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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST, 



the housewife will be too generous in this 

 respect. It is difficult to give a definite rule. 

 Generally speaking, the earth in the pot 

 should be kept moist, not wet. If the room 

 is kept at high temperature, the plant will 

 require more water than in a cool place. 

 But winter should be a time of rest for the 

 plant, and therefore nourishment and water 

 should be given sparingly. 



Neither a palm, nor any other plant, 

 should ever be put in a glazed pot. If an 

 ornamental pot is desired the earthen pot 

 should be set inside. A porous pot absorbs 

 and evaporates the moisture, while in a 

 glazed pot the earth grows sour and unfit for 

 even very hardy plants. There should be a 

 hole in the bottom of the pot, over which a 

 stone, a bit of broken crockery, or something 

 similar should be laid. A few lumps of 

 common charcoal at the bottom of the pot 

 will prevent the roots from rotting, and 

 powdered charcoal mixed with the earth has 

 the same effect. The chunks localize the 

 effect, keeping the bottom from turning sour. 



Having temperature and moisture right, 

 the next enemy of the plant is parasites, 

 such as fungi and insects. Many little in- 

 sect pests affect the palm. Some of these 

 are destroyed by washing the leaves with a 

 sponge or a soft brush, using clean water 

 only. Those that cannot be destroyed in 

 this way, such as scales, can be quickly de- 

 spatched by tobacco juice diluted with water. 

 Any tobacco or cigar manufacturer will give 

 you all the ribs of tobacco leaves you want. 

 Put a handful of these in a quart of water 

 and boil. Wash the leaves with this, and if 

 you put in a little whale oil soap it will be 

 all the more effective. 



As to fertilizers, none should be used in 

 winter, as it stimulates the plant into an un- 

 healthy activity at a period when it should 

 be resting. If the palm begins to droop and 

 the normal bright green turns into a sickly 

 yellow it is probably because it has been 



kept too wet, or if the plant has been in the 

 the pot two or three years the soil in which 

 it grew has probably been exhausted. In 

 this case repotting is the only effective 

 remedy. Care should be taken, however, 

 not to transfer to too large a pot. Most 

 people think that the larger the pot the better 

 for the plant. But this is a great mistake. 

 If the pot is too large the plant has more 

 moisture and nourishment than it can absorb, 

 and the roots will rot. A pot an inch and a 

 half larger in diameter than the old one will 

 afford ample room. The second year a 

 portion of the earth in the top of the pot, 

 where it is free from roots, can be removed 

 and fresh put in, but the plant should not go 

 more than two years without repotting. 



These rules for palms apply equally to all 

 winter plants. You must adapt your plants 

 to the condition of your rooms. Tell the 

 florist what kind of heat and exposure you 

 have, and he can tell what kind of plants 

 will probably do best in your rooms. Some 

 of the hardiest and most satisfactory varie- 

 ties of palms are the Kentia, Latania, Areca, 

 Cocus, Corypha, Chamaerops, Dracaena, 

 and Pandanus. 



The cactus has been sadly neglected as a 

 house plant. There is no plant that re- 

 sponds more gratefully to a little kindness 

 and intelligent care. Its odd shape will 

 fully compensate for the little trouble the 

 plant causes. Frost and too much moisture 

 are fatal to the cactus family. 



The greenhouse favorites, violets, roses 

 and carnations, cannot be grown at home. 

 While the rose will sometimes develop the 

 buds upon it when purchased, it can rarely 

 be induced to blossom again. The azalea, 

 too, which when purchased, is loaded so 

 thickly with blossoms, if kept a year with all 

 care at home, will perhaps put out two or 

 three straggling flowers. But there are 

 plenty of fine house plants that are too little 

 known. — The Mail and Empire. 



