GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ily on account of the room it requires. It has al- 

 ways stood near either an east or a west window 

 during the winter, in a furnace-heated, gas-lighted 

 house, and been moved to a north porch during the 

 summer. This type needs considerable moisture, 

 and does best when watered every day. I have 

 even seen it growing in a large basket placed in a 

 pan of water. The leaves of this group must be 

 kept clean, and I wash mine occasionally with a 

 small cloth and warm water, using a little soap 

 and then rinsing, if I discover any trace of scale, — - 

 that little hard-shelled, brown pest often found 

 on both stems and leaves. 



Both of the asparagus ferns, — ^the plumosus and 

 the Sprengeri, I have grown from tiny pots until 

 they became positively unwieldy, by giving about 

 the same kind of treatment. None of these should 

 be allowed to dry out, as they then turn brown 

 and wither. The asparagus plumosus can be either 

 pinched back to keep as a pot plant, or encouraged 

 to grow as a vine. The asparagus Sprengeri is 

 especially valuable for boxes and baskets, on ac- 

 count of its long, drooping sprays, and if allowed to 

 develop naturally during the summer, should be 

 well covered with its lovely berries at Christmas 

 time. 



The holly fern is especially beautiful, while also 

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