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that may get on the leaves. In watering, use pure 

 hydrant water ; in winter, it is better to take the 

 chill off by adding a little hot water, making the 

 temperature about 75 or 80 degrees. Some plants 

 are benefited by Guano and other manures in a 

 liquid state, but requires considerable experience in 

 applying it, — Geraniums, Heliotrope, Mignonette, 

 Stock Gillys, and other soft-wooded plants may 

 receive once a week, a watering from cow or horse 

 manure, steeped two or three days before applying 

 it — use it clear, as any sediment would make the 

 pot unsightly. 



In providing soil, where there is only a few pots, 

 it is better to get what is wanted from the nearest 

 florist to suit the kind of plants wanting repotting, 

 but where there is a number, it will be better to 

 have a supply on hand. And I find from every 

 days' experience, that there are great mistakes made 

 in the selection of soil. The first generally made, 

 is to select rich black dirt from the lots, that mixed 

 with street cleanings is the usual mixture in the 

 city for window pot-plants. Now what is taken for 

 rich black dirt, is exhausted soil carted out from 

 some of our city gardens, to be replaced with fresh 

 loam from the commons, this mixed with street 

 cleanings make it worthless for growing anything 

 successfully. The nature of plants, and the food 

 they require, are as various as that of animals, and 

 all pot-plants, whatever their nature, require to be 

 potted in fresh soil. To have this always at hand, 

 have two barrowloads of fresh loam in sods, cut two 

 inches thick, one barrowload of rotten cow or horse 

 manure, one barrowload of bar-sand, and half a 

 barrowload of Jersey peat; these put away in a 

 corner of a cellar, kept separate, will be sufficient 

 for all the mixtures you will want. One composed 

 of three parts of loam, one part of manure, and one 

 of sand will suit for all soft-wooded plants, as 

 Geraniums, Fuchsias, Cinerarias, Calceolarias, 

 Bouvardias, Mignonette, Heliotrope, Lantanas, Ver- 

 benas, &c.; for Azaleas, use all peat; for Camellias 

 and Acacias, one-half peat and one-half loam ; 

 Daphnes, four parts loam, one of sand, and one of 

 manure ; for Hanging Baskets, Ferns, Lycopodiums, 

 &c., three parts peat and one of loam ; for Lobelias, 

 Ivys, Vin'-as, Saxifraga, &c., the soil for soft plants 

 will suit. When a plant wants repotting, turn it 

 carefully out of the pot and see the kind of soil it 

 has been growing in, it lately from the nursqry, you 

 will form a pretty correct idea what kind of soil it 

 will' want. In repotting, always have the pot per- 

 fectly clean, a few pieces of broken pots, or charcoal 

 placed in the bottom to secure a good drainage ; 

 one size larger pot as a rule, is sufficient for a shift. 



If the roots be in a healthy condition, all that will 

 be required will be to take away the old drainage, 

 and repot ; be careful that the soil is pressed down 

 all around the ball, — it is best to use a thin piece of 

 wood to make certain of this. 



Sometimes in repotting, it is better to overhaul 

 any plant that looks sickly, frequently the cause is 

 found to be insufficient drainage, or the soil exhaust- 

 ed, in that case, it is better to reduce the ball, being 

 careful to save any roots that is fresh, and putting 

 the plant back again into the same sized pot ; al- 

 ways water well after repotting, to settle the soil 

 about the roots. 



In arranging them for growing in the window, 

 endeavor as much as possible to have them near the 

 light, especially soft-wooded plants. A circular 

 stand about four feet high, having three shelves, is 

 frequently used, and does very well ; also, a shelf 

 resting on the sill of the window, supported by 

 brackets, is perhaps the best place where only a few 

 are grown, while hanging baskets, vases, or shells, 

 suspended from the top of the window may be had 

 without interfering with the plants on the shelves. 

 I see some windows through the city literally filled 

 with plants the whole year, either in baskets or 

 vases with their drooping vines or plants standing on 

 the shelves, and have often been surprised to see the 

 health and vigor they were able to keep them in. A 

 bulk-window is also a good place to keep them. I 

 have seen several of them where they were separated 

 from the room by two sash doors to op;^n or shut at 

 pleasure ; the bottom of these windows covered by 

 zinc with the edges turned up to gather all drip, 

 and keep up a moisture — a little sand placed on this 

 and the pots set on the sand, with vines running up 

 the sides, and baskets hung from the top. Another 

 metjiod of Window Gardening more practiced in 

 London than Philadelphia, is to have boxes resting 

 on the sill outside and brackets ; the box, generally, 

 about 10 inches wide on the top, and 9 inches deep: 

 This filled with good soil, and Mignonette, Sweet 

 Alj^ssum, Lobelias, Petunias, Heliotropes, and 

 Geraniums planted in it according to their size and 

 growth, will flower and make a fine display all the 

 summer. Others have these boxes filled with flower- 

 ing plants in pots, and removed as the plants get 

 out of bloom by others to keep up a display the 

 whole season. For Camellias, Daphnes, Acacias, 

 Oranges and Oleanders, another method has been 

 tried successfully ; where there is a spare room, to 

 have a large wooden box, according to the number 

 of plants you have to keep over, fixed near the win- 

 dow, m.ake it perfectly tight by cement to prevent 

 any water coming through on the floor ; this filled 



