6 



THE FLORAL WORLD 



A FEW HINTS FOR AMATEURS 



If fuchsias are to be kept in the 

 cellar over winter in rather a dormant 

 state, they must be old enough to have 

 woody stems; young plants will die. 



You cannot do better than to select 

 the English ivy if you want an "all 

 around" good vine for the house. It 

 will thrive with little heat and very 

 little sun. Give rich soil, and an abun- 

 dance of water. 



If you do not like the looks of ashes 

 on the soil of your pot plants, you can 

 give it in liquid form. Make the lye 

 weak, half quart to three gallons of 

 water. This is grand for potted plants, 

 and mix charcoal either powdered or 

 in small bits in the soil you use for 

 either bulbs or plants. It keeps the 

 soil pure and gives brighter hues to 

 the flowers. 



The time to plant lily-of-the-valley is 

 in November or December. They al- 

 ways bloom well in a rather sandy 

 soil, partially shaded. Nothing pret- 

 tier can be had than a bed of these in 

 spring. 



Keep water on the heating stove 

 this winter. It will help the health of 

 the plants as well as yourself. Where 

 plants thrive people will also. 



Heliotropes are fine winter bloomers 

 for me. I plant them out in the yard 

 in a rich soil, partly shaded, and grow 

 them well into September. I wait 

 for a cloudy, rainy day, and lift them 

 carefully and plant in whatever I in- 

 tend them to remain in through the 

 winter. Sometimes it is a big, round 

 flower stand, sometimes a long win- 

 dow box. Keep them shaded and 

 moist till all danger of wilting is over. 

 I seldom have to cut them back if I 

 use care. Treated thus they bloom 

 all winter in a south window. They 

 enjoy plenty of sun and plenty of 

 moisture to bring out their fragrant 

 blooms. It is good to syringe their 

 foliage once a day when the sun does 

 not strike them till dry. Give rich 

 soil; you cannot have it too rich. 



Pot your primroses in September in 

 good, rich soil. Keep them in a cool, 

 shady place till it gets cold enough to 

 bring them into the house. Give them 

 a light place with a little sun once a 

 day. Your flowers will be large and 

 plentiful. 



Special care should be taken to have 

 your bulbs well rooted before bringing 

 them to the windows to bloom. Neg- 

 lect of this will result in failure. Give 

 them a cool temperature when you 

 bring them to the light. A warm, dry 

 atmosphere will cause the buds to 

 blight. 



"Vinea rosea" will bloom almost 

 forever, and is fine for either bedding 

 out in summer or pot culture in win- 

 ter. It likes heat, and in a warm, 

 sunny place and watered freely it is 

 satisfactory for winter blooming. 



Mrs. O. H. Heeefoed. 



Nebraska. 



THE CHINESE SACRED LILY 



While visiting a Chinese store I no- 

 ticed a box of bulbs, and inquired what 

 they were. 



"They are the Shuey Seen Fah." 



This I knew to be the Chinese name 

 for their "sacred lily." Wishing to 

 add this flower to my collection of 

 window plants, I requested the young 

 Chinaman to select for me half a dozen 

 double flowering bulbs. 



"Can't tell the double ones. In China 

 pack both kinds in one box. You 

 take these," placing before me half 

 a dozen good sized, solid bulbs. "Some 

 of them will be double." 



The Chinese sacred lily is a variety 

 of the narcissus. It will grow in 

 damp sand, soil or among pebbles in 

 water. The Chinese cultivate this 

 lily to bloom on their New Year 

 (which occurs sometime between the 

 21st of January and 19th of February), 

 and the last named is their favorite 

 method of culture. 



Preferring this method, I placed . 

 each bulb about half its depth in a 



