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CARE AND CULTURE OF PLANTS. 
My home is on a farm in the country, and I usu¬ 
ally get the soil in which most of my plants grow 
from the fence-corners in a large enclosure to which 
all kinds of stock have access. In this enclosure is 
a grove of large oaks, and I find the soil that collects 
All who truly love flowers, and have the facilities on the lower side of this lot is a mixture of sand, leaf¬ 
ier taking care of them, desire to make their culture mold, and manure of various kinds, and not having 
a success. Nearly all who write for the Cabinet up- , been often removed, it is well rotted. I find this suit- 
I ' 
on Ibis subject give instructions how to successfully ed to nearly all kinds of plants; for some I add a 
cultivate plants in the window and living rooms or little more sand, enough to give the soil an open, 
in conservatories, but there are a great many flower- | sandy appearance. I use leaf-mold and sand alone 
lovers who, like myself, live in lightly-constructed for Azaleas and Camelias. If worms are in the soil 
houses, and in our changeable climate find that they add a little wood-aslies or lime, or water the plants 
cannot safely keep tender plants in the house. I have with lime-water. I have never been troubled with 
known many beautiful and valuable collections of insects of any kind on my plants—have never seen 
plants to be entirely destroyed by the first cold snap a red spider ; but I am not anxious to make their ac- 
tliat came. Here in Middle Alabama all tender quaintance. 
plants require a place secure from frost five months 
out of twelve. This is an all-important considera¬ 
tion. 
This article is not written for those who have 
greenhouses, or other appliances that wealth can 
supply, but rather for that other and much more nu¬ 
merous class that we all know of. I find a pit to be 
A friend gave me a Cocoloba that was covered 
with the brown scale insect. I removed them from 
the plant with the point of a penknife, and washed 
the entire plant with warm soapsuds. Two or three 
applications and not a scale was to be found. I at¬ 
tribute the great healthiness of my plants and their 
entire freedom from insects to the humid atmos- 
tlie safest as well as the cheapest protection for all phere of my pit. Every cold morning they are as 
tender or greenhouse plants. The pit should be 
made on the south side of some building, so as to be 
protected from the north and west winds. A good 
size, that will accommodate a large number of plants, 
is 7x12 feet and 5 feet deep. My pit is well sup¬ 
plied with shelves, arranged like steps; the top one 
reaches to within about fifteen inches of the glass. 
It is on the south side of the house, and just under¬ 
neath my parlor window, where I can see the plants 
growing and blooming, and enjoy them as much 
as if I had them in the house. It is covered with 
close-fitting sash., and I find that all greenhouse 
plants not only keep safely, but grow and bloom in 
wet as if they had been in a shower, though the pit is 
perfectly dry; no water ever rises or drips into it. 
Any kind of pots may be used that suits the taste 
and convenience of the cultivator, as I have plants 
growing in glazed and unglazed pots, in cigar-boxes 
and in iron and tin cans, all doing equally well. I 
prefer pots on account of their neater appearance, 
and always use them when convenient, but I now 
have plants laden with blossoms growing in the 
sheet-iron cans in which gunpowder is sold. These 
cans hold about five gallons and are painted green. 
I cut them in half, punch holes in the bottom, and 
put in two inches of broken charcoal for drainage. 
my pit all winter. I have all kinds of Geraniums ; ; Plants growing in these cans require less water, as it 
many of them have not been without bloom since does not evaporate so easily. They are very good 
they were put into their winter quarters in October, for this reason to use for hanging baskets. I have 
I kept my plants two winters in this same pit, but 1 an Hibiscus that has grown in a powder-can for four 
instead of sash I had close-fitting frames with coarse • years; it is near four feet high and branched like a 
cotton cloth tightly stretched and securely tacked to j little tree. I water all my plants when the surface 
the frames. My plants did not bloom much thus | soil in the pots look dry. One must learn from ex- 
shaded from the sun, but they grew and came out in ^ perience how much water to give and when the plants 
the spring in excellent condition for blooming. My ' need it, etc., as no exact rule can be given that will 
pit is now (February 11) lovely. I have all kinds of apply to all plants. In my experience too much 
Geraniums in bud and bloom ; also Chinese Prim- water and too frequent potting are very injurious to 
rose, single white; Cyclamen, Stevia Eupatorium, nearly all plants. 
