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THE CULTURE OE WINDOW PLANTS. 
[This article received Prize in 1873, for best on Window 
• Gardening Topics.] 
One must have a genuine love for these window pets 
to he a successful florist. House plants lead an arti¬ 
ficial life, and we must learn their needs and supply 
their wants, before they exist, to see them thrive. 
In the culture of plants one ought to lay plans for the 
future, and in this looking forward and pi aiming lies 
a great charm. Those that wish for early winter¬ 
blooming plants must lay their plans, that is, start 
their cuttings, in the spring. Some, like Buses, Ver¬ 
benas, Geraniums, &c., I start in sand in flower-pot 
saucers, keeping them in a warm place or sunny, south 
window, watching that the sand be kept moist. I 
press them down so that the ends of the shoots touch 
the bottom of the saucer. I also start some in small 
two-inch pots; after the usual piece of crock in the 
bottom, I put in a little earth from a well decayed 
stump in the woods, or leaf mold, as the case may 
be; an inch or more of this, with sand at the top, in 
which I insert the cuttings. In the spring, as the 
masculine members of the household believe in hot¬ 
beds, I have a moderate sized one appropriated to 
my use. In this I plant tender annuals for the gar¬ 
den, reserving a small space in which to sink my 
propagating pots. I always attend to the hot-bed 
myself, giving air and water, and shading-, when nec¬ 
essary, well knowing that a little neglect would ruin 
all. As so much space in the hot-bed is used for seed 
planting, I start many cuttings in the house. I follow 
Mr. Henderson’s rule in selecting these, taking such 
as will snap and break on being bent, for, at this point, 
they will root most easily. I set all such small prop¬ 
agating piots as I cannot put in the hot-bed in the 
windows (facing south), as near the glass as conve¬ 
nient, covering eacli With a tumbler inverted over it, 
thus forming a miniature green-house. I use old- 
fashioned wine glasses, broken goblets, in fact, glasses 
of all sorts come into recpuisition. I mend all the 
broken ones to keep up the stock, having dozens that 
have passed through careful medical treatment. The 
earth must be kept moist, especially in sunny days. 
My cuttings root easily, scarcely ever losing one if the 
above rules are followed. In dull, cloudy weather 
they can be kept warm by setting them over large ves¬ 
sels of hot water, or in some warm corner by the 
stove, though I seldom move them from the windows. 
As soon as I find they are well rooted, whether in sand 
or otherwise, I shift them from the saucer of sand into 
small pots, and from the propagating pots to those one 
size larger. If this shifting is delayed too long, weak, 
imperfect plants are the result. Plants should occa¬ 
sionally be turned out of the pots to see if the roots 
have become tangled and need new" potting. After 
cuttings are well rooted, I pot them in soil composed of 
two parts leaf mold, two parts rich loam, one part 
sand, well mixed together. I grow most all plants in 
this soil. The leaf mold is prepared as follows: I had 
a deep hole made in the ground iu an out-of- the-way 
place, into which are put the scattered autumn leaves 
swept from the garden paths and yard, sometimes 
adding more leaves from the -woods; upon this is 
turned washing suds and all the slopes from the cham¬ 
bers and bedrooms. In summer a few shovelfuls of 
earth are thrown over the top to keep down all odors. 
When the autumn comes again this compost can be 
taken out, placed in a pile, and covered with sods and 
left to decay another year, when it will he fit for use, 
.and the hole filled with leaves as before. When rotted 
and ready for use, it is put into barrels and placed in 
the cellar. With soil prepared in this way I find my 
plants thrive better than ever before. I always hake 
my earth in the kitchen stove to kill all insects, &c. 
As the cuttings make some growth, I nipt out the cen¬ 
tre shoot to make side branches form, and continue 
this pinching as they need it, well knowing the more 
branches the more blossoms will reward me when 
winter comes. The Carnations started last March I 
set into the ground in May, and kept constantly pinch¬ 
ing off the ends to cause them to throw out other 
branches, and now they are fine, bushy plants to re¬ 
move to the house for early winter-blooming, using 
pots six- or seven inches, in diameter. Some choice 
Petunias from seed, in the spring I treat in the same 
way. After once allowing them to bloom to see the 
shades and markings, I nip hack, not letting blossom 
again such as I wish to remove to the house for win¬ 
ter. I had some beautiful Petunias, both single and 
double, last winter; iu one large pot I had five differ¬ 
ent kinds growing together, plain, varied, striped, 
spotted, and shaded, and it was the admiration of all 
who saw it. For weeks together there were from 
seventy-five to eighty-five or ninety blossoms at a 
time on it. I watch my cuttings started in spring, 
repotting as they need it, punching back, Ac, and by 
the middle of August and through September start 
others. Not having a hot-bed‘at this season, I place 
my small pots, in which are the cuttings, ,in the next 
hottest place, winch is the kitchen chamber, being a 
low room and over the warm kitchen, on the southern 
side of the house; there is bottom heat, and side heat, 
and heat all around, as one would believe to stop there 
long on an August morning. I place my pots iu the 
windows, covering each with a glass, keeping the soil 
moist, and shading, if necessary (I slip) a paper between 
the pots and window-pane), keeping watch to pot off 
such as have taken root; starting some in saucers of 
sand, also setting the cuttings thickly together, keep¬ 
ing the sand continually soaked. After potting, keep 
shaded for a few days and well watered. I let them 
remain in the chamber, giving air every day; win¬ 
dows lowered at the top, day and night, through August 
and September. I find plants started in this way are 
much better for winter blooming than old plants that 
have bloomed in the garden all summer; the latter, if 
cut hack and repotted (all the soil being washed 
away), -will bloom well in the spring, and make fine 
plants for the garden. I generally send my old 
Geraniums, &e., to winter quarters in the cellar, and ' 
give my Fuchsias a few months of rest, all hut the 1 
winter-blooming varieties. Large plants of Oleander, I 
some fifteen years old, I send to the cellar, reserving 
one small one three or four years old, which I do not ! 
