THE SELECTION, ARRANGEMENT AND CULTURE OF HOUSE- 

 PLANTS. 



PART FROM that aesthetic sat- 

 isfaction which house-plants 

 afford, the principle of growth, 

 which they exemplify, has its 

 own strong and almost uni- 

 versal attraction. Thus it is 

 that we behold in dust-blurred 



windows of squalid tenements, 

 rows of dented tomato cans, desolately holding their 

 stunted geraniums, fuchsias and other feeble bits of 

 greenery. Such half-pathetic attempts at floricul- 

 ture are, indeed, "touches of nature " that "make 

 us kin" to the forlorn inmates of these shabby ill- 

 conditioned dwellings who, amid poverty and its 

 possible degradation, have still courage for, at least, 

 one fine endeavor. 



It may be said of plants that they are, like human 

 organisms, dual. They have their spiritual as well as 

 their material part. Hence it is that the perfume of the 

 flower — veritable, though intangible — is termed "its 

 soul ;" and some author — whose name I do not recall — 

 has gone so " far afield " as to give us a treatise on the 

 "cerebral processes of plants. I do not recollect the 

 name he has given to his paper," but remember that he 

 cited, in evidence of his odd theory, the sensitive plant. 

 On the face of it his article seemed slightly absurd ; 

 there are, however, "more things in heaven and earth 

 than are dreamt of in our philosophy ;" and, had 

 plants but tongues, they might, no doubt, tell us " a 

 thing or two " worth knowing in regard to their own 

 especial mode of existence. There is a wonderful 

 account of a madeira vine, which exhibited to an experi- 

 menter such signs of intelligence as have seldom, or 

 never have been elsewhere attributed to a mere plant. 



For the present, however, our attention must be con- 

 fined to the tangible, the material side of plants ; and 

 the sole purpose of this paper is to impart some simple 

 knowledge gained through a long and earnestly loving 

 experience in the beautiful art of plant-culture. Our 

 first step is the choice of our plants ; and we shall do 

 wisely to select such as will best accommodate them- 

 selves to the somewhat adverse conditions of furnace- 

 heated and gas-lighted rooms, such as most of us occupy. 



First and foremost in our collection should stand 

 sweet-scented plants ; not only because these impart to 

 our rooms a delicious air of summer and etherealize the 

 entire atmosphere of our homes, but also because of 

 their sanitary value ; medical authority having distinctly 

 declared that the perfume of growing flowers, exhaling 

 on the in-door air, tends to neutralize fever, and other 



disease-germs. For delicacy of perfume and continuity 

 of bloom, the heliotrope may take the first rank among 

 odorous house plants. Its very name — derived from 

 two greek words, Ilelio, the sun, and I rope, to turn — is 

 charmingly suggestive of summer-time. The plant does 

 not belie its name. It cannot have too many sun-kisses. 

 As a cut-flower it is perishable and unsatisfactory ; but 

 its growing bloom lasts long, and holds its odor even in 

 decay ; is delightful up to its very last breath. 



To secure good winter bloom from the heliotrope, 

 begin in early summer with the plant while in the 

 ground ; and by repeated pinching-back make it sturdy 

 and robust. This done, choose some cloudy afternoon, 

 about the middle of August, for potting. Your soil 

 should be thus prepared : one-third good loam, one-third 

 leaf-mould, and one-third well-rotted manure ; a few 

 pinches of soot may be added, and enough white sand 

 mixed through the whole to keep it light and dainty. 

 Pot carefully, and with as little root disturbance as may 

 be. Water thoroughly, and keep the plant in shade 

 until its leaves recover their tone. After this it may 

 stand in the sun, if given plenty of water, for a week or 

 two, while the buds get under way. 



Be sure to house before the faintest suspicion of frost, 

 as this sun-lover is extremely tender, and the slightest 

 nipping harms it. Give it a southern exposure in your 

 room, and place close to the glass ; and if you have not 

 a double window, leave the fly-screen in to save the 

 leaves and blossoms from immediate contact with frosty 

 panes. A heliotrope should never once become wholly 

 dry, and should have a weekly drink of manure-water, 

 which must be about the color of moderately strong 

 coffee. For insect pests dust the leaves with a light 

 feather-brush, and then wash thoroughly. This pro- 

 cess must be repeated as often as the insects appear. 



Nicotiana — or tobacco plant — is another fragrant and 

 desirable plant. It thrives in about the same soil as the 

 heliotrope, but needs an entirely different exposure, 

 being one of the few plants that flower perfectly in a 

 sunless window. Experimenting with the nicotiana as 

 a house-plant, I found that in a south window the plant 

 was not robust, was scant of bloom, and the flowers 

 quite perishable in comparison with the blossoms in a 

 north window, where two plants grew to a height of 

 more than five feet, and, together, produced one hun- 

 dred and fifty-six flowers. Through the entire winter 

 no ray of sunlight reached them. They were trained 

 on stout strings quite close to the glass of a double 

 window, kept moist, and given an even temperature of 

 from sixty-five to seventy degrees, and were watered 

 well with liquid manure. 



