HOUSE AND GARDEN 
288 
November, 1910 
The August issue shows how well within the reach of everyone is a 
small greenhouse. This shows what you can do with it 
temperature very little above fifty degrees, and not above seventy- 
five in the day time, while sixty will do in cloudy weather. As 
to the watering, they should be well soaked when put in, and 
thereafter only as the ground becomes 
dry, when it should again be wet clear 
through, care being taken to wet the foli¬ 
age as little as possible. In the morn¬ 
ings, and on bright days, syringing the 
foliage will be beneficial, but never in 
dull weather, and the leaves should 
never be wet over night. 
As the flower stems begin to shoot up 
they will need support. If you can get 
one of the many forms of wire supports 
used by commercial florists, so much the 
better; but if these are not obtainable 
the old method of stakes and strings (or 
preferably “rafifia”) will do very well. 
To obtain large flowers the flower stems 
must be “disbudded’’—that is, all but the 
end bud on each stalk should be pinched 
off, thus throwing all the strength into 
one large flower. If, on the other hand, 
the terminal bud is taken off, and sev¬ 
eral of the side buds left, the result will 
be a beautiful cluster of blooms, more 
pleasing, to my mind, than the single 
large flowers, though not so valuable 
commercially. 
There are any number of wonderful new varieties, but the 
white, pink and light pink “Enchantress,” and one of the stand¬ 
ard red sorts will give satisfaction. 
Requiring even less heat than the carnation is the old-time 
and all-time favorite, the violet. With no greenhouse at all, 
these can be grown beautifully, simply with the aid of a cold- 
frame. But where a house is to be had, the season of bloom¬ 
ing is, of course, much longer. The essential thing is to get 
strong, healthy plants. As with the carnations, if only a few 
are wanted, they may be grown in pots, using the six-inch size. 
The soil, whether for pots or benches, should be somewhat 
heavier than that prepared for carnations, using one-fourth to 
one-fifth cow manure added to the loam or rotted sod. If a 
bench is used, select one as near the glass as you can. Take in 
the plants with as little disturbance as possible, and keep them 
shaded for a few days, as with carnations. The plants will re¬ 
quire to be about eight inches apart. As for care, apply water 
only when the bed has begun to dry, and then until the bench is 
soaked through. Pots will, of course, require more frequent 
attention in this matter than a bench. Keep all old leaves picked 
off and the soil stirred about the plants, with syringing and fu¬ 
migating as suggested in the September number. The tempera¬ 
ture will be best as low as forty-five degrees at night, and as 
little above fifteen more in the daytime as possible. Where no 
artificial heat can be had, a fine crop through the spring months 
may be had by making a smaller frame inside the regular cold- 
frame, and packing this space with fine dry manure, as well as 
banking the outer frame. This arrangement, with two sash and 
mats in the coldest weather, will keep the plants growing most 
of the winter, and certainly the abundance of fragrant blooms at 
a season when flowers are most scarce will amply repay you for 
the trouble. Some prefer the single to the double blossoms. 
Marie Louise and Lady Hume Campbell ( double blue) ; Swanley 
White, and California and Princess de Galles (single blue) are 
the best varieties. Plants may be purchased of most large flor¬ 
ists or from the leading seedsmen. 
Many of the decorative ferns may also be grown to perfec¬ 
tion in the small house, at a moderate temperature, fifty to sixty 
degrees, the nearer sixty the better. The Boston Fern ( Nephro- 
lepis e.raltata Bostoniensis ) and its improved form, Scottic, are 
two of the best for house use, and if grown in the greenhouse until 
of good size and form, they will make 
unusual and very acceptable holiday or 
birthday gifts. A few small plants ob¬ 
tained from the florist and kept where 
they do not get a direct glare of light, 
watered frequently enough so that the 
soil is always moist (but never “sop¬ 
ping”), and plenty of fresh air in bright 
weather, will rapidly make fine plants. 
If you happen to have a few old plants 
on hand, they may be increased readily 
by division. Separate the old crowns into 
a few small plants. Don’t make them 
very small or they will not renew as read¬ 
ily. Keep them, if possible, a little above 
sixty degrees, with plenty of moisture. 
Loam and sand, to which is added about 
the same amount of leaf-mould, will make 
a proper soil. 
Asparagus “ferns” will also respond to 
about the same care, though thriving in an 
even lower temperature. Asparagus plu- 
mosus nanus, the “lace-fern,” is especially 
delicate and graceful and makes an ideal 
small table plant to use with flowers. 
Lettuce also is a low-temperature 
plant, and there is no reason why the small greenhouse owner 
should not be able with ease to supply his table constantly 
(Continued on page 309) 
With a greenhouse it is the easiest thing in the world to start ferns 
and bulbs of all kinds, so that they may be brought into the living- 
room when at their best, or used as holiday gifts 
You propably will not want to give up the 
whole house to lettuce, but a small por¬ 
tion of a bench or even a few pots will keep 
your table supplied throughout the winter 
