begonias, carnations and roses fail almost entirely, when potted, from this source. Photo 

 161 gives you a view of a rubber plant, grown in about sixteen weeks, by Mrs. F. H. Clark, 

 of Cleveland, O. It has been kept in the jardiniere which you see by the side of the plant. 

 The millions of plants that have been destroyed from this source certainly ought to be 

 enough to lead amateurs to pause, think, and adapt themselves to conditions that will 

 result in success. The small hanging basket is a failure from the same cause as the 

 aforementioned pot plants. Plants in small vases amount to nothing for the same rea- 

 son. You can procure the finest results by sawing a common barrel in two and nailing 

 sticks on outside for ornamentation, and using this for a lawn vase. Two or three bush- 

 els of soil can be put into such a receptacle, and vines, coleus, geraniums, feverfews, 

 lantanas and such like will make the rankest kind of growth in them. Therefore, if you 

 are going to have a hanging basket or vase, be sure you get large ones ; for, having such 

 an abundance of earth, they retain the moisture and make a luxuriant growth. 



The jardinieres of to-day are very handsome and, though they seem high-priced, by 

 all means procure them, even if you do with less plants. Small boxes or anything else 

 in which to plunge the flower-pot will answer the same purpose as the handsomer jardi- 

 niere. A neat window box, eight inches deep and one foot wide, with plants set in it and 

 spaces filled in with moss, will answer all the purposes of the jardiniere. 



If you purchase a plant in a small pot, turn it upside down, tap the edge on some- 

 thing hard, and the ball of earth will come out of the pot. Examine rootlets ; if they 

 appear brown and dried, it indicates that it is getting pot-bound and should have been 

 shifted into a larger crock before. Shift at once into a four- or five-inch pot, in six or 

 eight weeks into a six-inch. Common pot plants should be shifted at least three times 

 in the growing season. The florists' rule is: "Never let a plant get pot-bound, but 

 maintain ' working roots,' " i. e., those that have a whitish look. When the roots begin 

 to turn brown, it indicates that they are being subjected to conditions that are unfavora- 

 ble ; that they have either been affected by too high or too low temperature, or that they 

 need more room. 



The one lesson that the United States must learn is to take care of the roots of their 

 trees, shrubs and plants. All the troubles that are classed as " blight " in trees, dried- 

 up farm crops and withered flowering plants are to be traced to root failure. This is 

 one of the points that we have endeavored so much to impress on the reader of this 

 work. People must learn it and apply the remedy or continue to fail. Nature will not 

 turn aside to make amends for anyone's lack of knowledge or neglect. Remember, 

 then, the two points of danger, namely : You can weaken the plant with loo much water 

 or not enough. In pot culture, you guard against too much by providing a good drain- 

 age. This you can do by placing a few bits of stone, broken crock or rough gravel in 

 the bottom of the flower-pot and, as just stated, you prevent the burning of the roots 

 by shading the crock in the box or jardiniere. There is no established rule for watering 

 potted plants further than this, namely; if it be in the winter months and the plant is nearly 

 dormant, it may not need watering once a week ; if it be the summer months and the 

 plant is growing rapidly, it may require watering twice a day or more. Never let the 

 earth get soggy or parched ; keep nicely moistened. Your success with pot plants will 

 be measured not so much by what you know about them as by how much you watch them, 

 and thereby prevent root injury. 



Worms and other insects that injure roots of potted plants can be destroyed by 

 tobacco water. Tobacco stems can be procured from cigarmakers, or cigars, smoking or 

 chewing tobacco might be soaked to a consistency of strong tea. Tobacco water is not 

 only destructive to vermin, but is a good fertilizer. Syringe the plants with tobacco 

 water to kill lice, green fly and such pests. If you cannot dislodge the green fly by 

 spraying, put plant into a dry goods box and cover with carpet or some other material. 

 Put in a tin pan with ashes in the bottom and live coals on top, on which you place 

 tobacco stems. Don't overdose at first, for the heliotrope and some other plants are 

 easily injured by tobacco smoke. Remember, it is much easier to keep the vermin off 



