DECEMBER: FIRST WEEK 319 



in proportion to the loam. Pots more than three or three 

 and a half inches in diameter should be supplied with 

 drainage material — a few pieces of broken pot so placed 

 that none of them will lie flat across the hole in the bottom 

 and clog it up, and any rough, porous material on top of 

 them. 



As to daily care of plants in the house remember it is 

 just as easy and as fatal to overdo as to underdo. Don't 

 ' ' fuss " with your plants. They should be looked after every 

 day and examined every few days, but the less they are 

 handled the better, except for occasionally turning halfway 

 round so they will not be drawn toward the light and made 

 one-sided. 



The surface of the soil in the pot should be stirred oc- 

 casionally. Weak liquid manure may be fed to advantage 

 to the plants, especially when they are blooming. Nitrate 

 of soda, used at the rate of a tablespoonful to a ten or 

 twelve quart watering can, is excellent for this purpose. 

 Fine bone flour, sprinkled on barely to cover the surface 

 of the soil and worked in with an old spoon or a knife is 

 also effective, and these two make a combination contain- 

 ing nitrogen and phosphoric acid in forms that will be 

 both immediately and gradually available. Unleached 

 wood ashes may be mixed with the plant soil to form a 

 source of potash. 



Give your plants water only when needed; then water 

 thoroughly. To find just how much to give knock some 

 of the earth balls out of the pots ten or fifteen minutes 

 after watering and see if the water has soaked clear through 

 to the bottom; if it has not you are not appljdng quite 

 enough moisture. If the soil in the pots becomes dry 

 enough to get hard stand the pots in a basin or tub, partly 

 filled with water, until it becomes moist. 



Keeping Plants Healthy 



One of the important secrets of success is to keep your 

 plants clean — free from both dust and bugs. Close the 

 doors or curtains of the plant-nook whenever the rooms are 



