6o HOUSE PLANTS 



is about three inches higher than the front, 

 in order to get the best distribution of Hght. 

 Fill it to the depth of three inches with 

 coarse sand. 



"This is the upper box, and should be 

 covered with a pane of glass. If these 

 boxes fit tightly upon one another so no 

 heat can escape, and if the jugs and pan are 

 filled with hot water, a temperature of 80 

 degrees can be maintained all day by filling 

 the jugs two or three times. Keep a small 

 thermometer plunged in the sand, and for 

 a few days before putting in your cuttings 

 experiment to ascertain under just what con- 

 ditions the heater will do the most satis- 

 factory work. 



" I filled the box with cuttings from rubber 

 plants, plunging them in the sand without 

 other preparation than cutting them with a 

 sharp knife, leaving the surface clean and 

 smooth. I did not lose one of the lot. Rub- 

 ber plants grow so tall after a few years that 

 one feels impelled to shorten them. This can 

 easily be accomplished by cutting off the top 

 and rooting it. Young plants may also be 

 started from each joint of the old stem, thus 

 from one old plant which has outgrown its 



