76 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896. 
to insult me, saying he would not fulfill 
his engagement, and that all strangers 
come only to his country to exhaust it, 
and to deceive them, etc. To avoid a 
quarrel, and concluding that for this 
day there is nothing to expect, I return 
to the town. When intoxicated, people 
often show their true sentiments, and 
in such a condition we learn, alas ! that 
we strangers are only tolerated, and 
that their kindness is only simulated. 
The next day Mr. M. comes to town 
and asks me to excuse his having of- 
fended me, and invites me to come on 
the following day, when he would pre- 
pare everything necessary, to fell the 
trees, etc. This day I could begin my 
work, collecting on two trees about the 
contents of half a box of plants, which 
I transport to the house. The next day 
heavy rain prevents me from doing 
anything ; only after seven days is the 
quantity of plants I want brought to- 
gether, and I am fortunate the next 
day to find the necessary mules for 
their transport. The plants are packed 
with leaves of bananas and moss in 
nets, similar to fishing nets; this is a 
day’s work, and afterwards they are 
loaded on the mules, which bring them 
home in three days. Immediately after 
arrival they are discharged and spread 
out on the floor of my house, whilst I 
go with fresh linen to the bath house, 
to clean myself of the different insects 
wherewith clothes and body are covered. 
— Gardener’s Chronicle. 
MOIST AIR FOR HOUSE 
PLANTS. 
Every florist and plant-grower will 
answer the oft-repeated question ‘‘How 
canImake my winter plants flourish?” by 
saying ‘‘ You must keep the air moist.” 
How to do this is, however, to many, 
a troublesome and unsolved problem. 
We have found by experience that the 
simplest solution to the problem is the 
use of a common whisk broom. Take 
a pail of tepid water every evening ; 
dip your broom in it and whisk it over 
the plants tilleverything is moist. Your 
plants will enjoy this bath and the in- 
sects will not. Insects dislike nothing 
so much as abundant dampness. The 
most troublesome enemy of all—the red 
spider—will soon leave for dryer quart- 
ers, ‘‘ But,” says some neat housekeeper, 
**T shall spoil my carpet if I keep up 
such a daily showering.” So you will 
if you do not protect it, but with a good 
sized piece of oilcloth under your plant- 
stand, as there always should be, you 
may spatter away as much as you like. 
There are a number of mechanical 
contrivances for showering plants, but 
all are more or less expensive. The 
brass garden syringes are always good. 
The ladies’ size, with three sizes in 
sprinklers, is a very handy thing to 
have. But its price ($5.00) would 
keep a great many from purchasing. 
The cheapest thing, and one of the best 
for the purpose that we have seen, is 
the Elastic Plant Sprinkler. It is a 
rubber bottle, holding about a quart, 
and having a finely perforated cap of 
brass. Collapse and then throw this 
bottle into a pail of water and it will 
fill itself instantly. Then by squeezing 
it in the hand a fine spray is thrown on 
any part of the plant to which it is di- 
rected. This simple contrivance we 
can send by mail for $1.00 or a smaller 
size for 60 cents. 
o_O 
The dwarf -flowering cannas make 
very nice window plants. ‘The Star of 
1891 and 1892 are excellent for this 
purpose. ‘Try it. 
