WINDOW-PLANTS. 101 



are attacked, like the rose, by a miserable little beast of 

 a red spider no larger than the dust of Cayenne pepper. 

 He flourishes on the under side of the leaf, and if not 

 exterminated will soon cause the foliage to curl up and 

 drop off, greatly to the wonder of those who do not 

 understand the trouble. It is not often that the spider 

 comes to this plant, but, as an ounce of prevention is 

 easier than a pound of cure, it is a good plan to wash 

 Fuchsias every Monday in warm, but not too warm, 

 laundry suds, and rinse thoroughly in pure water. 



HELIOTROPES. 



These grow readily from cuttings, but a plant must be 

 a year or two old before much can be expected of it ; so 

 it is better to purchase those already rooted or partly 

 grown. Its blossoms have a sweet, balsamic, honeyed 

 fragrance, like the breath wafted from the pines on a 

 sultry summer day. It is a great lover of sunlight. Its 

 leaves are always clean and free from insects of all sorts, 

 and with decent care it grows very fast. It can be 

 pruned and trimmed into tree-shape, or it will conform 

 gracefully to a trellis. The blossoms range in all the 

 shades from deep violet to pale lavender. Good-sized 

 plants can be purchased at from fifteen to twenty-five 

 cents, and at still cheaper rates where several persons 

 club together and so send larger orders. 



FOLIAGE PLANTS. 



These are cultivated for their rich and beautifully 

 marked leaves, their blossoms being generally insignifi- 

 cant. Among the Coleus, the Golden Beauty, crim- 

 son and yellow, and Her Majesty, bronze and green, 

 are perhaps the finest. Give them a rich, warm soil to 

 grow in, with plenty of root room, plenty of sunlight, 

 and all the water they need. They grow easily and rap- 



