210 
Garden Work 
particles of soil get filled up with water, and air cannot get 
in, thereby causing injury to the plants. The particles 
of soil should only have a film of water round them, the 
spaces between being filled with air, which is necessary 
for the growth of the roots. 
One of the first signs of insufficient water is the droop- 
ing of the leaves. If this is continuous, they may dry up 
and drop altogether. In the case of Aspidistra, Dracaena, 
Palms, &c., the tips of the leaves become brown and dried 
up. This latter condition, however, may be due also to 
overwatering, as it is always the tips of the leaves that 
suffer first. 
It is immediately after repotting that the greatest care 
should be exercised in watering. Never allow the fresh 
soil to become water-logged, or the roots will decay and 
the plants die. Neither must the plant become too dry, 
or the young roots will be injured also. 
House plants, in time, get more or less dusty, there- 
fore they require to be sprinkled occasionally with water. 
During the summertime they may be put cut in the rain, 
when they will be freshened up remarkably. The breath- 
ing pores in the leaves (stomata) will be washed free of 
dust, and the plants will be made more healthy. No 
greater mistake, however, could be made than to put 
plants from a more or less warm room out into a cold 
rain during springtime. This gives the plants a severe 
check. 
The plants most suitable for growing in windows or 
in rooms, are: — 
For Rooms. — Aspidistras, Dracaenas, Hardy Palms, 
Chanuerops excelsa , Corypha australis, Phoenix rupicola . 
