The genus Anemone has a great future. Even at present its popularity is only a little less than that of roses and daffodils, but when we trust to seeds as a means of reproducing the best of windflowers instead of buying dried roots from the shops, then, and then only, will “coy anemone” become a garden queen. A. coronaria, if treated as an annual, furnishes glowing blossoms from October until June, after which A. dichotoma and A. japonica in all its forms–white and rosy–carry on the supply and complete the cycle of a year’s blossoming. By sowing good, newly-saved seed in succession from February until May in prepared beds out of doors, the common crown anemone may in many sunny, sheltered gardens be had in bloom all the year round. This is saying a great deal, but it is true; indeed, it is questionable if we have any other popular garden flower which is at once so showy, so hardy, and so continuous in its blossoming. A friend beside me says: “Ah! but what of violas?” To which I reply: “Grow both in quantity, since both are as variable as they are beautiful.” But when viola shrinks in foggy November from the frost demon, anemone rises Phoenix-like responsive to the first ray of sunshine. Besides, fair Viola, richly as she dresses in velvet purple or in golden sheen, has not yet donned that vivid scarlet robe which Queen Anemone weareth, nor are her wrappers of celestial azure so pure; and blue is, as we all know, the highest note of coloring in floral music. But comparisons are not required, Anemones are variable and beautiful enough to be grown for themselves alone. No matter whether we look at a waving mass of sparkling windflowers in a vineyard or cornfield by the Mediterranean, or walk knee deep among the silvery stars of A. nemorosa in an English wood–“silvery stars in a sea of bluebells”–they are alike satisfying. I believe that there is any amount of raw material in the genus Anemone–hardihood, good form and habit, and coloring alike delicate and brilliant; and what we now want is that amateurs should grow them with the attention and care that have been lavished upon roses and lilies and daffodils. But, alas! we have some capricious beauties in this group. A. coronaria and some other species succeed well treated as seedling hardy annuals, and others, as A. apennina, A. Robinsoni, A. Pulsatilla, A. dichotoma, and A. japonica, may be multiplied _ad infinitum_ by cuttings of the root. It is when we come to the aristocratic Alpine forms, to A. alpina, A. sulphurea, A. narcissiflora, etc., that difficulties alike of propagation and of culture test our skill to the uttermost. Tourists fond of gardens walk over these plants in bloom every year; they dig up roots and send them home; but they are as yet very rare in even the best of gardens. Nor is it easy to rear them from seeds. A year ago I sowed seed by the ounce each of A. alpina and of A. sulphurea, but as yet not a single plantlet has rewarded me for my trouble. Even freshly gathered seeds of A. narcissiflora will not germinate with me, but I live in hopes of surmounting little difficulties of this kind, and in the mean time, perhaps, others more fortunate will tell us how to amend our unsuccessful ways. One of the prettiest species which is now in flower in our gardens is the pure white A. dichotoma, which carries on the succession after the Snowdrop anemone (A. sylvestris) has passed away. Then we have dreams, and lend willing ears to the oral traditions of Anemone alba. Is this species in cultivation, or where may a figure of it be seen? It is said to be of neat habit, 12 inches high, with erect, saucer-shaped, white blossoms 3 inches in diameter. The species we now figure is well worth a place, being easily raised from seeds. It is called Anemone decapetala, and if not by any means a showy species, tufts of it three years from seed have this season been very pretty. It grows less than a foot in height, and bears pale creamy yellow flowers the size of a shilling on branched flowering stems; each blossom has eight or nine sepals around a yellowish green center. Some of our clumps had from a dozen to twenty flowers open at the same time, and the general effect in the early morning sunshine is a very pretty one. We have another species similar in habit which is just now a mass of rosy buds, and if you blow open its sepals, they are of a bright magenta color inside, but I never yet saw a flower open naturally on this plant. Just as the sepals open at the tips, and you think they are about to expand, they shrivel and fall away, leaving a tuft of greenish yellow stamens in the center. Is it A. Hudsoni? Another species not often seen, but well worth culture, is A. coerulea, a kind with finely cut leaves and purplish blue flowers. Then A. coronaria, The Bride, a pure creamy white kind, with flowers 3 inches across, raised by Van Velsen, of Haarlem, is really a good addition to these dainty blossoms, and affords a vivid contrast to the fiery A. fulgens. I have received this year some roots of anemones, iris, and other hardy flowers from the site of ancient Troy, and trust that some of these, if not new, will be beautiful additions to our gardens. The true A. vitifolia from northern India does well in mild localities; but best of all of this perennial large-leaved race is A. japonica alba, the queen of all autumnal kinds, rivaling the best of all hardy border flowers in purity and freedom of blossoming. Taken as a class, windflowers are so beautiful that we cannot grow them too plentifully, and but few other genera will so well repay cultural attention at all seasons.–_F.W.B., in The Garden_.
