220 HOUSE PLANTS 



One of the deutzias was watered and sent 

 to join the promising ones; the other was 

 wrapped up and treated once more. 



"Then we began to quake. Finally we 

 did the thing only half way, which is very 

 foolish always. Charles X., Simon Mard- 

 ner, and the deutzia were put back in the 

 chest bravely enough, but when we came to 

 pour in the ether we stopped at two ounces. 



"On the evening of the I2th, having been 

 in the chest three days, these plants were 

 once more brought into fresh air and daylight. 

 The lilac and deutzia were in no wise altered, 

 but Simon Mardner had folded its small 

 green leaves close to the branches — as a 

 clover plant will at night. 



"Azalea Vervaeniana began to lose the crim- 

 son leaves, and many of the green leaves fell 

 off. This dropping of the foliage continued 

 until December 3rd, when the plant began to 

 grow like a miracle. The flower buds, that 

 had been nestling in the tips of the branches, 

 swelled and doffed the russet caps that covered 

 their pink glory. December 13th found the 

 first blossom fully open. By Christmas time 

 the plant was a thing to marvel at. The 

 flowers were large and perfect, crowding each 



