108 THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL 



KEEP PLANTS CLEAN 



Keep your plants free from dust and vermin at 

 all times. Dust closes the pores and thereby stops 

 circulation in plants as surely as it does in the hu- 

 man body. Half a dozen scale insects, if neglected 

 today, mean several times the number in a few 

 weeks, though such a caution in this volume is hardly 

 necessary, for nearly everyone owning plants is 

 painfully aware of the rapid increase of all scales. 

 If plants have light from but one or two sides, turn 

 them around every few days to keep them sym- 

 metrical. Keep the surface of the soil pulverized 

 and loose, so that it can get water and air readily. 

 If the soil is moldy on top or shows on the outside 

 of the pot, the drainage is at fault. 



CARE OF CUT FLOWERS 



Cut flowers when properly treated can be kept 

 fresh for two to three weeks. Every night take them 

 out of the water and thoroughly rinse the stalks, 

 removing decomposed matter. Put them into a basin 

 of strong soapsuds, but do not allow any water to 

 touch the flowers. In the morning rinse the stalks 

 in the water again, and, as each blossom is arranged 

 in a vase of fresh water, cut off a small portion of 

 the stem, for each day the pores are closed by con- 

 gealing sap and a fresh cut allows water free access 

 to the stem. 



