SUGGESTIONS 



kept should be gone over carefully from time 

 to time. Insects will be found lurking in 

 cracks and crevices, waiting an opportunity to 

 make a raid upon the plants from which you 

 may have driven them. Especially is this true 

 of the mealy-bug, which is often found in 

 great numbers in nooks and corners not fre- 

 quently interfered with. It is a good plan to 

 move all the plants away from the window and 

 thoroughly scrub every portion of the walls 

 and wood-work, at least once a month. 

 ***** 

 Do not encourage the plant-beggar. There 

 are always persons in every neighborhood 

 who will not hesitate to ask you to mutilate 

 your choicest plants by giving them cuttings 

 from them. If there happens to be one that 

 can be spared without injury to the plant, 

 give it, but never do so if it will interfere in an 

 way with its satisfactory appearance or devel- 

 opment. It may require quite a little effort on 

 your part to say no, but that is the thing you 

 ought to say if you grow plants for the pleasure 

 they can give. Complaints frequently come to 

 me of plants that never get a chance to do any- 

 thing for the owner because every new branch 

 is spoken for as soon as it appears by some per- 



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