The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-03-19
SMeet-Scented Flowers.


Gay-colored flowers may attract the
eye, but it is the sweet. scented kind
which command our most sincere love
and admiration.
Form and size are also attractive
properties of plants, and we may ad-
mire and enjoy the graceful leaves of
the delicate fern or those Of the lofty
palm of the tropics, somewhat as we
do the lovely cascades or magnificent
landscape; but the fragrance of flowers
IS the soul of beauty, thing to be felt,
known and enjoyed, still remaining
hidden from human eyes.
Ii is true that there are persons who
either cannot or do not appreciate the
delicious fragrance of flowers; bat
they are rare exceptions to the general
rule. We have only to glance over the
pages of Horticultural history to learn
how strong a hold plants with sweet
scented flowers have upon the affections
of mankind.
Fashion may for time popularize
tie gaudy- -colored zinnia, the straight
laced and stately hollyhock, or geomet-
rical dahlia but their superficial mer-
its never strike very deep in the affec-
tlOns of the masses, hence the vacilla-
tions observed in their culture. Of
course, we would not exclude gav-col-
Ored flowers from the garden any more
than we would bright.colored garments
from children, for they attract the eye
and in turn lead to a closer acquaint-
ance with both the useful and beauti-
full in nature.
For 270 years the small colorless but
sweet scented tuberose has held undis-
puted sway as one of the queens of the
floral kingdom, its popularity increas-
ing with each succeeding generation.
Wonderful discoveries have been made
in the lily family during the past few
years. New species and varieties of
large size and brilliant coIors have
reached US from China and Japan, be-
sides those found in California but
who would exchange that little gem
known as lily of the valley for the best
or most gay-colored of them all.
Keates truthfully said:
No flower amid the garden fairer grows,
Than the sweet lily of the lowly vale,
The queen of flowers.
1t is neither large nor showy in color,
but its sweetness has ever made it a
universal favorite. The wall flowers,
ten weeks stocks, beliotrope and mig
nonette possess mono of the snowy
kinds of beauty; still few plants can
claim more friends or genuine admira-
ton. The camellia is a showy and
beautiful flower, fit to bedeck queen
but the little orange blossom, with its
lovely fragrance, tittingly becomes the
bride.
Spring will soon come again, and then
would urge every one who cultivates
flowers to remember the sweet-scented
kinds. In making out lifts of plants do
not overlook the fragrant sorts. We
have gay and snowy clematis in abun-
dance; but few are fragrant, the old c.
FLdmnlIlG being the best of all.
Among the climbing honeysuckles
the old Belgian monthly and the Chi
nese evergreen are indispensable, on
account of their sweetly-smelliDg flow
ers. Talk as we will, or even attempt
to despise the old-fashioned plants, few
can forget the sweet rocket or the
punches of grass pinks in "my moth
er's garden" IF we would have chill
dren carry with them through life pleas
ant thoughts of childhood days, sur
round them with fragrant flowers. Even
the rose shall "smell as sweet by any
other name. Cor. N. Y. hadepende1at |