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STORY OF LIEUT. GREELY’S RECOVERY.
The story of Lieut. Greely’s recovery after his rescue from Cape Sabine is given by Passed Assistant Surgeon Edward H. Green, U.S.N, of the relief ship Thetis, in a communication to the _Medical Record_. The cases of Greely’s six fellow survivors, it is remarked, were very similar to his. The condition of all was so desperate that a delay of two hours in the camp was necessary before they could be removed to the relief vessels. Brandy, milk, and beef essence were administered.
Lieut. Greely’s disease is called by the surgeon asthenia, a diminution of the vital forces. Greely fainted after being carried to the wardroom of the Thetis. When he was brought to, a teaspoonful of minced raw fresh beef was given to him. His clothes were carefully cut off of him, and heavy red flannels, previously warmed, were-substituted. He was excessively enacted, and his body emitted an offensive odor. His skin hung from his limbs in flaps. His face, hands, and scalp were black with a thick crust of soot and dirt. He had not washed himself or changed his clothing for ten months. He had lived a long time at a temperature inside the hut of from five to ten degrees above zero. He was nervous and irritable, at times almost irrational, and his eyes were wild and staring. He insisted on talking, craving news, and demanding food, but he complained of no pain.
His tongue was dry and cracked, and coated a brownish black. He was ravenously hungry. His pulse was 52, and soft or compressible. His skin was cold, clammy, shriveled, and sallow. His temperature under the tongue was 97.2 deg. There was great muscular waste, and he was unable to move or to stand without support. Before leaving Fort Conger in August, 1883, he weighed 168 pounds. He now weighed 120 pounds. He was carried aboard the Thetis about 11 P.M. on June 22, it being then broad daylight in that region, and his treatment from that hour until 8 o’clock the next morning was a teaspoonful of minced raw beef, alternated every half hour with a teaspoonful of milk punch. Strict quiet was enjoined.
On June 23 Surgeon Green was compelled to allow him to read some letters from home, after which he seemed less restless. He talked rationally, but showed a loss of memory in often repeating what he had previously said. He had not closed his eyes in sleep since his rescue. There was excessive constipation. The treatment was the same as during the night, except that finely cut raw onion was added to the minced beef, and half an ounce of milk punch was given every two hours.
On the next day, June 24, although he had yet had no sleep, and he showed a great desire to talk and read, there were signs of improvement. He was less persistent in demanding food, his tongue presented a moister appearance, he began to complain of soreness in his limbs, and his heart sounded stronger. Surgeon Green had him sponged with tepid water, and briskly rubbed with flannels. He gave him a small quantity of oatmeal thoroughly boiled, beef essence, and scraped beef and onion.
On the next day, June 25, Lieut. Greely slept for the first time. He awoke after two or three hours, much refreshed. He talked without excitement, and his tongue and skin began to look more natural. His muscles felt sore, and his ankles were puffed.
On the next day, June 26, his mind was tranquil, but there was a loss of memory of words. He was allowed to sit up in bed and read a little. He slept six hours. For the first time since his rescue medicine was given him–some muriate of iron.
On the next morning he got eight ounces of broiled steak and on the following day, June 28, he dressed himself and sat up for two hours. His food was now gradually increased from day to day, and he continued steadily to improve. On July 1 he was well bundled up, and allowed to sit on deck for an hour in the sunshine. On July 17, the Thetis arrived at St. Johns.
Lieut. Greely’s muscles were now filling out rapidly, and he was allowed to go on shore and take exercise. Here, Surgeon Green says, the lieutenant committed an error in diet at the American Consul’s table, and suffered for two days with a slight attack of intestinal indigestion. On July 25, for the first time, he was allowed to eat three square meals. Six weeks after his rescue he had gained 49 pounds. He gained 91/2 pounds the first week, 15 pounds the second week, 8 pounds the third week, 7 pounds the fourth week, 51/2 pounds the fifth week, and 4 pounds the sixth week. Surgeon Green adds, under the head of “remarks”:
“Vital depression, as exhibited by the temperature, not marked; digestion fairly good all the time; nervous system soon calmed. Microscopic examination of blood disappointing; exhibiting no unhealthy character of red blood globules. Liver not secreting. Large gain in weight, due to rapid assimilation of food, owing to a great muscular waste.”
