WINDOW PLANTS 159 



water and a sponge will go a long way in 

 maintaining the leaves in a bright and healthy 

 condition, while uniformity of dampness in 

 the soil must ever be retained. When water 

 is required it is a good plan to place the 

 pot in a pail of rain-water for not less than, 

 say, ten minutes, by which means the ball of 

 soil gets evenly and thoroughly moistened. 

 In times of extreme cold an essential condi- 

 tion will be that the plants be comparatively 

 dry at the root indeed, from about Novem- 

 ber to March this is a point that should re- 

 ceive careful attention. Of course, when 

 growing in a dry heated room more water 

 will be required, but when a fire is only 

 occasionally lit and there is no gas, such 

 plants as the Aspidistra, Kentia, and Ferns 

 would not require water oftener than every 

 ten days. 



