GARDENING IN THE WINDOW. 



about two sizes larger. How to remove 

 a plant from the pot is shown in Fig. 

 1 3 14. Press one hand firmly against the 

 soil, tap the edge of the inverted pot 

 sharply on some hard surface and out 

 the plant slides. In repotting, place 

 drainage material and soil (see Fig. 131 2) 

 in the largei pot, in which set the ball 

 and fill soil into the space around the 

 ball, firming it quite compactly, with 

 the fingers or with a stick. 



How to feed plants between repot- 

 ting is shown in Fig. 1313 It is done by 

 removing the soil about an inch at (a) 

 and applying a thin layer (Jb) of bone 

 meal or other concentrated plant food 

 or of animal manure, afterward return- 

 ing the soil at first removed. 



A plant may be well fed and yet in- 

 jured by drought. The air of our rooms 

 is dry, almost desert -like ; that is why 

 such desert plants as the cactuses suc- 

 ceed so well here. One reason why 

 plants in the kitchen usually look so 

 well is because of the greater amount of 

 moisture contained in the atmosphere. 



Sometimes plants are overwatered ; 

 many tiny things are killed in this way. 

 Still in a well drained pot like that of 

 Fig 1 3 1 2 such a thing can hardly happen. 

 At the bottom there is a layer of pots- 

 herds, the coarser ones carefully laid to 

 overlap somewhat, finishing with the finer 

 bits at the top. On the potsherds is 

 placed a layer of sphagnum or fine hay 

 to keep the soil from passing into and 

 clogging the drainage below. In all 

 plant-potiing operations, the work should 

 be finished to have an inch of space 

 below the top of the pot in which to re- 

 ceive water. 



A dirty plant or a dirty pot is dis- 

 creditable to any plant grower. A bath 

 tub should therefore be a part of the 

 plant grower's equipment. Any small 

 tub, with an inclining draining board as 

 shown in Fig. 131 5 answers the purpose. 



Fig. 1315— THk plant bath tub. 



The dry plants may be stood in the tub 

 until the ball is thoroughly soaked. 

 Sometimes pot plants seem to be well- 

 watered when it is only the surface that 

 is wet, and perhaps the centre is dust 

 dry. Plants in rapid growth need much 

 water. So usually do blooming plants. 



To bathe a pot plant incline it on the 

 draining board, and with water in the 

 tub, wash all parts well with a sponge. 

 The task is more delightful as plant 

 after plant comes from the water clean 

 and beautiful. 



Insects usually show up first on the 

 weaker subjects, a hint that the way to 

 keep ahead of vermin is to keep the 

 plants healthy by good attention. Take 

 that common pest, the green louse, — it is 

 seldom seen on well plants that receive a 

 weekly sponge bath ; it is about the same 

 as regards scale and the mealy bug. 

 That other destructive pest, the minute 

 red spider, which looks like a speck of 

 cayenne pepper, succumbs likewise to 

 washing and other good care. 



If one must resort to remedies in any 

 case, by washing plants in an infusion of 

 tobacco and water having the color of 

 tea, plant lice will be killed ; while scale 

 and other insects yield readily if washed 



17 



