476 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
Little Alice 'rending her Flowers. 
The above is the title the artist has given his picture, 
but we do not see, why it might not be Mary, Julia, 
Sarah, Jane, or any other girl. In¬ 
deed, we hope it applies to every girl 
in our “family,” as well as to Alice. 
Perhaps we see more in the picture 
than you will notice at first sight. We 
see that little Alice’s plants are very 
thrifty : we see one in some kind of a 
jar, that she found not in use. and 
could have for her flowers, and learned 
that her plant grew just as well in that 
as in a regular flower-pot. We see 
an open window, which shows that 
Alice knows that plants need fresh air 
as much as anything else, to make 
them healthy, so when the weather 
is mild, up goes the window. Then 
■we see something else—a pitcher; 
she has been watering her plants, and 
by their thrifty look we are sure that 
she has watered them many a time be¬ 
fore. If she could have a watering- 
pot, made for the purpose, or some 
of the nice contrivances for water¬ 
ing, that she has seen in the papers 
and catalogues, she would like it. 
But she can not afford these things, 
and she knows that water is the thing 
needed, and is sure that water from 
the pitcher, which is used for other 
purposes, will do the plants just as 
much good as if it came from some¬ 
thing made expressly for watering 
plants. Let this encourage all the girls 
—and boys too—who would like to 
cultivate some plants in the house in 
winter, if they could afford it. We feel 
very sure that any one, who really 
wishes to do so, can have window- 
plants without any outlay—or at most 
at a very small expense Let us look 
intothis mutter. The first thing need¬ 
ed is the plants, and this is the chief 
difficulty. If you can afford it, you can 
easily send to some florist, and have 
the plants you want, come by mail. 
But many of our young folks can not 
afford this, and must get their plants 
in some other way. No doubt you 
know some one who cultivates house- 
plants. Did you ever know one who 
loved plants, who was not liberal ? We 
never did, and are very sure, if you will 
say to some one, who has a plenty of 
window-plants, that you would like 
to have a cuttim or two— slip is the 
usual name—when it can be spared, 
that you will get it in good time, if not at once. We 
are sure that you can easily get plants from some kind 
friend But then the pots. Of course, regular flower¬ 
pots are the handiest, and in many ways the best, but 
don’t let the want of 
these prevent your 
growing plants. Any¬ 
thing that will hold 
earth will answer. A 
bowl, even a tea-pot, or 
a jar of any kind, that is 
cracked, and no longer 
fit for its proper uses, 
hut will hold earth. Or 
you can get, or have 
your brother make, lit¬ 
tle wooden boxes. If 
you can do no better, 
you can find empty 
fruit or tomato cans. 
The Irishman’s saying, 
“ Niver mind the book 
for the kivcr,” applies 
here. Never mind what 
holds the earth, if you 
love and take proper 
care of the plant, it will 
flourish as well in an 
old tomato or oyster 
can, as in the most cost¬ 
ly vase that ever came 
from Japan. But if you 
use anything other than 
an ordinary flower-pot, 
you must be careful 
about watering, and be¬ 
fore you put the earth 
into your jar, or tin can, it is well to place in the bottom 
an inch or two—according to its size—of brokon crockery, 
oyster-shells, coal-cinders, or small stones ; over this put 
some moss, if you have it, if not, put on a layer of news¬ 
paper, and then put in the earth. The object of the moss or 
paper is to keep the earth from getting down among the 
LITTLE ALICE TENDING HER FLOWERS. 
crockery or stones. You will want to know, why these 
things were put into the bottom of the jar or can. This 
is what the gardeners call “ drainage.” Ordinary flower¬ 
pots are porous, that is, water will gradually pass through 
arky macarty’s mechanical pig.— (See page 475.) 
their sides; then they have a hole in the bottom, so that 
if you give the earth in them too much water, that which 
is not needed, will run off through the hole in the bot¬ 
tom of the pot, or gradually soak away through the sides. 
This is one important thing in growing window-plants— 
do not have the earth too wet. Few plants die from dry¬ 
ness, but many are killed by too much 
water. The right quantity is what 
the earth will hold, when the water 
has a chance to drain off. In the com¬ 
mon flower-pot it can readily run off, 
but if you use a tight bowl, jar, or 
can, the excess of water can not pass 
off, but you can by the use of broken 
crockery, stones, and other things, 
provide a place for it, into which it 
can drain, and the earth about the 
roots will not be too wet. So you put 
moss or paper (cotton might answer 
as well) over your “ drainage,” so that 
the water may gradually pass into 
the spaces below. By care in water¬ 
ing, danger of getting the earth too 
wet, will be avoided. But we must 
not make the story too long ; we can 
not tell all about your plants now, and 
must leave something for another 
time. Having a pot of some kind, the 
next thing is the earth or soil. Any 
good garden soil will answer, but if it 
is of a kind that, when dry, bakes 
hard, you will need to mix some sand 
with it; any good sand will do, no 
matter if not very fine ; use a quarter 
or a third as much as you have soil. 
This is to keep the earth open, so that 
the water will go to all parts, for if your 
earth is of a kind that will bake into 
a brick when dry, the plant will have 
a hard time of it. Having your plant, 
and a pot or jar, or something to hold 
it, you put in the earth, and set the 
plant. We can now tell you only 
about watering. You know that if 
you take up a handful of earth from 
the garden, it feels moist; if you 
squeeze it, it will form a mass, show¬ 
ing the prints of your fingers, but no 
matter how hard you squeeze it, not 
a drop of water will show itself. The 
earth has the amount of moisture it 
can naturally hold. Now you want to 
keep the earth in which your plants 
grow, in about the same condition. 
No rules for watering every day, or 
every other day, are of any use. Wa¬ 
ter must be given as the plants need 
it. The soil must never be muddy 
on the one hand, nor must it on the 
other hand be so dry that, when pinch¬ 
ed or pressed, it will not hold to¬ 
gether. Only practice will tell you 
when to water. But more about plants another time. 
The End.— Bight here is the end of the page, and also 
of the volume for 1877. 
In a few days we will be 
busy upon the paper 
for January, 1878, and 
we speak no farewell 
words, because we feel 
very sure that you will 
be with us another year, 
and another, uutil your 
children come into our 
famijy of Boys and 
Girls, just as many of 
you,who now read these 
columns, are the chil¬ 
dren of those who, not 
many years ago, turned 
to these pages as the 
most interesting t o 
them of all. We can 
see a long procession, 
moving in a circle; here 
are bright and loving 
boys and girls, there 
young men and women, 
who have thought of 
city life, but have wise¬ 
ly chosen to stay upon 
the farm, then come 
fathers and mothers, 
and their children make 
the circle complete. 
We look at them all, 
as they pass in im¬ 
agination, and our wishes go to every one, young and 
old, for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 
