1873 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
383 
precaution taken to prevent tlie ingress of 
weeds. An account of the most successful at¬ 
tempts of this kind will be found in the Agri¬ 
culturist for November, 1870. 
Preparing 1 for Window Gardening. 
The desire to grow plants in the dwelling is 
an almost universal one. Some do it success¬ 
fully year after year, while with others the at¬ 
tempt ends in annoyance and failure. There 
are many reasons for failure, but we can at the 
present only speak of two of these—beginning 
too late, and the selection of improper plants. 
Many put off all preparation for window gar¬ 
dening until cold weather has actually set in, 
when they go to a florist’s, order a lot of plants, 
and soon find that they have a plant hospital 
instead of a source of pleasure. The reason for 
this is plain enough. The florist has had his 
plants for a month or two growing in a green¬ 
house, where artificial heat and a moist atmos¬ 
phere have induced a tender and rapid growth. 
Taking plants from such a situation into the 
atmosphere of an ordinary dwelling is like 
bringing a Floridian to Boston when a Novem¬ 
ber east wind is prevailing. It is not the change 
of temperature that affects the plants so much 
as the difference in light, moisture of air, and, 
not the least of all, dust. Again, others who 
have plants growing in the open borders that 
they propose to take into the house, being 
naturally desirous that the garden shall remain 
attractive as long as possible, allow their plants 
to remain out until the last moment, and do not 
lift and pot them until the nights become very 
chilly, if they do not leave them until frost ac¬ 
tually warns them that their pets are in danger. 
To those who have plants growing in beds 
which they propose to bring into the house we 
would advise them to pot at once. The plants 
will be considerably disturbed at the removal; 
their root3 have had freedom to wander, and 
generally can not be brought within the com¬ 
pass of a pot without cutting back. This, of 
course, demands a corresponding cutting back 
of the top; and the plant must have time to 
recover before cold weather comes. The ques¬ 
tion of soil is often a great problem. Any good 
fresh garden soil or that from beneath the sod 
in a pasture will answer for most plants as well 
as any of the prescribed mixtures. It must be 
so open that it will not cake hard, and if not 
naturally porous it may be made so by adding 
clean sand. When the plant will bear fertiliz¬ 
ing it is better to apply it in the liquid form 
than to mix manure with the soil. The plants 
being potted in good fresh soil and properly 
pruned into shape, keep them in the shade for 
a few days and then give sun gradually. They 
will probably be established and have com¬ 
menced a new growth before the nights become 
so cool as to make it necessary to bring them 
in-doors. The change from open air to the 
house must be made gradually. For some 
weeks after the first frost the plants only need 
shelter at night. Place them in a room where 
there is no fire, and open the windows every 
day until the weather becomes too cool for it to 
be safe to do so. Plants so treated will be, so 
to speak, acclimated, and a slight change will 
not affect them. If plants are to be purchased 
from a florist get them before the houses are 
closed and fire heat is used, and gradually inure 
them to the house as just described. 
As to the selection of plants, a wide range is 
offered, and we will only name a few that are 
quite sure to do well with any fair treatment. 
We strongly advise beginners — for whom 
this article is written, experienced growers 
needing no advice—not to undertake too much, 
nor expect too much. A few plants with 
healthy green foliage are a blessing in winter, 
even if there are no flowers. If we could have 
but one plant for a window it would be an Ivy. 
It will grow almost anywhere; can be trained 
to please the fancy, and is always bright and 
cheery. Among plants for flowers, we place at 
the head of the list the Chinese Primroses. They 
are single and double, and from white to deep 
crimson. With half a chance they will bloom 
nearly all winter long; but don’t get plants 
that have made a forced growth, or they will 
fail. The old “Calla Lily ” (Richardia) is an¬ 
other admirable plant succeeding with the sim¬ 
plest treatment. The winter-flowering Bego¬ 
nias of the fuscldoides style are to he commend¬ 
ed. The “Crab’s Claw Cactus” ( Epipliyllum ), 
Cyclamens, Geraniums, Heliotrope, Carnations, 
and Catalonian Jessamine would make a list 
quite large enough for most amateurs. “But 
3 'ou have not included Roses and Camellias,” 
says an ambitious amateur. These two are 
very desirable but among the most difficult to 
manage, and their treatment may be spoken of 
another month. Nor have we mentioned the 
bulbs, which are of the easiest culture. Direc¬ 
tions for the potting of these require a separate 
article, which is given below. 
Bulbs in House Culture. 
