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Aquaria Window Gardening.—Will some 
one give me full and explicit directions for making an 
aquarium ; also plants for the same. Please give full 
directions for making a pretty and attractive window 
warden ; also for decoration of house and yard. 
Union Point, Ga. May and Bertha. 
Answer .—-These two questions are fair specimens of 
many received by the Editor. A moment’s thought 
will convince our fair correspondents that to comply 
with their requests would far exceed the limits of our 
pages. The space we can give to answers is limited ; 
we can only reply in brief, and on many subjects, of 
which those mentioned are examples, it would require 
a long article to give “full and explicit directions.” 
Aquarium tanks can usually be bought at any “ natu¬ 
ral history ” store. The water, whether fresh or salt, 
must be kept pure and clear. This is usually done 
by proportioning the animal and vegetable life. Snails 
are great scavengers, and eat the green slime which 
so commonly infests aquaria. Do not overstock, that 
is, attempt to grow too many things; a few in good 
health are better than many sickly. Keep the water 
well aerated; if you cannot force air through it, turn¬ 
ing portions of the water back and forth will do it. 
Light must be regulated according to the inhabitants 
of the aquarium. The plants will also depend upon 
whether your aquarium is fresh or salt; any aquatic 
plants may be grown, and some of the coarser plants, 
such as fresh water yard weeds, Potainagetou, become 
wonderfully delicate. There are books published upon 
aquaria, and chapters may be found on this subject in 
Hibbard’s Rustic Adornments, Rand’s Flowers for 
Parlor and Garden. Mrs. Agazzis’ Common Objects 
of the Sea Side, is a valuable book for consultation. 
In the two volumes first above mentioned you will 
find many pages on Window Gardening. The Win¬ 
dow Garden, published at this office, will give you 
every possible direction. We cannot give plans for 
laying out and decorating grounds or yards without 
we have some idea of scene and location. A volume 
giving many plans of garden decoration will probably 
soon lie published at this office. 
Sweet Peas not Blooming.—My Sweet Peas 
dry up and give but little bloom. What is the trou¬ 
ble? H. W. M. 
Answer .—Plant your peas as early in spring as pos¬ 
sible, even if you have to break through frozen ground 
to do it. Plant them four inches deep, and do not let. 
the flowers go to seed. Keep the roots moist, and 
gather the blossoms. 
Seale on Ivy, etc.—What, is to be done with 
English Ivies that are troubled with these apparently 
lifeless scales, that won’t leave the plant even after a 
faithful washing with a stiff brush and water? When 
the new leaves of a Maranta Zebrina come out with 
their edges shriveled and dried up, what is the cause? 
My Wax Plant (Hoya) has been frozen so I have been 
obliged to cut it down, leaving only the two lower 
leaves, and the roots protrude above the soil. Ought 
it to be repotted at present? Alice. 
Answer .—Scrape off the scale with a fine knife, 
being careful not to wound the bark of the plant. The 
Maranta is a tropical plant requiring beat and mois¬ 
ture; you probably have allowed the atmosphere to 
become too dry. Repot your Wax Plant, but if frozen 
it is doubtful whether you save it. All the Wax 
Plants are natives of hot countries, and will not bear 
the least frost. 
Culture of Cactus. —What treatment do Cacti 
require to make them bloom ? Are they belter if root- 
bound ? What soil do they need ? 
Winchester, N. H. Miss IP. S. Sower. 
Answer. —All the Cacti need heat and sun ; they are 
natives of dry plains, and do not require rich soil; all 
pots should be well drained to allow any superfluous 
water to pass off. Even when growing, they require 
but little water. The soil should be sandy loam. 
They bear being root-bound better than most plants, 
but we should not advise it, except in the case of some 
of the large free-growing species, when it might force 
them to bloom. There are many species, all requiring 
the same general treatment, but some do not bloom 
until very large and old. 
Calla Lily, etc. —Does it injure a Calla Lily to 
cut off its leaves and flowers ? IIow can I make a 
Cactus bloom ? What treatment does a- Night Bloom¬ 
ing Cere m like? S. R. M. 
Answer. —No plant is injured by cutting off the 
Ho .vers,'but cutting the leaves will injure your Calla. 
If you strip the foliage from a plant, it will die sooner 
or later; a plant breathes through its leaves. See our 
answer above. Cactus usually blooms in spring or 
Summer. A Cereus requires similar treatment to a 
Cactus; it is of the same family. It does not bloom 
until large. 
Drainage for Hanging Baskets, etc. —Shall I 
make holes in the bottom of a tin basin, for drainage, 
that I. wish to use fora hanging basket ? Must all 
earth for flowers have maun, 5 mixed with it, and is 
horse manure goo , ; how deep must a box be for Pan¬ 
sies, Asters, Phlox Dnunmondi, and Zinnias? 
