House and Garden 
paint them green, to make them less noticeahle if 
there happens to he a sparsity of foliage. 
Insects. —Insects must we watched for and fought 
persistently. The time to begin the fight is when the 
first one is discovered. It is comparatively easy to get 
rid of a few, hut getting rid of the enemy when it has 
been allowed to take possession of all your plants is 
not a very easy matter. 
If the aphis or green plant-louse puts in an appear¬ 
ance—and fe^^ collections are free from his attacks— 
make an infusion of tobacco extract and apply it with 
a spray, or, what is better, dip the infested plants in 
it. The aim should be to get it to all parts of the 
plant, and especially to the underside of the leaves. 
The extract of tobacco sold by florists and seedsmen 
is very strong in the nicotine principle, and will do its 
work most satisfactorily if the directions on the can 
or bottle in which it comes are carefully followed. 
It will not harm the tenderest plant. One or two 
applications will almost always rout the aphis. A 
weekly application thereafter will be likely to pre¬ 
vent his return. 
If the enemy appears in the form of the mealy 
hug, fight him with a soap and kerosene insecticide 
prepared according to the following formula: Shave 
finely about four ounces of some good white soap, 
preferably castile. Pour hot water over it, and let it 
stand on the stove until it liquefies. Add to it, while 
hot, a teacupful of kerosene. Stir until soap and oil 
mix. Dilute one part of this mixture with fifteen 
parts water, and apply as a spray. 
The red spider, which is one of the deadliest 
enemies of the plants in the window, can be con- 
(|uered, or, at least, kept in check, only by the use of 
water. The spider dislikes moisture and will not 
flourish where water enough is used to keep the 
atmosphere well saturated with it. Therefore, 
spray your plants all over, thoroughly, as often as 
possible. Keep water constantly evaporating among 
them. Also from stove or register. It is an excellent 
plan to have the plant-table covered an inch deep 
with sand, which can he kept wet all the time. A 
weekly dip-hath in water heated to 120° F., is an 
excellent preventive against the ravages of this tiny 
but powerful enemy of plant-life. 
In Case Your Plants Get Frost-Bitten. —In 
houses heated with hot water, or by base-burning 
coal-stoves it is comparatively easy to keep out frost. 
But those who depend upon wood-stoves or the or¬ 
dinary furnace often wake up on a cold morning to 
find their plants frozen. As soon as this condition is 
discovered hurry them into a room where there is no 
fire heat, and shower them well with cold water. A 
warm room and warm w^ater will only make a bad 
matter worse. Keep them well wet down, and have 
the temperature of the room but a few degrees above 
the freezing point, and the combination of cold water 
and low temperature will extract the frost so grad¬ 
ually that quite often very tender plants can be 
saved. The application of warmth would mean death 
to your plants. Do not remove them to a w^arm room 
for several days. If any portion of the plant fails to 
come through the ordeal satisfactorily, cut it away, 
promptly, to prevent its communicating its condition 
to other portions of the plant which have not been 
affected. 
Storm-Sash. —Storm-sash will make the ordinary 
wdndow frost-proof if put on properly. It should 
he made to fit snugly, and should hug the casings 
closely. Long, stout screws will bring it down tightly 
against the wood of the frame. Windows so pro¬ 
tected will not coat over with frost, because of the 
stratum of air between them and the outer sash, and 
one’s plants can be safely left with their leaves touch¬ 
ing the inside glass. Some persons object to storm- 
sash because they claim it prevents fresh air from 
coming in about the window. That it does this, 
when properly applied, is true, but fresh air 
can be admitted elsewhere about the room much 
more satisfactorily than at the window where 
plants stand. 
Cracks and crevices at these windows will let in the 
cold in severe weather to such an extent that your 
plants may be frosted before you dream of it. It is 
well to guard against any danger of this kind at that 
point by the use of storm-sash, depending upon some 
other source of fresh air supply. 
Neatness in the Window Garden. —Let the 
window garden be an exemplification of the utmost 
neatness. Remove every leaf that shows by its yel¬ 
low tint that it has outlived its usefulness. Cut away 
all flowers as soon as they begin to fade. Allow no 
weeds to grow among your plants. Keep the pots 
washed to prevent the accumulation of slime on their 
outside. Prune each plant into symmetrical shape, 
and do this as the plant develops. Aduch of the 
vitality of a plant goes to waste if several branches are 
allowed to grow to be several inches long before they 
are shortened. Nip off' the end of each branch when 
it has reached the length you want it to have, and 
let the force of the plant be used in the development 
of other branches, or the perfection of flowers. 
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