WINDOW-PLANTS. 103 



away in the shade, or the pot is turned over on ifcs side 

 under some sheltering shrub or tree, to have a "-rest," 

 and is not watered at all. This is the treatment it gets 

 at the hands of the Nile through the dry season. In 

 September it is repotted, if necessary, as it requires 

 plenty of root room, freely watered, and placed where it 

 is to grow. Soon the brood, rich leaves begin to unfold, 

 and before many weeks the flower stems push upward, 

 bearing the pure white chalices that are a delight to all. 

 A Calla must be two or three years old before amounting 

 to much in size. In winter hot water should be poured 

 into the saucers. 



SUGGESTIONS. 



Let the beginner in plant-culture keep these facts in 

 mind : Window-plants, to be successfully grown in winter, 

 require, first, as much light by day as can possibly be ob- 

 tained, and utter darkness and a cooler temperature at 

 night. No plant sleeps well in the glare of a lamp or 

 within reach of a raging stove or furnace-heat. 



The air about them must be fresh and pure. Sleeping 

 rooms and apartments in daily use are unfit for plant 

 growth, as well as human growth, unless well ventilated. 



The plants must have soil suited to their needs ; leaf- 

 mould, loam, sand, and rotted manure equal parts of 

 each for Roses, Heliotropes, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Car- 

 nations, Ivy, Violets, and all Foliage plants. A lighter, 

 sandier soil better suits the Abutilon, Azalea, Bouvardia, 

 Calceolaria, and Salvia. The Primrose and the Oxalis 

 like a large admixture of leaf -mould, while the Calla is 

 at home only in clayey loam. 



Lumps of charcoal placed in the bottom of the pots to 

 the depth of an inch or more, according to the size of 

 the pots, assist drainage and tend to keep the soil sweet. 



Judicious watering is of great importance. Some 