New York. M. S. Wandall. 
Answer. —You need not have holes in the basin, 
but you must be careful not to give too much water, 
as it cannot run off, and few pi nits do well when the 
roots are sodden in water. All earth for parlor plants 
should be rich loam ; any manure s’ nuld be well rot¬ 
ted and thoroughly mixed with the p il ;-horse ma¬ 
nure is not, suitable unless well decomposed. You can 
get suitable earth from any florist in New York. A 
box for the plants you mention should be about a foot 
deep and fit the window. You must not allow the 
plants to dry up, and they must have all the sun pos¬ 
sible. 
Azaleas. —Does an Azalea want much water, and 
is it hardy ? Does it grow from slips ? 
Mary N. Y. Holly. 
Answer. —Azaleas need moderate waterings. The 
soil must be well drained, for if it becomes sour the 
plant becomes unhealthy. The Indian Azalea, which 
we suppose yours to be, is not hardy. Azaleas grow 
freely from cuttings taken off in spring. 
Rockery. —Having seen several pieces in the 
Cabinet about rockeries, I have concluded to ask a 
few questions myself. I have a natural one in my 
yard, which is formed by four large rocks, the sides of 
which touch, leaving an irregular, nearly round, space 
in the centre, about a yard in diameter, and nearly 
three feet deep. This I have partly filled with rich 
earth, and intend to plant in it Geraniums, etc. Now 
I wish to know what plants will suit best; for the 
rockery has-no trees near it, and consequently gets the 
full benefit of the sun all day, and in our southern cli¬ 
mate that is no light matter. So I shall have to se¬ 
lect plants that can stand a great deal of sunlight and 
heat, and would be glad to learn what to select. 
Georgia. 
Answer. —We fear Geraniums would be burned up; 
few flowering plants will stand such a heat as would 
be shed upon them by the refraction from the rooky 
sides. You could lay out a very pretty garden of suc¬ 
culent plants, such as Echeverias, Cacti, Othonna 
crassifolia, which would bloom beautifully. House 
Leeks and Prickly Pears would do well and survive 
the winter. All these plants are suitable for a rock¬ 
ery. 
Spanish Moss. —Mrs. D. Tuttle, Canto, Califor¬ 
nia, offers to send Spanish Moss in exchange for 
plant of the “old-fashioned red Paeony,” or for a 
Calla Lilly. 
Smilax, etc. —Can yon tell me what to do with 
my Smilax? It has stood still, tall and green, all 
winter. Does Smilax need sun or shade? What 
shall I do with Chinese Primroses which have done 
blooming ? M. S. Hartman. 
Washington, D. C. 
Answer. —-Your Smilax has made its growth and is 
ready to rest. Dry it- oft’ in the pot gradually, and let 
it rest until autumn ; then give water and it will make 
fresh growth. It will do well both in sun and in shade, 
but does not like much heat. After blooming, set 
your Primroses in a shady place out of doors, if all 
danger of frost is over. Water very moderately dur¬ 
ing the summer. Pick off all flower-buds; in Sep¬ 
tember repot the plants, and grow in the window as 
before. 
Red Bugs, etc. —What will kill red bugs on 
Geraniums? Are Geraniums propagated by slips in 
sand ? Kate. 
Answer. —If you mean red spiders, moisture is sure 
death to them. Sprinkle the foliage, also dust a little 
flour of sulphur over it. Geraniums are best propa¬ 
gated by cuttings or “ slips” in sand. 
Eeheveria Metalliea. —What soil does the round 
leafed metallic Eeheveria need ? Does it require much 
water? Is it, a winter-blooming plant, and how is it 
propagated, by leaves or otherwise ? How can I 
make Mabernia Odorata bloom. I have a fine plant 
now (January) about a year old, but no sign of bloom. 
Cincinnati, 0. Mrs. S. G. B. 
Answer. —The Echeverias need a sandy loam, with 
good drainage in the pots; they need but little water. 
E. metalliea blooms in winter, but the flower is not 
beautiful; it is best propagated by seed; the leaves 
do not root readily, or are plants so obtained as good 
as seedlings. Mahernias bloom in winter and spring. 
It is a little early for your plant to show bloom if 
grown in the window ; about the last of February it 
will probably bud. 
Orange Tree.—I have an orange tree three feet 
high and three years old. Should it be grafted or 
budded, and at what time ? Fannie Dale. 
Haverhill, 0. 
Answer. —If your orange was raised from seed it 
will not bloom until very large unless it is budded. 
This should be done in the spring. You can have it 
done at almost any greenhouse. 
