
lily root and blue flower

Peruvian, or broad-leaved hyacinth
of Peru, with blue llowers

With while lie wers

Early white starry hyacinth

Blue

Autumnal starry hyacinth

Larger starry blue hyacinth of By-
zantium

Purple star-flower of Peru

Italian blue-spiked star-flower
Asphodel lily, African blue, with a

tuberous root p

Tuberose, or Indian tuberous hyacinth.
It produces a small stem three
or four feet high, adorned with
many white flowers of great fra-
grance.

The varieties are, —
Fine double tuberose
Single tuberose
Small-flowered
Striped-leaved
Iris bulbosa, or bulbous Iris, Persian,
with three erect blue petals
called standards, and three re-
flexed petals called falls, which

44

LADIES' FLOWER GARDENER.

ats variegated, called Persian
bulbous iris, with a variegated
flower

Common narrow-leaved bulbous
iris, with a blue flower

White

Yellow

Blue, with white falls

Blue, with yellow falls

Greater broad-leaved bulbous iris,
with a deep blue flower

Bright purple

Deep purple

Variegated

Great, with broad and almost plain
or flat leaves, with blue flowers

Purple

Of the above there are many in-
termediate varieties
Hyacinth, eastern, with large flowers.
Of these there are many varie-
ties, and of which there are in-
numerable intermediate shades
or tints of color
Of double sorts there are, —
Blues

Purple blues
Agatha blues
Whites

Whites, with yellow eyes
Whites, with red eyes
Whites, with violet or purple

eyes
Whites, with rose-colored eyes
Whites, with scarlet eyes
Reds
Incarnate, flesh or rose-colored

Of single sorts there are, —

Blues, of various shades, as

above
Whites
Reds

Rose-colored

With many intermediate shades
or varieties
(Muscaria) , or musk hyacinth

Ash- colored

White

Qbsolete purple

Greater yellow African

Grape hyacinth

Purple
Blue
White
Red

Monstrous flowering, or blue-fea-
thered hyacinth

Comosed, or tufted purple hyacinth

Amethystine blue hyacinth

Nodding, spiked, red hyacinth

Non-script small English hyacinth,
or harebells, of the following
varieties : —

Common blue flowers arranged on
one side of the stalk

White

Bell-shaped blue hyacinth, with
flowers on every side of the
stalk

Bell-shaped peach-colored, with
flowers on one side of the stalk

These are very hardy, propagating
bj' offsets

Hyacinth, with a pale purple
flower
Colchicums in variety
Leontke, lion's leaf, largest yellow,
with single foot-stalks to the
leaves

Smaller pale yellow, with branched
foot-stalks to the leaves
Cyclamen, sow-bread, European, or
common autumn-flowering, with
a purple flower, and angular
heart-shaped leaves

The same, with a black flower

The same, with white flowers

Red spring-flowering, with heart-
shaped leaves, marbled with
white

Entire white, sweet-smelling

Purple winter-flowering, with
plain or circular shining green
leaves

Purple round-leaved autumn-flow-
ering

Small, or anemone-rooted, with
flesh-colored flowers appearing
in autumn : these plants have
large, round, sclid roots; the
flowers and leaves rise immedi*
ately from the root

FIBROUS-ROOTED FLOWERS. 45

Co<wta Rcgalis, or royal crown ; re- I jScmiite, the winter
quires shelter in the winter I Sisyrinchium

AURICULA, RANUNCULUS, ANEMONE.

These early and beautifu] flowers deserve pecuiiai notice, for
00 garden looks well without them, and their bright tints delight
the eye and mind. The commonest kinds are handsome and use-
ful in small clumps, and a little care and trouble will raise superb
varieties.

The Auricula loves a soil composed of kitchen-garden mould,
sand, and cow-dung, well mixed together ; they also like a cool
situation. The seed should be sown in September, and when
sown give it a gentle watering. By sowing the seed in pots or
boxes, you can remove them from heavy rains, <fec., without
trouble, and shelter them in the outhouses or tool-house. The
seed seldom appears under six months, and it has been sometimes
a twelvemonth producing itself, therefore be not in despair, but
remaiin patient ; these freaks of nature cannot be accounted for.
When they flower, you must single out the plants which bear
the finest and most choice blooms, and transplant them into pots
filled with the compost above described. The common sorts
may be planted in the borders, to remain out and shift for them-
selves. By keeping the fine auriculas in pots, you preserve them
through the winter easily, for heavy rains and cutting winds do
them harm. You can sink them in their pots during summer ic
the flower-beds, but let them be sheltered during the winter, if
you wish to preserve the blooms uninjured.

Auriculas multiply also by suckers, which grow on their roots.
Take oflF these in February, and plunge them into pots of the
mould they like best, to root freely. They wi^l do so in two
months. Auriculas should not be too much watered, as it makes
them look sickly, and the leaves become yellow. When you pot

46 ladies' flower gardener.

the auriculas, sink them up to their leaves in the soil, but do not
press the mould round the plant, as the flowers bloom finest when
the roots touch the sides of the flower pot.

The auricula is esteemed fine that has a low stem, a stalk pro-
portioned to the flower, the eye well opened, and always dry.
The glossy, the velvet, and the streaked auriculas are the most
admired. The stalk should be decked with many flower-bells, to
be handsome and healthy.

Take care to pull off" all dead leaves round the plant at all
times, that it may appear neat and clean. Neatness is favorabk
to its perfect growth, as well as decorating it to the eye.

The Ranunculus does not like being mixed up with other
flowers, and from this " aristocratic principle " it is always planted
in separate knots

This flower loves sun and warmth. The root must be planted
in September, to bloom early in the summer, and it delights in
a rich, moist soil, well dug, and raked soft and fine. When you
plant them in beds or pots, they must be sunk two inches deep,
and dibble the hole with a round, not pointed, dibble. Place the
roots four or five inches apart, in the warmest situation in youi
garden. By planting ranunculuses in pots, you can more easily
place them in Avarm situations, and withdraw them from heavy
rains. The more room you give these roots the finer they will
grow and blow. If your plots will allow of so doing, let the
roots be planted six or seven inches apart. The flowers will
repay your care. When ranunculuses in pots have flowered, re-
move them from the August rains, or take up the roots, to re-
plant in September.

The Ranunculus with the double white flower must not be
taken up until September, when it should be taken up rj^iickly^
its roots parted, and replanted immediately

ANEMCNKS. 47

The Yellow Ranunculus with the rue leaf, prefers being potted
to being planted in beds.

The Ranunculus propagates by seed as well as offsets. Sow
the seed as you do that of the auricula.

The most admired ranunculuses are the white, the golden
yellow, the pale yellow, the citron-colored, and the brown red.
The red is the least esteemed. The yellow ranunculus speckled
with red, is handsome, — also the rose-color with white inside.

Great varieties are obtained by seed.

The Anemones love a light soil, composed of kitchen-gardea
mould, and sand, and leaf mould, well mixed, and sifted line. It
should, if possible, be composed a year before it is used; the
lighter it is the better for anemones.

The seed should be sown in September. The single flowers
alone bear seed, which is fit to gather when it appears ready to
fly away with the first gust of wind. As soon as the seed is
lodged, and raked smoothly into its fine, light bed, strew the bed
over with straw or mattinsr, and oive it a jjood watering'. In
three weeks the seed will begin to rise, when the straw may be
removed. The young plants will flower in the following April.

When the roots are to be planted in September, sink them
iibout thiee inches deep, and six inches apart, that they may
come up strong and flower well. Make a hole in the ground for
them with your finger, and set them upon the broadest side,
with the slit downwards.

Those anemones planted in September will flower in March
And April, and the roots planted in May flower in autumn, but
the flowers are never so fine.

When anemones have done flowering, it requires some care in
taking up the roots, in order to part and put them by till the
time for replanting ariives. The roots or flaps are so small and
difficult to distinoruiy]), that the earth should be taken no and

48 LADIES FLOWER GARDEKEK.

laid upon a sieve to be sifted, wlien the flaps will alone remain
behind, or the earth may be deposited upon an open newspaper
or cloth, and well rubbed with the hand to feel for the minute
dark-colored flaps, which may easily escape observation.

The beauty of this flower consists in its thickness and roundness,
especially when the great leaves are a little above the thickness
of the tuft.

Choose your seed from the finest single anemone, with a broad,
round leaf.

The remaining tuberous-rooted flowers are very hardy.

BIENNIALS.

Biennial flowers, as the name implies, are plants that exist
only two years. They are propagated by seed, rising the first
year, and flowering the second. If they continue another year,
they are sickly and languid. The double biennials may be con-
tinued by cuttings and slips of the tops, as well as by layers and
pipings, though the parent flower dieS' — but they are not so fine.
A lady should have a space of ground allotted to biennial seed-
lings, so that a fresh succession of plants may be ready to supply
the place of those which die away. The seeds should be sown
every spring in light, well-dug earth ; the young plants should
be kept very clean, and some inches apart from each other ; and
they must be finally transplanted in autumn into the beds where
they are intended to remain.

But there is a great uncertainty as to raising the double flowers ,
therefore it is better to make sure of those you approve by per-
petuating them as long as you can, by any root oftsets they may
throw off, — by pipings, cuttings, or by layers, as before noticed.
I subjoin a list of the principal and useful biennials.

HARDY BIENNIALS.

49

LIST OF HARDY BIENNIALS,

Canterburti Bells

liiae-florrers

White

Purple

Pyramidal
Carnation. All the varieties, some-

what biennial-perennial.
Clary, Purple -topped

Red-topped
Colutea, Ethiopian
French Honeysuckle

Red

White
Globe Thistle

Hollyhocks. Somewhat biennial-per-
ennial ; all the varieties ; always
by seed
Lunaria, Moonwort or Honesty
Mallow (Tree)

Red

Scarlet

Purple

Red, white-bordered

Party-colored

Variegated

Painted Lady

Double of each

Mule, or Mongrel Sweet-william,
or Mule Pink
Tree Mallow (Lavatera aj-borea)
Tree Primrose
Night Stock

Poppy, Yellow-horned [Chelidonium

glaucum)
Rocket, Dame's violet

Single white

Double white

Double purple

Single purple
Rose Campion

Red

White
Scabius, double

Dark purple-flowered

Dark-red

White

Starry purple-flowered

Starry white

Jagged-leaved starry
Stock Gilliflower

Brompton

Queen

Twickf;nham
Sweel-william

Common upright tall yellow

Small-flowered
Wall-flower

Yellow-flowered

Bloody

White

Double of each
Petunia

White

Lilac

When you make youi' seedling-bed or nursery, cover it over
with straw, or fern, or matting, during frost ; and to prevent the
birds pecking up the seeds, it is requisite to protect the bed by
strewing hght boughs of thorn bushes over it, or fixing a net
upon sticks as a covering, till the plants appear. If cats, dogs
or poultry intrude into the flower garden, it is in vain to hope for
enjoyment.

Sow your biennial seeds in March, April, or May. I recom-
mend May, because the young plants in thnt month germ and
3

50 liADIES' FLOWER GARDENER.

vegetate quickly, surely, and without requiring defcinses from the
frost. Plant them out in October, -with a ball of earth to each
root, -where they are to remain.

The Stock Gilliflowers in particular, having long, naked roots,
must be planted out very young, otherwise they do not succeed
well.

Honesty is a very early, rich-flowering biennial, which requires
no care ; they shed their seed, rise, and flower without any assist-
ance, in profusion. The only trouble is to weed it out of the
beds, that they may not stand in the way of other flowers.

Canterbury Bells are handsome flowers, and will bloom a lon^
time, if you cut off" the bells as they decay.

The deep crimson Sweet-williams are mofit esteemed ; though
every variety looks well.

Sweet-williams may be increased by layers and cuttings, which
is the only sure way of securing the sorts you like ; for you may
sow seed every year, and not one in a thousand will reward you
by coming up double.

Carnations are the pride of a garden, and deserve great care
and attention. The common sorts, which are planted in borders,
should have a good rich earth about them, and be treated like
the pink ; but the finer s»rts should always be potted, to protect
and shelter the plant from hares, rabbits, heavy rains, and severe
frost in the winter. Refresh the top of the pots with new soil in
June, and keep the plants free from decayed leaves. Gently stir
the earth round each plant occasionally ; and as plants in pots
require more water than if placed in the ground, let the carna-
tions be gently moistened about every other day during dry wea-
ther. Let the watering take place in the evening ; no flower will
endure being watered during the heat of a summer's day. Car-
nations love sand and salt in proper proportions. Tlie brine which
is deposited upon the compost heap will answer every purpose

HOLLYHOCKS. 51

of salts, (if it be regularly carried out), without adding common
salt: but let this be particularly attended to. The cook should
deposit her pickle and brine to good purpose upon the compost
heap, instead of splashing it down in front of her kitchen dooi-.

Let each plant be well staked, and neatly tied to its supporter ;
and do not allow two buds to grow side by side upon the same
stem, for one will weaken the other. Pinch off the smaller bud.
vJarnations love warmth ; therefore give them a sunny aspect to
blow in. The seedling plants may be treated like young pinks,
but this difference must be observed — pinks love shade, and car-
nations love warmth. A bed of carnations is a beautiful object.
The pots can always be sunk in a border or bed in fine Aveather.
Carnations may be layered, or piped, or slipped for propagation.

Water your carnations in pots once a week with lime water, if
they appear drooping, for this proceeds from a worm at the root ;
but the brine will destroy all insects quickly, when poured upon
the compost heap.

In propagating double Wall-flowers, take slips of the young
shoots of the head : this will perpetuate the double property and
color of the flower, from which they were slipped. In saving
seed for wall-flowers, choose the single flowers, which have five
petals or flower leaves. Double flowers have no seed.

Water the slips, and keep them shady and moist : they will
root by September.

Plant your Hollyhocks in September or October, where they
are to remain. Hollyhocks are a noble flower, and they love a
strong soil. Let a succession of these flower plants be attended
to in the biennial seed-bed. Keep them some inches apart from
each other in the seedhng-bed, for they form large straggling
roots. The hollyhock looks well in clumps of three, at a good
distance apart, in large gardens or shrubberies, but they are
somewhat too overgrown for smaller parterres.

62 ladies' flower gardener.

Be particular in gathering your seeds on a fine, dry day, and
put each sort in a separate brown paper bag till yoa require
them. The very finest seedlings are, after all, those which spring
near the mother plant from self-sown seed, therefore, when you
weed or dig your flower borders, be careful not to disturb any
seedlings which may have sprung up. They always make strong,
fine blooming plants.

Take care of your double-flowering plants in winter. The
double wall-flower is hardy enough to exist in the borders, but
the other double biennials deserve to be sheltered, for double
flowers are very handsome, and heavy rains, snow, or severe frost,
injures them. Take cuttings every year from them.

The Night Stock is tolerably hardy if sheltered during the
frost by ashes or litter. The sweetness after night-fall must
recommend it to all the lovers of fragrant flowers.

PROPAGATING BIENNIALS.

Every young lady must become acquainted with the manner
of operating upon plants, to preserve the finer sorts, which they
may wish to perpetuate. Raising from seed is slow, but it pro-
duces infinite variety. You, however, rarely see the same flower
produced twice from seed ; therefore you must propagate the
biennial and perennial flowers by layers, slips, pipings, and cut-
tings, if you wish to preserve any particular sorts.

To efi'ect layers, prepare some rich, light earth, a parcel of
small hooked sticks, or little pegs, and a sharp penknife.

Now clear the ground about the plant you are going to layer ;
stir the surface well with your trowel, and put a sufficient quan-
tity of the prepared mould round the plant as will raise the sur-
face to a convenient height for receiving the layer.

Cut off the top of each shoot with your knife, about twc inches,

PROPAGATING BIENNIALS. 53

and pull off the lower leaves ; then fix upon a joint about the
middle of the shoot, and, j^kcing your knife under it, slit the
shoot from that joint, rather more than half way up, towards the
joint above it.

Now make an opening in the earth, and lay the stem, and slit
or gashed shoot, into it, and peg it down ; taking care to raise
the head of the shoot as upright as you can, that it may grow
shapely ; tlien cover it with the new mould, and press the mould
gently round it. Do this by each shoot till the plant is layered — ■
that is, till every shoot is laid down. They must be watered
often in dry weather, but moderately, not to disturb or wash
away the soil round the layeis. In six weeks' time, each gashed
or sht shoot will have rooted, and become a distinct plant. They
may be taken away from the old parent stem in September, and
dug up with a ball of earth round each root, to be transplanted
into the plots or borders where they are to remain.

Carnations, pinks, sweet-williams, double wall-flowers, &c., are
the flowers most deserving of layers.

Piping, which belongs almost exclusively to carnations and
pinks, is a most expeditious mode of raising young plants.

Take off the upper and young part of each shoot, close below
a joint, with a sharp knife, and cut each off at the third joift, or
little knob ; then cut the top leaves down pretty short, and take
off the lower and discolored ones. When you have piped in this
way as many as you require, let them stand a week in a tumbler
of water, which greatly facihtates their doing well. Indeed, I
never failed in any pipings, slips, or cuttings, which I allowed to
soak and swell in water previous to planting. When you plant
the pipings, let the ground be nicely dug, and raked very fine ;
dibble no hole, but gently thrust each piping half way down into
the soft earth, slightly pressing the earth round each, to fix it in
the bed. Water them often if the weather is dry, but moder-

54 ladies' flower gardener.

ately, just to keep them moist ; and shade them from the hot sun
in the day. If pipings are covered Avith a hand-glass, thev root
earlier, by three weeks, than those which are exposed.

Laying, piping, and slipping, are done in June and July. The
plants will be well rooted, and fit to plant out, in October.

The operation of slipping is easy. Tear the top shoots of the
plant to be so propagated, gently from their sockets ; hold the
shoot between your finger and thumb, as near the socket as you
can, and it will tear as easily and neatly as you carve the win^
of poultry or game. Place the slips in water for a few days
previous to planting them, like pipings. They will root in six
weeks or two months, if kept shady and moist.

Cuttings must be made of shoots of the last year's growth of
roses, honeysuckles, &c., and plaiited in February. Choose the
strong shoots, and do not cut them less than six inches long.
Cut them with your knife in a slanting direction. Plant them in
a shady place, each cutting half way in the ground, which should
be cleaned, and well dug and raked, to receive them. Cuttings
made in February will root well by October.

Cuttings of flower stalks, such as scarlet lychnis, should be
done in May, June, and July. Take cuttings from the youngest
flo\i^r stems, and plant them carefully in nice mould, like pip-
ings. These flower cuttings should be in lengths of four joints
each. Covering them with a hand-glass raises them very quickly.
They root in two months.

Where hand-glasses are not to form any part of a lady's
arrangements, oil-papered frames are equally useful. I have
seen very economical and useful frames made of bamboo, in the
form of hand-glasses, covered neatly with glazed white cotton or
linen, or horn paper, made by a lady with great celerity and in-
genuity ; and her cuttings and pipings succeeded under them
adiairaWy. Whatever shelters cuttings apd pipings from the

PROTECTION FOR CUTTINGS. 56

rays of the sun effects a material purpose. Linen is the best
shelter in the world from heat, but oiled or horn paper resists
rain better.

Dr. Piiestley is of opinion that salt water is very efficacious for
cuttings, if they are placed in it for a few days previous to plant-
ing. He remarks that it is a custom with the importers of exotic
plants to dip cuttings in salt and water, otherwise they would
perish on the passage.

ladies' flower gardener.

CHAPTER V.

ANNUALS.

f^SNNUALS, as I have observed before, are flowers that
1^ rise, bloom, and die in the same year ; and must there-
fore be raised from seed every year.

The first class of annuals, being veiy delicate, and requiring
great care, with the constant assistance of glass frames, I shall
not even name, since they do not enter into the nature of my
"work.

I proceed to the second class, whicb are hardier than the
above, though they should be raised in a warm border, and
be covered with a hand-glass, if you wish them to flower in good
time.

The ten weeks' Stocks will grow, if sown in a warm border,
towards the end of March, and should be afterwards transplant-
ed ; but if brought up in a hot-bed, they will flower a month or
six weeks earlier.

The China-aster, Chrysanthemum, white and purple Sultan,
African and French Marigolds, Persicarias, &c., will grow Avell in
a warm border of natural earth, if sown in April ; but they also
flower a month earlier if they are assisted by a hot-bed or glass.
These annuals must be all planted out when tolerably strong, into
the spots where they are destined to remain in the borders, tak-
ing care to allow to each plant plenty of space, that they may
not crowd each other. The China-aster branches into many
stems and lowers, therefore they may be planted singly, or not

ANNUALS. 57

less than six inches apart. The July flowers, or more commonly
called gilliflowers, become expansive as they increase. They
should not be crowded together; three in a group are quite
sufficient, and they should be six inches apart. The same may
be said of the stock varieties.

I have ever found the hardy annuals grow finest by allowing
them to become self-sown. They flower some weeks earlier, and
invariably produce larger and brighter flowers.

When gathering my flower seeds in August and September, I
allow one half to remain sprinkled over the borders ; and the
young plants never fail appearing healthy and strong above
ground in March and April, the months appropriated to sowing
the seed. Thus, my Lavateras, Larkspurs, &c., are in beautiful
blow, while the second crop, or seeds sown in spring, are but
showing their green heads above the surface. I weed away the
superfluous self-sown plants to my taste ; but the birds take care
that no one shall be encumbered with a superfluity. I have by
this means a first and second crop of the same annuals, but the
crop of self-sown are far superior. They are up before the heats
come on, to dry the earth, and dwindle the flower.

Dig the ground well with your trowel, and rake it very fine,
before you put in the seeds in spring. Anmxals love a light,
friable soil. All the hardy kinds may be sown in March, each
sort in little separate patches, as follows : — ■

Draw a little earth oft' the top to one side, then sprinkle in the
seed, not toe plentifully, and cover it again with the draAvn-ofF
earth. Half an inch is sufficient depth for small seed. The
larger kind, such as sweet-peas, lupins, &c., must be sown an
inch in depth. When the plants have been np some time, thin
them well. The more space you have, the finer the plants will
rise.

The hardy annuals will not bear transplanting : they must be
3*

58 ladies' flower gardener.

left to flourish Avbere they are sown. The large kinds, such as
the lavatera or mallow, should only be sown in groups of three
plants together. The lupin tribe should not exceed five plants in
a group. The Convolvulus, also, requires four or five plants only
in a group. Water the patches in dry weather moderately, and
be careful never to use pump water. If you have no soft water,
a tub should be placed in the garden to receive rain water ; and
if, as in towns, pump water must be chiefly used, let it remain a
day or two in the tub, to soften in the air and sunshine.

The first week in April is the safest period for sowing annuals,
as the cutting winds have ceased by that time, and frost is not so
much to be apprehended. The soft rains, also, fall in warm
showers, to give life and germ to seeds and plants, and they
appear in a shorter space of time.

Those ladies who live in the vicinity of nursery gardens have a
great advantage over the more remote flower-fanciers. They can
be supplied, at a trifling expense, with all the tender annuals
from hot-beds, either in pots, or drawn ready for immediate
transplanting.

If you do not raise your own seed, be careful how you pur-
chase your stock, and of whom you receive it. Many seedsmen
sell the I'cfuse of many years' stock to their youthful customers,
and produce great disappointment. ■ There is one way of ascer-
taining the goodness of the seed, which will not deceive. Pre-
vious to sowing, plunge your lupin, sunflower, &c., seeds into a
tumbler of water : the good seed will sink, while the light and
useless part remains floating on the surface.

If you grow your own seed, exchange it every two years Avith
your neighbors. Seeds love change of soil : they degenerate,
if repeatedly grown and sown upon the same spot, particularly
sweet-peas.

Sweet-peas sho'dd be put into the ground early in March, for

ANNUALS. 59

they will bear the wind and weather. Make a circle re ind a
pole, or some object to which they may cling as they rise ; and
put the peas an inch deep, having soaked them previously in
water well saturated with arsenic, to guard them from the depre-
dations of birds and mice. Add an outer circle of peas every
month, so that a continual bloom may appear. The circle first
sown will ripen and pod for seed in the center, v/hile the outer
vines will continue flowering till late in the autumn. When you
have gathered a sufficient number of ripe pods, cut away all the
pods which may afterwards form with your knife. This strength-
ens the vines, and throws all their vigor into repeated blooms.

Be very careful to throw away the arsenic water upon your
heap of compost, and do not put that powerful poison into any
thing which may be used afterwards in the house. Soak the
peas in a flower-pot saucer which is never required for any other'
purpose, and keep it on a shelf in the tool-house, covered up.
Three or four hours' soaking will be sufficient. If the wind and
frosts be powerful and continued, shelter the peas through March,
by covering them with straw or matting every evening.

I have got sweet-peas into very early blow by bringing them
up in pots in-doors, and transplanting them carefully in April,
without disturbing the roots. In doing this, push your finger
gently through the orifice at the bottom of the flower-pot, and
raise its contents " bodily." Then place the ball of earth and
plants into a hole troweled out to receive it ; cover it round gently,
and, if the weather is dry, water it moderately.

Ten-weeks' Stock is a very pretty annual, and continues a long
time in bloom. Mignionette is the sweetest of all perfumes, and
should be sown in September for early blowing, and again in
March for a later crop. It is always more perfumy and healthy,
if dug into the ground in autumn to sow itself. Venus' Looking-
glass is a very pretf.y, delicate flower. Indeed, every annual is

60

LADIES FLOWER GARDENER.

lovely ; and the dift'erent varieties give a gay and lich appearance
to the flower garden during the three summer months.

The Clarkias are very pretty annuals, with a hundred other
varieties lately introduced, and which are all specified in Mrs.
Loudon's new work upon annuals. My plan is, to give a general
idea of their treatment only, under the classification of hardy
annuals, or those annuals which may be nurtured without a hot-
bed.

Keep your annuals from looking wild and disorderly in a
garden by allotting the smaller kinds their separate patches of
ground ; and trim the larger annuals from branching among other
flowers. For instance, cut away the lower branches of the China-
aster, the African marigold, &c., and train the plsnt erect and
neatly to a slight rod or stick ; cut away the flowers as they
droop, reserving one or two of the finest blooms only for seed :
and let each plant look clean and neat in its own order. By
cutting away flowers as they droop, the plant retains vigor
enough to continue throwing out fresh flowers for a long peiiod.

SECOND, OR LESS TKNDER CLASS OF ANNUALS.

African Marigold, the orange

Yellow

Straw-colored

Double of each

Double-quilled
French Marigold, the striped

The yellow

Sweet-scented
China-aster, the double

Double purple

Double white

Double-striped
Marvel of Peru, the red striped

Yellow-striped

Long-tubed
Chrysanthemum, the double white

Double yellow

Double-quilled
Svr.et Sultan, the yellow

White

Red
Indian Pink, double

Single

Large imperial
^Ikekengi
Pahna Chi'isti, the common

Tall red-stalked

Smaller green-leaved

Smallest
Tobacco, long-leaved Virginia

Broad-leaved

Branching perennial
Love Apple, with red fruit

With yellow fruit
Gourds, the round smooth orange

Rock, or warfed

Pear-shaped yellow

Pear-shaped striped

ANNUALS.

61

Stone colored

Bottle Gourd, some very large, from
two or three to five or six feet
long, and of various shapes

Momordica Balsamina

Persicaria

Indian Corn, the tall Dvifarf

Nolana prostrata, blue

Convolvulus, scarlet- flowered

Yellow Balsam, or Touch-me-not

Capsicum, long red podded
Long yellow-podded
Red, short, thick, roundish podded
With heart-shaped pods
With cherry-shaped fruit, red
Cherry-shaped fruit, yellow

Basil, the common, or sweet-scented
Bush basil

Zinnia, red

Yellow
Jlmaranthis
Tree Amaranihus

Prince's feather amaranthus

Love-lies-bleeding amaranthus
Cannacorus, yellow

Red
Chinese Hollyhock, the variegated
Ten-ivcck Stock Gillifiower

The double red

Double white

Double purple
White Ten-week Stock, with a wall-
flower leaf

With double and single flowers

The double of this sort makes u
pretty appearance

The following are hardy annuals, requh'ing no assistance of
artificial heat, but should all be sown in the place where it is
designed they shall flower : —

jldjnis Flower, or Flos Adonis, the
red-flowering

The yellow
Candytuft, the large

Purple

White
Larkspur, the double rose

Double-branched

Large double blue

Double white
Lupitis, the rose

Large blue

Small blue

Yellow

White

Scarlet

Marbled
Sunflower, the tall double

Double dwarf
Lavatera, red

White
Poppy, the double tall striped car-
ration

Dwarf-striped

Double corn poppy

H Jined poppy

Convolvulus, major

Minor

Striped

White

Scarlet
Ketmia bladder
Starry Scabius
Hawkweed, the yellow

Purple, or red

Spanish
Carthamus tinctorius, or saffron

flower
Nasturtium, the large

Small
Cerinthe major, or great Honey-worl
Tangier Pea
Sweet Pea, the painted lady

The purple

White

Scarlet
Winged Pea
Crowned Pea

Nigclla, or devil in a busV the long
blue, or Spanish

The white

Oriental mallow, C'c'.c<t

62

ladies' flower GARDEISrER.

Venetian mallow
LobePs Catchjly, white and red
■drbiscus
Pimpernel
Dwarf Lychnis
Venus'' s Navel-ivort
Venus' s Looking-glass
Virginian Stock
Strawberry Spinach
Noli me iangcrc, or Touch-me-not
Heart's Ease
Snail Plant

Large ditto
Caterpillar Plant
Hedgehog Plant

Antirrhinum, snap-dragon, ;he annual
Nolana, blue
Cyanus, or corn-bottle, th? red

White

Blue
Eoman Nettle

Bclvidere, or summer cypress
Garden, or common, Mangold, the
common single

Dcuble orange

Double lemon-colored

Double lemon-colored ranunculus
marigold
Annual Cape Marigold, with a violet

and white flower
Mignionctte, or reseda, the sweet-
scented

The upright
Xeranthemum, or eternal flower, red

and white
Purple Clary
Purple Jacobcea
Dracocephalum, the purple

Blue
Capnoidcs, or bastard fumitory
Ten- week Stock Gillijiowers, in variety
Persicaria
Tobacco Plant

Long-leaved,

Round-leaved
Indian Corn
Atnethystea
Globe Thistle
Clarkias

ROSES AND JASMINES. • 63

CHAPTER VI.

ROSES AND JASMINES.

^HESE most delicious, most elegant flowers — in themselves
,%^ a garden — are worthy of a chapter devoted exclusively
to their culture. What cottage exists without its roses
twined around the doorway, or blooming up its pathway ?
What is sentiment without its roses ? W hat other flower illus-
trates the beauty and excellence of a loved one ? —

" Oh ! my love is like the red, red rose,
That sweetly blows in June."

Every gentle feeling, every exquisite thought, every delicate
allusion, is embodied in the rose. It is absurd to say the rose by
any other name " would smell as sweet." It is not so. Poetry,
painting, and music, have deified the rose. Call it " nettle," and
we should cast it from our hands in disgust.

There are innumerable varieties of roses, from the cottage rose
to the fairy rose, whose buds are scarcely so large as the bells of
the lily of the valley. Mrs. Gore mentions some hundreds of
sorts, but such a catalogue is too mighty to insert in my little
work. I will name only the well-known hardy kinds, and refer
my reader to Mrs. Gore herself for the complete collection. Seed
yields such inexhaustible varieties, that a new list will be required
every ten years.

The Damask rose is very useful from its properties, as well as
its beauty and hardihood. Rose-water is distilled from this
bright, thickly-blowing flower

64 ladies' flower sardenek.

The CaWa^c roses is the most beautiful, as well as the most
fragrant of roses. All others are varieties of roses, but this grand
flower is the " rose itself."

