THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



perity permitted my husband's remaining at 

 home and devoting himself to a long-cher- 

 ished piece of literary work, which became so 

 dangerously absorbing that, for health's sake, 

 some counterbalancing interest and vigorous 

 physical labor had to be invented. All being 

 fair in love and war, I considered it a justi- 

 fiable deception to have the conservatory built, 

 stocked, and then, at the most critical time, 

 discover that I had undertaken more than I 

 could manage. The scheme acted beautifully, 

 for the dear man's love of plants, and desire 

 to help me, led him to desert his desk for sev- 

 eral hours a day, until he gradually became 

 honestly interested, and assumed entire care of 

 the plants, leaving only the stoker's work to 

 Sidney, who had mastered all the idiosyncra- 

 sies of the heating apparatus during the two 

 years it was in use in the nursery section of 

 the brooder house. 



After the house, the first requisite in violet 

 culture is the mold in which to grow the 

 plants. It must be of medium consistency 



30 



