184 VINES 
no harm, you will do well to keep the mercury 
at just the figure I name, if possible. 
Vines and their products contribute quite a 
large percentage of the standard stock of plants, 
both flowers and greenery, with which our flower 
shops are supplied during winter. What would 
a winter wedding or reception be without cut 
strings of Asparagus plumosus, with its small 
fronds of dark green, that, with care, will keep 
for several weeks? 
Ornamental asparagus is rather slow to ma- 
ture, this being one reason why it is not grown in 
larger quantities. It takes nearly two years 
from the sowing of the seed to get a crop ready 
for cutting. The seed should be sown in the 
spring in a light soil containing some sand to 
prevent acidity, and in a temperature of 65°. 
When the seedlings appear above ground they 
can be placed in two-inch and later in four-inch 
pots, or else potted directly in the latter size, 
although this method necessitates more careful 
watering. In successive pottings, the plants can 
be gradually accustomed to a slightly heavier 
soil, although a little sand is always desirable. 
Kept in four-inch pots, the plants will need 
an average temperature of 65° until the following 
spring, when they will be ready for planting. 
