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6 “The tawny, solemn Night, child of the East, Her mournful robes trail on the distant woods, And comes this way, with firm and stately step.” *«•*••• “Tis midnight now! the best and broken moon, Battered and black, as from a thousand battles, Hangs silent on the purple walls of heaven." * • * * * * * What ahk we to say, however, of passages like the following? It is Don Carlos, soured by the conduct of Ins, and yielding with contemptible weakness, to his own gusty moods, who thus raves, addressing, by turns, a single astonished listner, and the universal air 1 “01 for a name that black-cy ed maids would sigh And bear with parted lips at mention of,— That I should seem so tall in minds of men, That I might walk beneath the arch of heaven, And pluck the red, ripe stare as I passed on! — O ! to wear a Crown as dazzling as the sun! And holdingup a sceptre, lightning-charged, Stride out among the stars, as I have strode A barefoot boy among the buttercups 1” The very idea of a 'woman strikes him half blind with fury, and he shrinks, “I'll stand besides you on this crag, and curse, And hurl my clenched fists, down upon their heads, Till I am hoarse as yonder Cataract /” But these utterances are mild, gentle eveningsazephyrs, when compared with the burst of Bedlamite egotism, en tirely worthy of mad Nat Lee, or of Manlowe “in his cups,’’ which we shall now quote. Don (Jarlos in reply to a question, whether ho “dare meet the curse” of his fellow men, exclaims ; “Dare ! “I’d dare the curses of the sceptred kings,— I'd build a Pyramid of the whitest skulls, And step therefrom unto the spotted moon, And thence to stars, thence to the central suns ; Then, with one grand and mighty leap would land Unhindered , on the shores oj the Gods of ’ ■' And sword in hand, unbared, and unabash ed, Would stand forth in the presence of the God Os Gods; there on the jewelled inner sUle The walls of heaven, carved with a Damas cus Steel,'highest up a grand and tilted name That time, nor tide should touch nor tar nish ever /’’ Strange as it may seem, this inef fable rant, as full of “sound and fury signifying nothing” as the most detes table passages in “Tamerlane,” has been instanced by some of the English Critics as remarkable for “rude vigor,” a “frontier force," and un studied strength of style and imagina tion !! Heaven help us, if this sort of thing be genuine poetry! In that case, all the canons of poetic art must at once and forever be reversed! One can with difficulty believe that the author of “ Ina ” is likewise the author of that noblest Ballad in American literature, “Jut Carson's Ride /” Here, at length, we find the central gem, the [heart-jewel of Mr. Filler’s collection of “Songs.” To quote from it, to dwell upon de tached lines, would be something like artistic sacrilege; for the production is a compact, perfect whole, glowing all through with lyric passion “at a white heat,” sweeping one along from the first couplet to the last, as upon a great, fiery, resistless tide of feeling ; a tide as majestic and bright as those prairie flames, the devouring power of ■which is so magnificently delineated! This poem is alone sufficient to prove its author the most gifted Lyrist of his Country; and truly, we know not where to find his equal in this depart ment in the current Literature even of Great Britain and the Continent! Not one of Robert Browning’s lyrics, for example, fine as they are, can for a moment contest the palm of ex BANNER OF THE SOUTH AND PLANTERS’JOURNAL. cellence with u Kit Carsons RideF' What in the way of commendation can we say, of more emphatic signi cance than this. We conclude our notice by repro ducing Mr. Miller's charming dedica tory verses. They illustrate his style at its very best; and both in rhythmic sweetness, and natural grace of senti ment are unsurpassed: TO MAUD: “Because the skies were blue, because The sun in fringes of the sea Was tangled, and Kept dancing on as ina waltz, — And tropic trees bowed to the seas, And bloomed, and love, years through and through,— And birds in blended gold and blue, Were thick and sweet as swarming bees, — And sang as if in Paradise, — And all that Paradise was Spring,— Did I too sing with lifted eyes, Because I could not choose but sing ! “With garments full of sea-wind blown From isles beyond of spice and balm, Beside the sea, beneath her palm. Site waits as true as chiselled stone My childhood’s child, my June in May! 80, wiHer than thy father is, These lines, these leaves, and all of his, Are thine — a loose, uncouth bomiet: — 80, wait and watch for sail and sign ; A ship shall mount the hollow seas, Blown to thy plsce of blossomed trees, And birds, and song, and Bummer-shine! “I throw a kiss across the sea, 7 drink the winds as drinking wine, And dream they all are blown from thee; I catch the whispered kiss of thine : Shall I return with lifted face, Or head held down as