VENTILATION. 131 



heating pipes to become cold. In the climate of 

 Washington and vicinity it is very seldom neces- 

 sary to have any fire in the heater during sunny 

 weather, unless the temperature outside is exces- 

 sively cold and high winds are blowing. As a 

 rule the heat of the sun will be amply sufficient 

 to keep the houses in good condition, so that it is 

 always safest to either bank or cover the fires, or 

 else allow them to die out entirely during the day. 

 Of course, farther north these rules will not apply, 

 but in a general way they will hold good every- 

 where. It must be understood that the violet is 

 unlike the rose or carnation as regards heat, and as 

 already pointed out any attempt to force it will 

 result in overgrowth of leaves' and blasting of the 

 flowers. 



Ventilation has already been briefly men- 

 tioned, but it is important to call attention to this 

 matter more specifically, for it is of the highest 

 importance to realize the necessity of giving plenty 

 of air to the plant at all times. It is impossible to 

 give directions as to how and when to ventilate. 

 The violet is a lover of fresh air and plenty of it, 

 so that there is seldom a day when more or less 

 air should not be given. It must not be supposed 

 that this is a simple matter, and one that can be 

 left to the hired man or some irresponsible per- 

 son. No two days in the year are exactly alike, 

 so far as the requirements for ventilation are con- 

 cerned. It frequently happens that air will be 



