THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fig. 1312.— draining a flowerpot. Fig. 1313. — feeding plant between re-potting. 



palms, especially Latania Borbonica, 

 nephrolepis, pteris and lomaria ferns, 

 lycopodium. Wandering Jew in several 

 varieties, sedum, money-vine, etc. 



One thing must not be lost sight of 

 in finding a place for the plant-stand, 

 namely, that the place of best light, 

 that is, near the glass, also is the coldest 

 place in a room. For this reason one 

 must especially guard against frost bites 

 in the winter. A movable plant-stand, 

 mounted on rollers after the plan of 

 Fig. 131 1 is very useful for promoting 

 health and bloom in window plants. It 

 should be built so that the lower shelf 

 comes, in the day time, close to the 

 window sash as here shown. Then at 

 night when no light is needed, the 

 stand can be rolled back into the room 

 where it is warmer. As such a stand 



Fig. 1314. — tapping a plant out of a pot. 



can be moved up to any window, in 

 some cases the plants could, part of the 

 time, be kept at a south window, and 

 at other times at one less favorable for 



light, but perhaps more favorable as re- 

 gards heat. 



Undoubtedly the best place for house 

 plants as regards heat is to have them 

 in a room adjoining the one where the 

 stove stands, and with the rooms con- 

 nected with open doors, so that the 

 warmth will be sufficiently diffused. 



The average collection gets along best 

 where there is a night temperature of 

 from forty-five to sixty degrees at the 

 plant-stand. In the day time the place 

 may well be ten or fifteen degrees 

 warmer. 



A fertile soil is an important point in 

 house plant culture. It may be called 

 the food question,, and florists will tell 

 you that in order to have fine plants 

 they must receive good food. The best 

 soil is one that is especially prepared 

 some months before it is used. It con- 

 sists of two parts of thin sods from a 

 meadow, chopped up fine, and mixed 

 with one half the amount of old rotten 

 cow dung. Such soil can usually be 

 bought of the florists for a small price. 

 Insist on getting the best when you buy. 



As a pot plant grows, the common 

 way of adding to its food is by re- 

 potting into a larger sized pot. How 

 shall we know when it needs repotting ? 

 Tap it out of the pot, and if the outside 

 of the ball of earth is pretty well covered 

 with white roots, over about one-fourth 

 or one-third the surface, shift into a pot 

 16 