Every autumn many persons pot a number 
of bulbs in the hope of enjoying their bright 
and fragrant flowers in mid-winter, and a large 
proportion of these persons are much disap¬ 
pointed. After all their expense and pains 
they get only a few poor unsatisfactory flowers, 
if perchance they have any at all. In potting 
bulbs, as in other matters, there is a right and 
a wrong way, and those who are inexperienced 
generally choose the wrong. It is sometimes 
useful to tell how not to do it. Pick out we 
will say a Hyacinth bulb that has a green point, 
which shows the bulb is alive. Plant this in a 
pot and set it in a sunny window. The leaves 
will soon begin to unfold ; when they are only 
two inches or so high you will see the flower- 
buds. After a while the buds will begin to 
show color, and you wonder why the flower- 
stem does not shoot up, as you have seen it, 
nearly a foot in length. The flower-stem re¬ 
fuses to budge, more or less flowers open lan¬ 
guidly, and without making any satisfactory 
show soon begin to fade, and that is the end of 
the bulb. Disappointed, you set to work to 
find out the cause of failure, and turning the 
bulb out of the pot you find that it has made 
scarcely any roots, and that the little show of 
leaf and flower that appeared was entirely from 
the nutriment contained in the bulb itself. 
Having no roots, or so few as to be of little use, 
the bulb could not even take up the water 
necessary for growth. The way to do it is 
just the opposite of this. Select good, sound 
bulbs, the heaviest always the best, without 
regard to any green point. If the bulb is sound 
and firm at the top it is all right. Plant the 
bulbs as soon this month as they can be had, and 
put them qway in a dark place for at least six 
weeks, where the temperature will be uniform. 
A good way is to set the pots in some sheltered 
place and cover them six inches to a foot deep 
with coal-ashes. It is well before covering to 
invert a small thumb-pot directly over the 
bulb, in order that the young growth, should 
it start, may not be injured in removing the 
ashes. At the end of six weeks if you examine 
the pots the top will be found to have made' 
but little if any growth, but if you turn out the 
ball of earth it will be found filled with roots. 
You now have a rooted bulb which can be forced 
at pleasure. Give it a warm place, plenty of 
sun and water as needed, and foliage and 
flower-stalk will push with astonishing vigor, 
and a fine truss of flowers will reward you for 
the pains. What is here commended for the 
Hyacinth is equally true for the Narcissus, 
Tulip, of any other bulbs that are planted in 
the fall. First get the bulb well rooted before 
exciting any growth above ground, which is 
accomplished by keeping the plant at a moder¬ 
ate temperature and in perfect darkness. 
Placing the pots in a perfectly dark cellar will 
answer. In -whatever manner they are kept 
while rooting it is best to bring them out a few 
at a time at intervals of a week or more, in 
order to have a succession of bloom. Good 
garden soil or that from a pasture is all that is 
needed, and if stiff and close mix in enough 
sand to make it open. When the plants are 
growing well weak manure water or solution 
of guano (an ounce to the gallon) may be given 
once or twice a week, which will not only add 
to the vigor of the plants but improve the 
color of the flowers. 
Pots made very narrow in proportion to 
their height are made especially for Hya¬ 
cinths, etc., and have an ornamental outer 
pot in which to place the other when brought 
into the house. These are very pretty, but 
not at all necessary, as good results may 
be had with ordinary flower-pots. We pre¬ 
fer to grow Hyacinths and Narcissuses 
singly in pots, but if desired three may be put 
into a large pot. Tulips may go three or more 
in a pot, as may Crocuses and other small 
bulbs. The objection to having several Hya¬ 
cinths in a pot is that they are apt to flower at 
different times, and one will be fading while 
the others are just coming on. Where bulbs 
are grown in water, in moss or in sand, the 
same precaution must be taken to keep them 
in the dark until the roots are well formed. 
- —---—.<&»--- -- 
Yakiegated Plants —by which we mean 
plants with variegated leaves—will run back to 
the natural state, and in propagating cuttings 
should be taken from those in which the mark¬ 
ing is most distinct. The variegated Snow- 
berry (Symphoricarpus racemosus) is a very 
pretty ornamental shrub; but it each season pro¬ 
duces some branches upon which the markings 
are indistinct, and others with leaves entirely 
green. So with the variegated Ivy-leaved Ge¬ 
raniums, Tradescantia, and other plants. It is 
well to remove all these green shoots as they 
appear, as by their greater vigor they will rob 
the variegated, branches of their proper sus¬ 
tenance. While it is desirable to choose well- 
marked shoots for making cuttings, it is not 
well to take those in which the white or light 
marking preponderates; such cuttings do not 
make healthy plants. 
The Japan Creeper. 
One of the most valuable of hardy climbers 
is our native Ampelopsis quinquefolia, which is 
known and largely cultivated both here and in 
Europe as the Virginia Creeper. ■ We now 
