October, 1907 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



373 



allowed to become dry. I he rapidity with which the seed 

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

 four days the phmtlets 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 Hower, 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 shoukl 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. I he 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 Old Man's Beard, a Tillandsia This Tillandsia Grows Suspended from a 



Garden Without Soil from Mexico Piece of Wire 



