﻿October, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  373 
  

  

  allowed 
  to 
  become 
  dry. 
  The 
  rapidity 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  seed 
  

   will 
  grow 
  is 
  often 
  amazing, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  short 
  space 
  of 
  

   four 
  days 
  the 
  plantlets 
  will 
  have 
  burst 
  through 
  their 
  prisons 
  

   and 
  be 
  shooting 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  light. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  

   seedlings 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  glass 
  shade 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  very 
  much 
  

   to 
  lengthen 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  plants, 
  and 
  by 
  its 
  help 
  linseed 
  

   may 
  even 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  flower, 
  adding 
  greatly 
  to 
  its 
  beauty. 
  

  

  The 
  quaint 
  clay 
  shapes 
  which 
  

   were 
  introduced 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  are 
  

   so 
  striking 
  that 
  most 
  people 
  must 
  

   now 
  be 
  familiar 
  with 
  them. 
  One 
  or 
  

   two 
  of 
  these 
  curiosities 
  should 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  find 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  with- 
  

   out 
  soil. 
  The 
  best 
  kind 
  of 
  seed 
  to 
  

   use 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  fine 
  grass 
  — 
  packets 
  

   of 
  this 
  are 
  usually 
  supplied 
  with 
  the 
  

   clay 
  head. 
  Notwithstanding, 
  any 
  

   kind 
  of 
  seed 
  almost 
  will 
  germinate, 
  

   and 
  the 
  head 
  under 
  the 
  glass 
  shade 
  

   in 
  the 
  picture 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  kind 
  

   of 
  cress. 
  The 
  manner 
  of 
  sowing 
  is 
  

   simple 
  enough, 
  and 
  consists 
  in 
  tak- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  in 
  a 
  spoon 
  and 
  

   sprinkling 
  it 
  over 
  the 
  grooved 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  shape. 
  Then 
  fill 
  the 
  re- 
  

   ceptacle 
  with 
  water 
  through 
  the 
  hole 
  

   which 
  is 
  provided 
  at 
  the 
  top. 
  If 
  

   you 
  desire 
  that 
  the 
  seed 
  should 
  ger- 
  

   minate 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  plan 
  

   to 
  place 
  the 
  shapes 
  in 
  a 
  dark 
  cup- 
  

   board 
  for 
  a 
  while, 
  and 
  then 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as 
  a 
  start 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  remove 
  out 
  

   into 
  the 
  full 
  light. 
  The 
  grass-cov- 
  

   ered 
  shapes 
  will 
  remain 
  in 
  perfection 
  

   much 
  longer 
  if 
  kept 
  under 
  the 
  shelter 
  

   of 
  the 
  glass 
  shade. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  curious 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  are 
  those 
  

   which 
  popular 
  imagination 
  has 
  called 
  resurrection 
  plants. 
  

   These 
  strange 
  vegetables, 
  which 
  abound 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  arid 
  

   regions, 
  notably 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Dead 
  Sea 
  and 
  in 
  

   Mexico, 
  are 
  most 
  remarkable 
  in 
  their 
  habits. 
  During 
  the 
  

   long 
  dry 
  spells, 
  which 
  are 
  a 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  climate, 
  these 
  

  

  The 
  Care 
  of 
  the 
  Soilless 
  Garden 
  Entails 
  no 
  Labor 
  

   Beyond 
  the 
  Application 
  of 
  Water 
  

  

  plants 
  curl 
  up 
  into 
  balls, 
  to 
  all 
  appearances 
  being 
  quite 
  dead. 
  

   But 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  rain 
  comes 
  they 
  unroll 
  and 
  develop 
  a 
  beau- 
  

   tiful 
  green 
  growth. 
  As 
  may 
  be 
  imagined, 
  such 
  plants 
  are 
  

   just 
  the 
  right 
  kind 
  for 
  including 
  in 
  the 
  soilless 
  garden. 
  Sev- 
  

   eral 
  species 
  are 
  now 
  quite 
  easily 
  obtained, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   commonly 
  seen 
  being 
  called 
  the 
  rose 
  of 
  Jericho, 
  a 
  desert 
  spe- 
  

   cies. 
  The 
  culture 
  of 
  these 
  resurrection 
  plants 
  is 
  very 
  simple, 
  

  

  and 
  consists 
  in 
  alternately 
  inducing 
  

   and 
  discouraging 
  growth. 
  As 
  pur- 
  

   chased, 
  the 
  specimens 
  will 
  be 
  quite 
  

   dry, 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  immersion 
  in 
  water 
  

   will 
  revive 
  the 
  plants. 
  From 
  thence- 
  

   forward 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  

   moist 
  state 
  for 
  a 
  period, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as 
  the 
  plants 
  begin 
  to 
  lose 
  the 
  bright 
  

   green 
  tint 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  that 
  they 
  

   should 
  be 
  dried 
  off 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   rest. 
  In 
  these 
  circumstances 
  it 
  is 
  

   well 
  to 
  own 
  a 
  small 
  collection 
  of 
  

   the 
  strange 
  plants, 
  so 
  that 
  one 
  may 
  

   be 
  able 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  in 
  their 
  full 
  beauty. 
  If 
  the 
  

   plants 
  do 
  not 
  grow 
  very 
  readily 
  after 
  

   immersion, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  sign 
  that 
  they 
  need 
  

   a 
  longer 
  period 
  of 
  quiescence, 
  and 
  

   they 
  should 
  be 
  at 
  once 
  dried 
  off 
  again. 
  

   It 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  no 
  soilless 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  would 
  be 
  complete 
  without 
  one 
  

   or 
  two 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  cleverly 
  

   trained 
  Japanese 
  fern 
  Davallia, 
  an 
  

   instance 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   picture 
  of 
  the 
  collection. 
  As 
  is 
  well 
  

   known, 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  designed 
  in 
  

   several 
  ways, 
  the 
  rhizomes 
  of 
  this 
  

   accommodating 
  species 
  having 
  been 
  

   twisted 
  to 
  resemble 
  such 
  widely 
  di- 
  

   verse 
  objects 
  as 
  monkeys 
  and 
  Chinese 
  junks. 
  But 
  the 
  most 
  

   satisfactory 
  shape 
  from 
  the 
  gardener's 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  is 
  the 
  

   simple 
  ball. 
  By 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  wire 
  fixed 
  to 
  the 
  frame 
  

   upon 
  which 
  the 
  fern 
  is 
  trained, 
  these 
  objects 
  may 
  be 
  sus- 
  

   pended 
  from 
  a 
  shelf, 
  and 
  when 
  in 
  full 
  growth 
  are 
  most 
  beau- 
  

   tiful 
  in 
  appearance. 
  During 
  the 
  fine 
  warm 
  weather 
  every 
  

  

  A 
  Bamboo 
  Stand 
  Is 
  Useful 
  for 
  the 
  

   Garden 
  Without 
  Soil 
  

  

  Old 
  Man's 
  Beard, 
  a 
  Tillandsia 
  

   from 
  Mexico 
  

  

  This 
  Tillandsia 
  Grows 
  Suspended 
  from 
  a 
  

   Piece 
  of 
  Wire 
  

  

  