Abutilon, Oxalis, Calla, Begonia Ageratum, and] When it is warm enough for my plants to be taken 
Camelias coming on. I had a Fuchsia Elm City out of the pit, I move all those that do best in full 
laden with blooms at Christmas. These, and indeed sun to the east side of the house, where they get the 
all greenhouse plants, do equally well in my pit. 1 full morning sun, also the rains and dews; but they 
My plants look even more flourishing than many have entire shade all the afternoon. Since I have 
that I see in greenhouses, and then I am not trou- | adopted this plan my plants are one sheet of blooms 
bled about providing artificial heat. They get full j all summer. Some plants, such as Fuchsias, Chinese 
sunlight all day—one of the essentials, I think, to Primrose, Begonia Rex, etc., like partial shade and 
successful plant-culture. protection from the weather; these I keep on a shad- 
I have learned from experience that if you are ed porch where they get only an occasional ray of 
not prepared to provide artificial heat for your plants, I sunlight. Plants with me do not do well under the 
any attempt to cultivate what are by florists termed drip of trees, and I avoid placing them where they 
stove or hothouse plants will but result in failure, would be thus exposed. I plunge the pots of Came- 
You may possibly keep them alive, but such poor lias in partial shade, but avoid the drip of trees and 
homesick-looking specimens can afford you no plea- 1 do not water them often, unless there is a long spell 
[ of dry weather. In September I cut back such of 
my plants as need it, and repot or give fresh soil by 
turning the plant out of the pot, and take off part of 
the ball of dirt, wash the pot in warm suds, have it 
well dried, and, after putting in an inch or so of char¬ 
coal for drainage, return the plant to the same pot. 
I sometimes take off some of the top soil and add 
new. 
August and September I find to be a good time to 
get slips to grow. Geraniums I usually stick down 
in the edge of a pot in which plants are growing, and 
they scarcely ever fail to grow. Others, like Helio¬ 
trope, Fuchsias, Abutilons, Begonias, Cactus, etc., I 
start in dishes of pure sand, kept wet and in full sun 
all day; keep the sand very wet, or the slips will be 
injured. My cuttings root easily, scarcely ever los¬ 
ing one in this way. As soon as I find that they 
have ever so small a root, I shift them from the dish 
of sand into small pots. If allowed to remain too 
long in the sand, weak, imperfect plants are the re¬ 
sult. Plants should -be occasionally turned out of 
the pots, to see if the roots have become matted and 
need repotting. As the little plants make some 
growth,! nip out the bud to make Ihem branch, and 
continue to pinch the ends of the branches as they 
make new growth. This is especially advisable with 
the Fuchsia, as by this plan you will have many 
more blooms and handsomer shaped plants. When 
left to grow after their own sweet will their aspira¬ 
tions are too lofty for the accommodations that 1 
have for them. Chinese Primrose are best grown 
from seed, unless they can be had well established in 
pots and not have to disturb their roots. I have 
never been able to save one that came to me through 
the mail. I have flowers in abundance the year 
round. I usually keep a south window in my room 
filled with plants in bloom, but carry them to my pit 
for safety whenever there is any danger from cold of 
losing them. Mrs. J. J. J. 
Jonesboro, Jefferson Co., Ala. 
FARFUGI GRANDE. 
A lady in the Cabinet wished to know about 
the Farfugi Grande. I have one, which was given 
me by a friend last autumn. It was a small root with 
one leaf. I kept it in the upper part of the house 
through the coldest weather we had in December, in 
a room which had no heat but from that adjoining. 
It was then taken down-stairs into a warm room. 
It grew very fast, and now has six or eight leaves. 
I find it requires a great deal of water, and cannot 
stand the sun. I read that it is a native of low, 
marshy places, and that it would live out all winter. 
The leaves are very beautiful, as large as a large 
saucer. M. P. 
Preventing Seeding. —Can we prolong the lif 
of an annual or biennial plant by preventing the per 
fection of the seed ? Codnor. [By constantly re 
moving the flowers and preventing the formation o 
seed, the tendency is to prolong the growth, but th 
effect varies much in different plants, with the rich 
ness of soils, amount of moisture, degree of tempera 
ture, and other influences.] 
