28 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



but twice, and may be more, and finally get 

 " potbound " and stop growing if the garden- 

 er does not see to it and shift them to a pot 

 one size larger. Now, putting them into a 

 great big pot, so you will not have to make 

 changes so often, does not answer ; that is, it 

 does not give any such results as frequent 

 shifting. I have tried a great many times in 

 my life to grow flowers, but did not succeed 

 very well. Some of my feminine friends have 

 a knack of making every thing grow they get 

 hold of. They will bring a dead plant to life. 

 But my luck has always been to reverse things, 

 and make a beautiful live plant ' ' go dead . " I 

 suspected all along it was because I did not 

 get in touch with the wants and needs of the 

 little beauties. When I say " little beauties" 

 I mean plants that are growing and blossom- 

 ing in little bits of pots, say those with a top 

 not larger than a silver dollar. Well, I am 

 just learning how, and I feel almost ashamed 

 of myself to think I found so much joy and 

 happiness in making plants grow. When 

 somebody hunts all around for me, and finally 

 finds me in the greenhouse, where I have for- 

 gotten every one and every thing, I sometimes 

 hang my head as if I were guilty, and I con- 

 fess I have been a little surprised to see that 

 Mrs. Root and the children do not scold a bit, 

 but laugh at my devotion to my new hobby. 



I have invested a little money in plants — 

 not very much, because I was satisfied in the 

 outset that I should find more pleasure in 

 growing the stuff myself that I wanted, than 

 in buying of florists " ready made." So I 

 bought some $5.00 worth of plants to start 

 with. For a good while something would hap- 

 pen to most of them, and I killed so many 

 learning how, that I almost began to think 

 some evil genius had a spite against me in the 

 line of plant-growing ; but when I studied out 

 the trouble, and began to get acquainted with 

 the things, oh how I have enjoyed it ! 



A few days ago John Lewis Childs sent me 

 two golden-leafed salvias. The two cost 20 

 cents. I always did love bright foliage ; and 

 when I took the little "darlings " (I can not 

 think of any other word that expresses my 

 feelings toward them) out of the box in which 

 they were carefully wrapped in moss, I uttered 

 an exclamation of surprise and pleasure. The 

 leaves were golden without a question ; and 

 they were so pure and delicate too ! and then, 

 to cap all, each plant had a little bunch of 

 scarlet blossoms that made a beautiful contrast 

 with the golden leaves. At first it seemed to 

 me as if it would be impossible to keep so 

 much foliage on a newly transplanted plant ; 

 but I had just fixed one warm bed in the green- 

 house, with a hinged sash over the top so I 

 could confine the air and keep it constantly 

 moist.* I put the plants in small pots, almost 



* .since the above was in type I have succeeded in 

 taking a slip from one of those salvias, and getting it 

 to take root in my forcing-bed, and now it is in the 

 little pot with jadoo fiber, sending out roots of its own, 

 circling around the sides of the pot for air and mois- 

 ture. It was done so quickly and so easilv I am sure 

 I can make a hundred more just like it, with scarcely a 

 failure. Of course, this was done in the forcing-bed I 

 have described. Just think of taking a little twig from a 

 growing plant, or even a single leaf, for that matter, 

 and giving it so much "encouraEremeut " that it sends 



cramping the roots. I then placed them in 

 this cutting-bed, as I call it. They stayed 

 there in a very moist warm atmosphere for 

 about four days. Not a leaf wilted. Then I 

 put them outside in the gi;eenhouse. They 

 held up just as well except when the sun shone 

 rather brightly about noon ; then they began 

 to wilt ; but by putting a newspaper over them, 

 so as to cut olif the direct rays, they held up 

 bravely, and next morning were as bright as 

 if they had always grown in their new loca- 

 tion. Well, just before dictating this talk I 

 discovered one of them had sent out quite a 

 number of little white roots against the side 

 of the pot, that were crawling and feeling 

 about for air and moisture between the jadoo 

 and the sides of the pot. 



Now, this is a small thing to feel happy 

 about ; but I have got in touch with the sal- 

 vias so I have started them growing without 

 losing a leaf and without a leaf shriveling ; 

 and what I can do with salvias I can do with 

 other things. Just a little after \.\i^ plant puts 

 out these new white roots, along the side of 

 the pot, it will begin to show shoots pushing- 

 out above ground. For instance, I thought 

 my umbrella-plant was going to die ; but when 

 I turned it out of the pot and saw a great lot 

 of these roots, my foreboding turned to joy ; 

 and the next day, sure enough, a strong thrifty 

 shoot came up out of the ground, which 

 will be a " new umbrella " in a few days at the 

 rate it is growing. And then I have got some 

 geranium-blossoms that seem to be a little 

 more brilliant, a little richer, and more vel- 

 vety, than any flower I ever saw before ; and 

 my primroses are opening up new flowers al- 

 most every day ; and my coleus-plants that 

 got sick, and drooped their leaves, are not only 

 putting out new roots, but they are giving me 

 glimpsies of gorgeous coloring that make me 

 think and feel that '" a thing of beauty is a joy- 

 forever," especially when it is a plant that 

 you have grown from the seed, or rescued 

 when you thought it was going to die. Peter 

 Henderson says the quickest way in the world 

 to make a " sick plant well " is to put it in a 

 very small pot, and in that some rich soil, giv- 

 ing it one good watering, and then let it alone 

 until it gets quite dry. When it gets dry 

 enough, if it is not too far gone it -will send 

 out some new roots toward the sides of the 

 pot ; and when the tiniest new root starts, then 

 you may know you have gained the victory. 



I forgot to say in the proper place that a 

 new root or a new leaf or a new flower inter- 

 ests me ahnost as much as the new baby that 

 I have told you something about. He is just 

 beginning to make visits over to his grandpa's, 

 and occasionally he treats us to one of his 

 bewitching smiles. I suppose his happy 

 mother watches each development of intelli- 

 gence very much as I watch and study the 

 habits of my "little posies." 



out roots and makes a plant ! In watching this won- 

 derful process it made me feel as if I was getting in 

 touch with, or delving into the secrets, as it were, of 

 the great Father above ; and this astonishing thing 

 we call " life " is not only held wrapped up in the tiny 

 seed, but in every twig, and even each individual leaf, 

 of every growing plant. " How wonderful are thy 

 works, O lyord ! " 



