CHAPTER IX 



Little Town Greenhouse 



The possibilities of the Town Greenhouse depend, in 

 addition to its construction and aspect, very largely on 

 the size and especially on the nature of the industries 

 of the town itself. Where the air is pure and wholesome, 

 the town grower of plants has, with certain limitations, 

 almost as much chance of growing good plants as his 

 peer in the country, but in operative districts with air 

 full of smoke or vitiated with chemicals, the grower's 

 lot is not a happy one, and, unless he is endowed with 

 more than the normal amount of patience and per- 

 severance, the contents of his greenhouse will generally 

 be found poor in quality and very deficient in the way 

 of variety. The owner of the little town greenhouse 

 is generally a person with business engagements that 

 prevent the constant attention required by many plants, and 

 this largely discounts the probabilities of success. Such an 

 one should not attempt to fill his house or houses with 

 a mixture of plants of diverse nature, as more pleasure 

 would be gained in taking up one class of plant — and 

 that one not too fastidious in its requirements. Take, 

 for instance, the Cacti and other succulent plants, and 

 we find a most interesting group, the study of which 

 is fascinating, the labour attached to its cultivation light, 

 and that will bear with impunity neglect which would 

 be absolutely fatal to very many of the plants treated 

 of in this little work. It must not be inferred from this 

 that no skill is required in their culture : on the contrary 

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