It throws out suckers plentifully for propagating its kind ; and
every two or three years, the root of each bush will part into
separate plants. Cut the roots slanting with a sharp knife as
you divide them. A very small bit of root is sufficient for a rose-
bush, as they are hardy in their nature. Do not move roses
oftener than you can help : they delight in being stationary for
years.

In pruning roses of every description, which should be effected
in January, shorten all the shoots to nine inches only, and cut
away all the old wood, which becomes useless after two or three
years' growth. This treatment insures fine flowers.

Roses love a good soil, as, indeed, what flower does not ?
Fresh mould apphed to them every two or three years, or
manure dug round them annually, preserves them in constant
vigor and beauty.

Shoots of rose-bushes laid down and pegged like layers, only
"without gashing, when the flowers are in bloom, will root and
become plants in the autumn. Pinch ofi" their buds, that they
may throw their strength into their roots,

Roses are often observed to change their color, which efiect
proceeds chiefly from bad soil. When this occurs, manure the
root of the bush or plant. A clay soil, well dressed with ashes,
is the best of all soils for the hardy roses.

Moss roses love a cool soil and a cool aspect. They soon fade
in a hot sun.

A pyramid of climbing roses is a beautiful object in a garden.
Iron or wooden stakes, twelve feet in height, gradually approach-
ing each other, till they meet at the top, with cHmbing roses
trained up their sides, is a pleasing and easily constructed orna-

ROSES AND JASMINES. 65

raent. Fancy and taste may range at will in inventing forms to
ornament the parterre with roses. Beds of roses, raised pyramid-
ally, have a splendid effect. When the flowers die away in the
autumn, the mass may be clipped again into form, with the
garden shears, as you wjuld clip a laurel hedge.

Standard roses, which are so much in fashion at this time, and
which always remind one of a housemaid's long broom for sweep-
ing cobwebs, are beyond a lady's own management, as budding
is a tronJjlesome business, and very frequently fails. I will not,
therefore, touch upon that subject.

The double yelloio rose is very elegant. It requires a western
aspect, and even prefers north and east, but a warm aspect in-
jures its beauty. It loves a good substantial soil, and will not
bear much cutting or removing. Let it alone in its glory, only
pruning away the old scraggy wood occasionally, to strengthen
the plant.

The monthly rose is also a lover of the north and east. It
blooms through the autumn and winter, has an evergreen leaf,
and loves a strong soil. It must be propagated by cuttings, and
parting the roots, as it never throws up suckers. Prune away
the old wood, and make cuttings in June, July, and August, of
the branches you clear away. Plant the cuttings in loose, moist
earth, and do not let them bud till the following year. Let the
cuttings be sunk two joints in the earth, leaving only one exposed.
The monthly rose climbs, or creeps.

The Austrian briar, or rose, will not flower if exposed to the
south. It bears a rich mass of flowers, yellow outside, and deep
red within. Give it an eastern or western aspect.

The perpetual, or " four-season " rose, requires a rich soil.
The flower buds appearing in June or July should be pinched
off, and in winter the plant may be pruned as closely as its

66 ladies' flower gardener.

hardier companions. Place the four- season rose in a sheltered
situation from winds.

Among the hardy climbing roses, the Ayrshire rose is the most
useful. Its foliage is rich, and it covers fences, walls, &c., wich
astonishing rapidity. It flowers in July. Place it in a wirm
situation, and it will extend thirty feet in one season.

Lady Banks's yelloiv rose is a pretty climber, and flowers early
in all situations. So does the Rosa sempervirens.

Climbing roses will grow luxuriantly under the shade of trees,
and form a mass of fragrant underwood in shrubberies. They
grow with surprising vigor if allowed to remain prostrate. Plant
these thinly, and lay in the most vigorous shoots, by pegging
them down into the ground. This process increases the plants
rapidly, and gives the gayest possible effect.

The Rosa hyhrida multifiora is a hardy and rapidly growing
rose. It flowers also from June to September. So does the red
and crimson Boursault, and the Rosa Russeliana.

Roses are subject to the green fly, which disfigures their beauty,
particularly the white roses. An excellent remedy for this annoy-
ance is effected by moistening the plant, and then dusting it over
with equal portions of sulphur and tobacco dust.

The following list of roses will not prove beyond a lady's man-
agement, being hardy, and requiring only pruning every January,
and giving them a good soil. Prune the white rose-trees very
sparingly, as they do not love the knife : —

Roses, early cinnamon
Double yellow
Singlf yellow
Red monthly
White monthly
Double white
Moss Provence
Common Proven "3
Double velvet

Single Ditto

Dutch hundred-leaved

Blush ditto

Blush Belgic

Red ditto

Marbled

Large royal

York and Lancaster

Red damask

ROSES AND JASMINES. 67

Blusb ditto Virgin, or thornless

Austrian, with flowers having one Common red

side red and the other yellow Burnet leaved

White damask Scotch, the dwarf

Austrian yellow Striped Scotch

Double musk | Apple-bearing

Royal virgin Single American

Rosa mundi, i. e., rose of the world, Rose of Meux

or striped red rose l Pennsylvanian

Frankfort Red cluster

Cluster blush Burgundy rose

Maiden blush i Perpetual, or four-season

HARDY CLIMBING KOSES.

The Ayrshire rose

Double ditto
Rose hybrida multiflora
Rose Clair
Rosa Russeliana
Re versa elegans

Rosa sempervirens, three sorts

Rose ruga

Red Boursault

Crimson ditto

Lady Banks' yellow rof^e

JASMINES.

Jasmines grow in very irregular foims. Perhaps their luxuri-
ant wild appearance constitutes their chief grace. The jasmine
is a beautiful screen in summer, wreathing its festoons through
trellis-work ; and it appears to me that Nature presents not, in
our colder climes, a more fragrant and beautiful bouquet than a
mixture of roses and jasmines.

The common jasmine is hardy, and loves a good soil, by which
t^;rm I mean kitchen garden soil. Trench round the stem occa-
sionally to lighten the earth, and it will grow very freely. Put
litter round the jasmine in severe frost ; and if a very rigorous
season destroy the branches, the root will be saved, and its shoots
in the spring will soon replace the loss. If they shoot out with
displeasing irregularity and confusion, take off the least healthy
looking branches, and cut away those which grow rumpled, for
they only consume the juices of the plant to no purpose. The
common jasmine is propagated by layers and slips.

68 ladies' flower gardener.

The Arabian jasmine is very fragrant, but it does net endure
cold, or much heat, therefore an eastern aspect suits it best. If
the Arabian jasmine is grown in a large pot or box, it could
be placed under cover during frost in the winter months ; but do
not place it in a green-house, which would be in the other ex-
treme again.

^\iQ yellow jasmine m-Aj he treated like the common jasmine.
It is not very fragrant, but it forms an elegant variety.

I have seen very fanciful and beautiful devices invented to dis-
play the beauty of the jasmine. Their shoots grow so rapidly
and luxuriantly, that if the plant is allowed to luxuriate, it Avill
soon cover any frame- work with its drooping beauty. The jas-
mine loves to hang downwards ; and I have admired inventive
little arbors, where the plant has been trained up behind them,
and the branches allowed to fall over their front in the richest
profusion, curtained back like the entrance of a tent. The effect,
during their time of flowering, was remarkably elegant.

When you prune the jasmine, cut the brandies to an eye or
bud, just by the place from Avhich they sprout, and that in such
a manner, that the head when trimmed, should resemble the head
of a willow. This method makes them throw out abundance of
branches and fine flowers.

Give fresh soil to the jasmine every two years, or they will
gradually become weakened in their blooms. The secret of hav-
ing fine flowers is in keeping up the soil to a regular degree of
strength, as the human frame languishes under change of diet,
and becomes weakened for want of food. Thus it is with animate
and inanimate nature.

EVEEGREEN SHRUBS. 69

CHAPTER VII.

ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS AND EVERGREENS.

SHALL speak now of the ornamental shrubs which de-
corate a flower garden, and which a lady may superintend
herself, if her own physical powers are not equal to the
fatigue of planting. A laborer, or a stout active girl, may act
under her orders, and do all that is necessary to be done, in
removing or planting flowering shrubs and evergreens.

In planting flowering shrubs, be very particular to plant them
at such distances that each plant may have plenty of room to
grow, and strike out their roots and branches freely. If shnibs
are crowded together, they become stunted in growth, and lanky
in form.

If you are forming a clump, or even a plantation, let each
shrub be planted six feet apart from its neighbor : but if you
wish to plant roses, syringas, honeysuckles, lilacs, &c., in your
flower borders, they should be from twelve to fifteen feet distant
from each other, so as not to interfere with the flowers growing
below them.

Do not plant tall shrubs promiscuously among low-growing
ones. Let the taller shrubs form the back-grounds, that each
shrub may be distinctly seen. The shrubs should be trained up
with single stems, and they shouM be pruned every year,
taking up the suckers, and removing disorderly branches.

By allowing each shrub plenty of room, it will form a hand-
some head, and throw out vigorous shoots. You will also have

70 ladies' flower gardener.

space to dig between the shrubs, and the sun and air can benefit
them.

Some of the more beautiful evergreens look extremely well
dotted about the grounds singly or in clumps, but be very parti-
cular in planting your shrubs.

For instance, when you wish to transplant or plant a shrub,
dig a circular hole sufficiently large to receive the roots of the
plant, which must be laid neatly down, while some person holds
the shrub in its proper position, straight and upright. Cut away
any dead or damaged roots ; then break the earth well with your
spade, and throw it into the hole, shaking the plant gently, just
to let the earth fall close in among the roots. When it is well
filled up, tread the earth gently round the shrub to fix it, but do
not stamp it, as I have seen people do.

But if you can take up shrubs with a ball of earth round their
roots, they do not feel the operation, and their leaves do not
droop. Water each shrub after planting : give each of them a
good soaking, and let each plant have a stake to support it dur-
ing the winter.

October is the autumn month for transplanting shrubs, and
February and March are the spring months. I always prefer the
autumn transplanting, as the rains and showers are so fructifying.
March is the last month for transplanting evergreens.

Laurustinus, Phillyreas, and Laurel, are excellent shrubs to
plant near buildings, or to hide a Avail. They are evergreen
summer and winter, very hardy, and quick growing.

The Pyracantha is an elegant shrub, with its clusters of red
berries ; and it looks gay during the autumn and winter.

The Arbutus, or strawberry tree, is loaded with its strawber-
ries in August, September xnd October. This is a beautiful
shrub, placed singly on a lawn, kept to one single clean stem,
rtud a fine branching: head.

EVEKGREEN SHRUBS. 71

Portugal laurels are beautiful : their deep green leaves, and
scented feathery flowers, make them an important shrub ;n all
gardens.

It has been ascertained by the late severe winter, that ever-
greens are extremely hardy, and will bear any severity of frost.
All those evergreens considered most tender, such as Portugal
laurels, rhododendrons, &c., were observed to brave the frost un-
hurt, which were placed in high unsheltered places, or facing the
east and north. It was observed, also, that those evergreens
were destroyed whose aspect was south and west, and which lay
in warm and sheltered situations. The cause was this. The
shrubs did not suffer which were not subject to alternations of
heat and cold ; while those which lay in warm situations, being
thawed by the sun's rays during the day, could not endure the
sudden chill of returning frost at. night.

Plant your evergreens, therefore, fearlessly in exposed situa-
tions ; and care only, in severe winters, for those which are likely
to be thawed and frozen again twice in twenty-four hours.

Rhododendrons are very beautiful shrubs, and grow into trees^
if the soil agrees with them. They love a bog soil.

The Caraelia japonica is considered a green-house plant, but it
becomes hardy, like the laurel, if care is taken to shelter it for a
few winters, when it gradually adapts itself to the climate. Thi?
is troublesome, perhaps, as most things are, to indolent people ;
but the trouble is well repaid by the beautiful flowers of the
japonicas, its dark leaves, and delicate scent.

The gum Cistus is a handsome evergreen, and looks well any-
where and everywhere. Some straw htter spread round their
roots in winter is a great protection.

All evergreens of a hard-wooded nature are propagated rapidly
by layers in June or July. This is the method : — Dig round the
tree or shrub, a'ld bend down the pliable branches ; lay them

72 ladies' flower gardener.

into the earth, and secure them there with hooked or forked
sticks. Lay down all the young shoots on each branch, and
cover them with earth about five inches deep, leaving the tops
out about two, three, or four inches above ground, according to
iheir different lengths. If these branches are laid in June or
July, they will root by Michaelmas ; but if they are laid in
October, they will be a twelvemonth rooting.

The layers of Alaternuses and Phillyreas will sometimes be
two years rooting, if done so late as October ; therefore lay down
your shoots, if possible, in June. Let the shoots which are lay-
ered be those of the last summer's growth.

You may propagate shrubs also from cuttings in February and
October. Let strong shoots be chosen, of last summer's growth :
choose them from nine to fifteen inches long, and, if you can, take
about two inches of old wood with the shoots at their base. Trim
oflf the lower leaves, place the cuttings half way in the ground,
and plant them in a shady border to root. Do this in February,
in preference to October, as everything roots earlier from spring
operations. You may also plant cuttings in June, but keep them
moist and shady.

October is a good month for taking up suckers of lilacs, roses,
&c., and for all sorts of transplanting in its varieties. It is also
the month to transplant the layers of such shrubs as were laid in
the previous October.

I subjoin a list of hardy deciduous shrubs and evergreens, not
too tall to admit into a moderately sized flower garden : —

DECIDUOUS SHRUBS OF LESSER GROVV'TH.

Arbutus^ Strawberry tree ] Almond^ common

Common
Double-flowering
Red-flowering
Eastern, oi Andrachne

White-flowering
Early dwarf, single llowei
Double dwarf
AHhoea fnilcx., striped

E \'EiiG k::k:>' ?iir> u bs.

73

Red

White

Blue

Purple

Pheasant's eye
. indromeda^ striped

Evergreen
Azalea, with rtd flowers

White
Bsibcrnj^ common, red fruit

Stoneless, red fruit

White fruit
Bladder-nut^ three-leaved

Five-leaved
Broom, the Spanish

Double-flowering

Yellow Portugal

White Portugal

Lucca
Bramble, double-flowering

American upright

White-fruited

Dwarf

Thornless
Chi(ynantkus,Fnnge, or Snowdrop tree
Candkberry Myrtle, broad-leaved

Long-leaved

Fern-leaved

Oak-leaved
Cherty. double-blossomed

Cornelian

Dwarf Canada
Currant, with gold and silver-blotch-
ed leaves

With gooseberry leaves

Pennsylvanian
Dogwood, the common

Virginia

Great-flowering

Newfoundland
Empelrum, black-berried heath
Guelder Rose, common

Double, or snowball

Carolina

Gold-blotched leaf

C^irrant-leaved
Hydrangea, white-flowering
Honeysuckle, early red Italian

Early white Dutch

Late Dutch

Late red

Long-blowing

Large scarlet trumpet

Small trumpet

Oak-leaved

Early white Italian

Early red Italian
Ivy, deciduous, or Virginian creeper
Jasmine, the common white

Common yellow Italian

Gold-striped leaved

Silver-striped leaved
Lilac, blue

White

Purple, or Scotch

Persian, with cut leaves

Persian, white-flowered

Persian, blue-fiowertj
Lonkera, upright Honeysuckle

Red-berried

Blue-berried

Virginian

Tartarian
Mezcrcon, white

Early red

Late red

Purple
Mespilus, spring-flowering

Lady Hardwick's shrub
Peach, double-flowering
Privet, common

Silver-striped

Yellow-blotched leaves
Ptclea, or American Shrub Trefoil
Pomegranate, single-flowering

Double
Robinia, or false Acacia

Common

Yellow-flowered

Scarlet-flowered, or rose acacia

Caragana
Rhamnus, or Buckthon.

Common

Sea buckthorn

Yellow-berried

Creeping evei'greeii
Raspberry, double-lioweimg

Virginian sweet-flowering
Rose, in every variety
SpiriEU frutex.^ common red

Scarlet

White

74

ladies' flower gardenek.

Si-umach, scarlet

Large downy

White

Virginia

Elm-leaved

Myrtle-leaved

Carolina
Syringa, common

Dwarf double-flowerin
Scorpion Senna

Smitax, broad-leavec

Blotched-leaved
Tulip Tree
Tamarisk, the Fref^;i

German
Viburnum, or Way/arer

Common

Stripe-leaved

American broad-leaved

Maple-leaved

EVERGREENS.

Alaternus, common

Blotched-leaved

Jagged-leaved, plain

Ditto, striped

Silver-striped

Gold-striped
Cisius, or Rock Rose

Gum Cistus, with spotted flowers

With plain white flowers

Purple sage-leaved

Male Portugal

Bay-leaved gum

With hairy willow leaves

Black poplar-leaved

Waved-leaved

Purple, or true Gum Cistus of
Crete, with other varieties
Jytisus, Neapolitan

Canary

Siberian and Tartarian
Laurustinus. common

Broad, or shining-leaved

Rough-leaved

Oval-leaved
Bay, broad-leaved

Narrow-leaved
Phillyrea, the true

Broad-ieaved

Privet-leaved

Prickly-leaved

Olive-leaved

Gold-edged

Silver-edged

Rosemary edged
Juniper, common

Swedish

Sclavonian

Canada
Jasmine, evergreen

Fyracanlha
Ivy, ccmmon

Striped-leaved

Virginian

Irish, or quick-growing
Honeysuckle, evergreen
Rose, the evergreen
Rhododendron, dwarf Rose Bay
Kalmia, olive-leaved

Broad-leaved

Thyme-leaved
Coronilla, narrow-leaved

Broad-leaved
Magnolia, laurel-leaveil

Lesser bay-leaved
Arbor VitcB, common

China

American
Cypress, commorj upright

Male spreading
Bignonia, the evergreen
Widow Wail
Locust of Montpelier
Medicago, Moon Trefoil
Stonecrop Shrub
Ragwort, the sea
Holly, the common

Carolina broad-leaved

Yellow-berried

Many varieties
Laurels, common

Portugal

Alexandrian
i Ocik, Ilex, or evergreen

Ke.'mes, or scarlet-bparii);.

EVERGREEN SHRUBS.

T5

Gramuntian, holly-leaved

Carolina live.
Germander, shrubby, of Crete
Euonymus, evergreen Virginia
Virginia Groundsel Tree

Wormwood, lavender-leaved
Spurge, or wood laurel
Knecholm, or Butcher's Broom
Horse-tail, shrubby

In pruning shrubs, be careful to cut out the long rambling
shoots of the last summer's growth, which disfigures their appear-
ance. Cut away, also, branches of shrubs which interlace each
other, that every shrub may stand clear and well-defined. Take
away their suckers, and let each shrub be kept to a single stem,
as I have before observed.

76 ladies' flowek gardenee.

CHAPTER vni.

ON HOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING.

(bT sir. CHARLES MACKINTOSH.)

iHE culture of flowering and sweet-scented plants, as orna-
ments in human dwellings, has been practiced from such
remote antiquity that no one can name the date of its
origin. House plants are also a kind of ornaments which all the
labors of the most refined art can never exceed or even reach ;
and hence in the most refined and luxurious states of society,
flowers maintain a high place among the leading ornaments ; and
the assembly-rooms of beauty and fashion, and the banqueting-
halls of the noble and the great, would look tame and barren
without those most beautiful and most appropriate decorums.

Farther, it is one of the great merits of these lovely produc-
tions of nature, that they are for the humble as well as for the
high. The humblest winduw in the most obscure and crowded
court of a city may have its flower-pot ; and they who are cut
off by occupation or other circumstances from the free range of
growing nature, may still command a little vegetable kingdom of
their own in a few well-selected and carefully-attended flowers.

A species of ornament, which is in its own nature so pleasing
and so innocent, which requires far less labor and expense than
many other ornaments of very inferior value, and which adapts itself
to every imaginable class of society, is surely worthy of the study,
the encouragement, and the cai'e of all who seek happiness to
themselves, or wish to promote the happiness of others.

HOUSE PLANTS. 17

That there is no want of love for such plants is evident from
the places in which they appear ; but the kind and state of the
plants very g nerally show that there is a great want of know-
ledge, both in their selection and their management. In order
to contribute a little to the supplying of this defect, we propose
to offer a very brief compendium of what the French and Ger-
mans call " Window Gardening ;" and in order to render what
we state as clear as possible, we shall divide it into several heads,
or points.

PLANTS PROPER FOR WINDOW CULTURE.

As the situation of these plants is different from what they
occupy in their natural state, it becomes necessary to select such
as are capable of accommodating themselves to circumstances ;
and as the unfavorable circumstances of house plants are chiefly
want of free and pure air, and of light, and in those species which
are accustomed to long seasons of repose in the winter, to uniform
temperature, these circumstances must be kept in mind in the
selection. Rooms, especially in crowded cities, are the most
unnatural, and, on that account, the very worst situations in
which plants can be placed ; and therefore, if healthy plants and
an abundance of bloom are sought for, variety must be saciificed.

Plants which will continue healthy for a long time in the con-
fined air of rooms, are generally those which have a peculiar
surface, or texture in the foliage : such are many of the Aloes,
Cactuses, Mesembryanthemums, among what are called succulent
plants ; and, in a higher temperature, some of the curious Epi-
■phytoc, or the natural order Orchidece. We recollect once seeing
a very interesting collection of more than two hundred species,
growing in a high state of perfection, in the house of an amateur
of succulent plants, living in the Grand Sablon at Brussels. The

78 ladies' flower gardener.

room containing them was fitted up mucli in the same way as an
ordinary hbrary, with abundance of light shelves round the walls,
and a large table in the middle of the room, on which were placed
the pots containing the plants. At night, the room was lighted
up by an elegant glass lamp, and it was heated by one of those
ornamental stoves which are so common on the Continent. Alto-
gether, it had a very handsome appearance.

The Chinese are very attentive to the house culture of many
of the orchideous epiphytse, and thereby greatly increase the
beauty and the fragrance of their apartments ; they have them
in ornamental vases and baskets, and even suspended in the air,
where they last for many years and flower beautifully. Some of
them continue in flower for many months, and difi^use the most
delightful fragrance during the night.*

The reason why the succulent and epiphytous plants answer
so well for house culture is, that their winter is one of drought
and not of cold, and that the latter especially have little, and
some of them no mould at the roots in their natural situations.
But there has been hitherto a prejudice against, or at all events
an ignorance of, and want of attention to, the culture of succu-
lent plants in this country. This is unwise ; for many of them
are exceedingly beautiful, highly fragrant, and better adapted for
house culture than any plants whatever. They are singularly
curious and varied in their structures ; and, generally speaking,
they require less light, air, and moisture, than other plants.

Next to them, in point of eligibility for house culture, may be
reckoned such plants as have coriaceous leaves, that is, have their
leaves firm, and with a smooth and compact epidermis, — such as
oranges, pittosporums, myrtles, and others of similar texture ;
these are found to have organs much better adapted to confined

* Ri-nanthera coccinea is one of the finest of these, and was first tJowereJ
in this :ountry by the author of this paper.

HOUSE PLANTS. 79

air than plants which have the leaves small or of delicate texture.
Some tribes, as the heaths, the Epacrideoe , and the whole race of
pinnate-leaved and papilionaceous flowered plants, are wholly
unfit for house culture.

TREATMENT OF HOUSE PLANTS.

Water, heat, air, and light, are the four essential stimulants to
plants ; water, heat, and air, to promote growth ; and light to
render that growth perfect.

Water, heat, and air, man can command at his pleasure by
artificial means ; but over light, as an element of the perfect
growth of plants, we have less control. To be beneficial to plants,
light must come directly from the sun ; and therefore the plants
should be so placed, as that it may act upon them with as little
as possible of that refraction and decomposition which it suffers
when it passes obHquely thi'ough glass, or any other medium
except the air. Plants grown in the open air, and with such free
exposure to the light as their habits require, not only develop all
their parts in their proper form, but their leaves, flowers, and
fruits, have their natural colors, odors, and flavors. Plants ex-
cluded from light have not their natural color, odor, nor flavor,
they -make little or no charcoal in the woody part, the leaves are
not green, and if they do flower and fruit, which is rarely the
case, the flowers are pale and scentless, and the fruit is insipid.
This has been proved by many experiments, of which the blanch-
ing of celery and endive by earthing up, and that of a cabbage
by the natural process of hearting, are familiar instances. A
geranium placed in a dark room becomes first pale, then spotted,
and ultimately white ; and if brought to the light it again ac-
quires its color.

If plants kept in the dark are exposed to the action of hydrogen
gas, they retain their green color, though how this gas acts has

80 ladies' flower gakdenek.

not been ascertained. Some flowers, too, such as the crocus and
tuhp, are colored though grown in the dark.

Light seems to be fully as essential to plants as air or heat, and
while it acte beneficially on the upper surfaces of the leaves, it
appears to bd injurious to the under surfaces, at least of some
plants ; for in wliatever way a plant is placed, it contrives to turn
the upper surfaces of its leaves to the light. Professor Lindiey
is, we believe, making some experiments on this subject.

Plants in rooms turn not only their leaves, but their branches
to the window at which the light enters, and a plant may, by
turning it at intervals, be made to bend successively to all sides ;
but such bendings weaken the plant, and thus it is an excessive
or unnatural action. This turning of the plant to the light is
always of course in proportion to the briglitness of that lig-it as
compared with the other sides of the plant. Flowers, too, open
their petals to the light, and close them in the dark, or in oome
cases, as in that of the crocus, when a cloud passes over the sun.
The same flower, and also some others, will open their petals to
the light of a lamp or candle, and close them again when that is
■withdrawn.

It follows as a necessary consequence, that in rooms, plants
should be placed as near the window as possible, that the win-
dows should have a south exposure, and that they should be as
seldom as possible shaded with blinds or otherwise. K piaced
at a distance from the v/indows, plants should be frequently
changed, and to place them permanently on tables or man el-
shelves is bad management.

Air is'as necessary to the health of plants as light ; but air A\n
find its way where light cannot, and therefore it requires less c?re
from the cultivator. If the air is too close, opening the door and
windows produces a change, the warm air escaping at top, antl
cold air coming in below ; but on opening the windows of a warm

HOUSE PL.-y^TS. 81

room in cold ■wea:her, care must be taken not to chill the plants
by leaving them in the cold current.

The heat of ordinary dwelling-houses is quite enough for such
plants as we would recommend for general culture in rooms, only,
hi very cold weather, the plants should be removed a little further
from the windows. The blinds and shutters are usually a suffi-
cient protection during the night ; and we may remark that plants
w rooms are more frequently killed by too much heat than by too
much cold.

Spring and autumn are the times of the year at which window
plants require the greatest attention. It is usual to have the
plants outside the windows even diu'ing the night in the summer
season, and kept in the house both night and day in the winter
season. In the intermediate seasons of spring and autumn tha
plants are frequently placed in their summer situation during the
day, and it is desirable that then they should be placed in their
winter situation during the night. Our climate is so variable at
those seasons, that we not only have summer during the day, and
winter during the night, but whole days of summer and winter
alternating with each other. Sometimes we have warmer days in
April than in May or June, and occasionally we have more severe
frosts in the beginning of September, than any which occur again
till November is nearly over. Now it is not the a'bsolute heat or
cold, but the rapidity of the transition from one to the other
which is injurious to plants, and therefore it is absolutely necessary
for all sucli as would have their house plants in the perfection ol
beauty, to attend to those circumstances. This is more especially
necessary in towns, where the people are much less interested in
the changes of the weather, and therefore much less observant of
them than they are in the country ; and we have no doubt that
more plants are destroyed from want of attention to those varia-
ble periods of the year than from any other cause. It is a safo

82 LADIES' FLOWER GARDENER.

rule to trust no plant less hardy than a common Geranium tiut-
side tJie wuidow all night, earlier than about the twentieth of
June, or later than the first of September. No doubt there are
many nights before the first of these times, and after the latter,
during which the plants might remain in the open air without
injuiy. There is, however, no knowing what a night may bring
forth at those inconstant seasons, and therefore the safe plan is
not to leave the plants to chance.

When, as often happens, plants get slightly injured by rost,
cold water should be sprinkled on them before the sun reaches
them, and this sprinkling ought to be continued as long as any
appearance of frost remains on the foliage.

Water is often very injudiciously applied to plants in rooms,
and tlie evil arises from falling into the opposite extremes of too
much and too little. Fear of spoiling the carpet, forgetfulness,
and sometimes a dread of injuring the plant, are the chief causes
of an under supply of water. On the other hand, many have a
notion that sucli plants should be watered every day, or at stated
periods, without inquiring whether it be necessary or not. Saucers
or pans are often placed under flower- pots to prevent the water,
■A^hich escapes, from soiling the apartment, but in these cases the
saucers should be partly filled with gravel, to prevent the roots
from being soaked with water, or the water which lodges in the
saucer should be removed.

Fanciful and elegant baskets of wire or wicker-work, and plant-
tables are, perhaps, preferable to common stages. The baskets
should have a pan, of zinc, copper, or other metal, and over this
a bottom pierced with holes, or a grating of wire, on which the
pots are to be placed. The pan is generally about an inch deep,
and has a plug or other contrivance by which the surplus water
may be drawn. Plant- tables can be constructed in the same man-
ner, and admit of an endless variety of forms, according to the

HOUSE PLANTS. 83

taste of the owner. In either of these the pots may be wholly
concealed by green moss, or cut paper, so that nothing but the
plants themselves may appear.

Water is as essential to the whole plant as it is to the roots, be-
cause they are hable to collect diit, and thereby to be injured;
they should, therefore, be frequently washed over with a syringe
having a rose to it, and in order to perform this operation pio-
perly, the plants must generally be removed to some other apait-
ment where they should remain till they are dry. In winter this
operation must be performed in mild weather only ; it should be
done in an apartment not colder than that in which the plants
■usuallj'- stand, and the water should be about milk warm. When
the plants are in baskets or on tables, thej'' can be removed and
washed without deranging their order. Plants which have large
and leathery leaves, such as oranges, pittosporums, camellias, and
myrtles, may be washed with a sponge, or if very foul they may
be washed with soap, and the soap carefully removed by pure
water. Loose dust may be removed by a pair of bellows. At-
tention to cleanliness greatly increases the vigor of the plant.

House plants are greatly benefited by being placed out of
doors in the summer months, especiallj- during gentle showeis .
and such as have no other convenience may advantageously place
them outside the windows. They may also be syringed and
washed in this position, and if the owner is not in possession of
one, a common watering-pot, held high, so that the water may
fall on the plant with considerable force, is a tolerable substitute.

Plants respire by their leaves, as animals do by their breathing
apparatus, and it is on this account that keeping the leaves clean
is so very essential to the health of plants. Indeed, the dust
which collects on them, and interrupts their respiration, is one of
the greatest evils which can befall plants, especially in rooms and
on balconies in towns. The respiring pores are generally large

84 ladies' fj-oweu gaedexee.

in proportion as the leaves are so ; and this is one of the reasons
why delicate-leaved plants are not so well adapted for house cul-
ture as those which have the leaves larger and firmer.

Light has also a considerable effect in promoting tlie healthy
action of leaves, and many plants fold up their leaves in the dark,
or even when the sky is lowering. This, though it has no resem-
blance to sleep in animals, has been called the sleep of plants,
and the curious reader may find an interesting notice of it in the
" Amcenitates Academicae" of Linnseus.

THE SUPPLY OF HOUSE PLANTS.

There are many ways of doing this ; but to those who have
the opportunity, and choose to be at the expense, there is, per-
haps, none better than that of contracting for the year with some
skilfull and respectable nurseryman ; in this case the plants will
be attended by the contractor, and kept in the best condition.
Much pleasure is, however, sacrificed by those who adopt this
mode, inasmuch as the chief enjoyment of plants arises from the
feeling that they are the nurslings of our own care ; and it is
astonishing how strongly the judicious treatment of plants leads
to judicious management in all other matters.

