The New Practical Window Gardener. 



19 



should be about eight inches wide by ten inches deep, 

 inside measiirement, to allow two inches at the bottom 

 for drainage and one inch on the surface for watering. 

 This prevents the soil from being washed oVer the sides 

 of the box and dirtying the paint or tile, which looks 

 bad. There will be seven inches left for soil for the 

 roots to spread about in ; quite a sufficient depth, if 

 good rich soil is used, such as is recommended in 

 another chapter for pot plants. A pinch or two of 

 guano or dissolved bones may be added and incorpo- 

 rated well with the soil. The length of your box 

 should be according to the breadth of your window, 

 leaving it easy so as to be handily taken inside at any 

 time. The sides should be of three-quarter inch deal, 



and as it is best to nail the ends between the sides, the 

 ends should be of one inch deal and the bottom of the 

 same thickness. Wood of those thicknesses makes an 

 excellent box. Larch is the best kind of pine for the 

 purpose, but a box made of oak lasts very much longer 

 than one made from any other kind of wood. 



I will not limit the size of the box, as circumstances 

 must decide that point, but for any ordinary window 

 the one I have described will answer best. 



The outside of the box should now have three coats 

 of paint. Green is the best colour, being nature's own 



