CHAPTER IV 



WINDOW BOXES 



Boxes that can be placed on the inside window sill 

 during the winter and moved to the projecting ledge 

 outside in the summer are convenient for teaching 

 pupils how to use and appreciate the value of window 

 boxes, as well as porch boxes, which are becoming very 

 popular in many cities, where they frequently provide 

 the only opportunity for cultivating house plants in 

 the open air. 



The box should be made from wood and should be 

 seven inches deep and eight or ten inches wide. The 

 length may be made to fit the width of the window. 

 Six or eight inch holes should be bored in the bottom 

 of the box for drainage. 



A zinc tray one inch deep and an inch wider and 

 longer than the box must be made, to receive the drain- 

 age. This should be used outside as well as in the room, 

 for drainage from plants will leave streaks on the wall if 

 permitted to run down on the outside. The box should 

 be raised a fourth of an inch from the bottom of the 

 tray to allow space for water below. 



A compost consisting of one third garden soil or 

 fibrous loam, one third well-rotted barnyard manure, 

 and one third sand, sifted through a quarter-inch screen, 



28 



