42 PLANTS SUITABLE FOR ROOM CULTURE. [Nov. 



health. But the plants in question may have been actually killed 

 with kindness. 



WATEKIXG. 



One is often asked, " How often sliould I water so and so ? " 

 naming some favourite plant, as if there were a fixed time for this 

 operation. I am convinced it is from some notion of this kind that 

 so many failures arise. They say to themselves, " Well, I am not 

 quite sure if my plant needs water yet or not ; but to make certain, 

 I'll just give a little drop." And there is exactly where the danger 

 lies. These constant " wee drops " are the ruin of more lives than 

 those of plants, I am afraid. If water is needed at all, give it in 

 abundance ; if it is not needed, better give none. As the subject is 

 of some importance, a few hints regarding it may not be out of 

 place. But after all, experience is the only safe guide in the opera- 

 tion. When a plant is too dry, the roots, as a matter of course, cannot 

 attract sufficient moisture to counterbalance the evaporation wliich 

 takes place through the leaves, and it droops, or, as it is technically 

 termed, " flags." On the other hand, if a plant is watered too freely, 

 the soil around its roots becomes sodden and impervious to the air, 

 the leaves turn yellow, and the whole plant laecomes weakly and out 

 of health. Thus, an equable state of moisture is desirable. There ai'e 

 three Avays by which you nuiy know when your plants need water — 

 1st, by the general appearance of the soil, or feeling it with your 

 finger ; 2nd, by rapping the pot with your knuckles, tlie pot having 

 a sharp ringing sound when dry, and a dull heavy one when wet ; 

 and 3rd, by lifting the pots and testing their weight, wet soil being, 

 of course, much heavier tlian dry soil. By any of these means, 

 with practice and observation, you will soon learn the right system 

 to adopt. This matter of watering I have found to be a great 

 stumbling-block with many ; possildy because it is the one thing 

 oftenest requiring attention. 



FOLIAGE I'LANT.S 



have mostly leaves of a rather large size and more or less leathery 

 texture. Foremost stand out those princes of the vegetable 

 woi'ld, Palms. Of these I will merely mention six, although we 

 might almost extend the list to sixty. They are Corypha australis, 

 Chaman'ops Fortunei, and Livistona chinensis amongst fan-palms, i.e. 

 those having their leaves shaped somewhat like a fan ; and Seaforthia 

 elegans, Channedorea Hartwegii, and Cocos Weddelliana amongst 

 pinnate-leaved kinds, that is, those having longer leaves divided into 

 strips on each side. These palms are not very expensive to procure, 

 and will well repay any trouble taken with them. Anj'thing prettier 



