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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  October, 
  1907 
  

  

  Gardening 
  Without 
  Soil 
  

  

  By 
  S. 
  Leonard 
  Bastin 
  

  

  HERE 
  is 
  perhaps 
  no 
  more 
  pathetic 
  situa- 
  

   tion 
  than 
  that 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  person 
  fond 
  of 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  all 
  that 
  appertains 
  to 
  their 
  cul- 
  

   ture, 
  is 
  forced 
  by 
  circumstances 
  to 
  pass 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  indoors. 
  Kind 
  friends 
  

   may 
  bring 
  posies 
  of 
  flowers, 
  which 
  enliven 
  

   the 
  aspect 
  of 
  rooms 
  with 
  their 
  gay 
  coloring, 
  

   but 
  these 
  can 
  never 
  entirely 
  satisfy 
  the 
  longings 
  of 
  the 
  gar- 
  

   dener. 
  Three 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  joy 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  grower 
  consists 
  

   in 
  the 
  tending 
  of 
  his 
  treasures, 
  the 
  watching 
  of 
  their 
  develop- 
  

   ment, 
  day 
  by 
  day, 
  and 
  the 
  anticipation 
  of 
  their 
  perfection. 
  

   But 
  even 
  for 
  those 
  who 
  can 
  not 
  manage 
  an 
  ordinary 
  garden, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  suggested 
  that 
  Nature, 
  the 
  giver 
  of 
  all 
  things, 
  has 
  

   made 
  provision. 
  At 
  any 
  rate, 
  she 
  has 
  produced 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  plants 
  which, 
  unlike 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  vegetation 
  in 
  the 
  

   world, 
  do 
  not 
  depend 
  for 
  their 
  existence 
  upon 
  their 
  attach- 
  

  

  Most 
  Plants 
  Grown 
  Without 
  Soil 
  do 
  Best 
  Under 
  

   a 
  Glass 
  Shade 
  

  

  ment 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  With 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  these, 
  and 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   ercise 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  ingenuity 
  in 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  some 
  other 
  

   plants, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  veritable 
  garden 
  without 
  soil. 
  

   The 
  care 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  garden 
  entails 
  no 
  labor 
  beyond 
  that 
  in- 
  

   volved 
  in 
  the 
  occasional 
  application 
  of 
  water. 
  In 
  almost 
  any 
  

   room 
  which 
  is 
  fairly 
  well 
  lighted 
  and 
  of 
  moderate 
  warmth 
  

   it 
  should 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  maintain 
  such 
  a 
  collection 
  in 
  health. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  plan 
  to 
  contrive 
  a 
  few 
  shelves, 
  in 
  a 
  well 
  illumi- 
  

   nated 
  position, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  plants 
  may 
  be 
  disposed 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  fancy 
  of 
  the 
  gardener. 
  Another 
  way, 
  and 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  one 
  which 
  will 
  appeal 
  to 
  most 
  folk, 
  is 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  bam- 
  

   boo 
  stand, 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  an 
  accompanying 
  illustration. 
  

   The 
  early 
  explorers 
  in 
  the 
  jungle 
  land 
  of 
  the 
  tropics 
  were 
  

   very 
  much 
  puzzled 
  by 
  the 
  epiphytic 
  plants 
  which 
  abound 
  in 
  

   the 
  humid 
  forests. 
  They 
  could 
  not 
  understand 
  how 
  it 
  was 
  

   that 
  these 
  species 
  existed 
  at 
  all, 
  for 
  it 
  was 
  obvious 
  that, 
  

   perched 
  upon 
  the 
  bough 
  of 
  some 
  tree, 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  derive 
  

   any 
  benefit 
  from 
  the 
  soil. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  

   a 
  few 
  plants 
  which 
  grow 
  simply 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  imbibing 
  all 
  the 
  

   moisture 
  which 
  they 
  require 
  from 
  the 
  atmosphere. 
  A 
  very 
  

   large 
  number 
  of 
  orchids 
  are 
  possessors 
  of 
  aerial 
  roots, 
  and 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  plant 
  from 
  which 
  

