THE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS — WINDOW-GARDENS 3847 
they are very sensitive to heat, and require to be given the 
light only when they have started to grow, without any forcing. 
Forty to 45° will be as warm as they ever need be kept. 
Watering house plants. 
It is impossible to give rules for the watering of plants. Con- 
ditions that hold with one grower are different from those of 
another. Advice must be general. Give one good watering 
at the time of potting, after which no water should be given 
until the plants really need it. If, on tapping the pot, it gives 
out a clear ring, it is an indication that water is needed. In 
the case of a soft-wooded plant, just before the leaves begin 
to show signs of wilt is the time for watering. When plants 
are taken up from the ground, or have their roots cut back in 
repotting, gardeners rely, after the first copious watering, on 
syringing the tops two or three times each day, until a new 
root-growth has started, watering at the roots only when abso- 
lutely necessary. Plants that have been potted into larger 
pots will grow without the extra attention of syringing, but 
those from the borders that have had their roots mutilated or 
shortened, should be placed in a cool, shady spot and be 
syringed often. One soon becomes familiar with the wants of 
individual plants, and can judge closely as to need of water. 
All soft-wooded plants with a large leaf-surface need more 
water than hard-wooded plants, and a plant in luxuriant growth 
of any kind more than one that has been cut back or become 
defoliated. When plants are grown in living-rooms, moisture 
must be supplied from some source, and if no arrangement has 
been made for securing moist air, the plants should be syringed 
often. 
All plant-growers should learn to withhold water when 
plants are ‘‘resting’”’ or not in active growth. Thus camellias, 
azaleas, rex begonias, palms, and many other things are usually 
not in their growing period in fall and midwinter, and they 
