COMMONPLACE NOTES. 



593 



are the little upward stems ; their points will put forth leaves soon." But 

 wait a little, and you will notice the said points turn right over until 

 they touch the bark of the tree, one on one side of the seed, the other 

 on the other, and in that bent-over, looped attitude they will remain some 

 time, possibly in some cases till the following spring. Then the points 

 which you thought were going to put forth leaves will have put forth 

 roots through the bark, and, penetrating into the tissues of the wood, 

 become the future feeders of the plant. At last the other ends — the 

 bases — of the two " horns " will break away from the now empty seed- 

 case and raise themselves upright and begin to put forth the first pair of 

 little leaves. In one case, which was watched very carefully, the seed 

 remained in its "looped " attitude five years before making up its mind to 

 straighten its back and begin to do its life's work. 



Violets for Early Spring. 



The Fellow who asks a question on this point is probably not alone in 

 wanting to know how to make up a good bed for the winter, so that^the 

 question may be replied to generally. In August, or early in September, 

 a bed of not less than one foot deep of litter should be made, well trodden 

 down — quite firmly. On this the frame or frames should stand. Then 

 place upon the litter six inches deep of loam to which a little leaf-mould 

 has been added, and on this plant the Violets, taking care to arrange 

 matters so that the plants are not more than six or eight inches from the 

 glass. Give a good watering when all the plants are planted, and, if the 

 weather happen to be bright and sunny, syringe them lightly overhead 

 once or twice a day. The frame lights should not be put on at all at first 

 unless it be very wet, and then they shguld always be well ventilated, not 

 close shut. When the nights get really cold put the lights on, but even 

 then give plenty — plenty — of air whenever the weather is favourable. 

 The Violet can stand a good deal of cold, but what it cannot stand is a 

 close, stufiy, muggy atmosphere. It almost lives on air. Judgment 

 must be used in watering. Violets do not at all like to be quite dry, but 

 wet, soaking, loose soil they cannot abide. Therefore water when really 

 necessary, but always do it in the morning when you can keep the lights 

 at least open, so that the foliage may get quite dry before night during the 

 short winter days. Whenever the thermometer is above 35° or 36° they 

 will be all the sturdier for the lights being taken off altogether for a 

 couple of hours in the middle of the day when it is bright and fine. For 

 plants, young ones raised from last spring's runners are greatly to be 

 preferred to old plants ; they produce many more flowers and far finer 

 ones. 



MONSTERA DELICIOSA. 



One does not often come across Monstera deliciosa grown for its fruit, 

 and personally we do not regret the fact, for it always strikes us as very 

 flat and mawkish. But it is a handsome plant, with its great spreading 

 green leaves on long stalks, at first perforated and later splitting to the 

 edges like a palm ; and if it form and ripen fruit it is at least curious, 

 and some may even like its flavour. Of what does it taste 9 Well, just 

 as colours are not always quite the same to diflerent eyes, so flavours 



