WTNIRR WfNDOW GA RDEVIXG. 



85 



necessary for me to speak on this matter. 

 Suffice it to say that much can be done to 

 prevent the attacks of insect pests by en- 

 deavoring to give window plants as early 

 as possible the conditions I have mentioned, 

 as extremes of heat drought or moisture are 

 the main inducements for insects or disease 

 to attack plant life at any time. 



To succeed with a collection, or even a 

 few window plants, they must be closely 

 watched, always keeping in mind the old 

 adage, " that an ounce of prevention is bet- 

 ter than a pound of cure." 



To secure a bright, healthy looking win- 

 dow of plants during the winter, it is neces- 

 sary to commence preparations during the 

 preceding summer and autumn months. It 

 is useless and unnatural to expect plants 

 that have been doing duty as decorative 

 plants on the lawn or in the flower border all 

 the summer to continue in their brightness 

 and beauty in the winter as well. Plant life 

 of all kinds demands more or less of a rest- 

 ing period at some season of the year, no 

 matter whether they are plants from a tropi- 

 cal or a more temperate zone. The all en- 

 during geranium even will not meet the ex- 

 acting demands for continuous flowering 

 that is sometimes made on it by plant lovers. 

 If geraniums are wanted for the window in 

 winter and give good results, they must be 

 grown during the summer especially for that 

 purpose. By striking a few cuttings early 

 in the summer and growing them on in pots 

 out of doors, nice plants can be had by au- 

 tumn to take into the house. Or small 

 plants at planting out time in early June, 

 potted into six or seven inch pots, and the 

 pots plunged to the rim in the ground until 

 fall, will make nice plants for the window 

 in winter. The tips of the growth should 

 be pinched back until August, and all bloom 

 buds, as soon as they are seen, kept pinched 

 back until September. By plunging the 

 pots in the ground they require less water 



TO BE c 



and make better plants than if th^y are left 

 standing above the ground. 



Many so called "spring flowering" bulbs 

 make ideal pot plants for the window in win- 

 ter ; in fact, I know of no class of plants that 

 give such good results with so little skill and 

 care required to bring them to perfection. 

 The one great point to be gained to be thor- 

 oughly successful in growing these bulbs is 

 to secure a good root growth before top 

 growth commences. The only way to do 

 this is to give the bulbs, as nearly as possi- 

 ble, the same conditions for a time as they 

 receive when planted in the open ground. 



By potting a few of the various kinds of 

 bulbs suitable for pot culture, at intervals 

 from the end of August to early in Decem- 

 ber, and burying the pots in coal ashes, sand 

 or light soil a few inches deep, for a month 

 or six weeks or even longer, a good supply 

 of roots will be obtained, when the pots can 

 be brought in at intervals to the window as 

 required. When the bulbs are first planted 

 the soil should be thoroughly watered. If 

 well packed and covered with ashes, etc., as 

 before mentioned, they will require no more 

 water until they are brought out into the 

 window. After this the soil must never be 

 allowed to become quite dry in the pot. A 

 damp, cool place suits bulbs best to make 

 roots in. 



Roman hyacinths can be potted in Septem- 

 ber and plunged out of doors until October, 

 when they will be ready for bringing into 

 the window as required. There is no bulb 

 that will give more satisfaction than the 

 Roman hyacinth, the white variety being 

 preferable if treated as I have described, as 

 they give such a plentiful supply of their 

 sweet scented, waxy white flowers in return 

 for the small amount of care they require, 

 and besides they are not very particular 

 about the kind of soil they grow in, pro- 

 vided it is not of too heavy a nature. This 

 remark as regards soil will apply to almost 

 any kinds of bulbs used for pot culture. 



ONTINUED. 



