1863.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
and enjoyed as good health and spirits as when 
eating up what costs thirty times two shillings. 
He modified his desires to suit his income, and 
has now “something for a rainy day.” 
Cranberries on Upland. 
From the fine specimens which have been ex¬ 
hibited this season, our hope that Cranberries 
may be successfully grown in common garden 
soil is increased. The tables of the Agriculturist 
have now several samples of the fruit grown 
upon dry land, which will compare favorably 
with any produced in bogs. One specimen, re¬ 
markable for the high color and beauty of the 
berries, was grown upon the pine barrens of 
Long Island, by T. E. Bridger. The lands were 
cleaned and broken up, and planted with roots 
taken from a natural bog. The plants have now 
been out for three years, and produced at the 
rate of 75 bushels to the acre. Another fine 
specimen is from W. I. Spence also of Long 
Island, who shows a pottecl plant to illustrate 
his manner of growing the vine. Mr. S. keeps 
the runners clipped off, and induces the plant to 
grow in a bushy form. The plant exhibited, is 
a miniature tree perfectly loaded with fruit. 
Experiments continued through several years 
are needed to determine if the vine will do well 
under this treatment. Recently, we saw a 
patch set out in common garden soil with the 
addition of a dressing of sand. The vines had 
been planted but two years; from their strong 
growth they looked as if they would be a suc¬ 
cess. It will cost but little trouble to make the 
experiment of growing cranberries in the gar¬ 
den ; the plants can always be procured from 
those who grow them for sale. We have some' 
hope that garden culture will prove so success¬ 
ful that the cranberry patch will be as common 
and as indispensable as the strawberry bed. 
Collect a Store of Leaves. 
There are loads of excellent manure being 
blown about by the winds or hidden in the for¬ 
est, which should be made available in the gar¬ 
den. If the snow has not covered them, the 
leaves may yet be secured. It is but little work 
to gather a large store of them from the woods, 
while those which disfigure the lawn and collect 
in the fence corners should be very carefully 
saved. They are best preserved under a shed, 
or they may be made into a heap upon which 
some boards are to be placed to keep them from 
blowing about. Leaves are an excellent mulch 
for strawberries and other plants, but require to 
have brush laid over to keep them in place. 
One of their most important uses in the garden, 
is in the making of liot-beds in Spring. Used 
in equal quantities with stable manure, a more 
manageable and lasting heat is obtained than 
with manure alone, and when the hot-bed is 
done with, there will be left a mass of most ex¬ 
cellent compost. Leaves may be used to in¬ 
crease the stock of manure by putting them 
into the liog-peu, barn-yard or compost heaps. 
How to Fumigate a House Plant. 
Bessie W., wishes to know how she can de¬ 
stroy the aphis or plant louse upon her roses 
arid geraniums. We have found tobacco smoke 
to answer the purpose. Coil up a newspaper 
or other large paper in the form of a cone, 
pin it so that it will keep its shape, and invert 
it over the plant. Then if you happen to have 
some friend at hand who smokes, get him to 
light a little tobacco in the bottom of the bowl 
of a common pipe, and when this is well kin¬ 
dled, fill up the pipe with tobacco. Then intro¬ 
duce the bowl of the pipe under the edge of the 
paper cone and blow through the stem. The 
fire being at the bottom, there will be copious 
clouds of smoke driven into the cone. If no 
smoking friend is at hand, you may manage it 
yourself, by putting a small live coal at the bot¬ 
tom of the pipe, place the tobacco upon it, and 
proceed as before. Care should be taken not to 
drive the hot smoke from the pipe directly 
against the leaves. Let the plant remain 10 oi¬ 
ls minutes in the smoke, and then lay it on its 
side in a sink and give it a thorough drenching 
from a watering pot. 
Hints about House Plants. 
There is quite a pile of letters upon our desk 
from persons who have written to the Agricul¬ 
turist complaining of their want of success in 
growing this or that house plant, and asking for 
advice. These letters we shall be obliged to 
answer in general terms. The great difficulties 
ingrowing plants in the living room are: the 
excessive dryness of the atmosphere, too much 
heat and too little light, the great alterna¬ 
tions of temperature, and improper watering. 
There are a few plants which will stand any 
treat ment and neglect, but most of the choicest 
varieties must have some care in respect to the 
conditions above noted. In Winter the air of 
our living rooms is too dry for the healthful con¬ 
dition of either animals or vegetables—especi¬ 
ally when the house is heated by a stove or 
a furnace. Now, unless we can avoid excessive 
dryness by evaporating water, either on the 
stove or in the furnace, there is but little use to 
try to cultivate house plants. An atmosphere, 
not unnaturally dry is one of the first essentials. 
