STATE MOUTICULTUKAL SOCIKTV. 89 



Those who can noi conveniently have flowers in their yards in sum- 

 mer, may derive much enjoyment from a stand of pot plants. It is much 

 the best plan to have the pots set in boxes of sand, the sand to be kept 

 slightly damp, thus preserving a more even moisture. The plants should 

 be shaded from the sun a portion of the day. Few pot plants can endure 

 the full force of the sun between the hours of lo A. M. and 3 P. M. ; 

 being limited in soil they must be limited in heat. Plants grown for 

 summer blooming require more pot room than those grown in the house, 

 out-door culture giving them greater vigor. 



Formerly it was quite common at some parts of the South, in rural 

 homes, to see boxes filled with soil fastened to the outside of the houses, 

 directly under the windows, having a variety of plants growing in them 

 and vines trailing over their edges. Such box gardens are pretty from 

 within and without the dwelling, and would afford a delightful recreation 

 to those who from any cause are confined to the house. Of course, 

 where outside shutters are used, these gardens are inadmissible, and to 

 have them flourish luxuriantly, the proper conditions of sun and light 

 must be secured. 



Thirty years ago window gardening was not so extensively followed 

 as at present. Those who were successful in this art were supposed to 

 possess some peculiar knack or charm for making plants grow not attain- 

 able by all. This idea is not quite dead yet. We forget that floricultur- 

 ists, unlike poets, are made as well as born. Any one can grow plants 

 successfully who will give sufficient attention to their habits. 



The preparations for pot plants for winter should be commenced in 

 mid-summer. 



For soil the old formula is perhaps as good as any, viz. : equal parts 

 of rotted manure, leaf mold, garden soil and sand. These should be 

 heaped together and worked over every two or three weeks, till the whole 

 becomes thoroughly mixed, fine and mellow. Before using this prepared 

 soil, it should be dampened slightly and baked in an oven, till sufficiently 

 heated to destroy animal life, thus avoiding much trouble from the vari- 

 ous plant pests. The baking is not a difficult process. Take an old pan 

 or box, fill with the soil, place in the cook stove oven when other baking 

 is not in process ; have the oven hot enough to brown flour, then from 

 thirty to sixty minutes — according to the amount of soil — will be suffi- 

 cient to cremate the most incorrigible insects and their germs. 



A delightful part of the work is the raising of plants from cuttings. 

 There is a pleasant sense of complete ownership and knowledge of pedigree 

 attached to the plants developed by one's self. It is doubtful if there is 

 anything that will take one back more completely to childhood days than 

 the care of a box of cuttings. There is the same temptation to pull up 

 the slips too see if the callous has begun to form, that there was to pull 

 up the peas and beans in that little corner patch to .see if they were 

 growing. This practice is not of any particular benefit to the growth of 

 the plant, but there is a great deal of satisfaction in it. 



The process of raising cuttings is simple, and, if done is August, 

 expeditious. Take a box about six inches in depth, fill one-third with 



