SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 375 



that they may have ample time to become accustomed to their new 

 situation before a fire is necessary. When that time arrives, some 

 way must be contrived to moisten the air — a vessel of water on the 

 stove or tank in the furnace chamber — and, of course, there must 

 not be -too great variation of temperature, that of night should be 

 several degrees lower than in daytime. If the number of plants is 

 small, and there are strong arms to carry them to the kitchen or 

 wash-room for a weekly shower bath, this will guard against choking 

 the pores with dust and keep them clean and healthy. Where this 

 is not practical — and even flowers are not worth the over-taxing a 

 woman's strength — I have found that a spray from an aton)izer, or 

 even sprinkling with a little whisk-broom dipped in water at night, 

 answers every purpose. Nature moistens her plants with dew at 

 night-fall, not when the sun is shining. 



I have also found this nightly sprinkling one of the best pre- 

 ventatives of insects. Usually if the air is damp and only moder- 

 ately heated, the green fly will abound — disagreeable as he is, he in- 

 dicates a good growing condition — while the red spider can not abide 

 water. On the contrary, if the air is hot and dry, red spiders will 

 thrive and green flies languish, only another case of Scylla and 

 Charybdis which each one must steer between as skillfully as pos- 

 sible. Insect powder gives the easiest solution that I know of to this 

 question, it may be blown upon the plants with bellows or atomizer, 

 or, better still, burned, if the odor is not too objectionable; it is not 

 nearly so disagreeable as tobacco smoke. 



For the watering of house plants no rules can be given, except 

 that they must be watered when they need it, and not of tener. This 

 depends upon variety of plant, size of pot, atmosphere, etc. One 

 soon learns to know by lifting the pots if the earth is dry or soaked. 

 Always use warm water; it may safely l)e applied quite hot in cold 

 weather. Soil; this is also a matter which requires judgment to de- 

 cide in individual cases; common prairie soil made light with sand, 

 and perhaps slightly enriched, will answer for many plants. W^here 

 foliage and vigorous growth are desired, large pots and rich soil are 

 necessary, but just as graces of character are sometimes developed 

 by adversity, so some plants bloom all the better for a little starving; 

 still, weather-starving nor adversity must continue too long, or 

 flowers, as well as graces, will l)e ''few and far between." Fuschias 

 require a very rich soil. Begonias rejoice in leaf mold or decayed 

 wood. Cactuses like a sandy soil. Helitropes will accommodate 

 themselves to almost an}" soil, if })runed often enough. 



Plants should be repotted whenever the rootlets that reach the 

 pot turn dry and brown, though this may be delayed a long time by 

 the use of liquid stimulants, such as ammonia, copperas, barn-yard 

 fertilizers dissolved in water. A top-dressing of soot often acts like 

 a charm; powdered charcoal mixed with the earth often suits some 

 plants, and lime-water has a tendency to destroy earth worms that 

 may have found their way among the roots. 