in disgrace, To hold thy two browns hands in wine ?” To the question embodied in these closing lines, there can, assuredly, be hut one reply! A glorious future opens before the young Poet's eyes, if he will only exert his native good sense, and not allow a clique of foolish Criticasters to mislead his judgment and blind him as to the real charrcter andsoope of his endowments! HABITS OF FLOWERS. "Phwtcm nave 'mffllts,- or wkvrAf actTnf just as people have. I will tell you about some of them. All flowersnaturally turn toward the light, as if they loved it. You can see this if you watch plants that are standing near the win dow. The flowers will all be bent toward the light, if you let the pots stand in the same way all the time. By turning the pots a little every day or two, while tiic blossoms are opening, you can make the flowers look in different directions. There are some flowers that shut them selves up at night, as if to go asleep, and open again in the morning. Tulips do this. 1 was once admiring in the morning some flowers that were sent to me the evening before by a lady. Among them were some tulips, and out of one of these, as it open ed, flew a bumble bee. A lazy dronish bee he must have been, to be caught in this way, as the bower was closing itself for the night. Or, perhaps, he had done a hani day’s work in gathering honey, and just at night was so sleepy that he stayed too long in the tulip, and so was shut in. Avery elegant bed the old bee had that night. 1 wonder if he slept any better than lie would have done if he hail been in his homely nest. The pond lily closes its pure white leaves at night, as it lies npon its watery bed. But it unfolds them again in the morning. How lieautiful it looks as it is spread out upon the water in the sunlight. The little moun tain daisy is among the flowers that close at night, but is as bright as ever on its slender stem when it wakes up in the morning. When it shuts itself up, it is a little round ?een hall, and looks something like a pea. ou would not see it in the midst of the grass, if you did not look for it. But look the next morning, and the ball is opened,’ and shows “a golden turf, within a silver crown.” And very beautiful it is, when there are so many of the daises together, that the grass is spangled with them in the bright sun. It is supposed that this flower was first called “day's eye,” because it opens its eye at the day’s dawn, and after a while it became shortened to daisy. The golden flowers of the dandelion are shut up every night. They are folded up so closely in their green coverings that they look like buds that had never yet been opened. There is one curious habit which the dan delion has. When the sun is very hot it closes itself up to keep from wilting. It is in this way sheltered in its green covering from the sun. It sometimes, when the weatliar is very hot, shuts itself up as early as nine o’clock in the morning. Some flowers hang down their heads at night, as if they were nodding in their sleep; but in the morning they lift them up agam to welcome the light. Some flowers have a particular time to open. The evening primrose does not open till evening, and lienee comes its name. The flower named four-oclock opens at that hour in the afternoon. There is a flower commonly called go-to-bed-at-noon, that always opens in the morning and closes up at noon. Most flowers last for some time, hot there are some that last only a few hours. The red flowers of the delicate a-d rich cypress vine open in the morning, and in the after noon they close up, never to open again. It is delightful to one who loves flowers to see every morning anew set of these bright blossoms appear among the dark green leaves of this vine.— Worthing ton Hooker. Geraniums. —ln looking over a recent catalogue of one of the noted growers and venders of bedding and other choice plants in London, we note that there are no less than five hundred and sixty-nine different kinds, or at least names, of bedding geran iums and their allies. 1 his is exclusive of the large flowered, or better understood, perhaps, Pelargonium section. These names are divided into numberless distinctions, or groups, indicative of some peculiarity of the class, or locality from whence obtained, including a few raised in this country. There are about thirty distinct groupings, as golden tri-colors, golden bronze, green ivy-leaved, hybrid ivy-leaved, and so on. This alone will show the estimation in which geraniums are held in England. Os Fuctisias there are two hundred and fifteen names ; the person, by the way, H. Connell, (F. R. H. S.) being long known as one of the largest Fuchsia growers in the country. Os verbenas there are one hun dred and forty-nine names—none of which appear as of American raising although we doubt if they are as good as are commonly to be found on this side of the Atlantic at the present day. Os chrysanthemums the modest number of upwards of three