28 ANNUAL REPORT 



dear Lord uses notlung hut pure water for Ids immense Hower garden; are we not 

 perfectly safe in following His example? 



During the winter, water youi- plants in tiie morning and only when they need it. 

 Sprinkle thoroughly once a month, not oftener, unless your plants are infested 

 with insects, which through the winter are sometimes very troublesome upon cer- 

 tain kinds of plants. Avoid keeping roses or (tarnations unless you have plenty of 

 sun and intend devoting a great deal of time to their care. 



Do not keep more plants than you have room for. They hate being crowded. 

 Always give them a chance to reach out their arms and stretch. Give them all the 

 light your windows afford. Notiiing makes tliem more angry and disgusted than 

 a pair of lace curtains; the fact that they are real lace makes no difference in their 

 opinion. Tliey are great sun worshippers, and the}^ want nothing hung l)etween 

 them and the god they worship In my opinion, a window full of l)looming plants 

 far exceeds in beautj' of coloring, fineness of texture and graceful draping any cur- 

 tain ever yet manufactured. 



Every person desirous of cultivating plants extensively ought to have a room 

 built expressly for their use through the winter. I had long desired such a room 

 but was unal)le to convince the master of the house that he had anj' money to in- 

 vest so unprofitably, until about a year ago, (he happening to be in a very pleasant 

 frame of mind) suddenly surprised me by remarking: "I tell you what; I will 

 build you a conservatory if you will let me use it as a smoking room." Wasn't I 

 happy? Didn't I put on my sweetest smile, while I hastened to assure him that 

 nothing could give me greater pleasure than to see him smoking there? Of course 

 I did. Trust a woman for that 



In a few days a carpenter made his appearance, with whom I immediately made 

 friends, and together we built a room nine feet by fifteen, laid a double floor with 

 heavy paper between, tightly sided and papered upon the outside, filled between 

 the joist with sawdust and sealed up inside with narrow boards painted a very 

 light drab, we having, as you will readily perceive, only one end in view, that of 

 warmth. It has a western exposure and three large windows. A seven foot slid- 

 ing-door connects it with the adjoining room. I had two tables made nearly as 

 long as the rooms, one two feet higher than the other. Upon these I arranged my 

 plants in an inclined plane towards the windows. By such an arrangement all 

 have nearly an equal amount of light, and none are brought very near the glass. 

 It is not advisable for plants to stand so near the window that any p.irt of their 

 foliage rests upon the glass. At midday they are frequently too warm and at mid- 

 night always too cold, and these extremes alone kill many rare and valuable plants 

 through our long winters, which under the best of circumstances proves very try- 

 ing to the delicately constituted plant. The first Sabbath morning after I had my 

 plants all arranged to my entire satisfaction, the "master of the house" might be 

 seen approaching the door of what he was pleased to call his smoking room — a 

 peaceful look upon his face, a cigar in his mouth, and dragging behind him a 

 monstrous chair. He drew near; he looked around— a change for the worse crept 

 over his face; he whirls around and remarks (in a much louder tone than was 

 necessary) to a delicate little woman standing not far away: "I should like to; 

 have you show me where I am going to sit down in this room." She, knowing 

 that "a soft answer turneth away wrath," meekly replies: "Why, my dear, you 



