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1 ■d >O,O Si 1 iw —*—X ' "XLjlka'^Jhmssx kjJ/ jr w W ' v For Woman’s Work. THE CALL OF THE SOUTH WIND. ROSE SEELYE MILLER. The wind whispered soft to the bare, brown trees, He whispered low, but they heard his call, ‘‘Awake from your sleep,” called the soft south breeze And they heard and heeded him, one, and all. Their quickened pulses, leaped up and flew, From the tiniest root, to the top aloft, And budding leaves, spread beneath the blue— And the branches brown, wove a covering soft. The oak stood clad in a royal gown, Os crimson velvet, a robe for kings ; The beech and birch wore a soft green crown, From the elms bare branches plumage springs. The maple hung on her bare brown limbs Rich tassels of scarlet, with threads of gold, And the earth was filled with Nature’s hymns Os a glad new life, so new, yet old. For Woman’s Work. HOW AND WHEN TO SEND ' PLANTS AND BULBS. BY ROSE SEELYE MILLER. I have lately received, from John Lewis Childs, of Floral Park, N. Y., a box of plants which I had previously ordered. He of course, as a florist of long experience, understands thoroughly the method of packing plants to be sent by mail or ex press. This knowledge we expect, nay demand, in one in such a responsible posi tion; and were it lacking, how soon would our patronage be transferred to some florist, who did understand fully the arts of his profession. But alas! how wofully at fault is the amateur on this particular point! The exchange of plants is a pleasant thing, but how often is the pleasure all in the anticipation, instead of the realization! We think of the floral treasures enroute, and can hardly await the slow moving of Uncle Sam’s lightning express, to receive them. The box arrives, is opened with swift fingers, and eager look, but how the fingers slacken their pace, and how the glad, eager look fades from the face, as plant after plant is disinterred, only to be thrown away. This is not an exaggeration, by any means,but a simple fact. No doubt the sender meant well, and probably pack ed the plants with as much knowledge as he or she possessed, in regard to plant packing. Sometimes the plants are put up too wet, and suffer from rot, or are put up so dry as to be naught but useless sticks; and again, when the packer has hit upon the happy medium regarding moisture, the plants are packed too tenderly, with too much con sideration in regard to individual rights— that is, they are not packed close enough— and what with much jostling and jolting, the poor, long-suffering plants, have about ceased to suffer, and are beyond all hope of resuscitation. For whatever good effect a thorough shaking may have upon the proverbial bad boy, and patent medicine, the result is quite the contrary when ap plied to tender plants by the hands of Uncle Sam’s mail, or railroad officials. Please bear this in mind. And now another grievance. Why is it that amateurs will write neat labels, and then strangle the plants by tying them on? There is a far better way. You may not think you are cutting the plant when you tie the label on firmly with the thread, but a damage is done—sometimes utter ruin accomplished, when everything else has been done all right—just by this inveterate mania for tying on labels. Now mind, I do not advise the non use IM- MRS. ROSE SEELYE MILLER. stove, and that you know is well nigh in dispensable. Label the plants you send by mail, but don’t tie the labels on, unless you want the plant either to rot under the string, be cut off by it, or, at the very least, be shrunken and damaged thereby. A very simple way is to write the label cut a little slit in one end, put the label round the plant stalk, and slip the end not slit through the one slit. This will do no harm whatever. I suppose one of the best things to use for this purpose, is a thin bit of pliable bark, such as may be secured from some beech tree. It is as smooth and beautiful as the most highly finished paper, though if you happen to be a thou sand miles from it, as I am, this piece of information will do little good. But w’hateveryou use for a label—paper, birch bark, or stiff muslin, (and paper of a strong, tenacious texture, is good) attach it in the manner described. Now for packing: Thin wooden boxes are the best thing to pack plants in. A cigar box would be nice; or, I should think, a box might be improvised out of four thin shingles, and put together with brads. Any woman who can use a hammer, at all, could construct one or more of these boxes. A box of this size would hold a great many plants—more than you would think. The plants should be packed closely and no possible chance left for their shaking around. All empty space in the box should be filled in with excelsior or soft paper— even heavier paper, when torn into bits, makes a good substance. The roots of the plants should not be dis turbed much, though the surplus earth may be removed, as it weighs heavy for mailing. AVrap the roots ot the plants well in wet moss, and make it as firm and close as possible. Place an oiled paper around the moss, wrapping firmly, and a bit of news paper or manilia paper may be secured outside of this, by the judicious use of mucilage, or, lacking this, I find that flour simply wet in cold water makes a most excellent paste. Indeed, I like it better than I do boiled paste. I think the former stronger and more tenacious in its stick-to-it-tiveness. When each individual plant has been treated in this way, pack them closely in the box designed for them; fill in empty spaces; put the cover on, and fasten