H ouse and Garden 
opened, thus letting in enough extra warmth to make 
sure ot safety for my pets. Here 1 grew many plants 
which 1 had failed with in the window garden, 
because it was impossible to make conditions favor¬ 
able there. 1 had flowers throughout the entire 
season,—all that 1 wanted for myself, and many to 
give away to friends who were so unfortunate as to 
he without a plant-room. 1 think I pitied every¬ 
body who did not have one, so much did I enjoy the 
possession of this “place expressly for plants.” 1 
felt that they were losing the best part of life. Since 
then, 1 have owned two large houses, where every¬ 
thing was as convenient as it was possible to make it, 
hut they gave me less pleasure, I think, than that 
little plant-room did, and 1 know I grew no better 
plants in them. I'herefore- if you love flowers, 
and want to grow them to better advantage than is 
possible in the living-room, flt yourself out with a 
little plant-room this summer, and go in for improve¬ 
ment all along the line. The expense will be less 
than you think. Give the work over to some good 
carpenter, and tell him that you insist on one thing, 
and that is—that not a crack or crevice shall be left 
for the admission of cold. If you enclose a veranda, 
be sure to have a wall built under it, to prevent cold 
coming up through its floor. A southern exposure 
is best, but an eastern one is good. A glass roof is 
not absolutely necessary, but it lets in so much sun¬ 
shine that I would always advise it. Be sure to have 
a portion of the side-sash so arranged that it can be 
opened for the admission of air in mild weather, and 
have a ventilator in the roof, to let out heat, when there 
is too much of it, on sunny days, even in mid-winter. 
One of our prettiest annuals is Nicotiana. This 
plant belongs to the tobacco family, and some may 
object to it on that account, but a season’s experi¬ 
ence with it will 
remove what¬ 
ever prejudice 
exists. Its leaves 
may have an ob¬ 
jectionable odor 
if handled, but 
let alone, they 
o-ive oft no odor 
O 
whatever. Its 
flowers are de¬ 
lightfully frag¬ 
rant, especially 
after night¬ 
fall. They are 
shaped like 
some varieties 
of lilies, and 
are so freely 
produced that a 
bed of the plant 
is always a cen¬ 
ter of attraction in the garden, or on the lawn. We 
have two varieties, one a creamy white, the other, a soft 
carmine. This latter sort is not extensively grown, as 
yet, being of comparatively recent introduction, but 
it is one of the coming plants. In combination with 
the white variety, it will prove wonderfully effective. 
The white Nicotiana makes an excellent house-plant 
for winter. Take up as small a plant as you can 
And, in September; cut away most of its top. In a 
short time it will throw up new branches, and by the 
holidays it will begin to bloom, and from that time 
on to May it will give you flowers by the score, 
and it will make the living-room as fragrant as a 
garden. 
Be sure that your dahlias are fastened to stout 
stakes. If they are growing as rapidly as they ought 
to their stalks will be brittle, and a sudden storm of 
wind or rain may do a great deal of damage among 
tbem. Use strips of cloth, in tying them, rather 
than string, as the latter is likely to cut into the wood. 
Give the plants all the suds from washing-day, you 
cannot grow fine dahlias without plenty of moisture 
at their roots. 
And do not neglect to stake your chrysanthemums, 
whether in pots or the garden bed. They have such 
brittle stalks that a sudden jar often breaks them, 
especially after they have formed a good-sized head, 
and are top-heavy. Be constantly on the watch for 
the black beetle. This voracious pest is likely to 
make a sudden appearance, do his deadly work, and 
take his departure before you suspect mischief. 
Therefore, look your plants over daily, and as soon 
as a beetle is seen, prepare a strong infusion of sulpho- 
tobacco soap, and apply it liberally, taking care to see 
that it gets to the underside of the foliage. Repeat the 
operation next day, and keep it up as long as a beetle 
is to be seen. 
^ Often this pest 
attacks the an¬ 
nual aster. If 
V o u f i nd h i m 
on this plant, 
give the treat¬ 
ment advised 
above. And 
give it promptly. 
I have known 
plants to be so 
damaged, in 
a few hours’ 
time, that they 
were practically 
r u i n e d. Y o u 
cannot afford to 
procrastinate 
when you have 
this enemy to 
fight. 
NICOTIANA 
194 
