October. 1911 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



] 25 



planting methods too minute for out-of- 

 door work may be employed here to econo- 

 mize space. For instance: in the garden, 

 I broadcast my radish seed thinly over the 

 bed; but indoors, they may be pressed 

 gently into the soil one inch and a half 

 apart and give a satisfactory stand. 



The French Breakfast Forcing radish 

 and the Early Scarlet Turnip radish are 

 the best for window gardening. 



Frequently the kitchen temperature runs 

 high. The young plants may be protected 

 from the heat by lowering the upper sash 

 of the -window and looping a curtain about 

 them to the height of the lower sash. 



Before planting the parsley (the moss or 

 double-curled parsley is best for this pur- 

 pose), soak the seeds in luke-warm water 

 for four or five hours. Sow rather thickly 

 as the seed does not always germinate 

 well. They can be thinned out later. 



Lettuce is more difficult to grow in the 

 window garden than the other two vege- 

 tables. It thrives in a temperature rang- 

 ing from forty to sixty degrees and if over- 

 heated will dry off. Recourse should 

 be had to the curtain and ventilation pre- 

 viously mentioned. Do not use any of 

 the head lettuce or the cos varieties if 

 you are a novice. The Simpson Early 

 Curled is best. The leaves may be cut 

 when quite small. Where there are a 

 few plants, I carefully break four or five 

 leaves from each, leaving the remainder 

 to grow unchecked. 



When the plants in the window garden 

 are established, it is necessary to culti- 

 vate once a week. An old three-tined 

 steel fork is excellent for this. Water 

 thoroughly once a week and give a light 

 sprinkle every other day. 



On cold nights, hang the heat curtain 

 close to the window to keep out frost. 



Whole Tomatoes for Winter 

 Salads 



LAST winter my whole tomatoes which 

 I canned for winter salads were 

 much admired, as well as much appreciated. 

 And they were so easily canned. Each 

 day as the tomatoes were picked, I sorted 



out those which were smallest, reddest, 

 ripest and most perfect. I used two quart 

 jars — the wide-mouthed jars are perhaps 

 the best for the purpose — and whenever 

 I had enough to fill the jar I scalded and 

 peeled them while I was getting dinner, 

 packed them whole into the scalded jar 

 pressing and squeezing them in. 



Over these I poured boiling water until 

 the jar was filled, added one teaspoonful 

 of salt, adjusted the top without the rubber, 

 and placed the jar in a pan of boiling water 

 in the oven. I used a cloth in the bottom 

 of the pan to prevent the jar from cracking. 

 The tomatoes are to stay in the oven 

 only until they seem to be boiling in the 

 jar — perhaps twenty minutes. The 

 scalded rubber is then placed on while the 

 tomatoes are still boiling, the lid screwed 

 tight, and your tomatoes are now ready 

 to be transferred to the cellar. 



By cooking a can or two in the oven 

 while preparing a meal one soon has a 

 large number of jars for winter use. We 

 use the liquid from the tomatoes in soup, 

 macaroni, etc. 



Idaho. R. G. P. 



Trailing Arbutus as a House 

 Plant 



I WONDER how many people know 

 that the trailing arbutus can be had 

 in bloom in December and January with 

 absolute certainty and with far less trouble 

 than the hyacinth or narcissus? For 

 several winters it has been my rare pleasure 

 to watch in my own home the unfolding 

 flower buds, and to inhale the subtle fra- 

 grance. 



A few r years ago one of our department 

 stores brought to our city a large number 

 of gold fish which were displayed in the 

 windows in glass globes of various sizes. 

 Nearly every family procured at least one 

 globe, but the fish lived but a short time 

 and the empty globes were stored away. 



It was my nature-loving friend who 

 first converted these globes into herbar- 

 iums, and succeeded in flowering the ar- 

 butus in winter. 



In the late fall we go to the woods 



Arbutus, forced into flower in a glass bowl, makes 

 a pretty Christmas gift 



bringing home a large basket of moss, 

 partridge berry vine, lichens and sprays 

 of trailing arbutus. These are arranged 

 in a natural manner in the globe, are 

 dampened slightly, and a glass saucer is 

 placed over the top to retain the moisture. 

 The globe is then placed on a stand in 

 front of a south window where it gets the 

 full sunshine. Toward spring the vine 

 displays its waxy white blossoms arranged 

 in pairs. Fungi and various strange 

 growths spring from the moss. If started 

 early enough the flowers will be open at 

 Christmas time. 



Efforts to transplant arbutus have al- 

 ways been made in the spring when it re- 

 sents any interference with its natural 

 growth. After its season of bloom, the 

 leaves which have kept green through the 

 winter, turn brown, the seeds ripen and 

 are scattered by the winds, while the old 

 plant has a short season of rest. In 

 summer new sprouts spring from stem and 

 root. After the leaves are grown the 

 flower buds appear, growing slowly during 

 the late fall, and are all ready to open 

 when conditions are right in early spring. 



The " nature lover " prepared twenty-five 

 of these globes last fall which sold readily 

 at one dollar each. 



New York. E. E. Trumbull. 



For an oval taole, a bed of parsley dotted with to- A basket filled with celery, tomatoes, beets A star centre-piece of cranberries. In the centre 



matoes. parsnips, potatoes and radishes, a head of and white onions. The basket is partially rises a mound of green, outlined with white turnips 

 lettuce, slightly raised, giving the needed height hidden by asparagus fern. and surmounted by a cabbage decorated with radishes 



HAVE YOU EVER DECORATED YOUR TABLE WITH VEGETABLES? 