allow to bloom much during summer, cutting it hack 
in spring, repotting in bill in soil as above, with the 
addition of two parts of peat soil from the meadow, 
well rotted. They like this soil, as “when they are 
at home” they grow upon the river banks and 
meadowy places, and consequently like much moisture 
at the root. My Oleander thus treated had finer blos¬ 
soms, larger, brighter, and handsomer than ever when 
growing out of doors. One lady wants to know about 
Pelargoniums. I start my slips sometimes in April 
(sometimes not until I cut them down after blooming 
in July), in very small pots, and punch out the centre 
at the fourth leaf from the bottom, after they are well ^ 
rooted and have begun to grow. I do not repot these till j 
the roots have found their way thickly around the ! 
sides and botttom of the pot, when I put them into 
pots a very little larger; after the usual piece of crock 
at the bottom, prat in a little soil, then the hall of 
earth in the centre, being careful not to disturb the 
tiny roots when filling the earth about the sides. I 
use the same soil for nearly all my plants, except a 
little richer for Hoses, and rather more sandy for 
bulbs. Soil from an old ouion-bed is good where one 
wants rich loam. The secret of success with Pelar¬ 
goniums is not to overpot them, as it causes them to 
run to growth rather than blossoms. I repot as they 
need it, nipping off the ends to make low, bushy 
plants. Old Pelargoniums can be cut back in July, 
repotted in one size smaller pot, treated as above, and 
will make nice blooming plants in the spring. If, on 
turning a pilant out of a pot, I find good, white roots, 
I know it to be healthy; if black and dead looking, I 
wash off the soil entirely with warm water, cut away 
paid of the roots, repot in one size smaller pot, when 
it will regain its health. Plants repotted as often as 
they need will seldom he troubled with insects, that is, 
I find it so. On taking up my plants in the fall from 
the garden, I bring them to a cool room or chamber 
that they may he inured by degrees to the change, a 
few at a time, for I am never quite “ easy in my mind” 
till they are under my sheltering wing; then some 
time in October (some good rainy day, when no one 
will call), I give them a good smoking, preparatory 
to taking their seats in the bay-window. In a back 
room we have an old-fashioned sink, beneath which is 
a capacious closet, into which I set my plants as 
thickly as I can, leaving a large space in the cen¬ 
tre; on this I place a large brick, and on that a 
piece of iron four or five inches square, previously 
heated red-hot in the stove among the coals; I then 
lay on some tobacco cut up fine, and close the door as 
soon as possible, and leave the bugs, if there he any, 
to their fate. In an hour or two I remove the plants, 
wash, sprinkle, and carry them to their places hi the 
window. I thus proceed with them, small and large, 
hanging-baskets and all. Those too tall to go into 
the closet, I lay upon their sides. I am seldom obliged 
to repeat this smoking, as I rarely find any insects. 
A weekly washing and sprinkling is of great benefit. 
I use warm water for my plants summer, and winter, 
much warmer in winter. When I wish a plant to 
bloom, I stop pinching off the shoots. I do not give 
liquid manures or stimulants as often as many; never 
till the turn of the season (about January), as I do 
not think they need it earlier, unless blooming. To¬ 
ward spring I use it once or twice a week, about the 
color of weak tea. I water them .always very early 
in the morning, that is, those that need it; a plant 
just cut hack will not need it as often as large, growing 
plants. Use water warm to the hand. I give my 
plants air every sunny, pleasant day, a few moments 
in the middle of the day; and if a plant wilts, water,, 
no matter what time of day. We keep a dish of 
water upon the stove to moisten the atmosphere, and 
the temperature about 65 to 68 degrees by day, 50 to 
55 by night. By following these rules, I have been 
quite successful, and my windows are gay with blos¬ 
soms and bright foliage plants during the days when 
out-of-door gardening is forbidden us. 
M. J. Giddings. 
Calla Lily.—The Detroit Tribune says that by ob¬ 
serving the following methods of culture, success is 
almost certain : 1. After blooming, dry off very slowly 
but thoroughly. 2. Keep the roots simply from dry¬ 
ing out entirely during seasons of rest. 3. Start slowly 
in light rich soil with little water at first, increasing as 
growth increases. 4. Plunge, if possible, iu stagnant 
water until wanted for the house, or there is danger of 
frost. 5. Bepot in rich mucky soil. 6. Give plenty 
of water while the plants are growing and blooming. 
7. Give plenty of light and sunshine. 
