February, 1913 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
127 
house. Celestial and Kaleidoscope are the 
two kinds best suited for house culture. 
The “sensitive plant” (Mimosa pudica) 
is a pretty little green-leaved plant, the 
never-failing interest in which lies not in 
its beauty, however, but in the fact that 
it shrinks and folds up when touched, as 
though it belonged to the animal king¬ 
dom. It is easily grown from seed. 
The umbrella plant (Cyperns) does well 
with ordinary care, and is at all times very 
attractive. The long, slender stems, each 
surmounted by a number of drooping 
slender leaves, somewhat resembling the 
ribs of an umbrella in the way they are 
held, are thrown up in a thick group from 
the base of the plant, making a most strik¬ 
ing and artistic appearance. Its chief re¬ 
quirement is plenty of water. 
While you probably will not have room 
for all these plants, or even a majority of 
them, do not be content to stick to the old 
universally known sorts. While a good 
specimen of a new variety of palm or rub¬ 
ber may not be as cheap as a geranium, 
you should take into consideration that it 
will last several years, and the cost, being 
thus distributed, is actually very little. A 
good plant is one of the most lasting, satis¬ 
fying and worth-while “luxuries” you 
can treat yourself to—one which you will 
never be sorry for after you get it. 
The Lure of the Orchid 
(Continued from page 104) 
orchids even in the tropics. It grew chiefly 
in inaccessible places, on the overhanging 
rocks and in the deep ravines of the coast. 
To gather the plants natives had to be 
lowered on ropes, but gathered they all 
were, and collectors no longer send home 
the Laelia elegans! 
The orchid hobby, unlike other floral 
excitements, has never grown into a mania 
and has never known a period of inflation. 
The Tulip, the Dahlia, the Zinnia, the 
Camellia, each in its turn sprang into prom¬ 
inence, gave rise to wild speculation, had 
its day, and sank into oblivion. In quite 
another way the orchid has slowly and 
steadily made its way. Its cultivation, at 
first only possible to the immensely rich, is 
rapidly approaching the reach of all. 
Thanks to vast importations and improved 
facilities for domestic propagation, the 
number of plants in cultivation has so in¬ 
creased that prices of many of the most 
beautiful forms, which formerly were 
given in guineas, are now quoted in shil¬ 
lings. This has led to no decreased inter¬ 
est on the part of the more wealthy, who. 
on the contrary, have continued to improve 
the standard of their collections. As ordi¬ 
nary specimens have become cheaper, 
prices for particularly fine or rare plants 
have continued to mount from year to 
year, until now it is no uncommon occur¬ 
rence for some desirable plant to fetch at 
auction over a thousand dollars. 
TT is a mistaken notion 
to suppose that you 
must paint your house 
white if you use white 
You can have any tint, 
any shade, and it lasts 
if you use Dutch Boy 
White Lead and Dutch 
Boy Linseed Oil. 
Dutch Boy White Lead in steel kegs, 12 f4, 25, 50 and 100 lbs. Dutch Boy Linseed 
Oil, 1 and 5 gallon sealed cans. Ask your paint dealer. 
Let us send you “Painting Helps 18,” full of facts every house owner should know 
about painting. We will include our catalogue of 100 beautiful stencils for walls. 
NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY 
Cincinnati Cleveland San Francisco St. Louis 
(National Lead & Oil Co., Pittsburgh) 
New York Boston Buffalo Chicago 
(John T. Lewis & Bros. Co., Philadelphia) 
O. J. Gette, Architect, New York 
•niiiuiiiiiiiiiiminummmiiiiimTiiinnniiiimiiiuiHiiiimiflmimnifimmnnnmiii 
When planning spring building, figure on using 
1ENGL/SH SHINGLE 
BROTHERS 
Preserve and beautify 
Special preservative oils protect from the elements and pre- 
vent' dry and wet rot; yet bring out all the beauty of the 
texture and grain of the wood. Best English ground pig¬ 
ments used—colors cannot fade. Better than paint, cost 
less than half. Recommended by thousands of architects. 
Write for stained miniature shingles and Booklet A 
DEXTER BROTHERS CO., n 2 Broad Street, Boston 
BRANCHES: 1133 Broadway, New York 218 Race St., Philadelphia 
Also makers of Petrifax Cement Coating 
AGENTS: H. M. Hooker Co., Chicago; F. H. McDon¬ 
ald, Grand Rapids; Northern Brick & Supply Co., St. 
Paul; F T Crowe & Co., Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, 
Wash., and Portland, Ore.; R. McC. Bullington & Co. 
Richmond; A R. Hale, 838 Hennon Bldg., New Or¬ 
leans; Hoffschlaeger Co., Honolulu, and DEALERS. 
In writing to advertisers please mention House and Garden. 