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THE CAY MONUMENT AT UXMAL.
DISCOVERED BY DR. LE PLONGEON ON JUNE 1, 1881.
In 1881, we went for the second time to the ancient ruined city of Uxmal, Yucatan, and lived there four months, making moulds of every ornament and inscription, from which moulds perfect facsimiles of those grand old palaces can be produced in plaster, and placed in any exposition or museum.
During our stay there, on June 1, Dr. Le Plongeon had the great satisfaction of discovering a monument, a splendid work of art in all its pristine beauty, fresh as when the artist put the finishing touch to it, without blemish, unharmed by time, and not even looked upon by man since it was concealed, ages ago, where Dr. Le Plongeon discovered it through his interpretations of certain inscriptions. It was probably hidden to save it from destruction, between the sixth and seventh centuries of the Christian era, when the Naualts invaded and overran the country, demolishing many art treasures of the Mayas.
[Illustration]
The monument represents a mastodon head, with various ornaments above and below it, the whole measuring 3.50 m. (11 feet 41/2 inches) in height, and in width 1.25 m. (4 feet 1 inch). Above the mastodon head there is a chain, nearly 10 inches deep; the stones forming the links are sculptured and fitted into each other just like the rattles of a rattlesnake; and yet higher another row of stones resembling knots. The uppermost part is composed of stones that incline outward from above; they are flat, measuring 0.55 by 0.45 centimeters (21 inches by 17 inches), and are covered with various signs pertaining to certain mysteries.
On the sides of the mastodon’s trunk are these signs
[Illustration: (an “x” and a “circle with a dot in the middle”)]
which read _Tza_, and means _that which is necessary_. Beneath the trunk and the upper jaw is what is meant to represent the distended jaws of a serpent; on it is inscribed the family name, | | | |, _Can_, the mouth (_chi_) of the serpent giving the second part of the name. _Canchi_ means “serpent’s mouth,” and was the name of the royal family that ruled over the Mayas when their civilization was at its height.
Within the serpent’s jaws is the greatest gem of American sculpture yet discovered. It is a head and throat, sculptured in the round, of Cay Canchi, the high priest and elder brother of the warrior Chaacmol, whose statue we exhumed from 8 meters below the soil in Chichen Itza, during the year 1876; which statue was afterward robbed from us by the Mexican government, and is now in the museum at Mexico city. The stone out of which the beautiful head is cut is not polished, but wrought so finely as to almost imitate the texture of the skin. It is decidedly a good looking face. The nostrils are most delicately chiseled, and the cartilage pierced; the eyes are open, and clearly marked. On the right cheek is his totem, a fish traced in exceedingly small cross bars. The forehead is well formed, not retreating, and incircled by a diadem composed of small disks, from the front of which projects a perfect fish’s head. The hair is short in front, and hangs like a fringe on the upper part of the forehead, but is longer at the sides, hanging in straight locks.
On the wall against which this monument is built, feathers are sculptured, forming a canopy. Such a superb _chef d’oeuvre_ proves beyond doubt that the Maya artists were in no way inferior to those of Assyria and Egypt.
Having been so unjustly deprived of Chaacmol without any remuneration for our time, labor, and expenditure, we decided to save the Cay monument from destruction at any cost, for should any ignorant persons attempt to move it, they would break it in so doing; so, after making a mould of it, we guarded it most securely, as we considered best, afterward inclosing it with planks, then built it up and left it as we had found it.
Sr. Don Romero Ancona, then Governor of Yucatan, was very much provoked because we would not reveal the whereabouts of our find, but gained nothing by it, and the beautiful monument is still safe.
ALICE D. LE PLONGEON.
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Rolled gold is made by casting an ingot of brass, and while this is still hot pouring upon it a thin layer of gold alloy. The ingot when cold is forced between steel rollers until a long, thin ribbon is produced, of which the proportion of gold and brass is the same as of the ingot. The percentage of gold is reduced as low as two and three per cent. This rolled gold is used in making cheap bracelets and watch chains. It wears from one to ten years.
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