DECORATIVE 



in a word, they were still ornamental. But I 

 would not have the reader get the idea from 

 what I have said that the Aspidistra is a plant 

 that does not appreciate good treatment. The 

 better you care for it, the more satisfactory it 

 will be. It pays to be kind to it. Give it a 

 rich soil, a regular supply of water, and fairly 

 good light, and it will produce a great quantity 

 of rich, luxuriant foliage of glossy, dark green 

 if you have the plain-leaved kind, or green 

 beautifully striped with white and yellow if 

 you have the variety sold under the name of 

 A. lurida variegata. This foliage is sent up 

 directly from the soil. The plant has no 

 branches, therefore does not attain a height of 

 more than two feet and a half under favorable 

 conditions. Its foliage resembles that of the 

 Convallaria, or Lily of the Valley, in shape, 

 but is several times larger. A strong plant 

 will often have fifty leaves. If an old plant 

 fills its pot with roots and you do not care to 

 give it a larger one, you can keep it in fine con- 

 dition for an indefinite period by an occasional 

 application of bonemeal or some good liquid 

 food. Should you care to increase your stock 

 of plants, turn the old one out of its pot and 

 break it apart in such a manner that each bit 



242 



