A SIMPLE FLOWER GARDEN. 



51 



The best thing for a room where plants are kept is an 

 open fire. The worst, a hot-air furnace, — the last inven- 

 tion for producing that arch-enemj of men and plants, bad 

 air. If it is possible, a tight coal, or wood-burning stove is 

 still worse. A steam, or hot-water furnace is safe and un- 

 objectionable, provided the radiators or pipes are not in the 

 room. The greatest destroyer of pure air is 



GAS. 



The effect of burning gas upon plants is too well known 

 to need discussion. Unless a gas-lighted room is aired freely, 

 successful plants, or healthy people, need not hope to live 

 there. An accidental experiment, which illustrated the effect 

 of bad air upon plants, once came under the writer's observa- 

 tion. Two fine, healthy, and thrifty fuchsias were one 

 evening brought into a large hall that had been used all the 

 preceding day for a school-room. During the evening the 

 place was crowded with people till quite late. The next 

 morning every leaf had dropped from the plants, and in 

 twenty-four hours they were quite dead. How the men 

 and women there assembled, survived, is past finding out. 



CLEANLINESS 



is another essential to successful plant life. The soil, pots, 

 and plants must be kept perfectly clean at all times. 



THE SOIL 



should never have litter of any kind allowed to lodge 



