1816.'' 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



103 



'KEEN mOUSE AND IfioUSE ^ARDENING. 



5^:i3'-a^ 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



In this part of the world wmdow plants are not 

 given their summer airing until May, but every 

 opportunity is taken to let them have all the 

 open air possible, by opening windows and 

 sashes wherever practicable. People often com- 

 plain that i3lants from greenhouses are too tender 

 to stand the open sun, but it is only because they 

 have been too much confined. If any plants grow- 

 ing in pots are yellow, or in anyway sickly, it is as 

 well to prune them severely and i:)lant for a year 

 in the open ground. If they have insects on them 

 these should be cleaned off before planting out, 

 or they will increase under our dry summer sun. 

 The red spider is best treated to a syringing of warm 

 soap suds, and then to be dusted Avith sulphur; 

 and the scale insects should have a painting with 

 whale oil soap, and some say linseed oil. Many 

 plants will have to be kept in pots all summer, 

 and these are best set in partial shade. There 

 are few more desirable room plants than the 

 Ivy and Pei'iwinkle in tlieir numerous varieties. 

 These should be potted now, and grown all sum- 

 mer. There are many things nearly, or quite 

 hardy, that are not often kept in i:)ots, but which 

 would make good things for ]?oom culture, and 

 these should be potted now. Of these we may 

 name Cotoneasters, Mahonias, Berberis, Euony- 

 mus. These are very easily managed, and it 

 seems to us that for those who have had little 

 experience in plant growing, or whose conve- 

 niences are limited, it is just as feasible to have 

 beautiful tilings easy to grow, as beautiful things 

 that are difficult. 



During the summer one may have rooms pre- 

 pared for winter window-plants, and much may 

 be done by arranging shutters so as to make 

 double windows, to keep out the cold. In this 

 connection read the following good hints from 

 the Builder: 



"Nothing is more effective to keep out 

 cold than double windows ; the layer of air be- 

 tween two panes of glass is a good non-conductor 

 of heat, and can only transmit it from'the inside 

 outward by convection, that is, by a circulation 



of the inclosed air, which will descend along the 

 outer cold window pane and ascend along the in- 

 ner warm pane. The radiated heat, which, at tem- 

 peratures below 100° Fah., is very weak through 

 glass, is of course smaller still through double 

 glass ; then the inconvenience of glass becoming 

 covered with frost during cold weather, is done 

 away with, if the inclosed air is drJ^ 



"Some time ago we communicated a sugges- 

 tion, made by some builder, to insert two panes 

 of glass, one on the outside and one on the inside 

 of the same frame, having rabbets on both sides ; 

 this may do for economy, but is subject to the 

 objection that the inside cannot be cleaned with- 

 out taking the glass out, and the fact is that in 

 the course of time it will in some way or other 

 get into such a condition as to need cleaning ; 

 then, when the glasses are so close together, the 

 l^rotection against the outer cold is less effective 

 than if a greater mass of air is included. 



"In very cold countries, like Russia, Sweden, or 

 Canada, the need of such protection is more felt 

 than with us ; but even here it is often adopted 

 in exposed localities, when the parties can afford 

 the luxury. Thus all the houses on Brooklyn 

 Hights, enjoying the magnificent view of New 

 York harbor, and those on Washington Hights, 

 enjoying the view of the Hudson river and the 

 Palisades, are fully exposed to the strong and 

 cold blasts of the northwest winter winds, and 

 are all provided at the west and north sides with 

 double windows, the absolute necessity of which 

 has become more and more evident for the com- 

 fort of the inmates. Such a double window may 

 serve another purpose, and be used as a little 

 greenhouse ; when exposed to the sun, the solar 

 heat is stored up in them, and in France some 

 parties groAV different plants and even grapes in 

 them in winter." 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



ORANGE AND LEMON TREES AND GERANIUMS. 



BY ^^^LLIAM Sutherland, Philadelphia. 

 A lady, writing from Maryland, says that laat 

 spring a year ago I proposed in the Monthly to 



