MONTHLY CALENDAR. i'Z'J 



upon bones is well known ; and when fire is used to break down or soften 

 woody fibre, it should be applied so as to char, and not to bum. Charring: 

 is effected by covering the heap of wood to be operated upon with turf or 

 earth, so as almost entirely to exclude the air, and thus insure slow combustion. 

 Almost any vegetable refuse, including roots of weeds, can be charred ; and this 

 charcoal, saturated with urine, is one of the best fertilizers. It may be use- 

 fully drilled in with seeds, in a dry state. The scourings of ditches, scrapings 

 of roads, decayed short grass and weeds, half-rotten leaves, soot, and every 

 bit of solid manure that can be got, should be collected and thoroughly mixed 

 together. The excrements of most animals are too I'ank and strong for flower- 

 garden purposes, api:)lied in a pure state ; by mixing as I have indicated, tho 

 bulk of the manure will be quadrupled, it will be sooner available, and muc 

 more valuable. 



§ 9. — Window-Gardexing. 



12S3. A beautiful effect may be produced with plants, the beauty of which is 

 in the foliage. Caladiums are almost too tender for window- culture, but 

 several kinds of begonias will not only stand the air of a room, but thrive in 

 it. There are also plants hardier still, — Farfugium grande, for instance, which 

 produces a grand effect : it is closely allied to the Tussilago, or coltsfoot 

 family, and is vei-y easily cultivated. Then, again, there is Cineraria mari- 

 tima, with its white silvery foliage ; also Centaurea zymnocarpa and ragusina, 

 of similar habit ; Acacia lapantha. Fuchsia spectabilis, and other plants of 

 ornamental foliage, all of which have peculiar characteristics, many of them 

 admirably adapted to window decoration. I have known a plant of Ficus 

 elastica ke^^t for a dozen years in a window, maintaining a lively foliage and 

 vigorous habit the whole time. This, and similar plants with shiny leaves, 

 have this recommendation, that when the leaves get dusty they are easily 

 cleaned with a dry sponge ; or they may be stood outside and syringed ; or 

 a shower from the rose of a watering-pot will soon clean them. There are 

 several ferns of a like character ; as Asplenium falcatum, A. lucidum, — Scolo- 

 pendriums or Acrosticums. Ferns afford an endless variety of subjects for 

 window- culture, and the fact of their connection with the origin of the 

 Wardian case gives sufficient evidence of their adaiDtability for the purpose ; 

 but with moderate care they may be cultivated successfully without any such 

 inclosure : the main point is a selection of such as best repay the attention. 

 Many of the British ferns are easily cultivated, but the larger kinds are mostly 

 deciduous, or die down in the winter ; and many of the smaller ones are of a 

 delicate nature, although they are often cultivated successfully. The sus- 

 pended basket is, I believe the best method of displaying them. The 

 following are trailing and suited for the purpose : — Nothol?eliana tenera, 

 Davallia pentaphylla, Fadiginia prolifera, Adiantum caudatum. 



1284. Baskets are sometimes managed in the same way as vases, and even 

 troughs. The plants are grown in ordinary flowerpots, plunged in moss, placed 