huudred. Singularly enough this fine autumnal plant, is but little appreciated here ; possibly because it rarely gets in flower here in the fall, in any great beauty, until after frost comes, hence no use except housed. We do not see why they should not be met with oftener, flower ing out of doors, than we do, as years ago when only a very few varieties were in exis tence, the common old yellow used to flow er free enough in almost every yard. Os tree carnations, we sec besides giving the kinds grown in England, it adds those raised here, and now grown by tens of thou sands for the purpose of thebonquet maker. Among these, of course, are included La Purite, Flatbusli, Defiance, Presidenf, De graw and Astoria. It contains also what is out little used here in the trade, select lists of carnations and picotees for exhibi tion. Since the advent of the nvßnhly or tree carnation, the old fashioned ones that flowered but, once and then had done until the next year have beenjnpoUy ruled out Iwffc. The show varieties, with the “dressing" they obtained from the exhibitors, were certainly marvels of artistic flowers, but the extraordinary time and trouble spent to make them so out of place in this busy country, besides which they take more trouble to winter than with them. In England, it is no uncommon thing for i anew geranium of great promise to fetch thirty to forty shillings sterling—6ay $7 to $lO per plant. —Prairie Parmer. HOW TO RAISE ASPARAGUS. For more than twenty years I have been accustomed to hear about the same class of questions asked by consumers, why it was that asparagus, a vegetable that was always in good demand, and usually com manding high prices, was not more general ly cultivated bv farmers, as well as garden ers, situated favorably, and accessible to good markets ? During these twenty years I have been engaged, more or less each year, in growing vegetables for market, aiid at different times have known each and every kind of vegetable grown to any extent for market to be a “ drug," with the single exception of asparagus, which so far has always been in go<xl demand, and that too at paying prices. There are few persons who have been en gaged on an extensive scale in “ trucking" who have not been compelled to sell, in “bail seasons,” a part or the whole of a crop for less money than it cost to produce it.— This would apply to the whole list of vege tables, leaving out asparagus, which during such dull seasons and poor markets is gen erally made use of by those who grow it to work off other kinds of vegetables, that is, in case a grocer wants two or more dozen of asparagus, to get it he would be obliged to buy a portion of whatever the grower had on his wagon at the time. In this way the gardener who had an abundance of as paragus would not lose so much in the sale of his crops in dull seasons as he who was not bo situated. Within the past few years more attention has been given to the culture of asparagus, and it is not rare now to find fields of from two to seven acres in different sections de voted to asparagus for New York and other large markets. Some of these new plan tations have already begun to yield, and still prices are not in the least affected, but on the contrary have advanced. The past season growers estimated the yield was above an average one, and still prices rang ed higher than they have for many years.— This condition of matters is quite eucourag ing for those who have young beds, or are about to embark in this branch of gardening with a view to profit. To be successful in the culture of as paragus for market, thereare a few essential points to be fully considered and carried out before any hopes of success can be enter tained. The first is a selection of the most suita ble soil and situation. The second a thor ough meehtypieal preparation of the soil be fore planting, and third, heavy manuring. The location of the bed is important, from the fact that when asparagus first comes into market, it sells briskly at from $5 to $8 per dozen bunches, and frequently as high has sl2 per dozen, Jif the spears are large and the bunches carefully made.— From these prices it gradually fails, as the supply increases, until it reaches $2 per dozen, and very seldom goes below this price, although at $1.50 per dozen aspara gus will pay a handsome profit. When the soil has only been indifferent ly prepared, adn poorly manured, earliness of the crop and large sized spears cannot be expected, and as a matter of course, un der such circumstances a large share of what would be the profits are not realized by the producer. SOWING TUB SEED. Asparagus seed should be sowed in the Bpring, in a bed made deep, mellow and rich. When the surface of such a bed is raked over, removing any stones or other obstructions, then shallow drills should be opened about one inch deep, and a foot apart. The seed is strewn thinly by hand in these drills, and then covered by raking the bed with wooden rakes drawing them in the direction of the drills. Fresh seed will sprout in two weeks from the time of sowing, in favorable weather. Seed older than one year will take longer to germin ate, and if more than three years old, is unsafe to sow with any certainty of its ever coming up. It is a good plan to scatter some radish seed in the drills at the time of sowing the asparagus seed. The radish will germinate and come up in a few days from the date of sowing, marking the lines of the rows.