In many of the rooms where plants are 
grown, there is an almost tropical heat and very 
little sun. Under such conditions it is in vain to 
expect a healthy growth. The plants, to flour¬ 
ish well, must have the sunlight; the morning 
sun is preferable, but the afternoon sun will do. 
Plants will survive if kept in diffused daylight, 
but will not be vigorous unless they have direct 
sunlight during some part of the day. Another 
great drawback to the growth of plants, is the 
serious changes of heat to which our dwellings 
are generally subject. During the night the 
temperature is allowed to sink nearly to freez¬ 
ing, and in the morning when the fires are built, 
it is suddenly raised to over 70°. These daily 
alternations are very severe upon the health of 
the plants, and only the most hardy can endure 
them.—If all conditions of temperature and light 
are satisfactory, still the plants will not grow 
unless properly watered. House plants are lia¬ 
ble to suffer both from a lack of water and 
a superabundance of it. All glazed pots or 
porcelain jars should be discarded. There is 
nothing so well adapted to the growth of plants 
as the common clay pot or crock. Nor should 
these be, as is often the case, kept standing in a 
saucer or feeder of water. The saucers may 
answer very well to keep the pot from contact 
with the shelf or stand, but as a receptacle for 
water itis worse than useless.—Too much atten¬ 
tion can not be paid to potting. The pot, if of 
medium size, should have at least an inch of 
broken crocks placed in the bottom before the 
earth is put in, to afford the soil ample drain¬ 
age. The proper amount of moisture for plants 
is just what can be held by the sr l where 
it has free chance to drain off. If the pots are 
371 
well drained, the plants may be watered freely, 
and the excess will run off through the holes at 
the bottom. In warm rooms, plants will gener¬ 
ally need watering every day; this is best done 
with a watering pot, which will distribute the 
water evenly without disturbing or packing the 
earth. The water applied should be at least of 
the temperature of the room. It is a serious 
check to plants in an atmosphere of 70°, to 
give them water at 40°. The water should be 
kept long enough in the room to acquire its 
temperature, or be brought up to that by the ad¬ 
dition of hot water. In house rooms the foliage 
soon gets covered with dust, which not only 
injures its appearance but seriously impairs 
its health. All smooth leaved plants will be 
much benefited and their appearance greatly 
improved by carefully wiping their leaves with 
a damp sponge. Those which have hairy leaves 
and can not be treated in this way, should be 
placed out of doors on a mild day, and syringed 
or showered; or, if the weather will not admit 
of this, they may be placed in a sink and there 
receive a drenching. The plants should have 
plenty of air on mild days. By observing these 
hints, our readers will have less cause to com¬ 
plain of their want of success with house plants. 
■-— --»«■>-- —-■ 
Spring- Flowers in Winter. 
Several favorites of the garden can be had in 
flower during the Winter, by taking a little 
pains. The Dicentra, Lily of the Yalley, Deut- 
zia gracilis, and many other hardy plants may 
be made to serve as ornaments in the parlor or 
sitting room. The plants taken up before the 
ground is frozen, and potted, will make a toler¬ 
able show, but some will flower much more 
finely if they are allowed to make their first 
growth in the dark and are then brought to the 
light. The Lily of the Yalley, if judiciously 
treated, may be made to show its beautiful and 
fragrant flowers by Christmas. The following 
directions for forcing this charming plant are 
condensed from Rand’s excellent little work, 
called “ Flowers for the Parlor and Garden 
After the middle of November the oldest tu¬ 
bers are taken up, being careful to select those 
which have thick blunt buds, as these alone 
produce flowers. The tubers are wrapped in a 
little moss and packed as closely as possible in 
pots or boxes, filled with light porous soil; 
they are planted just deep enough to cover the 
buds. An empty pot, or box, of the same size 
is inverted over that in which the plants are 
placed, and the whole set in a warm place, and it 
is all the better if they can have a little bottom 
heat, which can be given if one has a green¬ 
house. The plants are kept in this way in the 
dark until they begin to show flowers. The 
pots may than be transferred to a light room, 
or the plants may be placed in vases or in 
baskets, where they are to flower. By bringing 
them gradually into the sun-light, the leaves 
will soon turn green. Of course as soon as the 
plants start, they should have a supply of water. 
The Dicentra may be treated in the same way, 
and we know of no more beautiful plant for 
forcing. The Deutzia gracilis, from its small 
size and neat habit, is one of the best shrubs for 
winter blooming. Take up the plants with a 
ball of earth and place them in a cool cellar, 
and when wanted for flowering, pot them and 
bring them into a warm room. Plants forced 
to bloom in the Winter, cannot be expected to 
flower again in Spring. They may be plant¬ 
ed out and allowed to recover, or if there is al¬ 
ready an abundance, they may be thrown away. 
