SISTER GRACIOUS' 



WINDOW GARDEN. 



769 



paper over every crack possible. Where the woodwork 

 is painted white the paper is not at all unsightly. 



For the first few years that I had this little plant room 

 I experimented with a great many different kinds of 

 plants, but each year's experience convinces me that I 

 can succeed with only a limited number, I ha\'e failed 

 year after year with geraniums, coleus, heliotropes, cal- 

 las and anything requiring a higher temperature and 

 more sun. 



Smilax grows quite luxuriantly. The English ivy does 

 well, and one or two varieties of begonias — but the most 

 of them do not flourish on account of the lack of heat. 



The plants that give me the greatest pleasure, how- 

 ever, are the maiden-hair ferns and the Chinese prim- 

 roses. The former are beautiful, and the latter grow so 

 thriftily and blossom so profusely all winter long that 

 they are a great delight. 



I had quite a satisfactory experience with cinerarias 

 last winter ; I grew them from seed. The great pest 



with which to contend in their culture gave me no trou- 

 ble whatever ; I refer to the green fly or aphis. 



I take cuttings from my geraniums in the fall and keep 

 them in small pots for outside blooming, and they grow 

 well during the winter, but fail to produce many flowers 

 while confined in the house. Large plants do not blos- 

 som well, either. 



I have read oftentimes that one should turn the plants 

 frequently on the shelves to expose all sides alike to the 

 light, but it is my opinion that they do far better if they 

 remain very nearly in the same position. It seems as 

 if they spent too much of their vitality in adjusting them- 

 selves to the change, for it is plant nature to look to- 

 ward the bright side, at least. 



The usual manner of heating this room is simply by the 

 heat that would naturally come from the adjoining room, 

 although during some extreme cold weather a kerosene 

 lamp or stove has been placed in it during the night-time. 



Michigan. Alice R. Garfield. 



SISTER GRACIOUS' WINDOW GARDEN. 



HE sitting room was long and 

 narrow, with a bay window 

 filling one end, with plenty 

 of sun for my beloved 

 plants. I made a plan, and 

 then sent for a carpenter. 

 First, the inside blinds were 

 removed, and then six iron 

 brackets screwed on half 

 way lip the window ; and three shelves that were 

 cut to fit the windows were put on the brackets. I 

 also had two brackets fastened on each side to hold 

 pots. Then a long shelf was made to fit in the lower 

 part of the window. The whole could be removed 

 in a few minutes and packed in the back shed, when 

 the plants were put out into the garden. 



There was a small stove in the room, and every morn- 

 ing I put a tea-kettle of boiling water on top of it, thus 

 furnishing the moisture which plants require. The ket- 

 tle could be whisked out of the way when visitors came. 

 For protection in very cold nights I had three large 

 pieces of card-board, which I bought at the bookbinder's, 

 that just fitted the window. I made a cloth case for each 

 piece so that it would cover the card-board tightly and 

 smoothly. These pieces could be put between the win- 

 dow and the plants, and they always kept the frost out. 



My windpw was the delight of my heart as well as of 

 the neighborhood. I had flowers all winter. An abut- 

 ilon is a valuable plant for the window garden. Mine 

 bloomed and bloomed. Also my calla, which I roll under 

 the back fence every summer, and there let it care for 



itself. The last of August I repot the bulb, putting a 

 little hen manure in the bottom of the pot, and from 

 Thanksgiving time until spring the royal flowers rejoice 

 my heart. Begonias filled one shelf, and I have a mania 

 for collecting different kinds. There are so many varie- 

 ties, and some so lovely, that it is the most fascinating 

 of hobbies. And there was the tropical shelf, upon which 

 was an orange tree from seed, also a pine-apple. Pine- 

 apples are very easy to grow. Cut off the crown in the 

 summer, put it down an inch or two in soft earth, and it 

 will be rooted by fall. It must be potted before thecold 

 nights come. Dates can easily be grown from seed. The 

 plants are interesting to watch, but not remarkable for 

 their beauty. 



My hyacinths smiled at the passers-by in early spring. 

 I pot them in October and bring them out after Christ- 

 mas. Every year I buy a bulb of the Chinese sacred 

 lily. Our best preserve dish filled with water does duty 

 on the plant stand for the lily, which is propped up with 

 pebbles. The flowers are so sweet, and the whole plant 

 so interesting, that it pays to have one. 



As for vines, an English ivy is on one side of the win- 

 dow and a cobosa on the other. A cobcea hardly grows ; 

 it dances along the string given it, and will soon be at 

 the top of the window, with its rich purple flowers show- 

 ing amid the glossy leaves. My window garden cost six 

 dollars and fifty cents for carpenter work. The plants 

 were slips given by the neighbors or exchanged. Now 

 and then a new one was bought, and my family grew in 

 numbers and interest as the months went by. My win- 

 dow garden led to outdoor work, and from a nervous 

 sufferer from catarrh, I became a well woman and a 

 very happy one. Sister Gracious. 



