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Vol. LV. No. 2407. 
NEW YORK, MARCH 14, 1896. 
$1.00 PER YEAR. 
THE WINTER WINDOW GARDEN. 
SOME SIMPLE RULES FOR PLANTS. 
Plenty of Water Now. 
The window garden should be at its best during the 
closing weeks of February, and no feature of home 
adornment contributes more to lighten the gloom of 
this usually most depressing month. 
It is a long time since our eyes have 
been gladdened by gay flowers and 
verdant fields, and the fresh foliage 
and brilliant blooms in a well-kept 
window are doubly grateful. The in¬ 
creased sunlight of these late winter 
days, is a powerful stimulant to growth 
and evaporation, and with the excep¬ 
tion of protection from inevitable 
“cold waves”, the main point to be 
looked after is a sufficient supply of 
water. 
At a recent gathering of practical 
florists, a discussion was started re¬ 
garding the chief causes of failure in 
the cultivation of ordinary house 
plants, and the general consensus of 
opinion gave a lack of care and thor¬ 
oughness in watering as the most 
common defect. It is not as easy to 
injure a healthy plant in full growth 
by over-watering as is generally sup¬ 
posed, providing the drainage of the 
pot is free, and there is no great dis¬ 
parity between the relative sizes of 
pot and plant. Of course, different 
species of plants vary in their require¬ 
ments of moisture at the roots, but it 
may be safely asserted that all plants 
adapted to living-room culture, re¬ 
quire a thorough soaking of the earth 
daily during sunny weather at this 
season. The ancient and familiar rule 
of watering only when the ground 
dries out on top, is entirely safe during 
dull weather, and in early winter, 
when the plants are not entirely estab¬ 
lished, and have not filled the pots 
with roots ; but at this period of full 
growth and bloom, it is seldom suffi¬ 
cient for the rapid development of leaf 
and bud. If there is a space of half an 
inch or more between the top of the 
earth and rim of the pot, it will usually 
contain water enough thoroughly to 
moisten the roots; but if sufficient 
space is lacking, the only satisfactory 
way is to immerse the pot in a tub or 
pail of water until the earth is thor¬ 
oughly soaked; indeed, the latter 
method is of great benefit to most 
plants that have been long potted and 
are becoming “root-bound”” Don’t 
use soapy water ; while it is often not 
lacking in fertilizing matter, it has the 
faculty of combining with the lime in 
the soil, forming a sticky, insoluble 
coating over the surface, which quite 
effectually keeps water from penetrat¬ 
ing and gives a very unpleasant look 
to the soil. Use clean water, slightly 
warmed, or an occasional dose of liquid 
fertilizer of some kind. If you wish your plants to 
thrive especially well, and look fresh and cleanly, 
spray them often, or take them to the kitchen sink 
and treat them to a good shower bath. This is all 
old and well-worn advice, but we must not forget 
that we always have multitudes of beginners with 
us, to whom even the elementary principles of plant 
culture are strange, and they are the ones whom we 
must endeavor to instruct. 
Planting Hard-shelled Seeds. —In recent numbers 
of The It. N.-Y., the subject of starting seeds in the 
house has been well treated by several correspon dents, 
but no allusion was made to the special treatment of 
lili' 
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proof against such treatment, and even against weeks 
of soaking in warm water. I have grown tens 
of thousands of canna seedlings, and after trying all 
methods of treatment, have settled on the following 
plan, which insures the germination of these hitherto 
refractory seeds, as readily as corn or peas : File or 
cut a small opening through the side of the hard shell 
(canna seeds sprout from one end and 
the germ should not be injured), and 
plant immediately, or better still, soak 
24 hours in water at 70 to 80 degrees 
Fahrenheit, changing the water once 
or twice, and then plant in sandy soil, 
covering an inch deep. If kept moist 
and warm, they will begin to come up 
in less than a week, and a plant will 
quickly be secured from every good 
seed. 
“But how shall we cut these hard 
shells ? ” is the question often asked. 
I have had a despairing correspondent 
write that she had ruined her hus¬ 
band’s best razor, and then had failed 
to chip the refractory seed! This 
would very naturally be the case, as 
the flinty covering will turn hard steel. 
If only a few seeds are to be treated, 
a small three-cornered file, will prove 
effective : but for a large number, it is 
best to bed them singly in a small 
hollow cut in a piece of hard wood, 
and chip the shell with a soft, strong- 
bladed “jackknife.” This is rapidly 
done, as after a little practice, some 
thousands of seeds can be prepared in 
a day. 
The seeds of most of the hardy water 
lilies, including the Nelumbium, or 
Sacred lotus, are large and hard, re¬ 
sembling, to some extent, bony acorns. 
They would best be drilled or filed 
through the outer covering, and im¬ 
mediately planted in soil covered with 
water. The Zanzibar and other tender 
water lilies have small, soft seeds which 
may be at once sowed in a vessel of 
mud and water, kept at a temperature 
of 70 degrees. Some species of ipomeas, 
notably the Brazilian morning-glory 
(I. setosa), and the various moon- 
flowers, have large, hard seeds, of un¬ 
certain germination, when planted dry. 
The small ends of these seeds, which 
are somewhat triangular in shape, may 
be cut off with a penknife, and moist¬ 
ure will easily penetrate the opening 
if sown at once ; but they are more 
sure if treated to a 24 hours’ bath in 
warm water after cutting. Fairfax. 
H. M. STRINGFELLOW OF TEXAS. Fig. 59.. 
His Theory of Root Pruning Illustrated. See Ruralisms Page 181. 
hard seeds. We are advised to pour very hot water on 
canna seeds in order to split the shells by sudden ex¬ 
pansion. While this is effective to a limited degree, 
it is not altogether safe, neither does it put all the 
viable seeds in a condition to germinate readily, as 
many have such a tough, bony covering that they are 
Root Pruning.—H. E. Van Deman 
tells us that he has successfully tried 
Mr. Stringfellow’s suggestion of cut¬ 
ting the roots of transplanted trees 
back to a small piece. For making 
apple-root grafts, he says that he 
would much rather have a three-inch 
piece than a whole root—12 inches long. 
It seems like a rash and dangerous 
doctrine to preach—but it pays well 
with those who have tried it, and is well worth the 
attention of practical orchardists. The picture on 
this page is certainly a striking one, and tells its 
own story. Certainly the picture of that little tree 
describes it better than could be done in a column of 
mere type. Photographs cannot help being true. 
