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HOME AND FLOWERS 



THE HELIOTROPE 



THIS plant is always greatly admired. 

 Xot so much for its beauty, perhaps, 

 as for its most delightful fragrance. 

 A cluster of blossoms will fill a good-sized 

 room with its spicy sweetness. But it is 

 really a lovely -flower, though not shawy. 

 Its color — in varying shades of blue — is 

 not favorable to brilliance. 



It is seldom well grown, though it is 

 not difficult to grow, when its habits and 

 needs are understood^ It requires fre- 

 quent repotting in rather strong, loamy 

 soil, into which some leaf mold has been 

 mixed. Also enough sand to make the 

 compost friable. It is a plant that takes 

 kindly to pruning. It should be frequent- 

 ly cut back to make it bushy and compact^, 

 and encourage the production of many 

 branches upon the new growth of which 

 a profuse and constant crop of flowers 

 depends. Unless you can keep the plant 

 growing you need not expect blossoms from 

 it. In house-culture this plant is often 

 affected with what is termed "rust." This 

 trouble is generally caused by a small, 

 mite-like insect that burrows into the 

 young growth of the plant, sucking the 

 sap from it, and causing discoloration of 

 the foliage. The remedy consists in two 

 or three immersions of the plant in a- bath 

 of tobacco tea the color of weak table tea. 

 Stems and refuse fron a cigar-manufac- 

 tory are fully as desirable for this pur- 

 pose as clean tobacco. Po-ur hoi water 

 over a pailful of them and let them soak 

 for several hours. Then drain off the 

 water and mix it with clear water until 

 you have the strength desired. It is well 

 to prepare the bath in a tub large enough 

 to allow the plant to be dipped in it, and 

 entirely submerged. Take the infes-ted'' 

 plant in your hand, insert it, with your 

 fingers over the soil in the pot, and dip it 

 carefully, holding it under for two or 

 three minutes. If plants have been badly 

 damaged by the pest before the cause of 

 trouble is discovered, it is well to cut away 



most of the top, and allow them to renew 

 themselves. 



Great care must be taken in watering. 

 The Heliotrope has thousands of fine roots 

 which extract moisture rapidly from the 

 soil, therefore, if only such quantity as is 

 sufficient to meet the needs of a Geranium 

 is given, it will soon suffer, and shortly be- 

 come diseased and eventually die. It should 

 be well watered daily. If good drainage 

 has been provided there will be no danger 

 from over watering. If allowed to get 

 dry at the roots, it will almost always shed 

 its leaves. 



The Heliotrope is very susceptible to 

 the dea.dly effects of coal-gas. It seldom 

 does well in a room where gas is used for 

 illuminating purposes. 



It is fond of considerable warmth, and 

 must have a liberal amount of sunshine. 

 In a low temperature it frequently drops 

 its foliage, and almost always fails to 

 bloom. 



Because of its enormous number of 

 feeding roots it exhausts the nutriment of 

 the soil rapidly, therefore fertilizers must 

 be applied frequently during the flower- 

 ing season. 



It can be grown in shrubby form, or 

 as a standard. I prefer it when made to 

 throw out many branches close to the pot. 

 Old plants are easily renewed by cutting 

 away the old branches. New ones are 

 readily grown from cuttings inserted in 

 sand which should be kept moist and 

 warm. 



THE PEONY 



NOW that this magnificent flower is 

 coming into favor again (it ought 

 never to have fallen into neglect, for 

 it is one of the best of all hardy herbaceous 

 plants) a few hints about the care it re- 

 quires may not be out of place. It seldom 

 blooms the first season after removal, and 

 frequentl}^ complaints come in that plants, 

 two, three, and even four years old have 

 never bloomed. It is a plant that likes 

 to be let alone. So averse is it to any dis- 



