October, 1909 
room for the number of plants to be placed. 
Only good vigorous plants should be used, and 
where the space at command is limited it will 
be well to cull severely rather than to over- 
crowd. Often there will be certain plants 
which are in full bloom at the time of lifting 
but which give little promise of further bloom 
after the present florescence is passed; these 
should be provided with a place in a warm 
light cellar, to which they may be removed 
when through blooming and their place sup- 
plied with blossoming bulbs. Deciduous shrubs 
and plants may be wintered in a dark cellar, 
but evergreen plants, and more especially those 
of soft, succulent growths, require light. 
It must be remembered that plants in the 
house will require all the light possible, and 
that unless one wishes to sacrifice the personal 
use of the windows one should limit the num- 
ber of plants retained. It must also be re- 
membered that the closer plants are placed to 
the glass the less light there will be; placed a 
little back from the glass the light has a chance 
to enter and diffuse itself. Geraniums, un- 
fortunately, do not bloom very well unless quite 
close to the glass, so should have a window to 
themselves; indeed, it is always more satisfac- 
tory to grow only one variety of plants in a 
window, not alone that the effect is better, but 
as they all require the same treatment the care 
is much simplified and the results more certain. 
A very attractive way to arrange plants is 
by using long, narrow window-boxes, suf- 
ficiently wide to hold one row of pots and set 
the pots therein, filling up the intervening 
spaces with sand or sphagnum moss. By this 
method the plants may be lifted and turned 
as required, and any which become shabby or 
otherwise undesirable may be removed and 
fresh ones substituted. “These boxes should be 
finished or painted to match the trim of the 
room and a pretty finish is given, where white 
is the color scheme, by adding a strip of pic- 
ture-molding (to match the _picture-rail) 
around the bottom. 
Such a box filled with primroses is charm- 
ing, and may be placed in a west window, the 
baby primrose doing exceptionally well in a 
west light; geraniums or heliotropes may be 
placed in the south windows, and ferns, be- 
gonias and asparagus vines in a north window. 
Rex begonias—which seldom do well in the 
dry, heated atmosphere of the living-room— 
may be grown successfully by shielding the 
box with a pane of glass the size of the lower 
half of the window; this should be lightly 
mounted in a frame and hinged to the top of 
the lower sash, dropping down over the outer 
edge of the box; sufficient air and heat will 
enter at the side, and the glass excluding the 
dust and retaining the moisture creates a minia- 
ture greenhouse whose atmosphere is very con- 
genial to the plants. If the glass comes too 
close to the plants it may be held away from 
them by a thin stick of wood attached to the 
side of the frame or of the box. 
Next in importance to good light, perfect 
ventilation and a daily supply of fresh air is 
important; fresh air from outside should not 
be allowed to blow directly on the plants, 
however, but should rather be admitted by 
opening a door or window in an adjoining 
room and thoroughly ventilating the apartment 
in this way. Heat supplied in the same indi- 
rect manner is far more agreeable to plants, 
and does away with much dust which collects 
on the foliage, and is most injurious. Plants 
grown in a room which takes its heat from an 
adjoining one always do far better than in a 
room with a fire; for this reason bedroom win- 
dows are very favorable positions for plants, 
and if a watering pot is kept with them into 
which the wash water from the bowl may be 
emptied, and this used for watering the plants, 
the growth will usually be all that is desired. 
Soapsuds is an excellent insecticide and fertil- 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS xix 
Gurney Heaters are more and more preferred as their worth becomes 
appreciated. 
It is the unanimous verdict of all who use them that they combine 
a greater degree of durability, economy and efficiency than any other heater. 
Back of each Gurney Heater is the best mechanical and engineering skill, 
combined with high-grade materials. 
No part is slighted in the making; hence, 
the Gurney gives uniform, dependable service. 
The Gurney Heater is made for either hot water or steam. It consumes 
less fuel than others; assures complete combustion and an even and sure circu- 
lation of heat. 
See that the Gurney is installed and avoid disappointment. 
If you wish 
absolute evidence of Gurney superiority, ask your neighbor who owns one. 
Can be installed in old or new buildings without inconvenience or disturbance. 
Send for Illustrated Catalogue or consult your local dealer. 
GURNEY HEATER MFG @MPANY 
NEW YORK BRANCH: 
12 East 42d St., New York Citv. 
188-200 Franklin St., cor. Pearl 
BOSTON, MASS. 
Distributors in the leading cities of the country. 
SANITAS BATHROOMS 
| Most well kept homes have Sanitas bathrooms. 
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the best, yet the least expensive. 
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BUFFALO 
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Circulating Ice Water 
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Expense need not keep you from having Sanitas on your bathroom walls. It’s 
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Other glazed patterns for the kitchen and pantry. 
For living, dining and sleeping rooms use the beautiful dull finished Sanitas reproductions of 
All Sanitas is fade-proof, stain-proof, crack-and-tear-proof. 
A damp cloth cleans it instantly. 
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be sure to ask for “MERITAS” 
This trade mark on back of 
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ISS 
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OUR own individual rug, dif- 
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Ask your dealer for 
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The Corrugated Hose made in Wilmington, Delaware. Identify by 
the RED label on every length. 