Plants, except such as are novelties and sought only by the
curious, may always be had at moderate prices from respectable
growers. Covent Garden furnishes an abundant supply for Lon-
don, and those who are not so particular may have them of the
hawkers. In dealing with these people, some care is however
necessary ; very many of the plants which they offer for sale arc
thrown away or stolen, and in both cases they are taken up with-
out any regard to the preservation of the roots, and thus there is
a considerable chance against their success. Those injured plants
^re made to look healthy for a little time by means of an over

HOUSE PLANTS. 85

supply of water, but they soon languish in the possession of the
purchasers.

Another veiy hazardous mode of purchasing plants is at those
sales which are very frequently got up in the spiing and autumn.
At these, purchasers have no security that the plant is healthy,
or that it is what it professes to be, and thus they often pay a
higher price for a worthless article in a diseased state, than a re-
gular nurseryman would charge them for a good plant in the
finest condition. Such a nurseryman has always character at
stake, but the other parties, generally speaking, have none.

MANAGEMENT OF BULBS IN GLASSES.

This is a favorite mode of house culture, and the bulbs best
adapted for it are hj'acinths, polyanthus-narcissus. Van Thol, and
other tulips, crocus, Persian iris, narcissus, colchicum, Guernsey
lily, jonquil, and others.

Spring-flowering bulbs are usually purchased in September,
and the autumnal ones in July and August, and the largest and
best-formed bulbs should be chosen ; an abundant supply may
be obtained at little cost at the seed-shops and nurseries. To be
blown in winter or spring, the bulbs are placed in water in Octo-
ber, and so on in succession till Febiuary or March ; and for
autumn and early winter, they are placed in the water in August
and September. Dark-colored glasses are the best, as they pre-
vent the light from decomposing the roots of the plants. Rain
water is prefei'able to any other, and it should be changed fre-
quently, not less than once every third or fourth day, to prevent
its getting putrid ; and in performing this operation care must be
taken both in withdiawing and in replacing the roots. This is
necessary only till the flowers have expanded ; for after this the
plants maj' be left undisturbed until the flowers have decayed.

J6 LADIES FLOWER GARDENER.

The water -which is supplied must not be colder than that which
is withdra^^n, or than the general temperature of the apartment.
Much heat is not necessary for such plants, because tliey flower
better the more slowly their vegetation proceeds. Chimney-
pieces and other warm situations are not nearly so well adapted
for those bulbs as stages near the window, or the window-sill
itself.

A better mode of growing those bulbs than the common mode
in glasses, would be in a table with a deep pan, and a wire grat-
ing on the top. This might be placed about nine inches from the
bottom of the pan, and the roots arranged on it, the tailer ones
in the center, and those of more lowly growth towards the sides.
The water in the pan might be drawn off by a plug, and fresh
water supplied, without in the least disturbing the plants.

Bulbs may also be grown in fine white sand, kept constantly
moistened, and in this way very beautiful blooms may be obtained.

KOSEGAYS AND CUT FLOWERS.

Though these are very acceptable to most persons, there art
few who rightly understand the art of keeping them long in a
fresh state, or of reviving them when they have faded. It is
true, that when a flower or bi-anch is cut off from its parent plant,
its support is thereby destroyed ; but still some flowers may be
kept in great beauty for a mucli longer period than others, and
many for a far longer time than is generally done, or even sup-
posed possible.

For this purpose, flowers should be gathered early in the
morning, but not till the dew be nearly dried off tnem. They
should be placed in a flat basket, or on a tray, so as not to press
Upon and crush each other ; and they should be neatly cut, and
not mangled or bruised. When thus gathered, they should be

HOUSE PLANTS. 87

covered with a sheet of paper, and immediately conveyed to the
apartment where they are to be used, if that apartment be near
at hand. But if they are to be sent to any distance, they should
be placed in tin cases, sucli as botanists use when collecting spe-
cimens. We have sent flowers, in such cases, for several hundred
miles, and found most of them iu good condition at the end of a
journey of three or four days' continuance. In this way the
Dutch florists send specimens of their finest flowers not only to
England, but to more distant parts of continental Europe. Our
own florists send to the metropolis, for competition at exhibitions,
flowers from Cornwall, from the north of England and from Scot-
land, and they arrive without the least decay. They are placed
in wooden or tin boxes, having an internal arrangement of small
phials, fixed under a covering of tin or wood, perforated with
holes, just large enough to admit the stalks of the flowers, the
ends of which are placed in the water of the phials, and in this
way they are conveyed with perfect safety.

Flowers should not be cut during sunshine, or kept exposed to
the solar influence ; neither should they be collected in large
bundles and tied tightly together, as this invariably hastens their
decay. When in the room where they are to remain, the ends
of the stalks should be cut clean across with a very sharp knife
(never with scissors), by which means the tubes through which
they draw the water are left open, so that the water ascends
freely, which it will not do if the tubes of the stems are bruised
or lacerated. An endless variety of ornamental vessels are used
for the reception of such flowers, and they are all equally well
adapted for the purpose, so that the stalks are inserted in pure
water. This water ought to be changed every day, or once in
two days at the furthest, and a thin slice should be cleanly cu',
off from the end of each stalk every time the water is removed,
which will occasion fresh action and reive the flowers. Water,

88 ladies' flower gardener.

about milk warm, or containing a small quantity of camphor, will
sometimes revive decayed flowers. The best method of applying
this, is to have the camphor dissolved in spirits of wine, for which
the common camphorated spirits of the druggists' shops will be
quite sufficient ; and to add a drop or two of this for every half
ounce of water. A glass-shade is also useful in preserving flowers ;
and cut flowers ought always to be shaded during the night, and
indeed at all times when they are not purposely exhibited. The
following are some of the genera of plants the flowers of which
remain longest after being cut : — Gnaphalmm,^ Astelma, Heli-
chrysum, Pkcenocoma, Aphelexis, and others, which the French
have designated "immortal flowers," from remaining unchanged
by decay, hold the first rank. Next to these come the whole
natural order, Proteacece, many of Graminece, several of Cruciferce,
several in Mhamneacce, several in C'assuvice — the genus Acacia in
Leguminosce, all Calycanthacece, most of Myrtaceoe^ most of Dip-
sacece, several of CompositcB, most of Ericeoe — the genei'a Laven-
dula, S'lderitis and Phlomis, in Labiatce, all Oi'obanchece, all
Plumhaginece, all Amaranthacem, many of Orchidece, Strelitzia,
and Heliconia in Musacece.

INSECTS AND DISEASES OF HOUSE PLANTb.

Plants in rooms, especially geraniums and roses, are very liable
to be attacked by aphides. These may be easily removed by
tobacco smoke or tobacco water ; and where the smell is not
offensive, smoke blown from a common tobacco pipe is as effec-
tual as any other method. Camphorated water may be used by
those who dislike the smell of tobacco. Mildew, occasionally,
though raiely, attacks house plants. It appears like a white
powder, and is supposed to consist of minute fungi ; but these
fungi are not the original disease, but its consequences, and theii

HOUSE PLANTS. 89'

appt'iirance shows that the plant has been in impure air or olner-
wise improperly treated. Sulphur or camphor will efiectually
remove this mildew ; and a scaly insect of the coccus tribe, which
appears occasionally on oranges, camellias, and similar plants,
may be removed by a sponge and water.

Many persons have a dislike to plants in houses as being un-
Kealthy ; and as this dishke is in a great measure groundless, we
may notice it. Dr. Priestley was the first to show that the leaves
of plants absorb carbonic acid gas by their upper surfaces, and
give out oxygen by their under ones, thereby tending to purify
the air in as far as animal life is concerned ; because carbonic acid
gas is pernicious to animals, and oxygen is what that hfe acquires.
It is in the light, however, that these operations are carried on ;
for in the dark, plants give out cai-bon ; and this may be one
reason why plants grown in the dark have little or no charcoal in
their substance. It does not appear, however, that any of the
scentless products given out by plants are injurious to human
beings ; because those who live among accumulated plants are
not less healthy than others ; though many persons feel dislike
ind even pain from the odors of particular plants, in a way not
very easily accounted for.

On the Continent in general, and in France and Germany in
particular, flowers of all sorts, but particularly the most fragrant,
are admitted into the saloons, chambers, and even bed rooms of
people of all classes ; and they, rather than complain of any ill
3fiects arising from their presence, complain more of the difficulty
of procuring them in sufficient abundance. The flowers most in
demand for the chambers of the French and Germans are, oranges,
jasmine, carnations, honey-suckle, mignonette, olive, rocket, rose,
violet, wall-flower, rosemary, stock, lavender, savory, oleander,
hyacinth, lilac, syringa, heliotrope, narcissus, &c., all sweet-smell

90 LADIES* FLOWER 3ARDENER.

ing flowers; and these they indulge in to a veiy considerable
extent.

We may safely conclude, then, that plants admitted into rooms
to the extent that they are in general, can produce no effect in-
jurious to the health of persons in general, but, on the contrary,
•will afford amusement to the mind and exercise to the body, both
of which are so necessary towards the enjoyment of good health.
The mind will be agreeably exercised in contemplating the beaut'*
of the flowers, but more so still if the study of their respectiv<
parts, natures and structures, in a botanical or physiological point
of view, be at the same time attended to. An agreeable and
rational exercise will be provided for the body, if the proprietor,
particularly if of the softer sex, take the entire management of h'vr
little Wmdow Garden into her own hands.

DOMESTIC GREE]SrHO^«SES. 91

CHAPTER IX.

DOMESTIC GREENHOUSES.'

^^>^EFORE entering on a description of this apparatus, the
^^•^ circumstances under which it was discovered may be
^-^-— ' briefly adverted to. Mr. Ward, the gentleman to whom
we are indebted for the discovery, is a surgeon, residing in Well-
close Square, London. From his earliest youth Mr. Ward has
been attached to botanical pursuits ; but living in a densely popu-
lated neighborhood, surrounded with manufactories, and enve-
loped in the smoke of London in its very worst form, he had been
compelled to give up the cultivation of plants, until the following
simple incident seemed to point out a mode by which he could
follow his favorite amusement with some degree of success. He
had buried the chrysalis of a sphinx in some moist mould, which
was inclosed in a glass bottle covered with a top. In watching
the bottle from day to day, he observed that when exposed to
the warmth of the sun the moisture rose from the mould, and
became condensed on the inner surface of the glass, and again
fell back upon the mould during the night, thus keeping up a
continual moisture in the atmosphere within the glass ; he also ob-
served about a week prior to the final change of the insect, a
seedling fern and grass appear on the surface of the mould.
A-fter having secured the insect, Mr. Ward set himself to observe

* The materials for this paper are chiefly from Chambers's Edinburgh
Journal, with some slight additions from Mr. Ellis's paper read to the Bo-
tanical Society of Edinburgh.

92

LADIES FLOWER GARDENER.

the development of these plants in this confined situation. He
placed the bottle outside the window of his study, where the
plants continued for several years to exhibit a healthy vegetation,
suggesting at the same time further experiments, which have led
to a most extraordinary result, when we consider, that by this
simple application of the laws of nature as regards atmosphere,
the most forbidding local circumstances may be overcome, and
that any person, whether inhabiting the most humble or the most
splendid dwelling, provided it be freely exposed for a few hours
every day to the sun's light, has it in his power to rear and cul-
tivate a miscellaneous collection of plants, to enjoy the beauty of
their appearance, and to watch their progress through all tlie
stages of their growth, at an expense so insignificant as to be
within the means of every man even in very moderate circum-
stances.

To do this he must provide an apparatus consisting of a box,
a stand, and a glass roof, of a size according to his desires and
means. We shall suppose one is wanted of a small size to stand
i:i a window in an apartment of limited dimensions. The stand.

we will suppose, is one foot ten inches in height, the box whic
is to contain the mould eight inches and a half, and the glass
frame cue foot seven inches and a half ; — in all four feet two in-

DOMESTIC GREENHOUSES.

93

tnes in heig'tit ») fhree feet in length and a foot and a half in
breath. If elegari;e is aimed at, the box should be made of
mahogany, and supported on four legs, furnished with movable
castOJ's; the box which is to contain the soil, eight and a half in-
ches in height, shonld be made of well-seasoned St. Domingo
mahogany, steeped in Kyan's composition, for a fortnight ; the
sides, one and a quarter inches thick, mitered and dove-tailed to-
gether at the corners. The bottom of the box should be Hon-
duras mahogany, one inch thick, formed of numerous small pieces.

framed and flush-paneled, and arranged so as best to resist the
yielding of the wood. To give it greater strength, two cross
pieces or ties stretch from side to side at equal distance from
each other; these are dove-tailed on each side, thus dividing the
box into three compartments, but leaving open spaces imder the

94 I.ADIES' FLOWER GARDENER.

ties and boles through their centers to permit the moisture to per-
colate freely tlrough the whole of the mould. The bottom being
properly fitted, the sides are fixed to it with brass nails — no iron
being used in any part. When completed and filled with plants,
the apparatus appears something like the cut on p. 93.

At the upper edge of the box a groove is sunk to receive the
lower edge of the glass roof which rests securely in it. This
groove is lined with brass ; its inner lip is one sixteenth of an
inch lower than the outer, and at each end is a notch one fifth of
an inch only above the bottom of the groove to allow the con-
densed moisture which trickles down the inside of the glass to
flow back into the mould.

The frame-work cover of which we have now to speak is made
of brass, with a door on one side, made to fit close. The glass
used for it may be of flattened crown-glass ; that for the dooi
should be plate-glass. The panes must be fitted in the frames
with great care, and with a putty specially made for the purpose,
which should, when dry, receive three coats of paint. Along the
top of the roof, hooks or brass rods may be placed, from which
small pots may be suspended. The whole of the frame-work
should be well fitted, and nicely put together, so as to preclude
as far as possible all interchange between the air in the case and
that in the room.

We now come to the preparation fcr the plants. Lay the
bottom of the box with pieces of broken earthenware, to a depth
of two inches, as an open subsoil. Next, lay a stratum of turfy
loam one inch deep, and fill in the remainder of the space with
soil, composed of equal portions of peat and loam, mixed with
about one-twentieth part of rough white sand, free from iron.
The artificial garden-plot is now ready to receive the plants.
Plant these in the usual manner, and then shower over them, with
a fine iof.3 watering-pot, from three to four gallons of water, til]

DOMESTIC GREENHOUSES. 95

the soil be pretty well saturated, and the liquid begins to run off
by the two openings in the bottom. After draining thus for
twenty-four hours, cork up the holes, place the glass-case on the
box, and the operation will be finished.

After the first preparation, the plants require little or no care ;
the case need only be opened for the removal of dead leaves, or
for a httle trimming, when required. Plants in open flower-pots
are exposed to the vicissitudes of change of climate, and require
constant watering ; but the plants in these cases seem to be in-
dependent of any change of temperature in the air, and water
themselves. The moisture rises by the sun's influence from the
moistened earth, cherishes the leaves of the plants in its aerial
condition, and during the cool of night falls to the earth again
like rain or dew. In this manner there is a constant succession
of rising and falling of moisture, in imitation of the great processes
of nature, daily going on in the fields around us. The plant-case
is a little world in itself, in which vegetation is supported solely
by the resources originally communicated to it.

Not the least remarkable part in the economy of the case is
the preservation of atmospheric purity. To all who reflect for
the first time on this subject, it will seem incomprehensible how
the plants can possibly thrive and blossom without the occasional
interchange of fresh air with the atmosphere. This certainly does
appear extraordinary, yet it is ascertained by experiment that no
such reinvigoration is requisite. To account for the phenomena,
it will be necessary to explain the constitution of atmospheric air,
and the means adopted by nature for its purification.

Air consists of three gases in close mechanical union — nitrogen,
oxygen and carbonic acid, in the proportion of about 79 of nitro-
gen, 20 oxygen, and 1 of carbonic acid, in 100 parts of pure air.
In this mixed composition, the essential element for the support
of respiration in both animals and plants, and also for combustion,

96 ladies' FLOVfEK GARDENIlll.

is the oxygen, the nitrogen being little else than a diluent tc
modify the strength of the oxygen. It was long believed by men
of science that plants possessed the power of exuding oxygen,
and so formed a prime agent for restoring vitiated air to purity.
Later investigations, however, chiefly by French chemists, have
made it evident that plants have no such power, unless when
placed under the influence of the sun's rays, or, in other words,
that solar light is the grand cleanser of the atmosphere, and with-
out which both plants and animals languish and die. With
respect to plants in particular, it is ascertained that, while inhaling
oxygen and expiring carbonic acid, their leaves possess the
remarkable property, in conjunction with the sun's light, of
re-transforming the carbonic acid into oxygen. At night, when
the light of daj'^ has departed, the expired carbonic acid may be
detected in the neighborhood of plants ; and hence one cause of
injury to health by breathing night air ; but when the morning
sun again bursts upon the scene, a great chemical process com-
mences in the atmosphere — the carbonic acid is decomposed,
oxygen is evolved, and all nature i-ejoices in a recreation of its
appropriate nourishment.

A question will here readily occur — what species of plants are
best adapted for these domestic greenhouses ? We are fortu-
nately enabled to answer this inquiry by referring to a learned
paper on the subject by Mr. Ellis, which was read to the Botani-
cal Society of Edinburgh, January 13, 1839, and afterwards
published in the Gardener's Magazine, and also as a separate
pamphlet. According to this gentleman's statement, the plants
most suitable are " those which partake largely of a cellular
structure, and possess a succulent character, and especially those
which have fleshy leaves ; whilst, on the contrary, the continued
humidity is unfavorable to the development of flowers of most
exogenous plants, except such as naturally grow in moist and
6hady situations." Plants, therefore, which have to grow and

DOMESTIC GREE^'HOUSES.

97

bloom in cavernous and moist situations, or in moist and warm
climates, are best adapted for these cases. However, within this
class of vegetables there are many beautiful and highly luxuriant
plants, which it would afford no small pleasure to contemplate.
The following is a list of plants from various countries, which
were set in a box, under Mr, Ellis's directions, and examined from
nine to twelve months afterwards :

BOTANICAL NAMES.

Chamae'rops humilis

Centiana vema

.^dianlum Capillus Veneris
Primula farinosa

Primula scotica

Ferbascum Myconi
./?ndrosace villosa
Chamae'rops Palmetto
Dionse'a Muscipula
Sarracema purpurea

Epigae'a repens
Testudinaria elephantipes
^ loe retusa
JRhododendron chrysanthum

Chamascistus
Cycas revoluta
iVepenthes distillatoria
Cypripedium venustum in-

signe
Agave geminiflora
*Goodyera discolor
^Echinocactus multiplex
♦peruviana

myriacantha
*i'ormosa

O'ttonj

Candida
Epiphyllum truncatum
Cereus flagelliformis
Lycopodium stoloniferum

COUNTRY.

Italy, Sicily, Spain

England

England
Scotland

Scotland

Scotland
Scotland
Carolina
Carolina
Carolina

Carolina

Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope

Siberia

Austria

China

Ceylon

Nepal

Nepal

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico

Brazil

Peru

Cuba

REMARKS.

Increased l-4th its original
size

Flowered, but no difference
in size

Increased 1-Sth

Flowered ; atmosphere ra-
ther damp for it

Flowered ; atmosphere ra-
ther damp for it

Increased l-8th

Flowered ; not very healthy

Increased l-3d

Made 1-Sth

Increased 4 times its origi-
nal size

Increased one-half

Made a shoot 10 inches long

Made l-3rd, showing flower

Increased one-half [spikea

Increased l-3d

Increased l-8th

Increased 2-3ds

Increased l-5th

Increased l-4th

Increased l-3d

No perceptible difference

Increased one-half

Increased one-half

Increased one-half

Increased l-3d

Increased ]-4th

Increased one-half

Increased 2-3ds

Increased one-half

Very luxuriant

Those marked thus * are growing in fancy pots, and suspended froiE
the roof of the plant-case.

98 ladies' flower gardener.

The alternate action of vitiation and purification is emphatically
described as follows by Mr. Ellis, in the pamphlet before us : —
" Under a bright sunshine, the two processes by which carbonic
acid is alternately formed and decomposed go on simultaneously ;
and their necessary operation, in as far as regards the condition
of the air, is that of counteracting each other. Hence, though
both may be continually exercised in favorable circumstances, the
effects of neither on the atmosphere can be ascertained by ordi-
nary means ; and, consequently, though, in the experiments of
De Saussure with common air, the production and decomposition
of carbonic acid by plants in sunshine must have been continually
going on, yet, in all the analysis which he made, the air was
found unchanged, either in purity or volume ; in other words, the
processes of formation and decomposition of this acid gas exactly
counterbalanced each other.

" Of the two processes which have now been described (con-
tinues our authority), each may be considered as in its nature and
purpose quite distinct from the other ; hence their efforts may be
readil}' distinguished ; neither do they necessarily interfere, when
actually working together. The first or deteriorating process, in
which oxygen gas is consumed, goes on at all times and in all
circumstances when vegetation is active. It requires always a
suitable temperature in which to display itself ; and when that
temperature falls below a certain point, which is very variable in
regard to different plants, the process is more or less completely
suspended, again to be renewed when the temperature shall re-
turn. This conversion of oxygen into carbonic acid is as neces-
sary to the evolution of the seed as to the giowth of the plant,
and is all that is required for germination. But the plant requires
something more ; for if light be excluded, vegetation proceeds
imperfectly, and the plant does not then acquire its proper color,
and other active properties which it ought to have. The chief

DOMESTIC GREENHOUSES. 99

organs by whi:n the consumption of oxygen gas is eff&oted are
the leaves ; and its pui-pose, in great part at Ijast, seems to be
that of producing some necessary change in the sap during its
transmission through those organs, on its way from the vessels of
the wood to those of the inner bark, whereby it may be rendered
fit for the purposes of nutrition and growth. In its nature and
object, therefore, as well as in the specific change which it pro-
duces in the air, this process closely resembles the function of
respiration in animals, and may thus with propriety be deemed a
physiological process. The second, or purifying process, in which
oxygen gas is evolved, differs in all respects from that which has
just been described. It is in a great measure independent of
temperature ; at least it proceeds in temperatures too low to sup-
port vegetation, provided light be present — an agent not required
for germination, nor essential to vegetable development. The
organs by which this process acts on the air are, as before, the
leaves ; not, however, by changing the quaUties of the sap in the
vessels of those organs, but by producing changes in the chromule,
or colorable matter, in their cells, to which it imparts color and
other active properties. In doing this, it does not convert the
oxygen gas of the air into carbonic acid, but, by decomposing that
acid gas, restores to the air the identical portion of oxygen of
which the former process had deprived it. The former process,
carried on by the agency of the oxygen gas of the air, was essen-
tial to living action, and aflfected the well-being of the whole
plant ; that exercised by the agency of light is not necessary to
life, is local, not general in its operation, and is capable of pro-
ceeding in circumstances and under conditions incompatible with
living action. By withdrawing the air altogether, or depriving it
of oxygen gas, vegetation soon ceases through the whole plant ;
but the exclusion of light from any part of the plant affects that
part only ; and even the total exclusion of that agent only de-

100 ladies' flower gardener.

privcs the plant of certain properties necessary to its perfection,
but not essential ^o its life. These differences in the processes by
which oxygen gas is alternately consumed and evolved, during
the vegetation of plants in sunshine, are so manifest, both in their
nature and effects, as to satisfy the ascription of a name to thG
latter process distinct from that given to the former. It might,
perhaps, be denominated the chemical process, in contradistinc-
tion to that named physiological.

" It would contribute much, we think, to simplify our inquiries
concerning vegetation, to bear in mind these distinctions; to con-
Bider the one process as accomplished by the agency of the air,
and essential to the life and growth of the plant ; the other, as
subordinate, depending on the agency of light, and though neces-
sary to the perfection of vegetation, yet not essential to its exist-
ence. In this manner each process may be followed out sepa-
rately, both in regard to its immediate effects and remoter con-
sequences, without clashing with the other ; and the apparently
discordant and even contradictory phenomena which on a first
view they seem to exhibit, may be reconciled, and considered, not
less in theory than in fact, as conspiring together to form one
harmonious and perfect \rnole."

After these explanations, little need be added respecting the
supply of pure air to domestic greenhouses. The deterioration
of the atmosphere in the case is daily counteracted by an oppo-
site process of purification, so that amidst the vicissitudes of per-
petual change, the air is maintained in a state of nearly uniform
composition and purity, and serves over and over again for all the
purposes of vegetation. It may, however, be stated, to prevent
misconception, that the more pure the air of the apartment, the
plants will have the better chance of thriving, because there must
necessarily be an interchange to some extent betwixt the air of
the room and the case, in consequence of the daily expansion

DOMESTIC GREENHOUSES.

101

from heat, and nigbtly condensation from cold. This interchange
will be efifected by the minute crevices in the apparatus, and
therefore requires no special provision.

102 ladies' flower gabdeneb.

CHAPTER X.

MONTHLY NOTICES.

RECAPITULATION of the work which each month
presents to the gardener's notice will be useful. By
occasionally glancing over the Monthly Notices, the me-
mory is refreshed ; and it will be found that even the three winter
months allow the young gardener no remission from labor.
There is something to be done in every week in the year — some-
thing to be attended to, which amuses the mind, interests the
imagination, and benefits the general tone of mental and physical
health.

JANUARY.

Let your lawn and c/rass walks be kept neat and smooth, by
rolling, this month ; and if any part of the grounds require fresh
turf, this IS the season for cutting and laying it down. If you
live in the neighborhood of a common, that is the best ground
for cutting turf, as the herbage is short, and free from nettles,
docks, &c. Lay it down firm and even, allowing for the sinking
of the newly-laid earth, about an inch or two. Roll it well, after
having laid down the turf.

Keep the gravel walks also from weeds and moss, and roll
them in dry weather. If you attempt to roll gravel in wet wea-
ther, the gravel clings to the roller.

Dig the clumps or spots where you mean to plant evergreens,
in February and March, that the ground may be trenched ia

MONTHLY NOTICES. 103

readiness. The frost of this month will render newly-dug earth
more fiiable, and the snow will enrich it.

If the weather is very settled and mild, you may still plant
out hardy deciduous shrubs, such as sweetbriars, double
bramble, double-blossomed cherry, dwarf almond, jasmines,
honeysuckles, roses, lilacs, laburnums, guelder rose, Spiraea frutex,
mezereons, &c. Transplant each shrub with a good ball of earth
round its roots.

Prune flowering shrubs now, where they require it, with a
sharp knife, not with shears. When I say " flowering shrubs,"
I do not mean shrubs in flower, but shrubs that do flower.

Transplant suckers from the hardy flowering shrubs, if they
have not been done before. Take them up with good roots, and
support them neatly with stakes.

Cuttings of young shoots of hardy deciduous shrubs may be
planted in mild weather, to root, and form good plants in the
autumn. Layers may be also formed.

Protect all the choicer kinds of flowering shrubs, and all cut-
tings of every kind, from severe frosts, by spreading litter over
them.

Plant tulips now — always providing the weather is mild — to
blow late in the year ; but they will not be so handsome as those
which were planted again in September and October.

Plant any ranunculuses, anemones, &c., you may have out of
the ground, to come in late blowing ; but, like the tulips, they
will not bear such fine blooms. Protect everything from severe
weather, as well as you can, this month, particularly your choicer
sorts of bulbs, and tuberous-rooted perennials.

FEBRUARY.

February is the first spring month, and the parterre will begin
to make gradual approaches to gaiety and life. The anemones.

104 ladies' flower gardener,

hepaticas, &c., will now bud and flower, if the weather is genial ;
and the crocus and snowdrop will put forth their blooms to meet
the sun on his returning march.

About the end of this month, you may begin to sow the hardy
annuals. I prefer April, but it may not be convenient always to
wait so long ; therefore sow now the seeds of hawkweed, lavatera,
Venus's looking-glass, Venus's navelwort, candytuft, larkspurs,
lupines, convolvulus, flos Adonis, dw^arf lychnis, nigelia, annual
sunflowers, &c.

This month, you may plant and transplant, fearlessly, all hardy,
fibrous-rooted flowering perennials and biennials, such as saxifrage,
gentianella, hepaticas, violets, primroses of all sorts, polyanthuses,
double daisies, thrift, &c. ; rose campions, rockets, campanulas,
sweet-williams, hollyhocks, scarlet lychnis, carnations, pinks,
monk's-hood, perennial asters and sunflowers, &c.

Plant cuttings of roses, honeysuckles, and jasmines.

If the weather is mild, you may transplant many kinds of
evergreen shrubs, such as phillyreas, alaternuses, laurels, laurus-
tinus, pyracanthas, cistuses, &c. Let there be a ball of earth
round their roots, when you take them out of the ground.

If box edging is i-equired, plant it now ; water it, and the plants
will soon root.

Dig the borders, carefully and lightly, with your garden fork ;
make the garden look neat, and free from weeds ; clear away
dead leaves ; sweep the lawn and walks ; and let spring advance
in its proper order.

MARCH.

Now plant away. Evergreens cannot be moved at a better
period. Deciduous flowering shrubs may also be still planted,
Euch as Althaea frutex, syrir/gas, roses, honeysuckles, mezereons,

MONTHLY NOTICES. 105

Bumach, laburnums, lilacs, jasmines, candleberry myrtles, guelder
roses, &c.

Where the borders require filling up, the following plants may
still be moved, but do it early in this month : — ■

Lychnises, campanulas, Canterbury bells, tree primroses,
rockets, sweet-williams, wallflowers, columbines, monk's-hood,
rose campions, perennial asters and sunflowers, foxgloves, &c.

Sow perennial and biennial flower seeds about the last week
in this month. Stake your hyacinths, when the flower stems are
tall.

Plant out layered carnations of last year, into the places where
they ought to remain.

Give fresh earth to any plants in pots, such as carnations, pinks,
auriculas, double sweet-williams, double stock gillyflowers, rock-
ets, &c.

Sow annuals of all hardy kinds.

Transplant any hardy roses, which you may wish should blow
late in the year.

Plant box, for edgings, still ; and roll the lawn and grass walks.

Transplant any tenderer kinds of annuals which you may have
been at the pains of raising in, or procuring /rom, a hot-bed.

Keep the garden quite free from weeds and dead leaves.

Now place sticks to every plant or stalk i-equiring support.
Fix the sticks, or light iron rods, firmly in the ground ; and tie
the stems to each stick neatly, in two or three places.

Some evergreens may yet be removed, as laurels, laurustinus,
Portugal laurel, cistuses, arbutus, magnolias, pyracanthas, (fee.

Propagate auriculas, by slipping off their suckers and offsets,
this month.

b*

106 ladies' flower gardener.

Sow carnation and polyanthus seeds still. Sow, also, perenoial

and biennial seeds.

Where any perennial or biennial fibrous-rooted flowers are
wanted, transplant them only in the first week of this month, and
they must have each a good ball of earth attached to them ; but
this work should be completed in February, or March at farthest.

Every sort of annual may now be sown.

Take care of your hyacinths, tulips, ranunculuses, and ane-
mones now, for they will be hastening into bloom.

Place your auriculas, hyacinths, &c., which may be in pots, ia
a sheltered place, during heavy rains or winds ; and shelter those
flowers which are in the borders as well as you can. Trim them
from dead leaves.

Keep your lawn and grass walks nicely mown and rolled, and
your borders free from weeds and rubbish.

Propagate perennial fibrous-rooted plants by cuttings.

Propagate double wall-flowers by slips of the young shoots of
the head.

Sow annuals for succession ; such as sweet-peas, nasturtiums,
lavatera, lupines, flos Adonis, &c.

Take up those hyacinths, tulips, &c. which have done flower-
ing, and dry them in the shade to put away.

Weeds grow quickly now : hoe them up wherever you see
them. Support all flowers with sticks ; train them upright. Clear
away all the dead leaves from your carnations, and gently stir
the earth round them with your smallest trowel.

Look round the borders now, and take oft' inegular shoots.

MONTHLY NOTICES. 107

JUKE.

Propagate carnations by layers and pipings. Propagate double
sweet-williams and pinks by layers and cuttings, or slips.

