38 WINDOW GARDENING. 



thereby imitating nature, as she seldom washes her vegetation with the sun 

 shining upon it. 



A pail of warm water can be brought into the parlor, and each plant thoroughly- 

 wetted in it, the surface of each leaf well moistened, without making any dis- 

 turbance with the arrangement of the room. 



Plants perspire like human beings, only the amount is seventeen times as great, 

 according to Mr. Hale's computation. 



In the Hydrangea, the minute orifices in the space of an inch, are found to be 

 one hundred thousand. 



Protection from Frost. 



During the winter our tender plants are liable to become frost-bitten in spite of 

 every precaution we may take in their behalf. When the mercury out of doors 

 settles to 25'^ and 30°, some little branches and leaves will droop, and the soil in 

 some pots may become solid in doors. 



If this happens, all is not lost. Take the blighted plants tenderly, and dip 

 them into cold water, not icy cold, but drawn from hydrant or cistern; then place 

 them in complete darkness where not a ray of light can penetrate, and in three 

 days at the utmost, you will find them fresh as ever, every leaf upright and 

 green, while if they had been left in the light, every leaf would have fallen. Sev- 

 eral times we have had this experience with our plants and have always revived 

 them. 



If the pots are set back at night from the windows on a piano or table, they 

 will often escape freezing. 



If a window opens on to a piazza, the plants can be protected by pinning a 

 thick comforter outside of the window, or tucking it into the blinds. 



Double windows are highly essential in a cold climate to keep off the intense 

 cold, but they should always have an opening, a pane of glass with a hinge, or some 

 means by which the room can be aired daily ; the weekly cleaning is not often 

 enough to open the windows. 



Do not forget to shade them from too much light and heat in the early part of 

 the evening. 



The great secret of success in window gardening, consists in overcoming as 

 much as possible the disadvantages under which the, plants labor, and rendering 

 their position and treatment as much as possible like those growing in the open 

 air. 



Spring Culture of Window Gardens. 



March is the first month that treads upon the flowery border of spring ; it 

 is the beginning of the sunny season which shall awake the sleeping bulbs, 

 plants, shrubs, and indeed all vegetation. 



March, April, May and June, are very busy months, for in them we make 

 large additions to our collections of plants by propagating new varieties, both by 

 seeds and cuttings. 



