HINTS AND 



dividuality, in order to be satisfactory. There- 

 fore, consider quality as more important than 

 quantity. A few really good plants will afford 

 you a vast amount of pleasure. A good many 

 inferior ones will make you wonder, sometimes, 

 if plant-growing is worth while. 



***** 

 Here is a formula for an excellent fertilizer 

 that can be prepared at home : Nitrate of soda, 

 1 pound; Phosphate soda, 1 pound; Sulphate 

 potash, 1 pound. Mix thoroughly. Use a 

 tablespoonful in a gallon of warm water. Do 

 not apply more than half a pint to an eight or 

 nine-inch pot at a time. Use only when the 

 soil in the pot is moist. Do not allow the solu- 

 tion to come in contact with the foliage. 



***** 

 Growing plants, used as table decorations, 

 should never be kept away from the light 

 long at a time, if you expect them to remain 

 healthy. It is an excellent plan to have quite 

 a number of them, and make a change daily. 



***** 



If it becomes necessary to make use of an 

 oil-stove in heating a plant-room in spells of 

 severely cold weather, be sure to get a kind 

 that does not smoke when turned up high 



306 



