STATE HORTICULTl'RAL SOCIETY. 27 



poured iuLo theirs in so short a time, and rejoiciiiir to think at the close of this 

 readinj;- the centlcnian referred to will feel thai he, at least, has been sufRcientl}- 

 punished 



Plants, in many respects, are like children — they want food when hungry, drink 

 when thirsty, petting when sorry, and at all times the very hest of care; fading to 

 receive these attentions, like children, they beco;u > troublesome, like children they 

 get very dirly, and like children they die. Just here let me speak a word for my 

 favorites, who cannot speak for themselves. Ladies, do not be afraid of soiling 

 your hands; plants are very easily insulted; if they become impressed with the 

 idea that you dare not touch them without gloves on, they will immediately show 

 signs of disapproval and end by cutting your accpiaintance entirely. Again, is it 

 not .time and money thrown away for a person to devote the whole summer to the 

 culture of house-plants, and the first cold snap allow them to freeze to the ground, 

 or if not quite freeze to sleep so cold every night, they barely live and never bloom- 

 are perfectly ashamed of themselves, and a distress to every one who beholds them? 

 Why not— if a lover of flowers— cultivate annuals of which there are so many 

 ])eautiful and interesting varieties? 



If my house-plants failed to bloom freely for me during the winter, I should feel 

 that 1 had very little compensation for the care and trouble bestowed upon them. 

 I see no reason why any one should fail to cultivate plants who attend to their 

 various wants, for in these few words lie the secret of success: take care of them. 

 And now I propose to tell you, without doubt imperfectly, but I trust plainly, how 

 1 take care of mine. About the middle of May I remove my plants from the house 

 to the open air and immediately commence re-potting those I wish to retain in jars 

 and preparing cuttings of those I bed out. My bedding plants are not again taken 

 into the house. I either put them in the cellar or leave them to perish. The soil 

 for plants should be very carefully prepared. Ladies, for this purpose a man is 

 ab.solutely necessary, showing, vvithout doubt, the chief object of man's creation. 

 Have a bushel of earth brought from some corner of your grounds where slops are 

 never thrown; add to this altout two quarts of fine sand and a peck of fertilizing 

 material, that from a henery is best, rake all thoroughly together until not a lump 

 or pel)ble is to be found, then just as fast as you bed out your plants fill the empty 

 jars with earth and plant your cuttings for winter use; dampen with a sprinkler 

 and place them in a warm, shady spot until the leaves l)righten up, and remove to 

 where they will have the morning sun for three or four hours. More is not required 

 through our hot summers. Pinch all buds until about the middle of August, and 

 when, about the middle of September, it becomes necessary to remove your plants 

 indoors, you will find yourself the possessor of strong, well-rooted plants, ready 

 and willing, with proper care, to gladden your hearts with their lovely blo.ssoms, 

 all through the long, cold winter. Plants require to be watered nearly every day, 

 and many times twice a day, through the summer; the best time for doing this is 

 after sunset, always using soft, tepid water. Some ladies seem to think plants are 

 like camels, capable of taking an unlimited amount of water and retaining it until 

 convenient to water them again; others mix with the water, salt, ammonia, and 

 various other preparations, all of which are injurious, and just as long as practiced 

 the plants will present a slender stick-like appearance, which, however beautiful 

 it may be in the human form, is not desirable to the correct growth of plants. Our 



