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 Xc No 



o 



-HOME AND FLOWERS 



Vol. XIV 



OCTOBER, 1903 



No. 0 



Entered as second class matter at the Springfield, Ohio, postoffice. 



This depaitmout is under the entire charge of Mr, Eexford, and everything not signed by 

 another name is from his pen. Eeaders are cordially invited to correspond freely with Mr. 

 Eexford, addressing him in care of this of&ce. 



A LADY writes: "I doirt care very 

 much about plants. I never did. 

 But almost evervbod)^ grows them, 

 now-a-days, and I'd like to have a few, 

 for parlor use, so as to be "^in style.' You 

 know there's an old saying to the effect 

 that one ^might as well be out of the world 

 as out of fashion.' I wish you'd tell me 

 what to get, and how to take care of it. 

 I want something that will just about 

 take care of itself. I don't want any- 

 thing that I'll have to bother with." 



My advice to my correspondent is, 

 Don't try to grow plants. The person 

 who doesn't grow them out of love for 

 them will never succeed with them. They 

 call for something more than a regular 

 supply of water and food. They must 

 have that sympathy — ^that friendship — 

 which enables one to understand them, 

 and their little needs, and treat them ac- 

 cordingly. This knowledge must come 

 about largely from intuition, and from 

 keen, intelligent observation and study of 

 habits and requiremeuts. such as only a 

 genuine plaut-l<)\er will be likely to give. 

 Those' who grow plants simply because 



their neighbors do so will never bring to 

 their cultivation that careful, conscien- 

 tious attention which results in success. 

 The only persons who will succeed with 

 them are those who grow them for their 

 own sake — because thev love them. 



It may seem to some who read what I 

 have said, above, that I do not encourage 

 the cultivation of flowers, in a general wmy. 

 — by the masses. I do. Those who have 

 never grown them are very likely to 

 develope a love for them that will lead to 

 success, when they set about it. But they 

 must begin from a better motive than a 

 desire to have them because plants are 

 *^'in style." If you like flowers, and set 

 about growing them because of that lik- 

 ing, you can very easily learn how to do 

 what is required. Don't hesitate because 

 you are ignorant of requirements at the 

 start. 



The desire to succeed with them, hecouse 

 you like them will insure success. But 

 attempt to grow them because you want 

 them, primarily for the pleasure they can 



