374 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



October, 1907 



The Common House 

 Flourishes Well in a 

 Vase of Water 



inducement should be given to the fern ball 

 to grow. The whole thing must be steeped in 

 water once in twenty-four hours, while when- 

 ever it is deemed to be necessary the shooting 

 rhizomes should be syringed. Toward the fall 

 a decided slackening in the vigor of growth 

 will be apparent in the fern ball, and then is 

 the time to start the gradual drying off. It is 

 unwise, and may indeed be fatal to the plant, 

 to cut off the supply of water altogether on one 

 day. Spread the process over a fortnight, giv- 

 ing a less amount of water each time, until the 

 sprinklings are stopped altogether. All the 

 winter the fern ball must be kept in a dry even 

 temperature, and with the return of spring it 

 should start as freely as ever. 



Not a few plants will grow in water alone. 

 Of course, the culture of hyacinths bulbs in 

 glasses is too well known to warrant any 

 lengthy description, although it may be useful 

 to mention that where so many people fail in 

 the growing of these bulbs is due to the fact 

 that they will stand them in a light position at 

 first. For at least ten weeks after planting the 

 bulbs should be kept in a dark, dry cupboard until they have 

 rooted well. Then they may be brought out into the light, 

 when they will speedily start a healthy top growth. Hya- 

 cinths are not alone as bulbs which may be cultivated in a 

 vase, another excellent subject suc- 

 ceeding under the same treatment 

 being the narcissus, known as the 

 Chinese joss lily. Acorns make in- 

 teresting specimens for growing in 

 small vases, filled with water, and 

 will make l^ne little oak trees. The 

 succulent plant commonly known as 

 the house leek, of which an illustra- 

 tion is given, will flourish well for a 

 long time in plain water. The chief 

 point to bear in mind in the culture 

 of all these plants is that it is most 

 important that the water should be 

 kept perfectly sweet and wholesome. 

 To this end it is a good plan to place 

 a small lump of charcoal in each 

 vase. In all cases it is well to use 

 spring water if possible, though if 

 this is out of the question there will 

 be no harm in resorting to the tap. 



Among the foregoing specimens 

 for our garden without soil water 

 has played a prominent part in the 



Leek 



The Clay Head Keeps Longer in Perfection 

 Under a Glass Shade 



culture of the plants. But in the case of the 

 Monarch of the East, a strange species nearly 

 related to the arums, even moisture can be 

 dispensed with, at any rate during flowering 

 time. It is a fact that this plant, bulbs of 

 which are to be obtained at any florist's store, 

 will display its fine blossoms without having 

 been supplied with any water at all. Place 

 one of the roots upon an ordinary mantelshelf 

 during the autumn, and go away and for- 

 get all about it. Toward the spring it will 

 be noticed that a shoot is being sent up from 

 the center of the bulb, and this goes on 

 developing day by day until a splendid flower, 

 glowing with crimson and yellow, is produced. 

 After blooming time, if the Monarch of the 

 East is wanted for another year, it is necessary 

 to plant the bulb out in soil in a pot or the 

 open border. Now it is that the strange plant 

 desires water, and plenty of it. With extraor- 

 dinary rapidity a giant leaf is sent up, and all 

 this time liberal supplies of moisture should be 

 given. At the end of the summer the bulb 

 must be dried off and set aside for its flowering, 

 which achievement, as has been seen, is accomplished on the 

 water stored during the growing period. 



It will be gathered from this outline of the specimens most 

 suited to the garden without soil that the management of 



the collection is a very simple affair. 

 Given a good light situation and 

 even temperature, all should go well 

 with the plants under very ordinary 

 treatment. Perhaps the greatest 

 enemy, especially should the garden 

 be placed in a living-room, is dust. 

 All the plants must be kept scrupu- 

 lously clean, any specks of dirt being 

 washed away with a soft sponge. It 

 must be borne in mind that artificial 

 light is rather harmful to plant life, 

 and some means of shading the speci- 

 mens should be adopted when Ilght- 

 ing-up time comes. 



Yet so very little care is required 

 in the soilless garden, comparable 

 with the vigorous labor needed for 

 the garden in the outdoor or Indoor 

 earth, that the very utmost one has 

 to do hardly counts at all as labor, 

 and Is merely a pleasure. It is, of 

 course, an indoor garden, but there Is 

 much variety In it and much pleasure. 



A Spoon Simplifies Sowing the Clay Shapes with Seed 



The Vanilla Orchid Trained Along the Roof of a Warm Greenhouse 