  

  the 
  commercial 
  vanilla 
  is 
  obtained. 
  This 
  plant 
  may 
  only 
  be 
  

   grown 
  with 
  perfect 
  success 
  in 
  a 
  warm 
  and 
  damp 
  greenhouse, 
  

   in 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  trained 
  on 
  a 
  wire 
  along 
  the 
  roof 
  

   of 
  the 
  building. 
  Another 
  orchid 
  which, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  

   curious 
  habit 
  of 
  growth, 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  the 
  "upside-down 
  

   plant," 
  requires 
  a 
  very 
  little 
  soil. 
  Strangely 
  enough, 
  how- 
  

   ever 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  placed 
  it 
  always 
  spreads 
  downward. 
  

  

  Another 
  highly 
  interesting 
  genus 
  of 
  air-rooted 
  plants 
  is 
  

   that 
  called 
  Tillandsia, 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  

   figure. 
  Natives 
  of 
  Central 
  America, 
  these 
  plants 
  do 
  not 
  re- 
  

   quire 
  even 
  the 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  soil 
  which 
  some 
  orchids 
  seem 
  

   to 
  like. 
  A 
  glance 
  at 
  the 
  accompanying 
  photograph 
  depict- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  remarkable 
  plants 
  will 
  show 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  merely 
  suspended 
  by 
  a 
  p'ece 
  of 
  wire. 
  Another 
  

   species 
  of 
  Tillandsia, 
  commonly 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  old 
  man's 
  

   beard, 
  is 
  even 
  more 
  strange, 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  plant 
  

   has 
  been 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  hair-like 
  filaments. 
  This 
  

   quaint 
  plant 
  is 
  quite 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  in 
  Mexico, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  

   to 
  overwhelm 
  trees 
  with 
  its 
  growth. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  

   Tillandsia 
  may 
  be 
  grown 
  in 
  an 
  ordinary 
  room, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  

   likely 
  that 
  the 
  air 
  of 
  the 
  apartment 
  would 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  

   dry, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  method 
  should 
  be 
  adopted: 
  Til- 
  

   landsias, 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  many 
  delicate 
  species, 
  will 
  be 
  

   found 
  to 
  flourish 
  well 
  under 
  the 
  shelter 
  of 
  a 
  glass 
  shade. 
  

  

  The 
  Rose 
  of 
  Jericho 
  Opens 
  Out 
  Into 
  a 
  Fine 
  Green 
  

   Plant 
  After 
  Immersion 
  

  

  The 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  

   protection 
  prevents 
  a 
  too 
  free 
  evaporation 
  of 
  moisture. 
  The 
  

   owner 
  of 
  a 
  garden 
  without 
  soil 
  would 
  do 
  well 
  to 
  procure 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  shades 
  varying 
  in 
  size. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  few 
  more 
  grateful 
  sights 
  to 
  the 
  eye 
  than 
  the 
  

   fresh 
  green 
  of 
  young 
  plants. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  seeds 
  will 
  germi- 
  

   nate 
  very 
  readily 
  if 
  kept 
  warm 
  and 
  moist, 
  and 
  the 
  plantlets 
  

   will 
  give 
  a 
  most 
  attractive 
  appearance. 
  Many 
  varieties, 
  such 
  

   as 
  cress 
  and 
  linseed, 
  can 
  be 
  grown 
  very 
  readily, 
  and 
  these 
  do 
  

   not 
  require 
  any 
  soil. 
  The 
  best 
  way, 
  perhaps, 
  is 
  to 
  sow 
  the 
  

   seed 
  upon 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  flannel. 
  When 
  the 
  seed 
  is 
  scattered 
  

   over 
  the 
  cloth 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  well 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  water, 
  and 
  

   during 
  the 
  whole 
  course 
  of 
  treatment 
  it 
  must 
  never 
  be 
  

  

  