with brads; wrap in manilia paper; address it plainly,and if sent by mail, stamp properly, and I’ll warrant the plants will find a safe transportation. Large boxes are better sent by express. Since writing the above I have just run across some body else’s method of sending plants, which I will quote verbatim: “For long distances we use cigar boxes topack them in” (meaning plants of course). “After the plants are labeled, we cover the roots with damp moss, lay down a sheet of oiled paper large enough to line the box and fold over the whole; lay the plants on evenly, the roots one way, and then dip one hand in water and sprinklethe foliage; enclose them in the paper snugly; put in the box, and fill in the space with dry moss. Do not allow even a bare possibility of their moving. This is for ordinary carriage. Supposing they were to be twelve days in reaching their destination, I should cover the whole with damp moss inside the oiled paper. “Sometimes when they are to reach their journey’s end in one or two days we use strong paste-board boxes, but put in dry moss at the bottom and top, outside the oiled paper, to prevent being jammed. “It does not injure cuttifigs to dry a little, so we do not use wet moss, but sprinkle and wrap in paper, and these too may be carried in paper boxes on short routes. of labels. A plant with a name is very much to be desired. Names are of in calculable value, and what confusion this world would be in without them! If women were only women, men only men, and boys and girls, only boys and girls, how could we ever manage to make one under stand which one of the many we wish to distin guish? For instance, it I should say, that woman in Georgia is an excellent editor, how would you know which one I meant? But if I should say Kate Garland of Georgia is an excellent editor, you would readily know just which one of the man, Georgia women I meant. By all means label your plants. Names are as con venient as a handle to a “Occasionally we send small plants and cuttings in tin cans, but do not use damp moss, for the cans being air tight, they will keep fresh several days. They may be wrapped in common paper to keep them steady, but if water is used thef are apt to decay.” TREATMENT OF PLANTS AFTER A JOURNEY. When your plants come to hand, remove from the box with all due care, and place them in a pan of water which is slightly warm. The water must be deep enough to cover the roots of the plants. Do not float them on the water or let them lie hori zontally in it,but after removing the moss, lean them against the side of the pan, and let them rest and drink their fill for three or four hours. This should be long enough for them to freshen-up unless very much exhausted. POTTING PLANTS. Put a few bits of broken crockery in the bottom of the pot, to facilitate drainage, and fill the pot perhaps one-half or two thirds full, with the right kind of soil, which depends some upon the plant to be nourished by it. Leave plenty of room for the roots of the plant to be spread out in a natural way, instead of forcing them into a round cavity in the center. Hold the plant with the left hand in the pot, and fill in carefully around the roots with firm soil. When nearly full, press the earth firmly around the roots, and water well. Set in a shady place for a few days, until the roots have had an opportunity to become established. When new growth begins, you may know all is well, and place the plants in their destined position, and whether that be in sunshine or shadow should depend upon the needs'of the plant in question. If plants are budded when received (no matter how great the temptation to let them blossom) remove every bud carefully. A plant, after being uprooted, and trans planted from one place to another, is in a very weak condition, and it requires strength to transform buds into blossoms. You will lose nothing by removing the buds. A debilitated plant cannot bring forth per fect flowers, and the very effort to blossom at all, might be fatal to the plant. Patience is a very sweet grace, and plant culture gives one an opportunity for culti vating and practicing patience to a great degree. Another thing in regard to the matter of sending plants: If plants are sent from the south to the north, the time of sending is of great importance. Bulbs orplantsfor fall setting, should not be sent later than October,else the ground may be frozen and they must lie dormant through the winter: while plants or bulbs for spring planting, shouldnot come to hand earlier than April, and even then sometimes very cold nights ensue. It is not always convenient to procure oiled paper. It can be made very well at home. Use common manilia or tissue paper; brush it over with linseed oil, and hang it up for eight or ten days before using. Now, dear sisters, if any of you in tend sending plants to friends, try and send them so that they will give pleasure when they reach their destination. It is very disappointing to open a box of plants, to find them utterly demolished, through loose packing, or decayed, through the use of too much water. It is better to take more trouble, than to have the little care taken prove fruitless. For Woman’s Work. BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME. There are few things more beautiful and ornamental than thrifty, hardy vines; even a tumble down wall, or an unpainted fence may be made into a thing of beauty,if vines are placed in a position to clamber over these unsightly objects. I once saw a very tall tree stump, on a very handsome lawn, so covered with ivy as to make it