Propagate perennial fibrous-rooted plants by cuttings of the
stalks.

Transplant the large annuals from the seedling bed to the
places where they are to remain. Let this be done in showery
weather, if possible.

Take up all bulbs, ranunculuses, and anemone roots, (fee, as the
flowers and leaves decay.

Water the delicate plants, if tlie weather proves dry : give a
moderate watering every evening, but never in the heat of the
day.

Sow yet some hardy annuals, such as ten-week stocks, virgin
stock, &c.

Plant out China-asters, Chinese hollyhocks, ten-week stocks,
large convolvolus, &c., but let each root have a ball of earth
round it.

Examine the perennial and biennial plants, to cut off all dead,
broken, or decaying shoots. Trim the African and French mari-
golds from their lower straggling shoots, that they may present a
neat, upright appearance. Trim the chrysanthemums, which are
apt to branch too near the root, and stake them neatly.

Plant out carnations and pink seedlings into their proper places.

Keep everything just moderately moist, if there is a long
drought in this month,

JULY.

You may lay carnations and double sweet-williams still ; but
let it be done before the end of the second vreek in this month.
Propagate pinks by slips and pipings

108 ladies' plowek gardener.

Transplant tlie seedling auiiculas which were sown last year,
as also the seedling pol3'anthus.

Transplant the perennial and biennial seedlings which were not
done last month, to remain till October.

Take up all bulbs as fast as they decay their leaves. If this
month prove hot and dry, place your potted carnations in a shel-
tered situation, and keep them just moist.

Support flowering shrubs and plants, and cut away decayed
stems. Keep the borders clean. Mow the lawn and grass walks.
Plant autumnal bulbs.

You may now begin to propagate some double-flowered and
approved fibrous-rooted plants the end of the month, if they have
done flowering — such, for instance, as the double rose campion,
catchfly, double -scarlet lychnis, double rocket, double ragged
robin, bachelor's buttons, gentianella, polyanthuses, auriculas, &c.

Sow auricula and polyanthus seed on a warm, d.y day ; and
remove carnation layers to some place where they may remain
till October to srain strenryth.

Sow seeds of bulbs.

Sow anemone and ranunculus seed.

Remove all bulbs which have done flowering.

Cut and trim edgings of box. Clip holly, yew, and privet
hedges.

Gather flower seeds.

Plant autumnal bulbs, if any are etill above ground, such as?
colchicums, autumnal narcissus, amaryllis, and autumn crocus.

Trim the flower plants ; mow the lawn and grass walks, and
ke.ep every department in neat order.

MONTHLY NOTICES. 109

SEPTEMBER.

Transplant, in any moist or showery weather this month, tlie
perennial and biennial seedlings to their proper situations, with a
ball of earth round their roots.

Propagate fibrous-rooted plants.

Prepare the spots where you mean to deposit anemone and
ranunculus roots any time between the end of this month and the
and of October ; and dig all beds and borders which are vacant,
to prepare them also for receiving roots and plants next month.

Transplant peonies, flag irises, monk's-hood, fraxinella, and
such like plants, to part their roots and remove each root to its
destined posiLion.

Transplant evergreens.

Plant cuttings of honey-suckles, and other shrubs.

Plant hyacinth and tulip roots for early spring bloom.

Plant box by slips or roots.

Mow grass lawn and walks. Clear away flower stems, and
trim flowering plants.

Sow seeds of bulbous flowers, if not done last month.

This i.= a very busy month ; for the garden should now be
cleared and arranged for the season.

Transplant all sorts of fibrous-rooted perennial and biennial
plants now where they are intended to remain.

Put the bulbs into the ground again ; and transplant the
different layered plants into their respective places.

Prune flowering shrubs of all sorts. Plant and transplant all
bardy deciduous shrubs, and their suckers.

110 ladies' flower gardener.

Dig up and part the roots of all flowers which require so doing,
and replant them.

Plant cuttings of honeysuckles, laurels, &c.

Take up the roots of dahUas, and put them carefully away till
May.

Tiim evergreens.

Plant box edgings ; cut away the long, sticky roots, and trim
the tops even.

Mow grass walks and lawns, and weed gravel walks.

NOVEMBER.

Prepare compost for a new year by raking dead leaves, so'.l,
sand, &c., in a heap, to turn well over occasionally. Pour the
brine, soap-suds, <fec., from the house over it.

Transplant still all hardy kinds of flowering shrubs, suckers, (fee.

Clear the borders from dead annuals, leaves, stumps, <fec. ;
shelter the choice bulbs and double-flowering plants.

DECEMBER.

Take care of every thing. Protect the more delicate roots
from severe frost, by strewing ashes, sand, or litter over them.
Prune shrubs, and dig between them.

If the weather is open, you may still plaut hardy sons of
flowering shrubs.

INDEX

A.C0NI1ES

Alaturnus, Layers of

Amelioration of Soils . .

Amaryllis

Annuals

self-sown . .
to sow-
how to water
when to sow
how to transplant
to trim

List of less tender . ,
List of hardy . •

Ants, to destroy

Anemone

April, List of Perennials for
Monthly Notices of

Arrangement of Shrubs
of Flowers

Arabian Jasmine . . . ,

Arbutus

Arbor Vits

Arsenic Water, to use ' . .

Aspect for Flowers

Auriculas

Compost for

Austrian Briar

August, Monthly Notice for
List of Perennials for

Avroncator

Ayrshire Rose

33,34,45

74

.. 21

4(

20, sy

57
.. 58

58
.. 58

58
.. 60

60
.. 61

25
.. 47

22
.. 105

69
.. 19

67
.. 70

74
.. 59

14
30,45

14

.. 65

108

.. 23

16
.. 66

112

INDEX.

Beds, planting

Beds of Roses .. ..

Belladonna .. .. ..

Biennials .. .. ,,

Propagation of , . . ,

Seeds, when to sow f .

to shelter .. ., ,,

when to transplant

List of hardy

Bligh

Brine

Bulbs

soil for

when to take up

autumn-flowering . .

Seed of

to replant . .

arrangenaent of . .

List of

Cabbage Rose . . . .

Camellia Japonica

Canterbury Bells . . . .

Carnations

China Asters . .

to train

Chrysanthemums

Cistus, Gum

Clay, how to improve . .

Clarkias . .

Climbing Rose

Colchicums, Soil for

when to plant ..

Compost for Flowers

Convolvulus . .

Creepers, as decorations

Crocus

autumnal, when to plant

,

Cuttings

mD£:X.

118

Cutting, of Perennials

Protection for . .
of Shrubs, when to make
Dahlias
Daisies, double
Damask Rose
Dead leaves, to collect
Deciduous, terna explained

Shrubs, List of
Decennber, Monthly Notice for . .
•Devices for training Jasmine
Dii!;ging, when to be done
Domestic Greenhouses . .
Double-flowering Plants

to shelter . .
Dress, working
Earwigs, to destroy
Employnnent in Summer . .

Evergreens

how and when te transplant
how to layer
to make Cuttings of
to prune
Remarks on
List of
February, Monthly Notice for , .

list of Perennials for
Fences against Hares and Rabbits
Fibrous root, term explained
Flowers, Aspect for . .

how to arrange
Flower Seeds, how to sow

self-sown, how to treat
Flowering Shrubs, how to plant
Fly, to destroy the Green . .
Gardening, remarks on
Gardens, notices of old English
ftirden general remarks upon the

28
54
72
30
34
63
14
27
72
109
68
14
91
35
52
17
25
31
69
70
71
72
75
71
74
?03
22
24
27
14
18
38
57
69
66
10
10
13

114

INDEX

Garden, laying oul a . .

Soil for . . . .

Connpost for

Tools necessary for . .

Working Dress for
Gentian . .

Gentianella . . « .

Gillyflowers
Golden Rod . . . .

Gravel Walks
Green Fly, to destroy . .
Ground, management of

to prepare for Seeds
Gum Cistus
Guernsey Lily

Hand-glasses, substitute for . .
Hares, to protect against
Hepaticas

Herbaceous, term explained
Hollyhocks
Honesty

Honeysuckles, to increase , .
Hyacinths

Improvement of Soils
Irises

flag-leaved . .
Iron Rods for Flowers . .

Stakes for Roses
January, Monthly Notice for

list of Perennials for
Jasmines

to increase . .

to renew the Soil for

to prune

devices for training
I^onquils . .
Tuly, Monthly Notice for

List of Perennials for

INDEX.

115

June, Monthly Notice for . . . .

List of Perennials for . . • •

Knob-rooted Plants . . . .

Ladies' Garden fools • • . .

working Dress . . . t

Lawn . . . . . . . .

Laurel .. .. .. ..

Laurel, Portugal

Laurestinas

Layering, when to be done . . . .

Layers of Biennials . . . .

of Evergreens . .

of Alaturnus, &c., when to be done
Lilies of the Valley

Llanagement of

Orange

Guernsey smd Belladonna ■, .
Linen as a covering, advantages of
List of Flowers for each month

hardy Perennials

Roses

hardy climbing ditto

bulbous and tuberous-rooted Flowers

hardy Biennials
London Pride
Lychnis . . . . . . , ,

double scarlet
Lychnidea . . . . . . , .

March, Monthly Notice for . .

List of Perennials for . , . .

Martagons ... . . . .

Marigolds . . . . . . , .

May, Monthly Notice for . .

List of Perennials for . . . .

Michaelmas Dais}' . , . .

Mignionette .. .. ..

Mildew

M onthly Rose

il6

INDEX.

Monthly Rose, noticed

Remarks on . . . .

Moss Roses . . . .

Narcissus . . . . .

yellow autumnal
Neatness essential in a Garden . .
NiHht Stock
November, Monthly Notice for

List of Perennials for
October, Monthly Notice for

List of Perennials for
Offsets of Perennials and Biennials

Bulbs
Oil paper frames
Orange Lilies
Orchis tribe
Pansies

Peonies . . . . . ,

Perpetual Rose
Perennials

how to sow . .

how to propagate . .

how to divide

when to add soil to . .

list of hardy
PcLsecarias . . . . . .

Pinks . .

general management of . .
Pickle and Brine good for Flowers
Pipings, when to make

how to make
Phyllerias
Planting Beds

Shrubs, method of
Polyanthus
Portugal Laurel
Primroses
Propagating Biennials . .

pyramid of Roses

• •

• • • •

64

Pyracantha . . . . .

.

•

.. 70

Qualities of Pinks

..

..

29

Rabbits, to guard against . ,

.

i

.. 24

Ranunculus .. ..

, ,

..

46

Remarks on Gardens • . . .

.

. ..

. 13

Rockets, double . . . .

.

.. ..

28

Rods, for Flowers, Iron . .

,

• .

.. 26

Root-house, to construct a . .

, ,

• • ..

19

Rhododendrons . . . .

,

• «• •

.. 71

Roses . . . . . .

, ,

• • ••

63

monthly . . . .

.

• • » •

.. 65

Remarks on

..

.. ..

15

damask

,

» ..

.. 63

cabbage . . . .

..

..

64

moss . . . .

,

c ..

.. 64

standard

• •

.. ••

65

double yellow . .

.

. ..

.. 65

Austrian

..

..

65

perpetual, or four-season

.

.

.. 65

Ayrshire

..

^

66

Lady Banks

.

• ••

.. 66

climbing . .

..

• • . •

66

soil for

.

.. .

.. 64

when and how to prune

64

to layer

.

• •

.. 64

disease of . .

..

• .

64

pyramids and beds of

.

•

.. 64

list of

,,

C . . .

66, 67

Rosa hybrida multiflora

.

> ••

. 66

liustic stages

.. •.

15

advantages of . .

.

. 16

Salt, observations on

..

.. ••

39

water for cuttings

.

.<

.. 56

Sand, good effects of

..

..

. . 14, 21

Saxifrage

.

.

30,34

Seed to sow, when and how. Perennials

.

27, 28

Bulbs

. • .

.. 37

J 18

INDEX.

Seed, Biennials . .

Annuals • •

how to prune . .

when to gather
Seedlings, when to remove

Pink and Carnation
See'Jling-bed, to protect the
September, Monthly Notice for

List of Perennials for
Shrubs, arrangement of

how to plant

when to transplant

to make cuttings of

when to take suckers off

to prune . .

notices of several

list of deciduous

evergreen
Slipping, how V> perform
Snails, to destroy
Snowdrops . i

Soapsuds, to use
Soils, improvement of

amelioration of
Stages, rustic
Staking plants
Stocks, ten-week
Stock, gilliflower

night
Stony ground, to manage
Sultan, white and purple
Sunflower, everlasting
Sweet Peas

to raise early • . ••

Sweet-williams
Thrift

Tools, Ladies' garden • .

Transplant Perennia's and Biennials, when to

INDEX.

119

Trees, to ornament the trunks of
Tuberous root, term explained

rooted J^lowers

rooted Flowers and Bulbs, list of
Tulips ..

Veius' Looking-glass . .

Verbena, scarlet .. ..

Violets .. ,. .,

Wall-flowers . . . . , ,

Window Gardening .. .,

18
,. 27

36
. 41

. .

38

..

.c 59

..

35

..

., 29

..

51

• •

.c 7e

SAXTON'S COTTAGE AND FARM LIBRARY.
THE

AMERICAN ROSE CULTURIST;

BEING A

PEACTICAL TREATISE

ON THE

PROPAGATION, CULTIVATION, AND MANAGEMENT

OF

THE ROSE

or ALL seasons; with a list of choice and approved -VkUarrit^
ADAPTED TO THL CLIMATE OF THE UNITED STATES •

TO VTHTCH ARE ADDE3

FULL DIRECTIONS FOR THE I'REATMENT 0»

THE DAHLIA.

Illustrated by Engravings,

"——No flower that blows
Ib like the Rose, nor scatters such perfume."

NEW YORK:
C. AT. SAXTON AND COMPANY

AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHERS,

No. 140 Fulton Street.

1857.

'Rntc ed according to Act of Congress ic the year "i .^.V2, 07

0. M. SAXTON.

in the Cl'jrk's Office of 'i'e District Gonit t1)r the Southern District

of New T orl<.

ADYBETISEMENT.

The marked effect with which the " Cottage Bee Keeper " was
received, as the first of the series of " Saxton's Cottage and
Farm Lilirary," has led the PubHsher to issue the present
treatise on the Rose and the Dahha.

No pains will be spared in bringing out the succeeding volumes
agreeably to the plan of the original design; and if practicable, it is
hoped that they will be still more deserving of success than those
which have already appeared.

The pubUsher acknowledges his indebtedness to Messrs. Lea and
Blanchard, of Philadelphia, for the permission granted for using Lan-
dreth's " Dictionary of Modern Gardening," in the compilation of this
work. He also takes this occasion to thank Mr. William H. Starr for
the use of several engravings herein employed.

C. M. SAXTON,
Agricultural Book Publisher,
152 Fulton Street.

INDEX.

THE ROSE.

PAOB

Brierg 19,30

Budding 51

Spring 65

Calendar of Operations 73

Flowering of Seedlings, Hastening of 47

Retarding of. 49

Forcing 39,42,43, 44

Graf tin g 57

Root 58

Hints, G eneral, on Cultivation 67

Insects infesting the Rose 80

Manures proper for the Rose 37

Pillar Roses 64, 65

Planting of the Rose 37

Poetical Allusions to the Rose 5, 6, 7, 8

Potting of Roses 39, 41

P opagation by Budding 51

Cuttings 49

Grafting 57

Layers 50

Seed 45

Suckers 49

Properties of Climbing Roses 35

Moss Roses 32

Noisette Roses 34

Roses for Stands 34

Pruning 60, 65, 66

Standards 61

and Trailing Pillar Roses 64, 65

Root Grafting 53

Roses, Austrian Brier 19

Banksian 21, 26

FAOB

Roses, Bengal 3

Bourbon 11,21, 24

Boursault 20

Burgundy 23

China 17,22

Climbing 14,20, 21,35

Damask 18

Double Yello-w 19

Evergreen 20

French 17, 28

Hardy Garden 15

Hybrid 12, 17, 21

Jaune Desprez 25

Macartney 23

Miorophylla 25

Miniature 22

Moss 17,34

Musk 15, 23

Noisette 13, 23, 34

Perpetual 12, 21

Pillar 64

Provence 16

Scotch 19

Species of. 8

Sweet Brier 19,30

Tea-scented 9, 22

Varieties of 8

Village Maid 29

White 18

Williams' Yellow Sweet Brier 30

Soil proper for the Rose 36

Species and Varieties 8

THE DAHLIA.

PAGE

After Culture 94

History 78

Mulching 93

Planting out 92

Propagation by Grafting and Slips 90

Seed 89

Slips 90

Requisites of a Fine Flower 88

PAOB

Situation 91

Soil, Preparation of. 91

Treatment, Autumnal 94

of Slips 91

Spring 92

when flowermg 94

"Watering 93

THE HOSE.

INTRODUCTION.

Rosa ! thou art the sweetest flower
That ever drank the amber shower ;
Rose ! thou art the fondest child
Of dimpled Spring, the wood nymph wild.

Anacrbok.

|HE Rose, the emblem of beauty and the pride
of Flora, reigns Queen of the Flowers in every
part of the globe ; and the bards of all nations
and languages have sung its praises. Tet
what poet has been able, or language sufficient,
to do justice to a plant that has been denom-
inated the Daughter of Heaven, the glory of
spring, and the ornament of the earth ? As
it is the most common of all tliat compose the
garland of Flora, so it is the most delightful.
Every country boasts of it, and every behold-
er admires it. Poets have celebrated its charms without exhausting
its eulogium ; for its allurements increase upon a familiarity, and every
fresh view presents new beauties, and gives additional delight. Hence
it renovates the imagination of the bard, and the very name of the
flower gives harmony to his numbers, as its odors give sweetness to
th? air.

6 INTRODUCTION.

To paint this universal emblem of delicate splendor in its own hues,
the pencil should be dipped in the tints of Aurora, when arising amidst
her aerial glory. Human art can neither color nor describe so fair a
flower. Venus herself feels a rival in the Rose, whose beauty is com-
posed of all that is exquisite and graceful. It has been made the
symbol of sentiments as opposite as various. Piety seized it to deco-
rate the temples, while Love expressed its tenderness by wreaths ; and
Jollity revelled adorned with crowns of roses. Grief strews it on the
tomb, and Luxury spreads it on the couch. It is mingled with our
tears, and spread in our gayest walks ; in epitaphs, it expresses youth-
ful modesty and chastity, while in the songs of the Bacchanalians
their god is compared to this flower. The beauty of the morning is
allegorically represented by it, and Aurora is depictured strewing
roses before the chariot of Phoebus :

" When morning paints the orient skies,
Her fingers burn with roseate dyes."

The Rose is thought to have given name to the Holy Land where
Solomon sang its praises, as Syria appears to be derived from /S'wn, a
beautiful and delicate species of Rose, for which that country has al-
ways been famous ; and hence called Suristan, or the " Land of Roses."
The island of Rhodes owes its name to the prodigious quantity of
roses which formerly grew upon its soil.

Of the birth of the Rose, it is related in fable, that Flora having
found the corpse of a favorite Nymph, whose beauty of person was
only surpassed by the purity of her heart and chastity of her mind,
resolved to raise a plant from the precious remains of this daughter of
the Dryads, for which purpose she begged the assistance of Venus
and the Graces, as well as of all the deities that preside over gardens,
to assist in the transformation of the Nymph into a flower, that was
to be by them proclaimed Queen of all the vegetable beauties. The
ceremony was attended by the Zephyrs, who cleared the atmosphere,
in order that Apollo might bless the new-created progeny by his
beams. Bacchus supplied rivers of nectar to nourish it, and Vertumnus
poured his choicest perfumes over the plant. WTien the metamor-
phosis was complete, Pomona strewed her fruit over the young
branches, which were then crowned by I'lora with a diadem, that had
been purposely prepared by the celestials to distinguish this Queen of

I

INTRODUCTION. f

Anacreon's birth of the Rose stands thus translated by Moore :

" Oh ! whence could such a plant have sprung?
Attend — for thas the tale is sung;
When, humid from the silvery stream,
Venus appeared, in flushing hues,
Mellowed by ocean's briny dews —
When, in the starry courts above,
The pregnant brain of mighty Jove
Disclosed the nymph of azure glance —
The nymph who shakes the martial lance !
Then, then, in strange eventful hour,
The earth produced an infant flower.
Which sprung, with blushing tinctures drest,
And wantoned o'er its parent's breast.
The gods beheld this brilliant birth,
And hailed the rose— the boon of earth !
With nectar drops a ruby tide,
The sweetly-orient buds they dyed,
And bade them bloom, the flowers divine
Of him who sheds the teeming vine ;
And bade them on the spangled thorn
Expand their bosoms to the morn."'

The first Rose ever seen was said to have been given by the god of
love to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to engage him not to divulge
the amours of his mother Venus ; and from hence the ancients made it
a symbol of silence, and it became a custom to place a Rose above their
heads in their banqueting rooms, in order to banish restraint, as no-
thing there said would be repeated elsewhere ; and from this practice
originated the saying, suh rosa, (under the rose,) when anything
was to be kept secret.

Oriana, when confined a prisoner in a lofty tower, threw a wet Rose
to her lover to express her grief and love ; and . in the floral language
of the East, the presenting a rose bud with thorns and leaves, is under-
stood to express both fear and hope ; and when returned, reversed, it
signifies that one must neither entertain fear nor hope. If the thorns
be taken off before it is returned, then it expresses that one has every-
thing to hope; but if the leaves be stripped off, it gives the receiver to
understand that he has everything to fear.

The Moss Rose is made the emblem of voluptuous love ; and the
creatii e imagination of a German poet thus pleasingly accounts foi
this Rose having clad itself in a mossy garment :

The angel of the flowers one day
Beneath a rose tree sleeping lay.

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

That spirit to whose charge is given

To bathe young buds in dews from hearen,

Awaking from his light repose,

The angel whispered to the rose, —

' Oh, fondest object of my care,

Still fairest found where all are fair,

For the sweet shade thou'st given to me,

Ask what thou wilt, 'tis granted thee.'

' Then,' said the rose, with deepened glow,

' On me another grace bestow.'

The spirit paused in silent thought —

What grace was there that flower had not ?

'Twas but a moment — o'er the rose

A veil of moss the angel throws ;

And, robed in nature's simplest weed,

Can there a flower that rose exceed ?'

SPECIES AND VARIETIES

Botanists enumerate at least eighty distinct species of the RcBe, aad
& fists an almost innumerable number of varieties and «iub-varieties,
most of which are hardy, deciduous, or evergreen shrubs. To attempt
a description or even to give a list of the names of all of these would
be foreign to the design of this little treatise, and would bf» a needless
waste of time, for the simple reason that many of them are unworthy
of preservation, while in others, nothing short of the nicest and the
most minute inspection can discover any difference.

The following are the names and characters of the more importaol
and desirable members of this family, best adapted to this coimtry
and may be purchased at any of our principal florists: —

aftcnflal or IBailj 3Si03ts.

Names. Color and C h ttract er >

Animated, Rosy blush.

Arsenie, Light rose.

Augustine Hersent, Superb rose.

Assuerus, Crimson.

Admiral Duperre, Dark rose.

Belle Isidore, Crimson.

SPECrES AND VARIETIES.

Names,

Belle de Monza,

Belle violet,

Bisson,

Burette,

Cameleon,

Cramoisi superieur,

Cels,

Comble de gloire,

Don Carlos,

Duchess of Kent,

Eugene Beauharnais,

Fabvier,

Grandral,

Grandida,

Hortensia,

Indica alba,

Jacksonia,

Louis-Philippe,

Lady Warrender,

Laurencia,

MarjoUn,

Mrs. Bosanquet,

Napoleon,

Reine de Lombardie,

Samson,

Triomphant,

Vanilla,

Color and Charaettr,

Dark rose.

Violet purple.

Eosy blush.

Dark red.

Rose.

Crimson.

Blush.

Crimson.

Dark rose.

Pink.

Crimson.

Scarlet.

Crimson.

Rose.

Light rose.

Pure white.

Bright red.

Crimson.

White.

Pink.

Crimson.

Large, blush.

Rose, fine.

Cherry red.

Light rose.

Crimson.

Dark rose.

a:ea=sccntc6 jRoses.

jya mes.

Archduchess Theresa,
Aurora,
Alba,
Arkinto,
Adelaide,
Antherose,
Adam,

Belle Marguerite,
1*

Color and C hnracter.

White.
Blush.
Pure white.
Flesh color.
Blush.

Blush white.
Rosy blusL
Rosy purple.

10

SPECIES AND VARIETrES.

Na met,
Bougere,
Boutrand,
Bon Sil^ne,
Bourbon,
Barbot,
Camellia,
Caroline,

Countess Albemarle
Due d' Orleans,
Devoniensis,
Devaux,

Delphine G-audot,
D'Arrance de Navarre,
Eliza Sauvage,
Flon,

Flavescens,
Golcondi,
Goubault,

Gigantesque de Lima,
Gloria de Hardi,
Hymenee,
Jaune Panache,
La Sylphide,
Lilicina,
Lyonnais,
L a Pactole,
La Renomme,
Madame Desprez,
Mansais,
Niphetos,
Odoratissima,
Princesse Maria,
Princesse d'Esterhazy,
Strombio,

Triomphe de Luxembourg,
Victoria modeste,
William Wallace,

Color and C hara ct*r

Light rose.

Rosy blush.

Superb red.

White.

Blush.

White.

Bright rose.

Straw color

Bright rose.

Creamy yellow.

Blush.

White.

Light pink.

Pale sulphur.

Buff.

Yellow.

Blush white.

Rosy blush.

Light yellow.

Light rose.

White.

Straw color.

Rosy buff.

Lilac.

Rose.

Yellow.

White.

White.

Rosy buff.

White.

Rich blush.

Blush.

Light rose.

White.

Rosy blush.

Blush.

Pale blush.

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

II

3Souriion Hosts.

Names.

Augustine Lelieur,

Acidalie,

Comte de Rambuteau,

Ceres;

Cytherea,

Comte d'Eu,

Doctor Rocques,

Dumont de Courset,

Du Petit Thouars,

Emilie Courtier,

Gloire de Rosamene,

Gloire de Paris,

Grand Capitaine,

Gloire de France,

Hermosa,

Henri Plantier,

Imp^ratrice Josephine,

Lady Canning,

Madame Desprez,

Madame Souchet,

Madame Lacharme,

Madame Nerard,

Marechal de Villars,

Ninon de rEnclos,

Paul Joseph,

Princesse Clementine,

Phoenix,

Pierre de St Cyr,

Queen,

Reine de Fontenay,

Souchet,

Souvenir de la Malmaison,

Th^resita,

Color and C karaeter.

Bright rose.

White, large, and fine.

Violet purple.

Dark rose.

Rosy pink, very fragrant

Bright carmine.

Purple crimson.

Deep purple.

Rosy red.
BriUiant crimson.
Bright red.
Brilliant scarlet
Rose, very fragrant
Light pink.
Pale rose.
Creamy white.
Deep rose.
Rosy lilac.
Blush, fine.
Blush white.
Light rose.
Rosy purple, fine.
Dark rose.
Velvet crimson.
Deep rosy purple.
Rose red.
Light rose.
Dehcate blush.
Brilliant rose.
Deep crimson.
Creamy white, fine.
Bright carmiae.

12

SPECIES AND VARIETIEa

3£lemontant or ^jlirili 33e»^petual 3£loses.

In Europe, these Roses are highly esteemed ; here, their reputation
as " perpetuals," has been seriously lajured, in consequence of their
having been, in many instances, worked on stocks unsuited either to
them, or to our chmate. — Landreth.

J^Tame s .
Antinous,
Aubernon,

Augustine Mouchelet,
Baronne Provost,
Comte de Paris,
Claire du Chatelet,
Clementine syringe,
Comtesse Duchatel,
Crimson or rose du roi,
D' Angers,
Doctor Marjolin,
Due d'Aumale,
Duchesse de Nemours,
Duchesse de Sutherland,
Edouard Jesse,
Isaure,
Israel,

Insigne D'Estotells,
Josephine Antoinette,
Louis Bonaparte,
Lady Fordvsrich,
Lady Alice Peel,
La Reine, or Queen,
Madame Laflfay,
Marquise Bocella,
Mrs. EUiott,
Melanie cornu,
Newton,
Palmyre,
Princesse Hellne,
Prince Albert,
Prudence Tloeser,

Color and Character .
Dark crimson.
Clear red, very fine.
Clear bright rose.
Fine rose color.
Dark crimson.
Purple red.
Pale rose.

Light crimson.
Delicate rose.

Pale rose.

Bright rose.

Dark purple crimson.

Bright pink.

Sable.

Rosy blush-
Deep Rose.
Rosy carmine.
Rose color, superb.
Brilliant rose.

Rosy red.
Deep crimson.

Blush.

Large deep rose.

Very dark crimson, fine.

Rosy pink.

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

13

Names.

Prince de Salm,
Prince of Wales,
Eeine de la Guillotiere,
Desquermus or Eoyal,
Stanwell,
Sisley,

Wotsctte or ffiluster=

Names .
*Alba,

*Aimge Vibert,
Bengal Lee,
Cadot,

Charles Tenth,
Conque de Venus,
Coeur Jaune,
Champneyana,
*Comtesse de Grillion,
Chromotelle,
*Euphrosine,
Fellenberg,
*Gabriel,
Jaune Desprez,
*J"ulienne le Sourd,
Julie de Loynes,
Lamarque,
La Biche,
Lady Byron,
Lutea, or Smithii,
Landreth's carmine,
*La Nymphe,
Miss Simpson,
Orloff,
*Ophire,

Sir Walter Scott,
Solfatare,
Vitellina,

Color and Character.
Dark crimson.
Eose carmine.
Brilliant crimson.
Large rose.
Blush, very fine.
Large bright red.

•Jflotoerins 2£loscs.

Color and Character .

Creamy white.

Pure vs^hite.

Blush, fragrant.

Blush hlac.

Purple.

White rose centre.

White yellow centre.

Eosy white.

Blusn,

Large yellow, fine.

Pale yellow.

Crimson, superb.

Blush, fine.

Eosy yellow.

Eose.

White.

Creamy white, fine.

Flesh color.

Pink, fine.

Fine yellow.

Carmine.

Pale rose.

Blush.

Pink, fine.

Yellow, fragrant.

Deep rose.

Superb dark yellow.

White.

• ThoB8 marked ♦ are dwarfs.

I«

SPECIES AND VARIETIEg.

Climbing jJXoses.

These flower annl.ally in immense clusters, grow rapitUy, and are
quite hardy. — Lanch-eth.

Names.
Banksia lutea,
Banksia alba,
Boursault,
Boursault purpurea,
Boursault blush,
Boursault gracilis,
Bengalensis scandens,
Felioite perpetuelle,
Grevillia,

Multiflora,

Multiflora alba,

Rubifolia, Single Michigan or

Prairie,
Rubifolia elegans,
Rubifolia purpurea,
Rubifolia, Queen of the Prairies,
Rubifolia alba,
Russelliana,
Sempervirens plena,
Triomphe de Bollwyler,
Laura Davoust,

Color and C haractet .

Double yellow.

White.

Rose color.

Purple.

Large blush.

Bright rose.

Large rosy white.

Blush white.

G-reville produces im-
mense clusters, of vari-
ous colors and shades,
from white to crimson.

Pmk.

Blush white.

Double pink.
Double purple.
Double pink.
Double blush white.
Crimson cottage roso.
Superb white.
Blush white.
White.

Jtt(ct;op|)slla 3Sioaz3.

Namet.
Maria Leonida,
Miorophylla rosea,
Microphylla oiiorata alba.

Color and Charaetn

White, extra fine.
Rose color.
Creamy white.

SPKCIE3 AND VARIETIES.

16

iiau3fe««cctrtcO 3Xosts.

Namti.

Moschata,
Moschata superba,
Princesse de Nassau,

Color and. Character .

