IN CALIFORNIA 101 



species of dwarf er habit. Onychium, or carrot ferns, 

 are good subjects; O. auratum has a yellow tint on 

 the under side of leaf, and 0. Japonicum is green, 

 though in other respects quite like the first named 

 species. The platyceriums, or staghorn ferns, are 

 the most attractive of all for hanging or wall bas- 

 kets or on blocks of wood and when once well estab- 

 lished make good house plants. 



All ferns or other plants with thick, leathery foli- 

 age endure the dust and dry air of living rooms 

 though they need liberal quantities of water. All of 

 the pteris or winged ferns are suitable for planting 

 in baskets, more especially the dwarfer sorts, for 

 they are of hardy constitution. Among other plants 

 for central positions, Begonia Erfordii and all of 

 that type are most excellent. A prime favorite with 

 all who know it is Farfugium grande, var. punctata, 

 the leopard leaf, a composite with nearly round 

 leaves of dark green thickly spotted with yellow 

 "polka dots." As these plants are all good material 

 for hanging baskets, they are also equally good for 

 pot culture and thrive splendidly in the house if 

 given a reasonable amount of care. 



POPULAR HOUSE PLANTS 



Flowering pot plants need not be pot-bound in 

 order to bloom, but they blossom much more freely 

 when the pot is fairly filled with roots. While a 

 plant is making a heavy root growth it rarely ever 

 flowers, but only when the season's growth is fin- 

 ished. This action suggests that a plant should fin- 

 ish blooming and also have a rest before it is re- 

 potted and called upon for another supreme effort. 



HOUSE FERNS 



Only a few of the many varieties of ferns will do 

 well under ordinary house conditions. Most vari- 