one of the finest ornaments of which the lawn boasted. Vines are like the mantle of charity, which hides that which cannot be beauti fied, and beautifies what it cannot hide. Os vines that grow from seed, the Coboae Scandens is one of the finest. Its flowers are bell-shaped and of dull purple hue, and its foliage attractive. Our country homes might be beautified almost beyond recognition, by the wise use of vines. A plain little cottage, covered by an aris tocratic looking vine, like Cobose Scandens, would make an attractive spot in an other wise dull landscape. A wigwam might be constructed of poles, and hardy vines plant ed in a position to entirely screen the interior from the rays of the sun. Such a place would be a pleasant one for the tired wife and mother to resort to for rest, or reading, or sewing, in warm summer after noons. Coboae Scandens, might be used for such a summer-house, or Manrandya vines— plenty of them—could be used; or the beautiful feathery cypress vine, with its star-shaped blossoms of scarlet and white; or even morning glories could be adapted to this purpose. The chief thing in the construction of such a place would be to have the poles sit firmly. The soil would need to be well-mellowed at the outside for a seed bed (leave the turf unbroken inside) and plenty—plenty—of seed sown. The vines might need some training—but this would be pleasant work, and not require much time. Beauty pays, so does comfort, and I heartily wish that every one might be sur rounded with these two things; and when I say beauty and comfort, I do not necessari ly mean the beauty and comfort that wealth can give—but the beauty which all or nearly all can havej and the comfort brought by a contented mind—and this too may be possessed by those who earnestly set about to attain it. For Woman’s Work. THE GLORIES OF THE MORNING —MORNING GLORIES. Some old-fashioned flowers, like old time hymns, are the sweetest, or at least have so much in their favor that we re luctantly give their place to some new fa vorite, with a high sounding name. Morning glories ( Convolvulus) are so well known as to need no introduction from my pen. But, after all,l will speak a word in favorof this old-fashioned climber. It grows so magnificently with almost no care; it blossoms so profusely and with such variety of colors, shadings and strip ings, that we with any eye for beauty, can not but admire its many tinted flower cups, diamonded with dew, and lifted each morn ing for the sun’s first kiss; which he, wan ton lover, willingly bestows, not one, but many, and of such an ardent nature, that the fair morning glory droops her head for very shame. Morning glories should have an eastern situation if practicable; and if shaded par tially from the sun, they will remain open for some time. Don’t make your seed-sow ing niggardly. Let it be plentiful—not in one single straight row, but make a whole bed. Have several rows, or sow promis cuously in a bed of well-mellowed soil, and keep them watered. Train up with strings or on a trellis, and my word for it, you will think they are rightly named, giving to the morning a glory you have not dreamed of hitherto. Watch them a little; it will not hurt you, whether you are a J wife or city bred. Go out in dewiness of the cups of glory; yes. you will bew pick a few. There! see that deep blue one with its velvety trfm3?wSß of a darker hue. There! see, a little far ther, those red ones, almost crimson. We must have those! And so on until several are gathered. What shall you do with them? They fade so quickly you think they have no value as a cut flower. Well, they haven’t, except for a brief time. Fleeting joys are sometimes sweetest, and evanescent treasures are longest re membered. Put your gathered morning glories into a vase or pretty bowl, with some of the vines trailing loosely over the sides; this is a pretty center piece for your breakfast table. Too aesthetic for common people ? Not a bit. I wish common people were more aesthetic; had more of an eye for the beauty of common things. If it were so, their lives would be enriched immeasurably. Because blessings are common should not detract, but rather add to their value. They are something that cannot be mon opolized by the rich or by capitalists. They are freely given for all to enjoy, and if we are rich or poor, there is enough in this wide world of beauty, for every beauty loving soul to drink its fill, and still leave a supply. God’s rich treasure house of nature will be undiminished. By allmeans have a good bed of morning glories and enjoy them. Let them adorn your table; they will add grace to thecommotest napery and ta ble-ware; and they certainly will not de tract from the beauty of the most elegant table appurtenances. Flowers give added grace and refine ment to their surroundings, whatever these may be; and they help very materially to wards keeping the spirit sweet and in com munion with the Great Spirit that we rec ognize in nature, see through nature, and yet know is immeasurably beyond all that we know nature to be. Let us lay aside some of the affectation of these over-affected times. Come a little nearer to nature’s heart and thro’ the beat ing of this great mother-heart, learn to know a little something of another great er Heart, full of Infinite love, Infinite ten derness, even the heart of our Father, God, our Brother, Christ, His Son. ■■■mEUBMZ&UaUI Mrs. J. R. Allen, Wilson, N, C., says: When I feel the slightest tendency to headache, I immediately take a dose of Bradycrotine, and in a very short time am entirely relieved.