— This will give a chance to run a scuffle hoe between the rows, destroying any weeds that may appear, and keeping the surface loose until the asparagus plants are well up. Then the spaces between the rows should be disturbed frequently and no weeds nor grass allowed to grow. Under favorable circumstances well grown one year old plants will be strong enough for transplant ing in the permanent bed. In case the plants are weak, it is better to let jheni re main in the seed bed another season before making the bed. Plants older than two years should not be planted, for more than likely they will fail to give satisfactory re sults. Those wlio only want a few hund red plants to make a family lied, will find it cheaper to buy them from some responsi ble person than to raise them from the seed. One pound of seed will sow a bed 20 by 100 feet, and if the seed is fresh will give about 15,000 plants. PREPARING THE GROUND. When properly made, an asparagus bed will produce paying crops for a quarter of a century, under good annual treatment.— There should be no short-sighted economy firacticed in nutting the ground in order.— f the ground selected is naturally wet, or likely to become so, then by all means have it thoroughly underdrained. Asparagus can only be grown to the highest point of profit on soil that is free from stagnant water thoroughly pulverized to a depth of at least twenty inches, and then heavily manured. There will be more satisfaction in planting only a quarter of an acre on this thorough scale, than in planting an acre under indifferent preparation and poor manuring. The ground should be thorough ly plowed and subsoiled both ways, and then plenty of well rotted yard manure plowed under. The more manure that is applied, the more productive the yield will be when the plants are fairly established.— Bam yard manure, composted with the salt and lime mixture, will be found an excellent manure for asparagus. PLANTING. It has long been a mooted question whether the Fall or Spring was the best time to plant an asparagus lied. In most cases more will depend ou the condition and tilth of the soil than the time roots are planted. Where the soil is heavy and re tentive of moisture, and long and severe Winters, undoubtedly the Spring is the best time. But on sandy or clay loam, and as far south as Delaware or Virginia, Fall planting will do just as well, and often better, than Spring planting under similar circumstances. When the ground is pre pared by frequent plowings and subsoiling for field culture, or the garden spot thor oughly trenched with the spade, then the furrows should be run but three inches deep, and three feet apart each way. A single plant is set at each intersection, be ing careful that every root of the plant is stretched out to its full length, and then covered with not more than four inches of earth, if planted in the Fall, and only about two inches when set in the Spring. This light covering at first, or until the plants have started to grow, is the safest plan to follow. When the young shoots are three or four inches above the surface, then, by running a cultivator between the rows, the loose earth will fall toward the row of plants, adding a couple or more inches of covering above the crowns of the plants— making in all from four to five inches in depth. In garden culture, this second covering may be drawn over the rows by the hand hoe”, any time during the Summer. * A cultivator should be kept going between the rows often enough to prevent the growth of weeds in the bed. This will be found the cheapest method of culture. When planted in the Fall, the rows should have a light mulch of barn-yard manure put on in No vember, and in the Spring, following this mulch, with an additional quantity of ma nure, either barn-yard, fish, guano, bone dust, or superphosphate, should be applied, and all turned under early in April, or as soon as the ground is dry enough to work. Annual dressings of common salt will improve the quality and increase the size of asparagus. There need be no apprehension of danger from the application of salt to asparagus. I have frequently put on as much as two inches in thickness, on different spots, on an aspargus bed, and then the young shoots came through this coating of salt without apparent injury. A dressing of twenty-five or thirty bushels of salt to the acre on an asparagus bed every second year, will be quite enough, in connection with the annual