30 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 
becomes mellow so that it falls apart when a handful is 
pressed together lightly, it is in the right condition. 
During the early part of the winter the box may he 
used for propagating plants by means of cuttings. In 
March the cuttings may be transferred to pots so that 
the box may be used for growing plants from seeds. 
After the seedlings are ready to transplant, the box 
may be set outside on the window ledge. 
For home use it is sometimes desirable to keep 
window boxes exclusively for decoration, without giving 
any attention to plant culture. For this purpose put a 
layer of pebbles in the bottom of the box, arrange the 
pots in the box, and fill in with clean pebbles and sand. 
The pots can then be lifted out easily when others are 
to take their place. 
Plants that are in pots or boxes out of doors must be 
watered each evening. All of the soil should be satu- 
rated ; moistening the topsoil is not sufficient. to -keep 
them in good condition. The leaves should be sprinkled 
often to remove dust, but the flowers should be kept dry. 