White semi-double.
Pure white, very double.
White double.

TQarDs €racDen a£loses.

Karnes.

MiauUs,

Coronation,

Reine des roses,

Due d' Orleans,

Painted Damask,

Brennes,

Eivers' George IV.,

Hybride blanche,

Heureuse surprise,

Eanunculus,

La capricieuse.

Royal Provins,

Du Roi,

Harrisonii,

Moss, Single,

Moss, Common,

Moss, Luxembourg,

Moss, White,

Moss, Crested,

Moss, Adelaide,

York and Lancaster,

Provins Belgic,

Four Seasons,

Moretti,

Burgundy,

Persian,

Village Maid, or La Belle Villa

geoise,
Austrian Brier

Color and Character.
Rosy purple.
Purple crimson.
Bright crimson.
Dark rose.
White.
Dark pink.
Superb crimson.
White.
Carmine.
Purple, compact.
Purple crimson.
Superb pink.
Perpetual, bright red.
Yellow Austrian brier.
Crimson, very mossy.
Rose.
Crimson.
Perpetual.

Red and white.
Large pink.
Pink.

Light rose.
Rose, compact.
Double yellow.

Rose, striped with lilac.
Deep yellow

J 6 SPECIES AND VARIET^pS.

In contemplating some cf the best Roses from the various families,
we cannot help admitting, that, compared with the old and still valued
varieties, more than two-thirds even of our selections are not so good
in character. The love of novelty is all-powerful ; a shade of color,
the slightest difference in habit, a different season of bloom, an alter-
ation in the size or color of the foliage, the distinction between a slow
and a fast growth, have always been considered sufficient by sellers to
warrant a new name and a place in the catalogues ; and the Rose,
unlike all other flowers, began with better varieties than hundreds of
their successors, or rather their younger rivals, proved to be.

Notwithstanding many of the early Roses were really beautiful,
and hardly admitted of much improvement, we had, at a very early
period of the fancy, such Roses as the Tuscan, the Cabbage, the Cab-
bage Moss, the Maiden's Blush, White Provence, and Double Yellow.
These have, it is true, been succeeded by a few worthy of ranking
with them, but they have to be selected from thousands infinitely
worse, and hundreds which ought not, for the raiser's honesty, or the
buyer's good sense, to have even passed the seed bed. If, therefore,
we were to select, to lessen our readers' difficulty in choosing, we
could not recommend them as Roses equal to old favorites ; for not
one in fifty would beat the few we have mentioned, and which ought
to be the first they furnisL

Tlie Provence Rose.

The Provence Rose, or, as it has been called, the Hundred-leaved
Rose, is a distinguishing title for every Rose that has a remarkably
double flower, unless there is something in the habit or character that
claims for it another title. If this were understood, we should know
what we are about. The Moss Rose would clearly come under this,
were it not for the moss; for the old Cabbage Rose, and the Moss
Rose strongly grown, would not be known from each other, except for
the Moss; and the Moss Rose would be a Moss Rose, if ever so single,
chough its original were double and fine. Now, the Provences, of
which the old Cabbage Rose is a. sort of type, and generally called the
Hundred-leaved Rose, ceases to deserve this name, if semi-double. So
that although the origin of the family is rightly named, many pushed
into the same list do not deserve the name.

SPECIES AND VARIETIES. - 17

Moss Rose.

This family is distinguished by the mossy appearance of their stems
and the calyx, and therefore there is no difficulty in recognising any
member of the family.

The Frencli Rose.

This, to some of our readers, would appear to mean roses raised in
France. It happens, however, that the original was, as many of the
leading ones were, raised by Van Eden, in Holland, and it was years
before the French raised a single seedling from them ; nevertheless
some of the so-called varieties were raised in France, but as there are
hundreds raised in that country which are not belonging to this family,
the distinguishing name fails ; and were it not so, they are so unlike
each other that one could not recognise, in any particular feature,
«.nough to decide, nor do the rose growers themselves appear more
certain.

Hybrid Provence Roses.

These are said to be intermediate between French and Provence
roses, because they have the long shoots of one and the dense foliage
of the other ; the said long shoots and dense foliage being the charac-
teristics of roses of other famiUes in quite as large a degree, and even
in this very family, we have varieties which seem to be between the
Boursault and Provence. So that all is indecision, change, uncertainty,
and frivolity. In this family, the distinguishing character is that they
"are robust and hardy ;" so are hundreds that do not belong to it.

Hybrid China Roses.

We are told of this family, that the numerous varieties give a com-
bination of all that is beautiful in a Rose. They are said to owe their
origin to all sorts of crosses ; but there is a distinguishing feature in
these, if it be adhered to: "leaves smooth, glossy, and sub-evergreen;
branches long, luxuriant, and flexible." Then, again, we are informed
"that hybrids produced from the Rose, impregnated with the China

1.8 SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

Rose, are not cf such robust and vigorous habits as when the China
Rose is the female parent." This looks like plain, straightforward
information ; but it is followed by the same incertitude as some of thr
other distinguishing features of families. Mr. Rivers adds: "But, per
haps, this is an opinion not borne out by facts ; for the exceptions are
numerous, and like many other variations in roses, and plants in gen-
eral, seems to hid defiance to systematic rules." Of course, they do ;
and, with the exception of those names which bespeak a distinct char-
acter, the splitting of this beautiful flower into so many different fam-
iUes at all, was a very injudicious measure. Athelin, a Rose classed in
this group, is called also a Hybrid Bourbon, and as it blooms in clus-
ters, would have been much better understood if called a Noisette.
It comprises other roses as unlike each other as can be well imagined,
and many of them will shoot ten feet in a season, and would be much
more at home if classed as Climbing Roses. Belle de Rosny, among
this family, is nevertheless called also a Hybrid Bourbon, and many
others of this family are destined to be removed, if the senseless dis-
tinctions by name are to be kept up.

White Roses.

Here we have an illustration of the extreme folly of the present dis-
tinctions. We are told the roses of this division may be easily dis-
tinguished by their green shoots, and leaves of a glaucous green,
looking as if they were covered with a grayish impalpable powder ;
and flowers generally of the most delicate colors, graduating from a
pure white to a bright but delicate pink.

The Damask Rose.

, .ud is as incongruous a group as any. Blanche borde de rouge
has flowers sometimes a pure white, at others margined with red.
Claudine has flowers of a pale rose cclor. York and Lancaster, also
classed among them, has flowers striped with red and white. Coralie
is flesh color. Then we have Madame Hardy, which, we are fairly
told, " is not a pure Damask Rose ;" perhaps not, as it is white, and
unlike all the rest. Then, there is the Duke of Cambridge, which Mr.

SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 10

Ilivers " at firfil thought a Hybrid China," and says, " will, perhaps,
be better grouped with the Damask Roses. '

Scotch Roses.

So long as this family was allowed to be kept select, these roses
were very distinct ; they make long briery shoots, and flower with
small blooms almost like briers, the whole lensrth of stems. They are
exceedingly pretty, formed as a bank, or in clumps. They are not
adapted for standards. They bloom early, and the Scotch nurserymen
now boast of two or thre e hundred varieties : but like all the other
families, there are many among them that have hf-en raised from seed,
and others imported, which are neither by name nor nature Scotch.
Amiable etrangere is a French hybrid. Adelaide is a large Red Double
Rose. La Cenomane is a French hybrid with large flowers, "not so
robust as the pure Scotch varieties."

The Sweet Brier.

This lovely ornament, or rather tenant of the garden, is universally
admired for the delicious fragrance of its foliage, and for nothing else.
It is only necessary to say here, that others whose leaves are not fra-
grant have been placed with it to make a family ; some of the new
members having but little fragrance, and one, the Scarlet Sweet Brier,
none at all.

The Austrian Brier.

Here we have the same evidence of indecision as to where things
ought to be placed. In this scentless family we have WiUiams' Double
Yellow Sweet Brier. In fact, the Sweet Brier and the Austrian Brier
are muddled together so completely that catalogues do not agree, and
the further we go, the more confusion we get into, and more instances
occur of removal from one division to another.

The Double Yellow Rose

Here we have only two individuals, the old Double Golden Yellow,
sc beautiful and double as to be universally admired, and the Jaune,
a dwarf kind, both shy bloomers under ordinary management, or,

20 SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

when we come to the right of it, never blooming vs^ell till they are
matured, which takes some years. Of course, there are many Double
Yellow Roses, but only two are admitted into this select family.

Clim'bing Roses.

Here we might expect to find all those roses which, from their
habits, were adapted to the fronts of houses, pillars, trellises, and other
lofty stations. One would, at least, expect that, if Climbing Roses
mean anything, it means all roses that will climb. No such things
Having pushed, we know not how many roses that climb into other
families, of course they cannot be here. We have various divisions
in this family notwithstanding: First, we have the Ayrshire Rose,
which is said to be a hybrid, accompanied by several others called
Ayrshire Roses also ; next, we have the second division, called Rosa
multiflora, said to be a native of Japan, and a number of companions
as unhke it as may be ; not that there are any among this family that
do not climb, but there are very many as good Climbing Roses shut
out from it.

The Queen of the Prairies, or Michigan Rose, is remarkable for its
perfectly hardy growth, flourishing equally well in Canada at the
north, and in Texas at the south. It grows with unparalleled rapid-
ity, exceeding all other roses of this family, covering an entire arbor
or an old building in a short space of time. It blooms, also, after other
summer roses are mostly gone, its flowers occurring in large clusters
of different shades.

JSvergreen Roses.

Here there can be no mistake : an Evergreen Rose must be an
Evergreen Rose ; but, although we have some enumerated, there are
plenty of Evergreen Roses not admitted into this family, but pushed
about in all directions, some crammed into the China, and some into
the Hybrid China.

Boursault Roses.

This is said to be "a most distinct group of roses, with long red-
dish flexible shoots;" yet Gracilis is affirmed to be "unlike the other
varieties of this division." They are said to be good Climbing
making ten feet of growth in the season.

SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 21

Banisian Rosea.

The T\'hite and Yellow Banksian Eoses are very beautiful plants,
with small foliage and flowers, very graceful, and distinct as any
in cultivation ; yet we have a rose-colored hybrid introduced with
them ; a plant acknowledged to partake " as much of the character
of the Boursault Rose, as of the Banksian."

Hybrid Climbing Rosea.
These, one would think, are neither Climbing nor Dwarf; but be-
tween both. Not so, however ; because Rosa craculum makes shoots
from ten to fifteen feet in a season. Madame d'Arblay, or Well's
White, has been formerly placed among the Evergreen Roses ; but
whether she misbehaved herself there, or was a great favorite here, is
of no consequence. She was removed from that family to this. We
are, however, informed, with regard to her sojourn among the family
of Evergreens, and subsequent removal, that her "habit is so different
and her origin so well ascertained, that Mr. Rivers removed her to the
present family."

Perpetual Roses.
These, if the rose gentlemen would stick to the character, would
be very easily defined— roses which have a complete season of bloom;
which go off but a short time ; make a fresh season of bloom, and so
on. Not like the China Roses, always "growing and blooming," but
fairly making different seasons of bloom, as complete as if a winter
intervened.

The Bourbon Rose.
The original Bourbon Rose was a hybrid between the Common
China and the Red Four Seasons. Of course, this was quite enough
reason for rose growers to add to the family all that were something
like it, and others that were nothing like it. Here let Mr. Rivers
speak : "Diaphane is a small high-colored Rose, almost scarlet. This
is not a true Bov-rbon." The fact is, there is nothing like the Bourbon
Rose about it. Here we have also Gloire de Rosam^nc. unlike the
Bourbon Rose in everything. It is a robust Climbing Rose, of which

22 SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

even Mr. Rivers himself says, " As a Pillar Rose, it will form a splendid
object." The White Bourbon, which the French cultivators are at
war about, "some swearing," as Mr. Rivers tells us, "by all their
saints that it is a veritable Bourbon, while others as strongly maintain
that it is a Noisette ;" and from its clustered flowers the latter are
nearest right. But all this arises from the multipUcation of famiUes.

Cliina Rosea.

Everybody knows the Pale China and the Dark China Roses, which
may be seen decorating the cottages of our industrious classes as well
as the gardens of the rich. They were, however, Bengal Roses, and
not natives of China. Now the distinguishing characteristic of the
Bengal, or, as now called, China Rose, is smooth bark, with the thorns
distant from each other ; shining leaves, and constant growing and
blooming. These features could be well understood by everybody ;
but everything that can be at all traced to have any one of these fea-
tures, and cannot be easily placed in other families, must come to this ;
and so we have plenty, and a most beautiful family it is.

Tea-acented Cliina Iloaes.

This is an acknowledged variation of the Bengal, or, as the rose
dealers will have it, China Rose ; but it is a true China, imported into
England from that empire in 1810. It is said to have been the parent
of this large family ; but here we have the same difficulty that pre-
sents itself in other families — there is no place to draw the line ; they
are China Roses, and only China Roses, but they are stronger scented
than the Bengal, called Common China, and it is difficult to detect the
difference between the highest perfumed of the former class and the
lowest perfnmed of the China Tea Roses, as now classed.

Winiature Boaes.

This family is also said to be China, possessing all the marked fea-
tures ; but it is smaller than the others, and is acknowledged by Mr.
Rivers to be only a dwarf variety of the Common China, or, as we
insist, Bengal It is worthy of remark, that all those so-called China
Rosea have the characteristics we have mentioned, the constant grow-

SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 23

ing and blooming, if kept in order under proper protection ; and are
iii)t deciduous.

The Noisette Rose.

The distinguishing ckaracter of this Rose is that it flowers ia
bunches, and this ought to be the character of every one added to the
family. But here we have Lamarque, which is anything but a Noi-
sette ; it does not flower in bunches, unless every Rose which has two
or three flowers on a stem is to be called Noisette ; and Smith's Tel-
tow Noisette is about as much entitled to the name of Lamarque. But
they are not alone ; too many which have no claim on the family have
aevertheless been forced on them.

The Musk Rose

This is an old favorite, and many which nave been supposed to
come from its seed are fastened on it as a family, and many not very
like the parent. The family, like some of the others, is greatly con-
fused, and there is nothing so distinct as to connect it as a separate
class.

The Macartney Roea.

The characteristic of this Rose is its very bright thick evergreen
foliage, and therefore any other Hybrid Roses which have that char-
acteristic might, according to other classifications, be put among
these. Maria Leonida is perhaps the best of them ; Rosa berberifolia
hardii, of whose origin Mr. Rivers makes a sad muddle, is classed with
this family. ^Mr. Rivers' story is, that " Rosa hardii was raised from
seed by Mons. Hardy, of the Luxembourg Gardens, from Rosa involu-
cre, a variety of Rosa bracteata, fertilised with that unique rose, Rosa
berberifolia which was very firequently exported from Persia, and comes
always true to the parent ; some of the Persian seed was sent to
Mons. Hardy, and from that he, like others, raised the true Rosa ber-
berifoha, which Mr. Lee, of the Hammersmith Nursery, raised from
Persian seed likewise, more than twenty years before Mr. Hardy was
a rose raiser at all." "Well may Mr. Rivers say, in continuation, "This
curious hybrid, like its Persian parent, has single yellow flowers, with
a dark eye, and evergreen foliage." The fertilising part of the busi-

24

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

ness is the mere work of a fertile imagination. When any one has
got Eosa berberifolia, he need not trouble himself about whether hi
has it from the seed raised by Mons. Hardy, or the seed raised by his
predecessors. There is no more variation, and no more hybrid about
either, than thei-e is in two plants of small salad.

RoBu Microphylla.

This, we are told, is nearly allied to the Macartney Rose ; so are
the varieties of it, and ought not to have been separated.

Qtjxsk (Rosa 'bourboniana).

ii..

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

25

Jadnk Dkspbez (Tello'w Rose)

8

26

SPECIES ADD VARISXIES.

YMr.i^ov Banksian Boss (Rosa banlrsia lut«A

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

27

SlfAxt Leaplkttkd Rosb (Roaa mierophyll*).

SPECIES AND VARIETIia.

^^x

BnRotTKDT KosK (Boss s*llio*).

SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

29

Thz Villaob Ma.id (La Belle VillageoiseK

30

SPKCIKS AND VARIETIES

W1LI.IAM8 DouBLB Yellow Swkkt Ssibb.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE. 31

CHARACTERISTICS OP A FINE ROSE.

There is no flower more difficult to define than the Rose, and the
difficulty arises out of several curious facts. First, it is the only flower
that is beautiful in all its stages — from the instant the calyx bursts and
shows a streak of the corolla, till it is in full bloom. Secondly, it is
the only one that is really rich in its confusion, or that is not the less
elegant for the total absence of all uniformity and order. The very
fact of its being beautiful from the moment the calyx bursts, makes
the single and semi-double roses, up to a certain stage, as good as
the perfectly double ones; and there is yet another point in the forma-
tion of some varieties, which makes them lose their beauty Avhen they
are full blown. For instance, the Moss Rose is a magnificent object
so long as the calyx is all seen, but so soon as the flower fully expands,
all the distinction between a Moss Rose and a common one has de-
parted, or is concealed. This brings us at once to an acknowledg-
ment that the grand characteristic of a Moss Rose is its calyx. These
properties must never be estimated by full-blown flowers, and there-
fore, all varieties of Moss Roses must be exhibited before they expand
enough to hide the calyx.

There are some properties, however, which apply to all roses, what-
ever be their characteristics in other respects, and, therefore, must be
taken as an estimable point in the construction of a flower.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.
Whether this be. for a Moss, which is never to be shown fully

opened, or the florist's favorite, which is to be shown as a dahlia, thif
property is equally valuable, be use the thicker the petal, the longei
it is opening, and the longer does it co tinue in perfection, when it is
opened. There is another essential point gained in thick-petalleo
floAvers: The thicker the petal, the more dense and decided the shad"
or color, or the more pure a white, while the most briUiant scarlet
would look tame and watery if the petal were thin, transparent, and
flimsy. Hence, many semi-double varieties, with these petals, look
bright enough while the petals are crowded in the bud, but are watery
and tame when opened, and dependent on their single thickness.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
franrart.

32 CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE.

Whether this is to climb the front of a house, bloom on the ground,
or mount poles or other devices, fragrance is one of the great charms
which place the Rose on the throne of the garden as the Queen of
Flowers.

3. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

This would seem to be a little contradictory, after saying, that in a
Moss Rose, the full-blowu flower cannot be allowed, because it con-
ceals the grand characteristic of the plant. But it is not contradictory,
because we defend it on grounds which render doubleness equally
valuable to the Moss family, which should not be shown in full bloom,
as to those which are so exhibited. The more double the flower, even
when amounting to confusion, the more full and beautiful the bud in
all its stages. Those who have noticed the single and semi-double
Moss Roses will remember that the buds are thin and pointed, and
starved-looking affairs, while the old common Moss Rose, which is
large and double as the Cabbage Rose, is bold, full, rich, and effective,
from the instant the calyx bursts. At this point, we shall have to
branch off and take families; perhaps the Moss Rose family is the best
to commence with. Those who now follow through the different
species or varieties, will find the first three rules are essential to all,
and are therefore repeated with each division.

Propertieo jf Moss Roses.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
fragrant.

3. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4. The quantity of moss, the length of the spines, or prickle.s, which
form it, and its thickness, or closeness, on the stems, leaves, and calyx,
canaot be too great.

This being the distinguishing characteristic of Moss Roses, the
more strongly it is developed the better.

5. The length of the divisiais of the calyx, and the ramifications
at the end, cannot be too great. As the entire beauty is in the unde-

CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE.

3d

r eloped bad. the more tha calyx projects beyond the opening flower,
or rather tlie more space it covers, the better.

6. The plant should be bushy, the foliage strong, the flowers abun-
dant and not crowded, and the bloom well out of the foUage.

Diagram of a Pinb Double Rosb.

7. The color should be bright or dense, as the case may be, and if
ihe color or shade be new, it will be more valuable ; and the color
must be the same at the back as the front of the petals.

These seven properties would constitute a Moss Kose a valuable
acquisition, and probably, at present, the greatest acquisition would
be a yellow one.

8. The stem should be sti'ong and elastic, the footstalks stiff, so as
to bold the flower well up to view.

2*

«M CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE.

Properties of Roses for Stands, sho-wing the Single Bloom
like Dalilias.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
fragrant.

3. The flower should be double ti the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outhne, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4. The petals should be imbricated, and in distinct rows, whether
they be reflexed, like some of the velvety Tuscan kind, or cupped hke
a ranunculus ; and the petals to the centre should continue the same
f-^rm, and only be reduced in size.

5. The color should be distinct and new, and stand fast against the
sun and air, till the bloom fail.

6. The stem should be strong, the footstalk stiflf and elastic ; the
blooms well out beyond the foliage, and not in each other's way.

The very worst habit a Rose can have, is that of throwing up sev-
eral blooms close together, on short stiff footstalks, some of which
must be cut away before the othei's can be fully developed ; as show
flowers, they are bad, and as plants, they are very untidy. The side
buds prevent the centre flowers from opening circularly, and when
the first beauty is oS", they exhibit dead roses held fast between two
living ones.

Properties of Noisette Rosea.

However singularly some catalogues class these varieties, we intend,
by this name, to distinguish those roses which bloom in clusters.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it^
fragrant.

3. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outline, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4. The cluster should be sufficiently open to enable all the flowers
to bloom freely, and the stems and footstalks should be firm and
elastic, to hold the flower face upward, or face outward, and not
bang down, and show the outside, instead of the inside of the blooma

5. The bloom should be abundant at the end of every shoot.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A FINE ROSE.

35

G. The blooming shoots should not exceed twelve inches before
they flower.

■". The bloom should stand o .t beyond the foliage, and the plant
should be compact and bushy.

We now proceed to a family which we shall designate Climbing
Roses, and which comprise blooms of the Noisette kind, that is, in
bunches ; blooms which come singly, large and small ; flowers early
and late ; and, in fact, which comprise all sorts of roses that grow tall
enough for training.

Properties of ClimlDing Roses.

1. The petals should be thick, broad, and smooth at the edges, with
the outer ones curving shghtly inwards.

2. The flower should be highly perfumed, or, as the dealers call it,
fragrant.

3. The flower should be double to the centre, high on the crown,
round in the outUne, and regular in the disposition of the petals.

4. The joints should be short from leaf to leaf. The blooms should
oome on very short branches, and all up the main shoots. The plant
should be always growing and developing its flowers, from spring to
autumn, and the fohage should completely hide all the stems, whether
the plan be on front of a house or on any given device.

Concluding Remarks.

Having now travelled through the chief of the families, which
require separate notices of their properties, the first three properties
numbered being required in all of them, we add, by way of a finish
for all, except Moss Roses, that

The foliage should be bright green and shining, and, though not
hkely to be found in many varieties, it should be permanent, and con-
stitute an evergreen.

By this, we mainly estabhsh a point in favor of an evergreen. We
mention nothing about size, because size forms the distinction between
many roses which have no other difference, and has little or nothing
to do with the properties of the Rose, except uniformity in the same
variety.

PROPER SOIL FOR THE ROSE.

PROPER SOIL FOR THE ROSE.

The proper soil for the Eose is strong rich loam, and well decom-
posed vegetable mould, cow dung, or horse dung; but as we arc
too often already provided with the kind of soil we are obliged to use
and the gardens and situations for our roses are generally ready
made, all we can do is to modify and supply the deficiency, if any,
as well as we can. If the soil be light, holes must be dug, and loam
and dung forked in at the bottom of the hole, as well as the hole be
filled up with the same mixture; for troublesome as this may be, it is
the only way to secure a good growth and bloom, and it is next to
useless to plant roses in poor fight soil without this precaution.
Kitchen gardens well kept up, will always grow the Rose well, and
unless the soil be very poor and very light, a good spadeful of rotten
dung, mixed with the soil where the Rose is planted, wiU answer all
the purpose. Among the evils of poor soil for the Rose, it is not the
least, that it frequently makes the flower that would otherwise be
double come single or semi-double, so as to destroy aU identity of the
variety by its bloom ; and although many thousands of roses of no
value have been sent out, many others which did not deserve it have
been condemned, because the party who was growing them knew
nothing about their cultivation, and starved them into a false charac-
ter. As it is difficult, however, to give the Rose too rich a soil, it
may be as well, even if you think it good enough, to work in a spade-
ful of dung with it ; for it will do no harm, even if the state of the
ground be ever so good. We have no doubt that the Rose Avould
flourish in rotten turf, and when they are to be grown in pots, it is
practicable to give them this invaluable stuff to grow in ; but unless
it be a recently turned-up pasture, there is nothing approximating to
it out of doors, and even this is far less supplied with the rotted grass,
than when turfs are cut thin to rot for use. As a general principle,
then, ' may be laid down that the Rose requires rich soil ; and that if
you have it not, you must change the nature of what yc i have, by
means of dung, or loam, or both

MANURES — PLANTING OF THE KOSa 37

MANURES FOR THE ROSE.

One of the best manures for the rose is a mixture of one part of
Peruvian guano, three parts charred turf and earth, and six parts of
coAV dung. A thin dressing of this should be pointed in with a trowel
every spring.

Roses may also be watered at any period of their growth with a
mixture of one fourth of a pound of Peruvian guano and eight gallons
of water, to be appUed with a watering pot in the evening or on a
cloudy day.

PLANTING OF THE ROSE.

To plant the rose properly, the root must first be examined, and
every particle of it that has been bruised should be cut oflf with a
sharp knife just above the bruise; all the torn and ragged ends should
be made smooth, and cut away as far as they are split or damaged.
If any root has been growing downward, it should be shortened up ;
for it is better to discourage any from growing downright. This
preparation being made, and the holes dug large enough to take the
root in without cramping it, fork or dig up the bottom of the hole to
loosen it, and, if necessary to make any addition to the present soil,
to mix it properly with the soil taken out, and work it some way
into the soil at the bottom. Let one hold the tree or plant, if it be too
large to manage properly alone, and the other throw in the soil be-
tween the roots. By moving the stem backward and forward, and
pulling upward a little, it is easy to work the soil well between the
roots, and on this much depends. When it is adjusted, the top of the
root must be pretty close to the top of the ground ; there must be
none of the stump or stem buried ; and when trodden down, the root
must be fixed steady and solid. If you have to manage the planting
by yourself, you must, as soon as the hole is prepared, lay hold of the
stem just above the root, and return the soil with your other hand,
continuing to move the head first one way and then the other, until

38 PLANTING OF THE ROSE.

the soil has worked well between the roots, when it may be trodden
in as mentioned before.

Dwarf plants there is no difficulty in planting, but you must be
careful to keep the crown of the root near the surface of the ground,
the treading in of all fair and soHd being a necessary operation with aU
the kinds of plants. With the standard sorts you should drive stakes
into the ground pretty firmly, and fasten the stems of the roses to
them, to prevent the wind from removing them ; as when your roots
have been once firmly trodden in, you cannot move a tree one way
nor the other without breaking the fine fibres, and thus lessening the
capacity of the root to carry strength to the head. If you are plant-
ing a group of standard roses, you should place the highest in the cen-
tre, and the lower ones nearer the outside ; in fact, a handsome clump
of roses might have six-foot standards in the middle, four feet six inches
in the next row, three-foot ones nearer the front, and eighteen-inch
ones outside ; these, if at proper distances, and with picked sorts, of
something near the same habit of growth, will form a superb mountain
of roses in the proper season.

Rows of Standard Roses may be planted with advantage on each
side of a coach road, in a park, or on both sides of a path on a lawn,
but at proper distances, so that each shall form a specific object in
itself, as well as a portion of a row of rose trees. Roses also form very
beautiful objects planted in isolated situations on lawns, and especially
when the sort of rose is distinct from others, or blooms at difi'erent
periods ; for whatever forms a portion should be of a similar habit to
the rest of the whole. Thus, if a particular walk in a garden or shrub-
bery were bounded by two rows of roses, they should all flower at
once. If a clump of roses is planted, they should flower at one season.
A mixture of spring, summer, and autumn roses would be very bad ;
the place never looks right ; therefore some pains must be taken to
keep all those which flower at the same period of the year together.
One portion of the garden may then be always garnished with ro*es,
and it is far better than having them stragghng about, with here and
there a flowerless one among those in bloom, or a blooming one among
those not in flowef.

Planting of roses which are on their own bottoms, or worked low
down for dwarfs, or for climbers where flowering wood is always
vanted from tla ground, d'iffers in nowise from any other planting

POTTING OF ROSES. 39

exoept as lO the situation, which should be chosen not too much
exposed to the wind, as in the most sheltered spot they always have
enough to encounter. They must be planted firmly, and in good
soil: and whatever they have to cHmb up should be firmly placed by
rights before they are planted, but certainly before they shall have
grown much, as the roots spread a good deal, and if damaged by vio-
lence after they have begun to grow vigorously, they will receive a
check which they may not get over the same season.

POTTING OF ROSES.

To the cultivators of the Rose, any improvement in pots is of im-
portance. Those designed to grace a haU or a window of a dwelhng,
may be made in fine stone and earthenware of various patterns, and
should be so constructed as to possess advantages over the common
old red porous ones made of clay. One reason why plants potted the
usual way do not flourish well in the house during the winter season
is, the proper want of leakage, or drainage, and a due circulation of
air about their roots, in consequence of the
close connection between the bottom of the
pot and the shelf or bench on which it rests.

Mr. M'Intosh, gardener of the Duke of
Buccleuch, has obviated the above-named ob-
jection by making pots with feet, as denoted
m the adjoining cut. By this means, the plants get rid of their mois-
ture, and freely receive air about their roots through the hole in the
bottom of the pot.

Potting Deciduous Roses for Forcing.
The nearer you can imitate planting in the open ground the bet-
ter. The soil should be the same or richer, with dung chiefly,
because yoi cannot water soil without washing away, in some meas-
ure, whatever it is impregnated with, that is soluble. By a parity of
reasoning, you cannot moisten with water impregnated with anythmg,
without imparting the vu-tue or mischief of the solution to the soS!

40 POTTING OF ROSES.

It is the best way to use half of rotted turf and half of rotted do ig ;
if it be not too light to let water pass freely, add a little turfy peat,
broken through a sieve that would pass a hazel nut. Trim the roots,
to get rid of all bruises ; acd, in the first instance, choose plants, the
roots of which are within a moderate compass, for pot culture, and
are well taken up. Selec t pots that will receive the roots without
much cramping ; carefully put the soil between and among the fibres
and larger roots ; strike the pots on the potting table, and poke the
soil down so as to be firm.

If the roses be dwarf, follow the directions about pruning at once,
and let them be placed in a cold frame, watered, to settle the earth
about them, and covered up. This should be done in the Southern
and Middle States from November to February, when those for forc-
ing should be put into the greenhouse, gently increased in tempera-
ture, well watered, and kept growing hard ; any buds that show
should be removed, and they should be allowed to complete their
growth, and then be plunged in the open ground, and there the wood
be permitted to ripen. When the leaves have fallen, and the wood is
fairly ripe, they may be pruned, by removing all the weak shoats, and
shortening the strong ones ; the balls turned out to examine, and if
matted with roots, pots a size larger be given. They may then be
placed in a cold frame, plunged to their rims, until the period you
want to force them. They will flower better the second year than
they could have flowered the first, and if the blooms are all picked
off again as fast as they show, instead of being allowed to perfect
themselves, the growth will be more free ; and by growing hard to
complete it early, and leaving them out again to ripen, they will allow
of being pruned into a handsome form, being carried into the house
sooner, and will flower most abundantly, instead of having one or two
sickly shoots with their miserable half-starved blooms. At the end,
they will have as many as you please to leave eyes for, pruning them
the same as you would standards or bushes out of doors, and the
blooms will come as rich, as handsome, and as well colored as any iu
the open air. Eoses may then be forced at almost any season, only
they ought to undergo the same forcing a season or two without
being allowed to flower, that they undergo the season they are to be
forced into bloom. And this will answer season after season when
they ar? once well established, for they require only the usual shifts

POTTING ZF ROSES. 41

of plants, which have their balls matted with root; but of the forcing,
more hereafter.

