THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
a place where water cannot settle around the pots. 
Leave them there until you find by examination 
that the roots have well filled the pots, which ought 
to occur within four to six weeks, sometimes 
sooner. If freezing weather sets in, cover with straw 
or litter, and boards over that. When you are 
ready for bloom, bring the pots into a warm room 
and water freely; it will need another month to fully 
develop the flowers. Be regular about applying 
the water, but never allow it to remain in the sau- 
cer. It is not difficult to produce a sickly condi- 
tion of plant roots, especially bulb roots, if they 
must remain over-saturated. 
House plants are as good as house doctors, if 
properly treated, but water-logged or half-rotten 
plants are disease-breeders, and should never be 
permitted to remain in the same room with human 
beings. The pot in which plants are grown should 
be cleaned inside and out, and should never be al- 
lowed to develop fungus growth, while the soil 
should be pure and sweet. The use of dirt taken 
from a half-fermented pile of compost is danger- 
ous. It will kill your plants, and it will certainly 
poison yourself. Many a mysterious illness comes 
from carelessness about house plants. Nothing can, 
[224] 
