John Cecil Clay, Cupid's Almanac and Guide to Hearticulture for This Year and Next
“ To the lovers of Beauty no branch of science offers such varied delights as that of Hearticulture; at the same time no pursuit is so full of disappointments for the inexperienced and pitfalls for the unwary. It is the study of a lifetime; no one can say he is a master of Hearticulture. ”
John Cecil Clay, Cupid's Almanac and Guide to Hearticulture for This Year and Next
“ There is another variety of the Valentine Plant, much dreaded by Hearticulturists, and unfortunately only too common, known as Valentina Vulgaria. In well-kept gardens it is regarded as a weed and destroyed whenever it appears. The flower is gaudy in color and emits a most offensive odor. A powerful irritant to all the senses, it is to some people quite poisonous, though rarely fatal in its effects. ”
John Cecil Clay, Cupid's Almanac and Guide to Hearticulture for This Year and Next
“ A great deal of time and money have been spent in perfecting this plant and many a sleepless night in raising it. Grows very large in pots, but the blossoms are sometimes slow in opening—sometimes opened by hand—not advisable, however, unless one has a very sure hand—otherwise it is apt to prove an expensive experiment. Grows in great variety. In fact, it is seldom a grower can produce three alike, and if an enthusiast can show four of a kind it is something to be remembered—sometimes with sorrow. ”