Potting for Sho-w.

As it is at length the fashion to show roses in pots, the only proper
plan of showing any but single blooms, face upward, the plan of pot-
ting cannot differ from those potted for forcing. Presuming that it
they are late roses and require forcing, they will be treated after the
plan above mentioned, so far as the potting is concerned, the differ-
ence between what the perfectly hardy and summer or autumn bloom-
ing roses wiU require after potting, as we have directed, is to be put
out in an open situation ; and if standards, they should be fastened
to a railing, or treUis, as well as being plunged in their pots, that the
wind may not disturb them. Here they may be protected various
ways : a mat thrown over the head of a rose protected it, though not
a very hardy one, against the last winter's frost. A wisp of straw
tied at one end, and opened cap-like over each and among the branches
of roses, protected them a good deal, and probably, had they not been
autumn pruned, might have protected them entirely from mischief,
but as it was, some of the pruned branches died back, though the
unpruned ones did not.

Potting tHe Small, the Smooth Wooden, and Chinese Varieties.

Here, from the first, the soil should be one third rotted dung, one
third peat, and one third the loam of rotten turf In this stuff, the
most delicate will succeed. From the period of their having struck
root, they can hardly do wrong if potted in this soil, in a proper-sized
pot, with ordinary drainage. Small plants should be placed in pots
no larger than the roots require to hold them, with a moderate share
of earth to live in. This kind of rose should be kept growing in a
oool frame or greenhouse, or pit, with not much moisture ; plenty of
air in dry mild days, and a refreshing shower when it is warm. It is
safer to plunge them in ashes, if you can, up to the rims of their pots :
it keeps them moist longer than if the pot is exposed, it mostly does,
in bad weather ; and though it perhaps does not kill them, it makes
them weakly for some time. In this way. they may grow from time
to time, and be shifted from one sized pot to another, requiring only

42 FORCING OF EARLY ROSES.

that the buds should be plucked off directly they show, sc .ong as th«
plant is wanted to grow fast.

FORCING OP EARLY ROSES.

This art consists in bringing the Rose, by degrees, out of its season,
as we have half explained under the head of "Potting for Forcing."
We know that a Rose can be potted in January, and made to produce
flowers in May ; but those who wish to force should know the best
way.

A Rose, then, for early forcing, requires three seasons to be per-
fect. The first season, it should be put into a greenhouse, and
from thence into the stove, as early as November. It is sure to grow,
no matter what sort it is ; and let it grow its best, but pluck off the
buds if it have any, yet it should not be drawn ; this can be managed
two or tliree ways, but it requires, to prevent drawing, Hght and air.
These will have grown pretty well as large as they can grow, by the
time they may be turned out and plunged in the open air. The wood
will ripen well in the summer time ; and in October, re-pot them into
a size larger pots ; prune them by taking off all the weak shoots, and
all the least valuable of those in each other's way ; shorten the best
wood to two or three eyes, thinning the inner branches all that may be
necessary to give air, light and freedom to the new wood. Take them
into the greenhouse, thence, soon, into the stove. Let the bloom
buds, as they appear, be plucked off, and the growth to be perfected
again, which will be earlier than the previous season, as they were set
growing ©arlier. Be early in j'our attendance on them, when they
commence growing, so as to remove useless buds, instead of allowing
them to form useless branches. When the growth is completed, re-
move them into a cold frame, to be kept from the spring frosts, but
where they can have all the fine weather. In this state, they may
remain till they can safely be put out in the open air, plunged into the
ground, and properly fastened to protect them from the wind. In
September, you may examine the balls of earth, to see if the roots have
room ; if c atted at all, give them anotner change. Prune the plants

FORCING LATER ROSES. .43*

well, as before reino^ ing altogether such of the present year's shoots
as are at all weakly, and shortening all the best to two or three eyes.
Let them now be taken to the greenhouse, or conservatory, or a
grapery, or all in turn ; but gradually increase the temperature, till, by
the end of October, they may go into the forcing house, beginning at
the temperature the house was that they came from, say fifty to fifty-
five, and continuing it till they are fairly growing ; then increasing it
to sixty, and eventually to sixty-five ; rubbing off, as before, all useless
shoots, and giving plenty of air, when it can be done without lowering
the temperature. At the least appearance of the green fly, syringe with
plain water; fumigate at night, for too strong a smoke would all but
destroy the plants and incipient blooms. In this way, you will be clear
of the pest without damage, and your reward will be a fine show of
blooms on every rose tree ; strong growth, healthy foliage, handsome
plants, and all that can be desired.

Forcing Later Roses.

The principle on which the early forcing is conducted must be carried
out in full, not only in potting the plants then pruning, but also in the
period of removing them. If you wish those a month later to succeed
the first, put them into the house a month later, each of the years.
If you want others to succeed these second, put them into the house
a month later still each year. For nothing has been shown yet in the
way of pot roses, better than were shown several years ago, and all of
them have had a weakly drawn appearance, and have been anything
but creditable to the taste of the gardeners ; for they have been staked
all over, and thin, flimsy roses on Hmp-lankey stems, bound up to a
thicket of unnatjral wood. Now, by the plan we have been recom-
mending, the plant is longer growing, stronger in its wood, shorter in
its joints, and more abundant in branches, foliage, and flowers. The
ordinary mode of forcing contemplates no more than removing a plant
from out of doors to in-doors in one year ; so that, without having the
advantage of premature ripeness for two seasons, or even one, it has
to perfect its flowers before their time, by great excitement, with a
root hardly established. "We hold that a Rose, like a grape vine, can-
not, after bearing in the usual season, be changed all at once to early
forcing, without great sacrifice of crop, strength, or beauty. Tho

!4 THE FORCINQ OF ROSES.

fact of sudden excitement being fatal to a Rose is demonstra ied easlrf
enough by the result; take a stong plant, well estabhshed, from the
cold atmosphere and temperature of the ground, into a full-heated
house, and every bloom will be bUghted in its incipient state. If a
decided change like this is universally fatal, which is the fact, every
sudden change, and all approaches to it, are proportionally mischiev-
ous. We do not, however, mean to say that roses cannot be forced
in a single season, because thousands are so forced and sent to market ;
and the usual result of such management is, three or four long-drawn
branches, with a bud or two at the end of one, and sometimes of two,
with scarcely strength to open into a flower. There are exceptions
to the choice kinds of roses ; in these remarks, we allude only to gar-
den roses. The China kinds are of a different nature, always growing
and blooming; winter and summer, if they are kept in a moderate
temperature, are almost ahke to them, and those which partake of
their habit.

The FoTcing of Roses — the Dwarf China Kinds.

This family has scarcely any rest in pots, and under protection, it
may be merely kept over the winter. There is no place so well
adapted for them as a cold pit, with a good dry bottom, and shelves
near the glass ; but a stout shallow box, with a regular garden light
on it, placed high and dry on a paved, slated, or warm, gravell'^d bot-
tom, makes a good shift.

The China Eose, and all the short-jointed, smooth-barked kinds that
are like them in habit, will strike, bud, graft, grow, and bloom any
month in the year. The only thing necessary, is to have plants m all
stages, and there will never be any want of flowers. In the green-
house, they continue growing on, and blooming at all times ; but they
cannot be kept too cool generally, and if abundance of flowers are
required on a plant, it must have a previous rest, and be shifted to a
warm temperature, and if matted in the roots, a lagre pot, and the heat
gradually increased until it wiU bear that of a moderate stove. All
the new growth will flower about the same time, or at least sufli-
cient of it to well decorate the plant. Cuttings may be st uck in the
spring, planted out in beds six inches apart, to grow a little ; the tops
may be pinched off, and the buds taken away all the summer, to make
them bushy ; and they may be potted up with a compost of half loem,

PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 45

a fourth peat, aud a fourth cow dung ; trimmed a little into shape,
and placed in the shade a while. In September, they may be put into
their frames, covered up at night against frost, and opened in mUd
weather, until the gi jund freezes ; they may then be removed, a few
at a time, into an increased temperature, and about a month apart.
They will be found to bloom well, and succeed each other admirably,
aU through the winter and spring, before those out of doors can even
fairly start into leaf; the only care required being to syringe them
against attack of insects, and if that does not keep them under, fumi-
gate them ; and see that they never suffer from want of water. These,
however, like the Summer Roses, will force better the second year
than the first, by shifting them into pots a size larger, trimming the
plants into a proper shape, taking away the weak shoots, letting them
rest, and giving but little water towards the end of the summer, ex-
cept to keep them from actually flagging ; putting them in their frames
and removing them into heat, as before, a few at a time, and a month
apart.

PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

The Eose is propagated by seeds, by cuttings, by layers, by suckers,
and by budding or grafting.

Propagation frora Seed.

This mode is adopted for the purpose of raising new varieties by
crossing different kinds, and is almost exclusively practised by profes-
sional florists ; it is also employed for obtaining Sweet Briers and
stocks. When the seed is gathered in the autunm, it is either rub-
bed or washed out of the " hips'' and kept in dry sand ; or the hips
are laid in a cool room, and turned over from time to time, till the
shell is rotted; the seed is sown in the succeeding spring, after which
it will come up the same year.

Sowing of the Seed.— Among the numerous modes of sowing the
seed of the Rose, strange as it may seem, the very plan which has
been adopted for fifty perennials, or perhaps more, answered as com-

46 PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

pletely as any. For i; .stance, Polyanthus seed and Rose seed were
sown in the same kind of soil, loam and dung, in the same sort of
pan, placed in the same garden light, watered at the same time ; and,
though coming up at a different period, submitted to the same treat-
ment in other respects; shaded from the same noon- day sun, and,
though at a different time, pricked out into pots, four or five in a pot,
round the edge ; kept cool, and growing right on ; and when the
Polyanthuses were placed in their single pots, the Roses were also
potted in theirs. They were kept dry rather than otherwise all the
ensuing winter, in a cold frame, with their neighbors, well protected
against frost ; and that was all.

In the spring, when they began to grow, they were bedded out in
rows, in a shady border, six inches apart, and the rows a foot apart,
and here they remained another season, making considerable growth ;
some were of the China kind, and those were potted up and kept
growing ; the others were hooped over with low hoops, which kept
the covering close down on them in bad weather, and there were
several that died during the winter. In the spring they were pruned
carefully, so far as to remove all but the two or three strongest shoots,
and those were cut about half way back. Several bloomed weakly,
but most of them made good growth. No part of the success, how-
ever, went beyond the growth; not half a dozen came at all double,
and though there were some bright colors, there were none in our
estimation worth saving. The China ones were rather better, but not
good enough ; so that, after giving a few of the best another year's
chance, every vestige was given or thrown away. The experiments
followed up season after season led to the following confirmed prac-
tice : — The berries were dried all the winter ; they were then bruised
in a bag, and the seeds carefully picked out ; a slight hot bed was
made up as if for annuals ; the soil put six inches deep all over, half-
rotted turf and half cow dung, raked smooth, and the seed sown evenly
and thinly all over — occasionally moistened ; the seeds came up well,
and were shaded ; had plenty of air given, and the usual attendance
to see that they w« re not dry, but not much watered. Here, as soon
as they were large enough, they were thinned a little, by carefully
removing a few wherever they were too thick, which removed ones
were as carefully potted off and kept in the greenhouse. They had
no other care during the season than protecting them from too muci

PROPAGATIOX OF THE KOSE. 47

p\!i-. ; bul Ihey were allowed to be quite open on mild cloudj days,
and had warm showers of rain at all opportunities. Here it wa3
found necessary to fumigate them several times to get rid of the
aphides, which partially appeared five or six times during the season,
but were speedily cleared away. The lights were taken off towards
autumn, and the young plants looked as well as could be wished.
At the period when frosts were expected, they were removed care-
fully with all their roots, into a bed made of the same compost, and a
foot deep ; planted a foot apart every way, and the bed being four feet
wide, took four across it, the outer ones being six inches from the
edge of the bed. The same precaution was taken with mats and
hoops to keep off heavy falls of snow or hard frosts, and they were
allowed to push as much as they would, without pruning, all the next
season, no other pains being taken than to throw the mat over when
the sun was distressingly hot, and to water them freely on dry parch-
ling weather, every night. At the autumn, they were replanted, all
the weak shoots being cut out, but the strong ones not shortened till
spring. Though there was a manifest improvement in the flowers
each season, it was four or five before anything like the quality of
some present roses was approached.

This practice differs, in some respects, from that of some other
nurserymen; we have seen healthy seedlings, since all these pains
were taken, where the seeds were sown out of doors in a common
bed, raked in like so many onions ; came up like so many weeds ;
grev/ well and stood the weather without even a shelter from hard
frosts. Some may have been kiUed and not missed, but they did as
well, to all appearance, as those more tenderly nursed.

Hastening the Flowering of Seedlings.

When the seedlings come up in May or June, keep them well moist-
ened, but not too wet, until you can get hold of them well to pot off.
.Put one each into small pots, and let them, as soon as they are estab-
lished, be placed in the shade out of doors ; but the greatest care must
be taken to prevent the attack of the fly, or vermin of any kind.
They must be looked at almost daily, and upon the least appearance
of any hisects, you must remove the plants under cover, where you
can fumigate and syringe them regularly. It is still better, if you have

48 PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

frame room, to put them in when potted, because it gives an oppor-
tunity of shading, of keeping off too much wet, protecting them
against wind, and of fumigating without the least difficulty, when
necessary. They should, however, seldom have the glasses on.

After the seedlings have been five or six weeks in these pots, they
may be bedded out, in rich beds of loam and dung, without disturbing
the balls ; they should be about a foot apart, in beds of four feet wide;
by planting within six inches of the side of the bed, four rows will go
in, and they wDI here grow rapidly. Before the close of the budding
season, many will have grown quite large enough to bud from ; and
the most promising may be cut back, and three or four buds put on
remaikably strong stocks. Select a strong branch for budding on,
and at first, you must let some portion of the branch beyond the bud
be left on to grow ; a very small shoot beyond the bud will do to
insure the growth. These buds will strike off vigorously the next
season, and make considerable growth ; but before the bud has shot
far, cut the stock away everywhere but the portions budded on. The
growth they will make this summer on strong stocks will insure their
Moom the next season ; and, as the real object is to see if the Rose be
good for anything, they should not be pruned, except so far as to cut
away weak branches altogether ; by leaving the full length of the
strong shoots, the blooms will be hastened.

In the mean time, those in the bed may be treated as directed ; and
though not generally the case under the present management, they
have bloomed these years on their own bottoms, though there were
a great number much later than the third year, and some even went
to the fifth. This mode of budding the promising seedlings hastens
the certainty of bloom very much, as it is very rare indeed that they
niiso coming the third year. If they are worth propagating, the
budding greatly increases the quantity of wood to work from. If, on
the contrary, they turn out good for nothing, the instant you discov'^r
Lt, cut away all the wood, and the stocks will, in all probability, grow
in time for budding other sorts upon the same season you discover
the deficiency of those already worked. In this way, without incur-
ring much trouble, you may satisfy yourself as to the quality of seed-
lings for a certainty the third year ; therefore, you should provide
yourself with stocks for that purpose, whenever you sow seedlings.
For China sorts, you should have some stocks of the common Cluna,

PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE. 49

or Boursault, or the Dog Rose, in good-sized pots, and well estab-
lished; for they may be budded later, protected better, and indeed
some of the seedUngs which partake much of the China are tender,
and really require protection from the frost.

Retarding the Flovrering of fhe Rose.

The most simple method of retarding the flowei'ing of the Provence
and Moss Roses, so as to have the plants in bloom late in autumn, is
to cut oif the tops of the shoots produced in the spring, just before
they begin to show their flower buds ; the effect of this treatment will
be to cause the plants to throAV out fresh shoots, which will bloom
later, according to the period in which the operation is performed-

It may also be done by transplanting the bushes early in the spring,
as soon as they have formed their buds, which should be cut off. The
roots must not be allowed to dry before they are put into the earth
again; and they will require artificial watering if the season should be
dry. to make them flower late in the fall.

Prop-igntior; by Cuttings.

When the earliest shoots of the China Rose are about four inches
long, cut them off close to the old wood, plant them in pots half filled
with soil, and plunge them in a warm situation, placing over the pot
a flat piece of glass, to exclude the cold air ; the glass should be wiped
occasionally. Thus treated, they will make blooming plants by autumn.

Indian Roses, and climbing kinds, are also easily propagated by
cuttings and slips, protecting them as above, or by a hand glass, when
the climate is cold.

Propagation by Suckers

Many roses, indeed most of them, growing on their own roots,
instead of by grafting on a stock, constantly spread at the roots, and
branches force their way up, much to the annoyance, sometimes, of
the men in charge of the rosary. In the spring months, their suckers
should be looked for, and when found, they should be taken off at
once, far enough under ground to get a piece of root with them.
The«e should be replanted instantly on the removal ; but if a piece be

3

50 PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

planted out, and devoted to propagation, the proper method ia to dig
up the plants in autumn, tracing the roots as far as they go, and tak-
ing the portions whia i have been growing above ground out at the
same time. Some kinds will have half a dozen, or more, perfect plants,
which have been formed by the spreading at the root, and the end
growing up through the surface. These suckers should be trimmec'
and planted carefully, at such distance as the sizes warrant ; generally
in rows a yard apart, and the plants eighteen inches from each other.
Here they have to be cut down in spring to within three or four eyes
of the ground.

Propagation "by Layers.

The Rose will propagate from layers. To do this, some merely select
a lower branch, and, bending the wood sharp between two joints, peg
that down under ground in autumn ; it will root well by the following
fall. Others cut a notch in the wood, on the upper side, which makes
the bend sharper; but there is more danger of breaking it. Another
method is, to run a knife through the wood, so as to split it, and then
give the wood a little twist ; but most of the sorts will root if only
pegged under the surface. That, however, is rarely resorted to ; and
when it is considered what facilities for propagation are offered other-
wise, it is no wonder. The laying should be done as soon as the
wood has ripened, and the pegs to be used should be like a miniature
hooked walking stick, which it is easy to form out of any branch of
wood. This hook is thrust into the ground firmly, to hold fast the
whole winter and summer season.

In dry weather, the layers should be watered, as the trees them-
feelves, or bushes, frequently prevent the rain from coming near the
surface, where the branch is pegged down, and they would in such
cases have no encouragement to root. In the autumn of the next year,
examine them all before they are cut off from the parent root, and if
rooted, of which there will be little doubt, cut the new plant away,
with all the new root; and in planting it out in another place, shorten
the portion above ground to half its length; and at prun'.ng time, m
the spring, cut it down within three or four eyes of the ground, in order
that it may form a bush. •

PROPAaATION OF 1U£ ROSE. 51

Layers of seme roses strike almost immecliatel;y ; a:d from this
facility, it is a common practice to lay them all over a bed by pegging
down the branches on the surface, at small distances, and thus cover
a whole space, which have rooted at almost every joint. The flowers,
in such cases, are very strong ; but a bush thus treated, and every
branch layered, would cut up into an immense number of plants.

Propagation ty Budding on Briers.

We marry
A gentle scion on the wildest stock,
And make conceive a bark of baser kind
By bud of nobler race ; this is art
"Which does mend nature — change it rotting ; but
The art iiself is nature. Shakspsabr

There is no process in the art of Practical Gardening more interest-
ing, nor the fruit? of which are more gratifying to an amateur, than
budding. The theory is this: At the base of the leaf is a small bud,
which, after the leaf falls away from it, becomes prominent, and event-
ually, if left on the tree, makes a branch. By taking a leaf off with
part of the bark, this incipient bud comes with it, and by inserting
this bark under the bark of another rose tree, say one of these com-
mon briers, it unites as if it were originally a part of the brier itself;
but the bud retains all the character of the one it came from, and is
not changed in the smallest degree by the transfer from its own to
another stock. This is the fact upon which all propagation by bud-
ding is founded ; and, therefore, we 1 ive two leading points to consider
in setting about this operation.

First, we must have the green bark of the stock, into which the
buds are to be inserted, rise easily, which it does all the while the
branch is green and growing; and, secondly, we must wait until the
bud, small and almost imperceptible as it is at the base of the leaf is
old enough to be removed with safety. In a general vvay, the buds
of Summer Ro=-e5 are not ready till nearly mid-summer, and the bark
will not easily rise from the wood of the stock much after that. The
budding season may, however, be called from the middle of June to
the middle of August, and not very much longer. What is meant by
the bark easily rising is, easily leaving the wood, so that it would be
easy to peel a branch by stripping the bark oS.

62 PROPAGATION OF THE P.OSE.

The first thing, then, to look to, is to obtain h -anches of the rose
tree from which we want to produce other pla.its. If you obtain
these branches before you are ready to use them, plant the thick end
in the ground, and do not let the sun come near them, as it would soon
destroy them ; but the}' ought not to be an hour longer than you can
help unused. Get some bass matting for ties, or very coarse worsted,
which some prefer, because it gives way better if the bud swells, and
will stand the weather longer. With a very sharp knife, called a
" budding knife," if you have one, and, if not, any other, and a thin piece
of hard wood or ivory, like a diminutive paper knife, you may go to
work, • The knife is to slit the bark down to the wood wherever you
mean to put in the bud, and the piece of hard wood or ivory, with a
sort of blunt edge like a paper knife, is to divide the bark from the
wood by running it along under the bark, on each side of the slit.

SlocJcsfor Budding and Grafting, — The great call for these articles
has made it somewhat difficult to procure them anywhere but at the
nurseries ; and when you consider you can pick and choose at some
price or other, the nurseries are the best place for an amateur to pur-
chase. In some parts of the country, the briers are plentiful, but they
are mostly in hedge rows, and it is somewhat perilous work to grub
fhem up without permission ; nevertheless, many men get their living
by collecting these for the nursery grounds. The stocks should be
procured at the fall of the leaf, and be straight, strong, well rooted and
compact. These should be placed in rows, eighteen int.hes apart from
each other, and three-foot or three-foot-six-inch vacancies between
the rows ; they should be staked, or, Avhich is better, stakes should
be put at equal distances, and a rail along them, to which rail all the
stocks should be fastened by strong ties, the whole being well trodden
in after the manner that new roses are planted.

The preparation of the roots should be in all resj ects the same, and
the stocks are generally shortened before you get them to the height
their growth best adapts them for. Here they remain till they begin
to push in spring, when all the lower buds must be rubbed oflF, leav-
ing the three or four that are highest up the stock to see which will
grow best. It will be found that some of these stocks have died
down to a considerable distance ; but as they are not of the slightest
importance above the top growing bud, you may, with a strong knife,
cut right down to the bud, or leave it till aftt- the summer growth of

PROPAGATION OF THE ROSE.

53

the buds has considerably advanced. If you have one good branch,
it will do, but two on opposite sides are bettei-, because you can work
both, and be safe if one fails. Several times, you must go over these
stocks, to rub ofl' the fresh buds that will be springing out on different
parts of them, where they are not wanted ; and two good buds near
the top are all you need save. You have to remember that all the
strength of the plant will go into these two branches, if the others are
taken i way ; but that every leaf that is allowed to grow, besides those
wanted, takes greatly from their strength, on Avhich strength the value
of the plant entirely depends.

If the top shoots or buds happen to be weak in the first instance,
compared with some lower down the stock, it is better to rub off the
op, and lose a little height of the stoctc, than trust to dwindling
!. ranches, so that, in this case, your two branches to save might be
half way down the stem ; and it is better, in such case, to down at
once to it, that the top may be no more trouble, and may not mislead
you, in going over them a second time, to cut or pull out your best
branches ; for the top, so long as you leave it on, would be throwing
out its green shoots; and being the same height as the general run of
them, nothing is more likely. All that is to be done, besides keepino-
the stocks from throwing out other branches, is to cut away from the
roots any suckers that may come up, and which distress the stock
nearly as much as the dwarf branches. The ground, of course is to
be kept clear of weeds until mid-summer, which is the season for bud-
ding, and which is the next subject for consideration.

Being thus provided, go to your stocks with your branches of the
trees you want to propagate, in your apron ; for you ought to have
front pockets, and the V-ass matting should be tucked in the apron

54

PROPAGATION OF THE ROSR

string ; take hold of the stock firmly, and shorten both the branches
to a toot, or even less ; then with your knife, cut a slit in the bark,
within half an inch of the base of the branch upward, and on the upper
side, an inch ami a half long ; about the middle of this slit, make a
small cut across; then with your ivory, or thin wood — or more
propel ly, if you have it, with the handle of your budding knife — raise
up the bark on both sides ; then take the branch of your rose tree

from which 70U take your buds, and with your sharp knife, shave out
of the brani. h a thin piece of the wood, beginning half an inch below
a leaf, and taking the knife along to come out half an inch above the
leaf. This small bit has to be inserted under the bai'k on both sides,
brinf^ing the leaf, which is where the bud is, to the exact place where
the cross cut is ; when it is neatly inserted, take your piece of matting

and place the middle of it across the sUt just uuaer the leaf; pass it,
under, and cross it backward and forward along the branch till tho
bark is completely tied down close, and only the leaf and bud exposed.

PROPAGATION' OF TIIK UO-K. 66

A^ the weatlu-r at this time is often very hot, it is a good plan to tie
a bunch of loose moss over all, and Avater the moss occasionally the
first few days, because it keeps off the burning sun, even if dry, and
greatly preserves the nevi'ly-disturbed bark. It will be easily seen
that the quicker this operation is performed the better; because, if the
sap of the bud, or that of the raised bark, has time to dry, the union
of the one with the other cannot be completed with any degree of cer-
tainty.

The bark being damped immediately by the application of wet moss
will hardly undo any mischief already done ; so that a sharp knife, a
clean cut, and rapid action are necessary, and can hardly fail. If the
bud is cut out of the branch too thick, and too much wood is taken
out with the bark and bud, the wood ought to be cut thinner, or pulled
out from the bark of the bud altogether ; but there is danger in taking
out the wood; for it will occasionally bring out the germ of the bud
with it. The effect of this would be, that nothing would indicate
outside what was wrong, but the bud would not grow. It would
look as green, as fresh, and as completely united, as if tho germ were
there. On this account, you may omit the practice of taking the little
bit of wood from the inside of the bud, and with the greatest success.
This operation should be carried through all the stocks, if you
have plenty of buds on each of the branches ; because two buds will
ma'cc a head sooner than one, and if you choose to do so, you may
]-iut two different sorts on the same stock. In this case, you must be
particular about having two of about the same habit; for a fast-growing
one would soon deprive a slow-growing one of all the necessary nour-
ishment; and, besides this, it would grow incongruously, and would not
be controllable. On the other hand, if you have two of similar habit,
and opposite colors, it may be made a very pretty object. But the
great value of this delicate, though simple operation, is to make an
old China, or other strong-growing Rose, long established, change its
face altogether. Many kinds of roses may be budded on such a tree,
by selecting all the strong-growing branches of the present year's
growth, putting a different bud in eacli, and cutting all the other parts
of the tree away, leaving the novelties alone to grow; or the buds
may be all of the same sort, so it be some choice kind ; but different
colored roses have the best effect.

Spring Budding.— But one of the most sure and expeditious methods

56

PROPAGji ." K)N OF THE RC<?K.

is that" called "spring budding," by which the bark of the stock, as
early in the season as it will separate from the wood, is cut like the
letter T inverted, (thus, x, ) as shown by a, in the adjoining figure ;

wnereas, in "summer budding," it forms a T in its erect position.
The horizontal edges of this cut in the stock, and of the " shield bark"
containing the bud, should be brought into the most perfect contact,
as denoted by b; because the union of the bark in spring takes
place by means of the ascent of the sap ; whereas, in summer budding,
it is supposed to be caused by its descent. The parts should then
immediately be bound with water-proof bass, (c,) without applying
either grafting clay or grafting wax. The buds may be inserted either
in a healthful branch, or in a stock near the ground. In general, two
bads are sufficient for one stock, and these should be of the same
variety ; as two sorts seldom grow with equal vigor. The bass
ligature, which confines the bud, may be removed, if the season be
moist, in a month after budding; but if it be hot and dry, not for six
weeks at least. As soon as the inserted buds show signs of vegetation,
the stock or branch containing them should be pruned down, so as to
leave one or two buds or shoots above. If the stock is allowed to
liave a leading shoot above the inserted buds, and this shoot is not
shortene<l, the buds inserted probably will not show many signs of
vcg-etat; n for several weeks.

PROPAGATION BY GRAFTINa.

57

PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING.

This is by means so simple an operation, though not a very difficult
matter; nev(^rthe]ess, the pith in the centre of the Avood is against it,
as well as tho discrepancy in general between the stock and the scion.
The act of grafting is adopted for the same purpose as that of budding
— to propagate particular varieties. It is not so safe nor so certain a
mode as budding, but in the spring, there is no other means ; and as in
the purchase of new roses, there is generally a good deal of ripe wood
that must be cut off, those who have stocks that are fit for grafting
frequently adopt it. There are various modes of performing this
operation ; one or two ways are applicable to the old wood of the
stock ; other modes are adapted to the last year's branches. In the
one case, a cleft is made in the stump of the stock, and the wood
belonging to the new Rose to be inserted is cut in an angular form to
fit it. It is then bound in its place by bass matting, or some other tie,

00

and the joins covered with grafting clay, or, which is more generally
used for roses, grafting wax ; a composition formed of beeswax and
resin, in equal parts, and a little tallow, to render it easily fusible
at a low heat, because the real object of this wai is to melt at a
heat which will not hurt the trees, but that will, on cooling, be suf-
ficiently hard to keep in its place, and bear even the heat of the sun
without running away.

There are various mides of grafting the smaller branches of the
stock ; that is to say, the branches of the last year's growth. One
mode is, to . _t the branch down to two inches in length, and then cut

3"

38 PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING.

this short piece down the middle, cutting out the inside of tLe wood
sloping outward, so as to receive a wedge-shaped graft, which should
he about the same size, if possible ; cut this into the shape of a wedge,
and insert it in the stock, making as complete a fit as possible, and be
careful that the bark of both scion and stock exactly join on one
side, whether it reach the other side or not; for, unless the barks
meet on o le side, it will be impossible to unite. It will frequently
happen that the scion is smaller than the stock; the one must be used
as you have got it, the other you must get as good as you can ; and
when you have it, make the best of it. Others, in grafting, cut the
branch of the stock into a wedge, and the scion is cut to receive it.
The effect is the same in the end, if well done, and in good grafting, the
joint is soon lost in the growth.

There is one advantage in grafting in spring : If it takes, you may
have roses the same year, and thus a season is saved ; but, if any of
them fail, the stock will grow, if the graft does not ; and, of course, if
the graft does not grow, you must allow the top branches of the stock
to grow, and rub off all other buds, just as if it had not been grafted.
The China kinds will graft at any time of the year, but they must be on
China stocks, or stocks partaking of the nature of China stocks. It is
only the deciduous kind of stock which is confined to the spring
grafting, and it is not uncommon to see the solid stock of a large size
cleft to make room for a small bit of choice wood ; they holding it to

be a waste to throw away the prunings of tl*e Kose, and givmg much
attention to the profitable use of them.

