MANAGEMENT OF HOUSE PLANTS 47 
can see what the result must be. Syringing, men- 
tioned above, will help. They should also be wiped 
clean with a soft dry cloth, especially such plants 
as palms, rubbers, Rex begonias. Do not use olive 
oil or any other sticky substance on the cloth. AIl- 
ways remove at once any broken, dead or diseased 
leaf or flower. Do not let flowering plants go to 
seed: nothing else will so quickly bring the bloom- 
ing period to a close. 
Do not try to force your plants into continuous 
growth. Almost without exception they demand 
a period of rest, and if you do not allow them to 
take it when nature suggests, they will take it 
themselves when you do not want them to. The 
natural rest period is during the winter. During 
this time a very little water will do and no repotting 
or manuring should be attempted. 
It is, however, desirable in some cases, as with 
many of the flowering plants, to change the season 
bloom, as we want their beauty during the winter. 
In such cases they should be made to rest during 
the summer, by withholding water and keeping 
them disbudded. 
Many beginners get the idea that as soon as any 
plant has filled its pot with roots it must be im- 
mediately shifted to a larger one. While this is as 
a rule true with small plants, being grown on, it is 
not at all true of mature plants, especially those 
wanted to bloom in the house. When a shift has 
