— 8- 



geraniums which are very easily pleased and accommo- 

 date themselves to almost any circumstances. Such of 

 course are easiest to grow in our ordinary living rooms. 



Give your plants a little extra food about once a week. 

 This fertilizer is made by putting one or two shovelfuls 

 of manure with one pint of charcoal to kill the odor, in a 

 bucket half full of boiling water. This amount of fertil- 

 izer will last for a couple of months if you keep adding 

 water as you remove the fertilizer for your plants. Use 

 it not too strong. The color should be like weak tea,, 

 when the proper strength. Simply use it in place of pure 

 water once a week and the plants will grow more vigor- 

 ously. 



Pick off all dead leaves, being careful not to injure 

 the stems. 



If green flies come to feast on your plants, water in 

 which tobacco stems have been soaked until it is tea col- 

 ored, may be sprinkled on the leaves. This method is 

 better in window gardening than to burn damp tobacco 

 stems for the odor is very disagreeable. 



Watch the under sides of the leaves for red spiders^ 

 and if you discover any, sponge the plant thoroughly 

 with very weak soapsuds. 



QUESTIONS. 



1. What is Floriculture? 



2. Write a history of some plant which you have grown. If 

 you have never grown one, now is a good time to begin and you 

 can keep a diary of its progress. 



3. What are some of the difficulties in growing plants in the 

 house? 



4. If some one in your neighborhood grows plants success- 

 fully in her windows ask permission to observe them now and then 

 and to ask questions as to how it is done. 