Root Gh ifiing. — It will be always found in a plantation of roses that

rnuPAGAT.oN F.V GR.\1 IIXG. 59

sucKers spring up in abundance from tlie roots; tliese wo ;ld soon rob
the head or worked part of a great portion of its nourishment ; but
theye suckers are useful when taken off with a good portion of root to
them, because there is not a more certain mode of propagating the
Ros ; than neatly grafting a piece of the wood of a Rose on the root
just under the surface ; the union is almost certain, if at all dexterously

done. The proper mode of doing this, is to pull up the sucker, which
will expose the root some distance, and take off a good piece of root
with it from the parent stock ; cut the sucker completely off to the
part that was on the surface of the ground ; get a piece of the wood
of a Rose as nearly the size of the root as possible, cut a slit in the
root, making both cuts smooth and flat inside ; then cut the scion
wedge fashion, and make the bark fit it even with the outer cuticle of
the root ; tie them well together, and plant them so that the entire
graft goes under the surface of the ground. These root grafts are
excellent for dwarf plants, for they are worked actually under ground,
and when well done they make excellent plants. Grafting the Rose is
not chosen before budding; but, as there is always a good deal of
waste Avood in a rose tree that has to come off in spring, many give
grafting a chance ; and of grafting, root grafting is one of the most
eifective. There is never any scarcity of roots among a collection of
roses ; forking the ground a little brings up these straggling shoots ;
and so that there be a good piece of healthy stuff, there is no difficulty
in making a good job. There is no occasion to clay over the join in
root grafting.

There is another advantage in root grafting ; it is apphcable with
the C lina kinds all the season through, if you make sure of a healthy
root; nor is there any difficulty in obtaining proper roots for the pur-

60 PRUNING.

pose. Wherever a sucker comes up through the ground, use a fork and
take up as much root as you think suck a plant ought to have ; the
operation must be performed quickly, and with a very sharp knife,
for the root must not dry under the operation, and they must be
planted directly. The graft need not be put in wedge fashion ; any
other way is as good, if the join be smooth, well fitted, and tied firmly.
But we do not recommend grafting of any kind as the best means of
propagation. Nothing is so simple as budding, and scarcely anything
so efficacious. The propagators of roses by root grafting are very apt
to grow the suckers in pots for a considerable time, so that they get
completely established after being broken away from the parent root,
before they are submitted to the operation of grafting, and this
becomes then almost a matter of certainty ; whereas we have known
the roots of suckers bleed so much, that they have lost the roct,
and have been indebted to the graft striking root for not losing it
altogether.

PRUNING.

The principal objects to be attained by pruning roses are— first, to
compensate, by reducing the part to be nourished, for the loss of the
root that has to nourish it, which loss, greater or lesser, is always
suffered by removal. The proper way to do this pruning depends
much on the state of the plant when you have planted it. If it be
very bushy, cut away all tlie weather branches, leave not more
than three or four of the best of the shoots, and shorten even those
down to a few eyes. If you wish the plant to continue dwarf and
bushy, you may cut down to the last eye or two of the new wood,
but leave no thin half-grown shoots on at any rate. If the plant is a
matured bush, with numerous branches, and pretty strong generally,
shorten the new wood down to two eyes, which will show what more
you need do. It may be found that you have then a great many
more branches left on than you require; cut one half of them close
off, and that half must be the thinnest; but it may be that the plant
will be improved by cutting ?jme of the main branches clear away,

61

and all that are on it; for rose trees acd bushes, like everything else,
are easily spoiled by bearing too much wood, and being over-crowded.
The regular Ch'mbing Kose is often required to make as much show
as possible the first year of planting ; but unless they are removed
with the greatest possible care, they ought to be cut almost to the
ground, and thinned out also. None but the strongest wood ought
to be allowed to remain on the plant, and if this be not of quite first
rate excellence, it is far better to cut out all the weak branches, and
cut down the strong ones to two eyes each.

Pruning Standards,

With regard to Standard Roses, we cannot help thinking, from all
we have seen practised, that a large portion of them are grown alto-
gether upon a wrong principle. Standard trees, to be handsome,
should be as wide in the head as their entire height ; and upon the
present system of pruning them, they enlarge a little every year.

Wt.en your standards are planted, you need do nothing to them until

PissT Tkar'8 Growth of Bud

AprD ; {hew* cut all small shoots off close ; that is to say, clear tbem
riaht away ; cut down the strong ones to two, three, or at most, four

62 PRUNING.

eyes, care ll eing taken that the top eye is pointing onward ; the ob-
ject of this is to obtain strong branches growing outward, to make a
wide liead. As tlie slioots grow, notice the best and strongest that are
growing in a position to widen the head, and leave them to make all
the growth they can ; allow any shoot that is growing up strong in the
centre to grow also ; and further, a most important point, rub ofl" or
cut off with a very sharp knife, all weakly growing shoots, all that
grow inward and cross the head, and wherever two cross each other,
remove the weakest. The branches that grow outward will be good

Second Tear's Growth or Bud.

enough and well enough in one season's growth to leave any length
you please towards making a proper sized head ; but as five or six of
these branches will not make a full head, the next season they may be
shortened to half their growth, taking care that the end bud must be
an under one, for all the tendency of the Rose is to grow upward, and
it is only when the natural growth is outward, or downward, that the
weight prevails to keep it in a horizontal or drooping position. This
second year, and indeed every subsequent year, every branch that does
not assist to form a handsome head without crowding, must be taken

PRUNING.

63

away, and the younger it is when taken, the more good it« removal
does, because the other branches get the better.

With regard to any one or two, or even three upright branches,
though one strong one is worth three weakly ones, they may be short-
ened down so that two or three good eyes may be fairly above the
other branches, and that when they grow outward the next season,
they may help fill up the head of the tree above ; when the eyes
begin to shoot, rub out all that come where they are not required, and
leave those of which you are yet doubtful, as Avell as those you know
T-ill be wanted, because it is at this pei-iod you have such control by

Third Tear's Growth of Bud.

driving the whole strength of the tree into the branches that are
wanted. In this way, you proceed until the head of the tree is the
proper form and proportion, instead of, as we now see them every-
where, a small, pimping, ungraceful head to a tall stem, or trunk.
Whe" once it has arrived at this perfection, which, with very little
care and attention, it will, you may cut back every year's wood to two
eyes ; cut out every weak shoot altogether, if you have not rubbed it
off in the bud ; cut out all that are in the way of free growth for the
rest, and when any portion is confused by reason of the number of

64 PRUNING.

spars or shortened branches left on, clear away a bit by cutting them
off. Always remember that Standard Roses for appearance should not
be too closely pruned; but for showing, when the individual blooms
are shown, a multiplicity of flowers is against size. We can hardly
recommend too strongly the necessity of what we shaU call spring
pruning, which is, in fact, nipping the mischief in the bud, watching
the development of the newly coming branches, and removing all but
the number there is good room for ; and as this has not been treated
of at any length, if at all, we may fairly request attention to it.

The three cuts which are in illustration of this article, though not
very accurate, show the first year's growth of two buds placed in a
stock, with dotted lines at the place we should cut them ; the second
year's growth after such cutting, with dotted lines where we should
cut tliem again; and the third year's growth is indicated by lines
which give some idea of it. But neither of these cuts is c xactly what
we like ; first, because our pen and ink sketches were imperfect, we
being unable to draw exactly what we wanted ; and secondly, because
the artist, who oould have drawn it, did not know what we wanted.
There is enough, however, done to assist in our lesson on Pruning
Standards, though not to the extent we wished.

Pruning and Training Pillar Rosea.

Although we have touched on the pruning of bushes, and upon the
pruning of climbers when first planted, it only related to the mere
operation of pruning them for growth, in the position they were to
remain ; and here, for the sake of the poor roses themselves, and the
pillars they are to ornament, we will suppose they are cut down to the
ground, or nearly so, and have made a fresh growth, or rather are
making fresh growth. Pillars for roses ought to be a foot in diameter,
and are best made of treUis work or rods of iron, or, if it must be so,
of wood; but tliey ought to be one foot through. As the leading
shoots come, they ought to be wound spirally round the pillar, at such
distance from each other as will enable them to fill up the space be-
tween with foHage ; their leading shoots then constitute the tree, and
all the side shoots bear their blooms, and form a pillar of roses. We
do no mean that this is all done in a year, though some kinds go a

PRUNING. 65

long way towards it; here, as in all other cases of rose pruning, the
little weak shoots must be removed, the strongest left on all the way
up, and should be shortened to two eyes. If the tops here die down
at all, shorten them to the strong top eye, not to the top eye, for seve-
ral near the top may be found weak, and they would never be other-
wise, whereas the stronger one will grow fast, and soon supply the
place of the old top.

When the buds first show in spring, it will be right to go over the
roses carefully, to remove any that are in the way ; and the growth
of some roses will be found so different to that of others, that one sort
will want enormous room to develop its shoots and blooms, while
another will make but short branches and bloom abundantly. These
characteristics will be discovered in a year's growth, if not well ex-
plained beforehand, and the provision can be made accordingly. Many
Pillar or Climbing Roses are made to run over arches from piUar to
pillar, or along festoons from pillar to pillar ; the best way to manage
those parts which form the arch, or festoon, is merely to thin out their
weak branches without shortening their strong ones, because they
will bloom more abundantly, which is the great charm ; and the loose
and free manner in which they hang about will be to their advantage,
80 they be kept within bounds a little.

Pruning and Training Rosea on Flat Trellises, Walls, and
Fronts of Houses.

The management of this family is very similar to that of Pillar Roses,
except that the leading shoots must be encouraged to grow the best
way to fill up the space allotted to the plant, for which purpose it will
be advisable, in some cases, to train the strongest two shoots horizon-
tally right and left along the bottom ; or if the space to cover be only
one way, to train one strong shoot along the bottom, and turn it up at
the end ; if it reach further, the rest of the strong shoots may be fanned
out at equidistances, and all the weak joints removed. The next year,
rub off the buds that are coming where they are not wanted. Allow
any strong shoots that come up from the bottom horizontal shoot, to
grow as much as they will, but no weaK. ones. A fast-growing Rose
will soon cover a house front, a trellis, or wall, and flower all over.

When the space gets filled, you must continue cutting out, from year
to 3'ear, all thin, spindley shoots, and spare the strong ones, so that the
stongest eyes only are developed, instead of all of them ; and the Roses
are closely set to their wall or treUis, instead of hanging lolloping
about; the very thi-ng which is good on a pillar, or an arbor, or over
an archway, or on festoons, being the reverse on a flat surface. As a
never-failing operation, however, in all cases, the weak, spindley shoots
may always be removed, whether the strong wood be short'^ned or
not.

Pruning of Standards on Their Own Bottoms, or Roots.

It is very common to see among Dwarf or Bush Roses, a strong
shoot growing upright, a sucker from the root ; and it is frequently
the case that these will rise up to five or six feet high. In the Moss
Roses, this is often to be found. These may always be trained into
standard trees, with heads in every way proportioned to the stem.
As soon as a vigorous shoot of this kind makes its appearance, cut in
the bush at bottom rather hard, as it will tend to strengthen the root,
which will be relieved of some of its work by the operation. When
the shoot has attained the required height, pinch off the top ; this will
encourage side shoots, all of which, except the two or three at the top,
must be rubbed off. It rarely occurs, however, that any side g\ owth
is made the first season ; so that the better way, unless the shoot be
getting too long early in the season, is to let it ripen its wood. The
latter part of the autumn, you may look at the root, to see what state
it is in, and how far it may be dependent on the main root. If it be
closely joined, so that there would not be sufficient root if separated,
the old bush must be sacrificed, and the root secured for the standard.
As the upper part of the shoot may not be well ripened, it will be as
well to bind a hay band round it, or tie some moss or other litter, to
save it fiom sharp frost, though moderate ones will not injure.

In the spring, cut the end off as low down as will do for your pur-
pose, and when the buds shoot out, it will be seen that the three or
four upper ones come first ; all others on the stem must be rubbed off.
Nor is it any great use having two buds on the same side of the tree ;
if you can manage to have three, or even four, within a few inches of
tlie ten. --ointing different ways, they will form the better hold of it, to

GENERAL BINTS. 67

Strengthen the other portion of the tree. Continue to be watchful as
to other buds that wUl be continually pushing from the main stem, and
let not one grow but those you have selected for the head.

At the end of the year, these will have made considerable growth,
and, instead of being cut back the next spring to two eyes, as is the
case with many, cut them back only so far as to insure the strength
of the remainder, say, so as to leave five or six eyes. The next season
of growth, there will, out of three or four branches, come four or five
branches each. Those which come in their places, to help form a
handsome head, may be allowed to grow; but if any come so as to
cross others, or where there is plenty of growth akeady, let them be
rubbed off; but it is quite possible for an eye to shoot where it is not
wanted, and yet the first or second eye of that shoot may be in a
direction to fill up a vacancy where it is necessary ; this must, of
course, be looked to before buds are rubbed off. These branches, when
grown another season, will stretch out the head on all sides to a re-
spectable size, and enable you to thin out the weak wood, and cutback
the strong; so that instead of having the head pimping and small, it
may bear a proportion to the stem ; for, as we have said before, the
head ought to be as wide across as the stem is long from the ground,
to the under part of the head. There is one thing to be observed with
regard to standards on their own bottom : they never break off, nor
df.'cay, nor canker, half so much as budded and grafted ones.

GENERAL HINTS.

W"k may mention, as a general characteristic, that there is no plant
which yields more willingly to culture than the Rose, nor in the
growth of which there is so much certainty. If you desire a large
quartity of bloom, and are not anxious about the size of the flowers,
there is nothing required tut to spare the knife ; take out weak shoots,
but leave plenty of wood on the tree ; for every eye will bloom, and

f)8 GENERAL HINT3.

the more you leave on, the better for that purpose. In this case, the
new wood made is but short, because there is so much of it. If, on
the contrary, you desire large blooms, cut away all the strong wood,
of the year previous, down to two eyes at the most, and cut all the
Aveak Avood out altogether. Indeed, you may go further; for you
may cut away half the strong snoots, and lessen the number of eyes
still more.

Again, roses in poor soil will grow and bloom ; their flowers will be
smaller, but not less healthy ; their wood will be weaker and shorter,
but still sound. The principal danger when a Rose is starved is, that
it may come less double ; and this is so serious a fault, that it has
occasioned many to be thrown away that did not deserve it, and
caused many others to be considered wrong varieties, when they
wanted nothing but good growth to make them right ones. On the
other hand, rich soils will cause a Rose to grow enormously ; and all
intermediate growths between the strongest and the weakest may be
secured according to the soil they are put in to grow. Generally,
people fancy that dung is the only thing required ; this is a mistake,
loam is required to grow the Rose in perfection ; and if the ground is
poor and light, a spadeful of loam and a spadeful of dung will be far
better than two spadefuls of dung. This ought to be always mixed
with the soil a little, and the Rose planted in it.

Roses are sadly injured by the wind, and the blooms require fasten-
ing to something or other, to prevent their being frayed. The stakes
of roses should always be made fast to the Rose, or the roses made fast
to the stakes with leaden or copper wire ; because bass matting, or
other perishable stuff, will give way when high wind takes them, and
they receive a good deal of mischief before they are observed and
fastened again.

Of the roses at present in cultivation, very few which are not semi-
double will open out boldly ; and those which are semi-double, are
not fit to show as single flowers. There are, however, some which
will bear the test of stand-showing, and they not of the dearest or
newest. Those, therefore, who desire to grow none but perfect
flowers, should state to the dealer, of whom they mean to buy, that
their object is to have none but such as will expand and show a good
face when fully bloomed, as they purpose growing none others. The

GENERAL HINTS. 69

establishment of the showing in stands, like dahlias, will cause many
old and fine roses to be appreciated, and a great many new ones to be
discai-ded; for although it is not the gayest mode of exhibiting roses,
it is ';y far the best mode of testing, and it is curious to see the num-
ber of varieties with very glaring faults. For instance, some are close
balls of petals, with the outer ones rolling back a httle, as if they were
shrivelhng; bu^ never opening fairly. Others no sooner open than
they show their yellow seeds and their paucity of petals; some are on
stems too weak to hold tliem in their position ; others, again, burst
into a broken mass of ill-formed petals, that do not compensate for
their sweetness. Some fall to pieces the instant they are open, and
others almost before they open ; manj'' are shapeless masses of colored
flims}' texture, that neither hold themselves in form nor impart fra-
grance. It is worth while to direct the attention of the amateur to
the large collections of roses sometimes to be seen at exhibitions, and
to the very few which are to be found among them of a fine form.
They will observe bunches of half-bloomed flowers, that dare not be
shown ; they will find plenty of hard lumps, on stems not strong
enough to bear th^ Avithout lolloping about; they will find some
without a round smooth petal. among them, but very few so good as
the Tuscan, the Cabbage, the Moss, the Provence, and the oldest of
the knoAvn good varieties. This shows the necessity of attention to
the hints we have thrown out; for we must again confess, that
although we have selected the best among eleven or twelve himdred
roses, there are many that we shall see rejected like the remainder of
the entire collection, to make way for better flowers and better taste.
As a concluding observation respecting the management of the
JRose, we are bound to say, that a good deal that is done now is
erroneous, although taught by rose cultivators; and especially with
regard to roses in pots, which, however pretty they may look, are
very much drawn, and very unnaturally supported. That the system,
if pursued, will lead to the introduction and toleration of varieties
which cannot support themselves, in the same manner as it did to the
introduction of worthless geraniums, there is no room to doubt ; for
in the specimens exhibited in pots at various shows, the total inability
of the flowers and stems to support themselves is manifested, as well
as the dispositions lo encourage this strange mode of distorting things.
Some allowance should be made for any forced subject ; but that

70 GENERAL HINTS.

gardener who can produce his plants without supports, is .he one
who deserves a prize for his skill ; not the man who draws a plant till
it cannot support itself, and then keeps it up with framework.

There is much to be done in the choice of roses, for particular
objects. Those inclined to droop should be on very tall stalks, for
their pendulous habit is very handsome, and renders the tree a beau-
tiful drooping object; those for bushes ought to be short jointed and
close habited, as best suited to dwarfs, and so also will they be found
for dwarf standards.

The general routine for rose culture is given both as respects the
general collection, and also for seedlings ; and with attention to what
has been here written, we think a mere novice may, with a little
enterprise, beat one who grows upon any other system.

Tew people are aware of the injustice sometimes done to roses,
which are condemned as worthless, when the culture alone is the
cause of their misbehavior. The Rose is a fidgety customer. The
French people are famous for raising new varieties, and describing
them as very superb ; the English and American nurserymen buy
them as soon as they can be obtained, and describe them to their
customers as something recherche; they are purchased by amateur
cultivators upon the strength of such characters, grown for a
year, and too often thrown away as worthless. Once for all, let us
inform our readers, that no Rose can be depended on for growing to
its character under the third season. The effect of poor culture is to
make a Double Rose semi-double and single ; and that which would
be rich culture to anything else, may be poor to the Rose, because if
it be not suitable, it may as well be poor.

There are many things which affect the Rose, but the principal one
is tantamount to saying that it does not feel itself at home. European
nurserymen often propagate roses rather too mechanically ; the greater
part of them are " made to sell." So long as the stock will keep the
bud alive, and let it grow, that is all the nurseryman asks or wishes.
Now, it is quite certain that a stock without mud root will live, and
hundreds of plants sent from abroad are of this description. There
may be strength enough in the stock to grow and bloom the kind
upon it, but as the stock is not fairly at Lome, the first year is often
wasted in making root enough to lay hold of the ground, and during
this period, the head is grown but poorly.

GENERAL HINTS. 71

As to blooming, it should not be allowed until the growth is vigor-
ous, for it comes miserably poor, if at all. The second year, it is more
reconciled to its place, and the third may be considered a fair trial.
Take the very best Rose we have, and grow it badly, the result will
be bad flowers ; but, if this be the case with well-known varieties,
iiow cautious ought we to be of condemning a candidate for our favors
when we have no evidence of its real character. Eose growers say
it is impossible to tell, after a removal, what a Rose ought to be by
what it is; that it ought to be tried three seasons before condemna-
tion, and not be discarded imder an idea that it is useless, merely
because it flowers badly, which is not always the case. A Rose will
sometimes be for several years only middling, when, if it liked the
ground, it would be excellent.

When you have a Rose, first you should cut away all bruised parts
of the root, and see that all the broken ends of the shoots in the
ground, or root shoots, are smooth ; then plant it the first year in
good strong fresh loam, from a pasture. If rotten dung be at the
bottom, so much the better, but do not let the dung touch the roots.
Cut nothing back of the head or bud shoot, or if it be an established
head, cut nothing back until you see the buds swelling, so as to enable
you to calculate what portion is alive, and what has died back. As
soon as this is indicated by the growing of the buds, cut away clean
to the tree all the branches which may have perished. When these
are removed, you see what head you have to depend on, and how
much you may cut back without losing an opportunity of forming or
improving a head for the next season. For instance, all the branches
but one will often die back, and be forced to be removed by the knife.
Had the pruning at first been close, and each branch cut back to two
eyes, there Avould be but two, of course, left on the only living one,
and but two shoots could be had from them ; having, however, dis-
covered that but one branch is left, this has to be preserved somewhat
longer, and therefore should be pruned to four or five, instead of two
eyes. These Tiay be managed to form branches all round the tree, or
rather at such distance as prudence dictates, due regard being had to
the strength of the plant. If the tree takes off vigorously, and the
wood grows very strong, the bloom is pretty sure to be inferior, as
indeed is the case when almost any plant runs to wood ; so that it is

tZ GENERAL HINTS.

quite as unlikely that the bloom of the Rose is in character when the
plant is too vigorous, as when it is meagre or too much starved

Hybridising has done much good tor roses, but it has also done its
mischief; for, if it has introduced some splendid varieties, it has teased
us with hundreds not worth growing ; some, which are close hard
lumps of roUed-up petals, turn over their thin edges like a dog-
eared book ; the backs of the petals a dull color, scarcely any scent to
them, and altogether bad openers, and bad if they can be made to
open. There is no reason why the Rose should not be as pti-fect a3
the Camellia japonica. There are some of the Bourb»ns with petals
as smooth and as thick, and almost as regular ; and these are the
kinds to buy and grow. They hold their form longer and better than
those with thin petals ; they open more freely, and are better when
they do open. The habits of these fuU-fiowered plants are better ;
the flowers, instead of lolloping their heads down, show themselves
well. All the full free opening roses of old age are of this descrip-
tion ; witness the Cabbage Rose, the Maiden's Blush, the Provence,
and some others, which are as familiar as the name of the Rose itself.
It is true that the bud of a Rose is pretty, and that a bunch of roses
is pretty, but while we have good roses that will open, and of almost
every color, it is unnecessary to grow bad ones ; and if the character
of roses is established by showing single blooms, which shall be
required to be open, there will be but little difficulty in doing all the
rest.

Nevertheless, on receiving roses from nurseries, whether American
or foreign, pay attention to these directions in the planting, and be
not in a hurry to condemn. Let them fail the first season, and be
even middhng only the second, but give them the benefitof the doubt,
and try them a third season. Convince yourself that the variety is
incapable of becoming better, and that you have seen their natural
habit, before you throw them away. If a petal is thin and curly,
rough-edged and flimsy, it can never be good ; if the petals are good,
but there are too few of them, there is great hope that culture will
improve it from a semi-double to a perfect double, which is all that li
wanted.

CALENDAR OF 0PERATI0K3. 73

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS.

The following Calendar for the management of the Rcise, during
each month of the year, is designed for the central parts of the United
States, including the temperate regions of Maryland, Virginia, Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois. The season of spring com-
mences in the middle latitudes of G-eorgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and
of Texas, and the northern part of Louisiana, and the southern part
of Arkansas, about one month earlier ; and a month or five weeks
later in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and in the central latitudes of
New York, Wisconsin, and of Michigan. The period of sowing, how-
ever, will admit of some latitude, on account of the degree of dryness
of the soil, and of its exposure to cold or moist winds, and to the solar
warmth.

It has long been observed that Nature, in her operations, is so uni-
form, that the forwardness of trees, in unfolding their flowers and
leaves, is an unerring indication of the forwardness of spring; and
that the period at which the shrub red bud ( Cercis canadensis) puts
forth, is the proper time to plant Indian corn, and sow in open cul-
ture the seeds of the Rose.

3F a n u a r 5 .

Look well to all standard roses ; see that their stakes are firmly m
the ground, and the stocks or trunks are well fastened to them. If the
heads of standards are very large, compared with the hold they have
upon the stock, it is necessary that the stock to which the tree is fast-
ened should reach partly through the head, and be fastened to the
head itself It is also desirable, when very large growth has been
made, to shorten, though not properly prune, all the longest branches,
to lessen the head, that the wind may not have too much power. If
you have not provided yourself with stocks before this month, lose no
time, and when procured, prune the roots into moderate form, for they
will frequently be found straggUng and awkward. Besides planting
out a number in rows, to be worked in the open ground, pot some of
the most compact-rooted in pots, and plunge them, making a post-and-
rail sort of frame along them to fasten the stocks to, and prevent them
■i

li CAIENDAK OF OPERATIONS.

from V i'mg disturbed by the wind ; also, if you have not got Ir all the
roses you want, order them and plant.

Protect the smooth-wooded kinds, budded on the stocks, in pots,
from the cold, and see that those in beds are well covered with litter
where there is danger of their suffering from frost ; and, as the smooth-
wooded varieties budded in pots will be growing, support their shoots
and remove all other eyes from the stocks the instant they break.

At the North, where roses in parlors and greenhouses are coming
into flower, syringe the plants freely with water, and occasionally with
a solution of Peruvian guano, mixed in the proportion of half a pint
of guano to eight gallons of water. Fumigate often with tobacco, in
order to keep down the green fly; and with sulphur, to kill the red
spider.

jFcftruarj.

Look over the established stocks, and see which are most favorable
for grafting ; and if you have any wood of roses you intend to graft,
leave it on the trees ; but if you have to obtain wood, seek for it in
time ; and if you get it, plant the thickest end downward in the
ground, in some shady place, because they ought not to be grafted till
next month, and the cuttings will keep some time. The China Roses
in the house, and roses in the forcing house, must be kept well syringed,
and watched carefully, that, in the event of the green fly attacking them,
they may be fumigated, as well as syringed. Roses in pots should be
kept a little moist, and if not pruned in autumn, should be pruned
directly. Look to a supply of wild stocks, if you have not yet com-
pleted your arrangements.

Bruise the berries which have been saved for seed, and rub out the
seed ready for sowing next month.

At the North, continue the same treatment as recommended last
month

fE a r c 1) .

Prune all roses which were left half done in the aututu/i, or not done
at all, especially grafted and budded ones of last year, as they have
this year to make some growth. Stocks may still do if the season is
backward, but not a day must be lost Look over all the standard

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 75

trees, examine the pushing buds, trim out all weak shoots from ihe
buds, and cut away all shoots from the stock. This must be always
considered of first consequence, for the growth cf a branch from a stock
will completely check the growth of the head. All grafted and budded
trees, when once fairly growing, should be deprived of all means of
growth from the stock itself It is not wise to destroy altogether the
growth of the stock above the graft or bud, uutil the union and sub-
sequent growth of the graft or bud itself are well established ; but this
once accomplished, leave no vestige of growth belonging to the stock,
and constantly rub off every bud. You may commence grafting this
month.

Sow the seeds in large pots or deep pans, and keep them from once
getting dry, or being frosted.

At the North, hardy roses may be safely pruned the last of this
month.

^ p V i I .

If any suckers appear among established roses or stocks, worked or
unworked, remove the earth down to where they join the root, and
cut them off close. If the rose quarter is at all infested with snails or
slugs, use all means to destroy them. Inverted flower pots, tilted on
one side, will catch manj'- snails ; cabbage leaves laid on the ground,
and examined daily, will entrap slugs. All stocks on which grafts or
buds failed last season must be looked upon as new stocks, and cut
down to where they appear alive. The shoots upon which buds were
placed should be cut off close, as well as side growths, if they are
intended for budding, but if for grafting, the inside shoots may be
strong enough to graft on ; if the grafts, and the shoot grafted on, be
nearly alike, the graft may be all the safer, and the place of union
more completely healed than when small grafts are placed in large
stocks. This month is a good one for grafting or spring budding,
though the operation may be performed successfully in March. Cut
back to two eyes all that have been left unpruned, by which late
pruning back, the blooming will be protracted considerably.

Keep the seeds sown las' month, moist; and if the season be dry,
moisten them by laying on tne surface some wet moss. Shade them,
also, from the hot sun.

At the North, hardy roses of all kinds should now be pruned. Moss

76 CAI^NDAR OF OPERATIONS.

Eoses cut back short. Rose seeds may be sown the last of this month
or early in May. Spring budding may also be performed.

This is an important month with the Rose. First and foremost,
the vigilance in looking for the breaking buds of stocks, which would
rob the head of its growth, must be doubled, and every three or four
days they must be examined and rubbed off. Suckers must also be
grubbed up the instant they appear. The shoots of the buds of last
year will make rapid growth, and require to be screened, that the
wind may not break them out or damage them ; and it is a very good
plan to tie a stick to the stem, to reach a foot above it, and this does
well to support any of the shoots. But when a bud throws up a very
strong shoot, it is well to take the top off as soon as there are two pair
of leaves, for it will make the shoot form a head the first season ; but,
in any case, the shoots must be supported by a loose tie to the stick
above mentioned.

The young seedlings will be up this month, and will require great
care to keep them from damaging by too much wet, or burning up for
want of moisture.

At the North, Tea, Bengal, Noisette and other roses may now be
planted out in borders. Rose seed may be sown early in this month,
and spring budding performed.

S u n e .

This month, great dihgence must be used to prevent the stocks from
growing from their own wood, instead of throwing all their stength
into the grafts and buds. It is time also to be looking out for sorts you
intend to bud with, either by buying the plants outright, or bespeak-
ing buds for the season ; and if any come in your way about the end
of the month,- do not be afraid of budding on the strongest wood you
can find of the present season's growth among the stocks, tl ough you
may properly choose a later season, if you have nothing to hurry you.

The young seedlings will have advanced enough to pot oS", one in
a pot, with loam, peat, and decomposed dung ; they must be placed
m the shade out of doors, or in a frame and light, in order to grow five
or six weeks. See that they are watered as often as may be neces-

CALENDAR OF OPKRATIONS. 77

sary ; and on any appearance of the green fly, fumigate them with
tobacco.

At the North, roses should be planted out in borders for summer
blooming.

If this month be at all forward, you may bud ; and if you have
wood given to you when you are not ready for it, put the ends in wet
sand, and a hand glass over them ; but the sooner you can use the
buds after you have got them the better. The stocks must be put in
completely all over, except one or two eyes beyond the bud on the
branches in which the bud is inserted. All China Roses in pots or
out of doors may be budded, and so also may all the smooth-barked
kinds.

Plant out the young seedlings potted last month, in beds four feet
wide, in the same soil, without disturbing the balls of earth ; let them
be six inches from the side of the bed, and a foot apart each way.
Protect them from vermin by all ordinary means; shade them from
the heat of the sun at mid-day ; wate: if required.

At the North, roses of all kinds planted in open ground, may be
layered the last of this month. Perpetual Roses will bloom best in
autumn, if they are pruned in after having opened their first flowers.

^ U fl u s t .

Continue the budding, and use every precaution to prevent the
stock from growing, and remove suckers the instant they appear
above ground. Nothing should be allowed to grow, except, just
beyond the bud ; a shoot may be beneficial, as it draws the sap past
the bud; but as soon as it is united and doing well, anything growing
beyond it may be broken off, or bent down to check it a little. Cut-
tings of the smooth-barked kinds will strike almost every month in the
year ; but at the end of this month, whatever you may be anxious to
propagate may be struck in the shade, under a hand glass, or even
quicker where the-e is a little bottom heat.

The same directions will also apply to the North.

78 CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS.

Sep tcmfier.

You may now examine the budded plants, and undo the ties of any
tliat appear to swell, tying them more loosely, although tight enough
to hold in the bud. If any of the buds have failed, you may open a
fresh place, and insert others; but if well done, this will seldom be the
case. Continue to remove any shoots or eyes that are showing
growth in the stock, for on this much depends. Cuttings from the
smooth-wooded kinds may be taken and struck, and any that are
struck may be potted off in small pots. Weed the young plants in the
beds. Water them if the season be dry.

At the North, roses intended for early forcing, should now be
repotted and pruned.

© c toiler .