coating of barn-yard, a com post to be applied in the Fall or Spring, as circumstances may dictate. No asparagus should be cut from the bed the first or second year. Some growers carry this so lar as not to cut any until the fourth year from the time of planting. In case the plants have grown vigorously, a third of a crop may be cut without at” all injuring the plantation the third year. The amount taken off the third year depends altogether on the condition and vigor of the plants. In case they are weak, it would be poor policy to weaken them still more by cutting for market or home consumption too soon. In the Fall of the first year it is a good way to throw a shallow furrow from either side toward the rows, and then rounding them off with a hoe or a rake.— This slightly elevated ridge will diy out sooner in the Spring than a flat surface, and asparagus treated in this way, will often make a difference in earliness of five or six days, which is an important item to those who grow it for market. Early asparagus always brings higher prices than what comes in late in the sea son, and, therefore, every advantage by lo cating character of soil and treatment, should be taken into consideration by those who arc about to commence its culture for profit. VARIETIES. There were only two varieties generally cultivated for market purposes until quite recently. These were the green and purple topped. The identity of these two were frequently doubted by intelligent garden ers, and the size and difference in color at tributed to location, soil, and heavy or light manuring. Two years ago, 8. B. Conover, of New York, introduced a variety under the name of “ Conover's Colossal.” For this variety Mr. Conover claimed extraordi nary size of spears, and that it was equal in quality and productiveness to those varie ties that were in general cultivated for mar ket purposes. Tliis claim had to be tested by practical growers before discarding old and tried for new and untried kinds. Many doubted that it was any other than what was cultivated on Long Island, and other producing sections. I have watched the “ Colossal" closely for two years, and firm ly believe it is the best variety of asparagus that we have for field or garden culture. Tlie spears will average twice the size of J the common kindß, and the “ Colossal” is"' equal, in my estimation, in quality and productiveness to any variety that I am familiar with. Plants at one year old will average as large as plants two years old grown on the same soil and under the same treatment, of the green or purple. In an other article on this subject I will have something to say on the profits of aspara gus culture. — By P. T. Quinn, in New York Tribune. A Rising and Excited Mabkrt for Broom Corn.— lt is now known to be a positive fact that the recent fire in Chicago destroyed 2,500 tons of broom coni, and the excitement of Monday and Tuesday continues, and prices have still further largely advanced. In fact, it is almost im possible to buy even common grades under 12@15 cents per lb. Telegrams come [lour ing into holders in this market from the growers in the West ordering their brush held far fabulous prices. The crop of 1871 is well known to be a partial failure—it be ing estimated by the most liberal and best posted dealers at not over one-third: but the immense stock of old com that was held in Chicago prevented prices from materially advancing, although it was generally con ceded that they would have been high any how later in the season, but now, since the destruction of about one-fourth of the en tire stock in the United States, it is fair to presume we shall have the tallest prices for broom com known since the war. Messrs. J. M. Atwater & Bro. have re ceived telegrams from all their Chicago correspondents stating the loss variously at from 2,000 to 2,500 tons, and ordering all the brush held by them, both in New Y ork and in their Philadephia house, withdrawn from the market. One large receiver on the West side was offered 12j cents cash to-day for his entire stock, which two weeks ago would not have averaged over 8 cents, and refused to Bell. We anticipate an active market and high prices for the balance of the season.— New York Daily Bulletin. ORIGIN OF PLANTS. Peas are of Egyptian origin. Celery originated in Germany. The chestnut came from Italy. The onion originated in Egypt. The nettle comes from Europe. Tobacco is a native of Virginia. The citron is a native of Greece. The pine is a native of America. Oats originated in North Africa. Rye originally came from Siberia. The poppy originated in the East. The mulberry originated in Persia. Parsly was first known in Sardinia, The pear and apple are from Europe. Spinach was firet cultivated in Arabia. The sunflower was brought from Peru. The walnut and peach came from Persia. The horse chestnut is a native of Thibet. The cucumber came from the East Indies. The reddish originated in China and Ja pan.