Towards the end of the month, look out for healthy stocks, or get
some one in that way of business to collect for you. Always choose,
and make any one who undertakes to supply you understand that you
require strong stems, perfectly straight, with compact roots, that have
not been much damaged by removal. Any that you get should be at
once trimmed and planted in rows, about eighteen inches apart, and
the rows wide enough to enable you to go up and down them well,
to operate in the way of grafting and budding when required. Many
of the budded stocks may now be untied altogether, but it is not well
to cut the branches in which they are budded close down to the bud
until the spring months. As they would be more susceptible of
damage by frost, let them all be properly sheltered, and fastened, if
they have become loosened. Shorten the longest branches of standard
roses, that they may not hold the wind so much ; and although it
would be improper to prune, their close back branches may be cut
clean away, because they are of no use on the tree. Cuttings of the
China and smooth-wooded kinds may be taken now for general
propagation. The plants will be the better for losing the wood, espe-
cially all the dwarfs in pots.

Examine the August-budded plants, and loosen the ties, if necessary.
Break or cut off the wild part of the stock above the bud, all except
one growing eye^ to keep up the circulation; remove all other

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 79

biauclies and shoots. Gather the " hips,'" or berries, of any desirable
varieties for seed, as soon as ripe. Look to those roses budded oa
stocks in pots.

At the North, all tender kinds, growing in open ground, should be
takei; up and potted, and hardy roses may be successfully trans-
planted the last of this month.

Wobemhet.

This is the best month in the year, if the weather is dry and open,
for planting out the garden sorts of rose trees and bushes ; therefore,
all removals should be performed as soon as convenient, according to
the plan pointed out in the foregoing treatise. The leaves of all the
garden sorts are falling, or have fallen. Some of the perpetual?, and
the China and hybrid kinds, are, in mild autumns, still growing, and
perhaps blooming. Such must not be touched till the leaves have
turned yellow, or have dropped ; but in all other cases, where the
leaves have faded, the removal is kindly and beneficially done. Stocks
may be procured and planted, and if the permanent planting cannot,
for any particular reasons, be done now, they must be temporarily
planted or laid in the earth, in a sloping direction, and the roots well
covered with mould, which must also be well shook in among the
roots and fibres. Cuttings may still be made of the smooth-wooded
kinds, and placed close together in pots of mould, with half an inch
thickness of sand at the top. These pots must not be allowed to dry,
but may be put in a pit or greenhouse, or plunged under a hand
glass in the border, which will answer for covering them well from
frost.

In all situations subject to frosts, throw light litter, as pea vines,
pine boughs, or straw, over the beds containing tender varieties, at
night ; and if there happen to be frost, do not remove the litter during
the day. Continue to gather ripe berries, or hips, as directed last
month. Cut out the weak shoots from the seedlings, leaving only the
robust and strong ones on the plant, except such as are intended for
buds in the spring.

At the North, tender roses should all be taken up this month. Per-
petuals and Bourbons, in the open ground, if in a well-drained situa*
tion, with a httle covering, will stand 'he winter witliout injury.

80

JBecemter.

Planting goes on well this month, if the weather be dry and open ;
but if wetj and the ground does not work well, it is better deferred ;
for if ijlat t:ag is done when the soil will not crumble well, and go
between the roots, they cannot succeed. Look well to last month's
directions, and attend to them in all respects, if not done before.

Seed berries, designed for sowing next spring, may be preserved
by patting a tile at the bottom of a flower pot, into which may be
put those hips that are perfectly ripe, covering them three or four
inches with sand, and let them remain until wanted ; or lay them on
a shelf to dry out the moisture. See, also, that the stocks, which have
been budded, are secured to stakes against the effects of the wind.
Protect the smooth- wooded kinds, budded on the stocks in pots, from
the frost, and look well to the litter on those in beds.

At the North, those roses, taken up and potted last month, should
now be headed in, cutting away all small shoots to one good eye.
They may be wintered in a cold frame, or taken into the house, where
they will bloom from February to May.

INSECTS.

The insects which infest the Rose are quite numerous ; but as their
habits are comparatively but little known, it has thus far been very
difficult to arrest their ravages, or sensibly diminish their number, by
artificial means. At least forty distinct species are described by Euro-
pean naturalists, but many of them do not exist among us. The only
relicible authority on this subject, in this country, is Dr. T. W. Harris,
of Harvard University. From his "Report on the Insects Injurious
to "Vegetation in Massachusetts," we copy the following, which, doubt-
less, will be acceptable to all who are not in possession of his work : —

The saw fly of the Rose, which, as it does not seem to have been
described before, may be called Selandria rosce, from its favorite plant,
so nearly resembles the slug-worm sav^ fly as not to be distinguished

INSECTS. 81

tli(;refrom except by a practised observer. It is also very much like
Selandria barda, vitis and pygmcea^ but has not the red thorax of these
three closely-allied species. It is of a deep and shining black color.
The first two pairs of legs are brownish grey or dirty white, except
the thighs, which are almost entirely black. The hind legs are black,
with whitish knees. The wings are smoky and transparent, with
dark-brown veins, and a brown spot near the middle of the edge of
the first pair. The body of the male is a little more than three twen-
tieths of an inch long, that of the female one fifth of an inch or more,
and the wings expand nearly or quite two fifths of an inch. These
saw flies come out of the ground, at various times, between the twen-
tieth of May and the middle of June, during which period they pair
and lay their eggs. The females do not fly much, and may be seen,
during most of the day, resting on the leaves ; and, when touched,
they draw up their legs, and fall to the ground. The males are more
active, fly from one rose bush to another, and hover around their slug-
gish partners. The latter, when about to lay their eggs, turn a little
on one side, unsheath their saws, and thrust them obUquely into the
skin of the leaf, depositing in each incision thus made a single egg.
The young begin to hatch in ten days or a fortnight after the eggs are
laid. They may sometimes be found on the leaves as early as the
first of June, but do not usually appear in considerable numbers till
the twentieth of the same month.

How long they are in coming to maturity, I have not particularly
observed ; but the period of their existence in the caterpillar state
probably does not exceed three weeks. They somewhat resemble the
young of the saAV fly in form, but are not quite so convex. They
have a small, round, yellowish head, with a black dot on each side of
it, and are provided with twenty-two short legs. The body is green
above, paler at the sides, and yellowish beneath ; and it is soft, and
almost transparent like jelly. The skin of the back is transversely
wrinkled, and covered with minute elevated points; and there are
two small, triple-pointed warts on the edge of the first ring, immedi-
ately behind the head. These gelatinous and sluggish creatures eat
the upper surface of the leaf in large irregular patches, leaving the
veins and the skin beneath untouched : and they are sometimes so
'liick that not a leaf on the bushes is spared by them, and the whole
toliage looks as if it had been scorched by fire, and drops off" soon
4*

82 INSECTS.

afterward. They cast tiieir skins several times, leaving them extended
and fastened on the leaves ; after the last moulting, they lose their
semi-transparent and greenish color, and acquire an opaque yellowish
Hue. They then leave the rose bushes, some of them slowly creeping
down the stem, and others rolling up and dropping off, especially
when the bushes are shaken by the wind. Having reached the
ground, they burrow to the depth of an inch or more in the earth,
where each one makes for itself a small oval cell, of grains of earth,
cemented with a little gummy silk. Having finished their transforma-
tions, and turned to flies, within their cells, they come out of the
ground early in August, and lay their eggs for a second brood ot
young. These, in turn, perform their appointed work of destruction
in the autumn; they then go into the ground, make their earthen
cells, remain therein throughout the winter, and appear in the winged
form, in the following spring and summer.

During several years past, these pernicious vermin have infested
the rose bushes in the vicinity of Boston, and have proved so injurious
to them, as to have excited the attention of the Massachusetts Horti-
cultural Society, by whom a premium of one hundred dollars, for the
most successful mode of destroying these insects, was offered in the
summer of 1840. About ten years ago, I observed them in gardens,
in Cambridge, and then made myself acquainted with their transforma-
tions. At that time, they had not reached Milton, my former place
of residence, and have appeared in that place only within two or three
years. They now seem to be gradually extending in all directions,
and an effectual method for preserving our roses from their attacks
has become very desirable to all persons who set any value on this
beautiful ornament of our gardens and shrubberies. Showering or
syringing the bushes with a liquor, made by mixing with water the
juice expressed from tobacco by tobacconists, has been recommended;
but some caution is necessary in making this mixture of a proper
strength, for if too strong, it is injurious to plants ; and the experiment
does not seem, as yet, to have been conducted with sufficient care to
msure safety and success.

Dusting lime over the plants, when wet with dew, has been tried
and found of some use ; but this and all other remedies will probably
yield in efficacy to Mr. Haggerston's mixture of whale-oil soap and
watefj in the proportion of tvo pounds of the soap to fifteen gallons

INSECTS. 83

of water, f articular directions, drawn up by Mr. Haggersttm himself,
for the preparation and use of this simple and cheap application, may
be found in the "Boston Courier," for the twenty-fifth of June, 1841,
and also in mos of our agrii^altural and horticultural journals of the
same time. The utility of this mixture has already been repeatedly
mentioned in my treatise, and it may be apphed in other cases with
advantage. Mr. Haggerston finds that it efiectually destroys many
kinds of insects ; and he particularly mentions plant lice of various
kinds, red spiders, canker worms, and a little jumping insect which
has lately been found quite as hurtful to rose bushes as the slugs or
young of the saw fly. The little insect alluded to has been mistaken
for a species of tlirips, or vine fretter; it is, however, a leaf hopper, or
species of Tettigonia, much smaller than the leaf hopper of the grape
vine, {Tettigonia vitis,) and, Uke the leaf hopper of the bean, entirely
cf a pale-green color.

In treating of the common Rose Bug, or Rose Chafer, {Melolontha
Bubspinosa,) Dr. Harris says: —

The natural history of the rose chafer, one of the greatest scourges
with which our gardens and nurseries have been afflicted, was for a
long time involved in mystery, but is at last fully cleared up. The
prevalence of this insect on the Rose, and its annual appearance coin-
ciding with the blossoming of that flower, have gained for it the pop-
ular name by which it is here known. For some time after they were
first noticed, rose bugs appeared to be confined to their favorite, the
blossoms of the rose; but within thirty years, they have prodigiously
increased in number, have attacked at random various kinds of plants
in swarms, and have become notorious for their extensive and deplo-
rable ravages. The grape vine in particular, the cherry, plum and
apple trees, have annually suffered by their depredations ; many other
fruit trees and shrubs, garden vegetables and corn, and even the trees
of the forest and the grass of the fields, have been laid under contri-
bution by these indiscriminate feeders, by which leaves, flowers, and
fruits are alike consumed.

The unexpected arrival of these insects in swarms, at their first
coming, and their sudden disappearance, at the close of their career,
are remarkable facts in their history. They come forth from the

84 INSECTS.

ground during the second week in June, or about the t.me of Ine
blossoming of the Damask Rose, and remain from thirty to forty days.
At the end of this period, the males become exhausted, fall to the
ground, and perish, while the females enter the earth, lay their eggs,
return to the surface, and, after hngering a few days, die also. The
eggs laid by each female are about thirty in number, and are depos-
ited from one to four inches beneath the surface of the soil ; they are
nearly globular, whitish, and about one thirtieth of an inch in diame-
ter, and are hatched twenty days after they are laid. The young
larvEB begin to feed on such tender roots as are within their reach.
Like other grubs of the Scarabaeians, when not eating, they lie upon
the side, with the body curved so that the head and tail are nearly in
contact ; they move with difficulty on a level surface, and are contin-
ually falling over on one side or the other. They attain their full size
in autumn, being then nearly three quarters of an inch long, and
about an eighth of an inch in diameter. They are of a yellowish- white
color, with a tinge of blue towards the hinder extremity, which is
thick and obtuse or rounded ; a few short hairs are scattered on the
surface of the body ; there are six short legs, namely, a pair to each
of the first three rings behind the head ; and the latter is covered with
a horny shell of a pale rust color. In October, they descend below
the reach of frost, and pass the winter in a torpid state. In the spring,
ihey approach toward the surface, and each one forms for itself a little
cell of an oval shape, by turning round a great many times, so as to
compress the earth and render the inside of the cavity hard and
smooth. Within this cell, the grub is transformed to a pupa,
during the month of May, by casting off its skin, which is pushed
downward in folds from the head to the tail. The pupa has some-
what the form of the perfected beetle: but it is of a yellowish-white
rolor, and its short stump-like wings, its antennas, and legs are folded
upon the breast, and its whole body is inclosed in a thin film, that
Avraps each part separately. During the month of June, this filmy
sldn is rent, the included beetle withdraws from its body and its
hmbs, bursts open its earthen cell, and digs its way to the surface of
the ground. Thus the various changes, from the egg to the full devel-
opment of the perfected beetle, are completed within the spac^ of one
year.

Such being the metamorphoses and habits of these insects, it w«Ti-

denr that we cannot attack them in the egg, the grub, nor the pupa
state; the enemy, in these stages, is beyond our reach, and is subject
to the eontrol only of the natural but unknown means appointed by
the Author of Nature to keep the insect tribes in check. "When they
have issued from tlieir subterranean retreats, and have congregated
upon our vines, trees, and other vegetable productions, in the com-
plete enjoyment of their propensities, we must unite our efforts to
seize and crush the invaders. The}- must indeed be crushed, scalded,
or burned, to deprive them of life ; for they are not affected by any of
the appHcations usually found destructive to other insects. Experi-
ence has proved the utility of gathering them by hand, or of shaking
them or brushing them from the plants into tin vessels containing a
little water. They should be collected daily during the period of
their visitation, and should be committed to the flames, or killed by
scalding water. The late John Lowell, Esq., states, that in 1823, he
discovered on a solitary apple tree, the rose bugs "' in vast numbers,
such as could not be described, and would not be believed if they
were described, or at least none but an ocular witness could conceive
of their numbers. Destruction by hand was out of the question" in
this case. He put sheets under the tree, and shook them down, and
burned them. Dr. Green, of Mansfield, whose investigations have
thrown much light on the history of this insect, proposes protecting
plants with millinet, and says that in this way only did he succeed in
securing his grape vines from depredation. His remarks also show
the utility of gathering them. ■' Eighty-sis of these spoilers," says he,
*• were known to infest a single rose bud, and were crushed with one
grasp of the hand."" Suppose, as was probably the case, that one half
of tliem were females ; by this destruction, eight hundred eggs, at
least, were prevented from becoming matured.

During the time of their prevalence, rose bugs are sometimes found
in immense numbers on the flowers of the common white weed,
or ox-eye daisy, {Chri/sanihemum leucanthemimi.) a worthless plant,
which has come to us from Europe, and has been suffered to overrun
our pastures, and encroach on our mowing lands. In certain cases, it
may become expedient rapidly to mow down the infested white weed
in dry pastures, and consume it with the sluggish rose bugs on the
spot.

Our insect-eating birds undoubtedly devour many of these insects.

86 INSECTS.

and deserve to be cherished and protected for their services. Rose
bugs are also eaten greedily by domesticated fowls ; and when they
become exhausted aad fall to the ground, or when they are about to
lay their eggs, they are destroyed by moles, insects, and other ani-
mals, which lie in wait to seize them. Dr. Green informs us that a
species of dragon fly, or devil's needle, devours them. He also says
that an insect which he calls the enemy of the cut worm, probably
the larva of a Carabus, or predaceous ground beetle, preys on the
grubs of the common dor bug. In France, the golden ground beetle,
{Carabiis auratus,) devours the female dor or chafer at the moment
when she is about to deposit her eggs. I have taken one specimen
of this fine ground beetle in Massachusetts, and we have several other
Kinds, equally predacsous, which probably contribute to check the
increase of our native Melolonthians.

87

THE DAHLIA.

INTRODUCTION.

Though severed from its native dims.
Where skies are ever bright and clear,

And nature's face is all sublime,
And beauty clothes the fragrant air.
The Dahlia will each glory wear,

With tints as bright, and leaves as green,

As on its open plains are seen.

And when the harvest fields are bare,

She in the sun's autumnal ray,

With blossotas deeks the brow of day.

MABTm.

BOUT ten years before the close of the last century, this favor-
ite flower was sent from Mexico to Spain, and a few speci-
mens were procured, in the year of its importation to that country,
from Madrid, by the then Lady Bute, but through some mismanage-
ment the species was lost, until Lady Holland obtained seed from the
same city in 1804 ; while in 1802, another species, {Dahlia coccinea,)
had been brought from Mexico through France; neither the latter
nor the former, (Dahlia frustranea,) seems, however, to have attracted
much attention amongst the floricultural world ; and it was not until

88 REQUISITES OF A PERFECT FLOWER.

after the peace of 1815, that it became an object of professional
care, when a supply was obtained in England, from France, wliere its
culti\ ation had already been carried to some extent ; since which
period, an indefinite number of varieties has been procured by the per-
severing ingenuity of the florist, and a monomania for this flower
existed for many years unsurpassed in inveteracy, save by the extra-
ordinary " Tuhpomania" of the seventeenth century. This has in
some degree subsided, and the Dahha is taking its proper rank as a
deservedly esteemed flower, blooming at a season of the year Avhen
the number of flowering plants in the open garden is very limited.

The name of Dahha was given to it in honor of Dahl, a Swedish
botanist and a pupil of Linnaeus ; there was an attempt to change it
to G-eorgina, and on the continent this has prevailed to a considerable
extent ; but in England and this country, it has been entirely rejected.

REQUISITES OF A PEBPECJT FLOWER.

The following characteristics are agreed upon by the London Flori-
cultural Society as necessary to the perfection of the Dahha : —

1st. The general form should be that of about two thirds of a sphere,
or globe. The rows of petals forming this globe should describe un-
broken- circles, lying over each other with evenness and regularity,
and gradually diminishing until they approach the top. The petals
comprising each succeeding row should be spirally arranged and alter-
nate, hke the scales of the fir cone, thereby concealing the joints and
making the circle more complete.

2d. The petals should be broad at the ends, perfectly free from notch
or indention of any kind, firm in substance, and smooth in texture.
They should be bold and free, and gently cup, but never curl or quill,
nor show the under sides; they should be of uniform size, and evenly
expanded in each row, being largest in the outer rows, and gradually
and proportionately diminishing until they approach the summit, when
they should gently turn the reverse way, pointing towards and form-
mg a nea' and close centre.

PROPAGATION S9

3d. Tlie color in itself should be dense and clear ; if in an edged
flower, concentrated and well defined ; and in both cases penetrating
through the petal with an appearance of substance and solidity.

4th. Size must be comparative.

PROPAGATION.

The Dahlia may br propagated from tubers, by slips or cuttings, or
from seed.

Propagation from Seed.

This method is now seldom practised, except by those who desire
to obtain new varieties by hybridising between two distinct species
or choice varieties. The proper time for sowing the seed is in March
or April, in light soil in shallow boxes or pans, which are placed in a
moderate hot bed to promote their germination ; though some florists
think that plants as vigorous, if not more so, may be obtained from
seed sown in a warm and well-sheltered border toward the end of
April, or in the early part of May, provided the young plants are pro-
tected during the night and guarded from casual frosts ; or the seed
may be sown in pans in March in the house, and put out in the open
air on mild days, to accustom them to the external atmosphere. In
any treatment, when the seed leaves are fully developed, they must be
allowed plenty of fresh air, or placed in a cold frame, taking care that
they are put as near as possible to the glass, to prevent their being
drawn and growing lanky; they may also be potted singly, or three
or four together, as soon as they will bear handling. When they
have tour leaves, they may be treated in every respect as old plants
and from the twentieth of May to the middle of June, they may be
planted where it is intended they should flower.

Seed Gathering. — The seed should be collected in Sej- tember from
dwarf plants, where no preference exists on other accounts. ; and, when
double varieties are principally sought for, from semi-double flowers.
Seeds procured from those florets, which have changed their form, are

90 PROPAGATION.

supposed to have a greater tendency than the other to produce plants
with double flowers.

Propagation by Tubers, or Slips, and by Grafting,

This is the mode most commonly adopted for the propagation of
this favorite plant, and the operation is begun in March or April, by
removing the tubers from the place where they have been deposited
during the winter, and putting them in pots, or in loose earth on a
raild hot bed. The crown of each tuber is left uncovered to permit
each shoot to develop itself, under the full influence of the atmos-
pheric air. When the shoots have attained the length of about three
inches, they are cautiously separated from the tuber by laying hold of
the slip with the thumb and finger near its base, and gently moving
it backward and forward until it comes out of its socket. Mr. Paxton
recommends that where the shoots are numerous, a part of the crown
of the tuber should be invariably taken oflf with the shoot, a course
more likely to be attended with success than by extracting the slip.

The following mode of increasing choice varieties of this favorite
flower was discovered by Mr. Blake, of Kensington Gore, and is now
commonly practised :• —

Select a good tuber of a single sort, taking special care that it has
no eyes ; then, with a sharp knife, (for a dull edge would mangle tlie
fleshy root, make it jagged, and so prevent a complete adhesion of the
scion and stock,) cut off a slice from the upper part of the root, mak-
ing at the bottom of the part so cut a ledge wherein to rest the graft.
This is done because you cannot tongue the graft as you would do a
wood shoot; and the ledge is useful in keeping the cutting fixed in
its place while you tie it Next cut the scion, (which should be strong,
short jointed, having on it two or more joints or buds,) sloping to fit,
and cut it so that a joint may be at the bottom of it to rest on the
aforesaid ledge ; a union may be efi'ected without the ledge, provided
the graft can be well fixed to the tuber, but the work will not then
be so neat. It is of advantage, though not absolutely necessary, that
a joint should be at the end of the scion ; for the scion will occasionally
put forth new roots from the lower joint ; the stem is formed from
the upper joint ; therefore procure the cuttings Avith the lower join*<»
as near togeic.er as possible.

PROPAGATION. 91

After the graft has been tied, a piece of fine clay, su Jh as is used
for common grafting, must be placed round it ; then pot the root in
fine mould in a pot of such a size as will bury the graft half way in
the mould ; place the pot in a little heat in the front of a cucumber or
melon frame, if you chance to have one in work at the time; the front
is to be preferred, for the greater convenience of shading and watering
which are required. A striking glass may be put over the graft, or
not, at pleasure. In about three weeks, the root should be shifted
into a large pot, if it be too soon to plant it in the border, which will
probably be the case, as the plant cannot go out before April or May,
so that the shifting will be very essential to promote its growth till
the proper season of planting out shall arrive.

Treatment of Slips. — The shoots having been carefully separated from
their parent tuber, they are immediately placed in thumb pots, filled
with light soil, not inserting each more than an inch deep ; when this
is done, the pots are plunged in the hot bed. When they have filled
these small pots with roots, they are shifted into others, which may
serve them until the time for planting, unless that be protracted by
unfavorable weather ; in which contingency it will be desirable to
remove them again into a size larger, to allow the roots to grow more
freely, and to prevent their becoming a close and compact mass, which
would be highly detrimental to their vigorous development, and the
future health of the plant, when consigned to the open ground.
Numerous shoots are emitted from the same tuber in succession, and
these are treated in precisely the same manner when arrived at the
proper length. They must be shaded from the sun while making
roots, and protected from vapor and frost. The best compost for the
Dahlia in pots is a mixture of sifted decayed hotbed dung, light
virgin loam, and pure white sand, in equal quantities.

Situation and Preparation of the Soil.

The natural habitat of the Dahlia is, we are informed, in a rather
hght soil and on open plains. English cultivators recommend a shel-
tered situation ; that is, sheltered from high winds, which break and
shatter their lateral branches, however much they may be strength-
ened and supported by stakes ; yet fully exposed to the sun, and
where they can have the advantage of a free circulation of air, the soil

92 TREATMENT.

naturally damp, rich, of good depth, and on a dry bottom. The soil,
however, is rarely so good that it cannot be improved for the purpose
for which it is desired, and it is recommended that those who would
grow the Dahlia to perfection should trench the ground in November,
previous to its being required, ty first removing the soil to the depth
of twelve inches, and replacing it with equal portions of good yellow
loam and peat earth ; and then trenching it again to the depth of two
feet, mixing the original sub-soil an .' the loam and peat thoroughly
together, with a large quantity of staole manure, thoroughly decayed,
or it will be injurious. This may seem an expensive process, but once
done it will need no further preparation for many years, except the
occasional addition of manure.

N. B. — In a strong clay soil, enriched with well-decayed manure,
the Dahlia produces the largest ^()it;ers; in a light soil, the plant grows
to a great size, but the flowers are comparatively small

TREATMENT.

Those who hK.ve no hot bed wherein to start their DahUas into a
growing state, may do so with equal success, and may obtain even
more vigorous and better-blooming plants than those which are
excited by artificial heat, by planting them in March or April in a box
of light soil or decayed leaves, keeping it in a moist state, and expos-
ing them to the full heat of the sun throughout the day, and taking
them in-doors at night. "When ti^e shoots are three or four inches
long, they may all, except one, be taken off close to the tuber, and
treated as slips ; but if you can divide the tuber into as many pieces
as there are shoots, it is to be preferred.

Planting Out.

There are few situations, in the Middle and Northern States, where
Dahlia plants can be planted out with safety before April, May, or the
early part of June. When the operation is performed, the plants, if on
beds by themselves, which is desirable, should be set in rows not less

TRE^ FMENT. 93

than six feet apart each vr&j. Due regard must be had to the respec-
tive heights of the plants and the colors of their flowers ; if on a bed
where they are to be viewed from all sides, the tallest-growing kinds
should be placed in the centre ; if to be seen only from the front, the
'oftiest must be set at the back; and, in reference to colors, so arranged
that they will produce a harmonious effect as a mass. Your plants,
if well grown, will be from eighteen inches to twenty-four in height,
when planted, and should be supported by stakes immediately; when
they are full two feet high, the top of the leading shoots, or upright
stem, should be cut oS" to induce the plant to throw out laterals.

It is a very common error to keep the Dahlia in pots too small for
the quantity of roots the plant has formed, and the evil consequences
of this are increased in seasons when it is most desirable they should
be avoided ; for if the weather be so unfavorable as to put off the
period of planting out, the roots have been meanwhile increasing, and
filling up the pot, so that when the plant is taken out to be set in the
open ground, the ball of earth cannot be removed without breaking
some of the fibres ; and, fearful of doing this, many persons plant them
without disturbing it, and the result generally is, that the plant does
not begin to grow vigorously until near the time when it ought to -be
in flower. It is better, indeed, to break some of the fibres, and get
away the dried and baked earth from around the roots ; for though it
seems to give a violent check to the growth of the plant, it will, when
it has recovered, thrive far better than those planted with the ball
entire ; it is, however, preferable to avoid the necessity for the latter
plan, or the alternative of breaking the roots, by planting them in pots
of a larger size than those commonly used. The crown of the tuber
should be placed at least three inches below the surface of the soil in
planting out.

Mulching and Watering.

"When the plants are two feet high, remove the earth from around
the base of the stems to the depth of three or four inches ; supplying
its place with well-decomposed manure, which must be slightly cov-
ered with earth ; in dry weather, the plants must be watered through
this mulching twice a week at least, or every other day, according to
the state of the weather ; and this should be done in the evening. The

94 AFTER CULTURE.

Dahlia is greatly benefited by this system of mulching and watering, ;
for, unlike many other kinds of plants, it seeks its nourishment chiefly
from the surface of the soil ; and its roots will be found, in favorable
circumstances, to be clustered together near it. Throughout the sum-
mer it is also advantageous to the plants to have the earth around the
roots carefully loosened by the use of a fork, from time to time.

AFTER CULTTTRB.

Dahlias should never be pruned until the bloom buds shovp-, ajd
then but few branches should be cut out, and only such as are grow-
ing across others. The buds should be thinned, for it is by these that
the strength of the plant gets exhausted. By removing all that are
too near one to be bloomed, and all those that show imperfections
enough to prevent them being useful, much strength will be gained
by the future flowers. So, also, by pulling ofi" the blooms themselves,
the moment they are past perfection, instead of letting them seed.

AVinds and sun are both detrimental ; and the practice of fixing the
blooms in the centre of a flat board, and covering them with glass or
flower pots, as they may want light or shade, is becoming general.
The more easy way is to use a paper shade for any particular fine
bloom ; for however the flowers may be coaxed and nursed under
cover, a stand of blooms, grown finely, and merely shaded from the
hottest sun, will beat all others in brilliancy, and in standing carriage,
and keeping. It is right to go round the plants, and, wherever there
is a promising bud or bloom, to take away all the leaves and shoots
that threaten to touch it as they grow ; take off also the adjoining
buds ; and if the weather be windy, make it fast to a stick or one of
the stakes, that it may not be bruised or frayed ; shade it from the
broiling sun, and it will so profit by the air and night dews, as com-
parer" with the bloom under pots and glasses, that if the growth be
equal, '■^le blooming will be superior. Nevertheless people will cover;
and where there is a disposition to a hard eye, it will hardly come out
perfect unless it is covered. As the end of September approaches, or

AFTER CULTURE. 95

as soon as you have done with the bloom, earth up the plants, in
order that when the frost comes it may not reach the crown.

Preserving the Roots.

The plants may be raised without injury, immediately after the
blooms are cut off by the frost, provided that they are hung up in a
dry and ordinarily protected situation, with the roots uppermost, if care
is taken to leave six or seven inches of the stem attached to each tuber ;
this may be done without the slightest fear of their withering from
having been lifted in a green state. As the winter advances, and the
tubers become matured and firm, the ordinary modes of protection
against frost may be resorted to.

Treatmezit "wlien Flo'wering.

When the buds of your Dahlias begin to appear, you must take
them off until you think the plants have attained their full vigor, and
then permit only every third bud to grow to maturity ; by doing this,
it is true, you will not have so numerous a show of flowers, but those
which you have, will attain the highest state of perfection your plants
are capable of; taking into account their situation and previous treat-
ment, and, what is of paramount importance, the character of the
season. In the treatment of flowers grown for exhibition at flower
shows, it is a common practice to bind down the disk of the flower
towards the earth, by which, it is said, the flowers are rendered more
perfect in form, and richer in color. When in flower, the bloom should
be shaded from the sun, during the hottest parts of the day.

Siriped Varieties. — The striped kinds have a tendency to '' run," ag
it is termed, into self-colored flowers, if not carefully treated, and
almost invariably do so when planted in rich soil ; the best mode of
keeping them " clean," that is, in their prime estate as striped flowers,
is to plant them in poor soil.

Autumnal and Winter Treatment.

It is the practice with many persons to take up their Dahlia roots
as soon as the shrubs are cut down by the frost ; this is not desirable,
because if the tubers are taken up before their vital powers are in a

yo AFTER CULTURE.

quiescent state, they are more easily injured by the dryrjss of the
atmosphere into which they are to be removed, and which it is neces-
sary they should be able to bear without shrivelling; as in a moist
atmosphere they are apt to become mildewed and mouldy ; therefore,
it is best about the end of September to cover the stems and some
distance round with earth and littery dung, about six inches thick, so
as to protect the crown of the tuber from injury by the early frosts ;
and allow them to remain in the ground till November, when they
must be taken up and spread singly in a dry open shed for a few days,
not allowing the sun to shine upon them, and turned occasionally
during this period, so that they may be dried gradually ; as, if dried
too quickly, they shrivel, or too slowly, they become rotten.

When sufficiently dry, clear away the earth from them, and place
them in a dry under-ground cellar, where the frost is not likely to
reach them ; and these should be examined throughout the winter
from time to time, and if there be the least symptom of damp upon
the tubers, they should be carefully wiped with a dry cloth, and
receive almost daily attention. Should you not have the convenience
of such a cellar, you must store them in a pit in the garden, which
must be prepared in a dry spot, and be of sufficient capacity to hold
all your tubers. Having dug the pit, cover the bottom with dry
ashes, then pile the roots thereon, tier upon tier, so as to form a ridge ;
then cover them with plenty of straw, and form a ridga of earth over
them of the thickness of twelve or fourteen inches.