FLORAL.
HOW TO CARE FOR HOUSE PLANTS.
Plants that require a high or low temperature or a very moist
atmosphere and plants that bloom only in summer are undesirable.
Procure fresh sandy loam, with an equal mixture of well-rotted turf,
leaf mold, and cow-yard manure, with a small quantity of soot. In
repotting plants use one size larger than they were grown in.
Hard-burned or glazed pots prevent the circulation of air. Secure
drainage by broken crockery and pebbles laid in the bottom of the pot.
An abundance of light is important, and when this cannot be given it
is useless to attempt the culture of flowering plants. If possible
they should have the morning sun, as one hour of sunshine then is
worth two in the afternoon. Fresh air is also essential, but cold,
chilling drafts should be avoided. Water from one to three times a
week with soft, lukewarm water, draining off all not absorbed by the
earth.
DO NOT PERMIT
water to stand in the saucers, as the only plant thriving under such
treatment is the calla lily; and even for these it is not necessary,
unless while blooming. Dust is a great obstacle to the growth of
plants. A good showering will generally remove it, but all the
smooth-faced plants (such as camellias, ivies, etc.) should be
carefully sponged so as to keep the foliage clean and healthy.
PLANTS SUCCEED BEST
in an even temperature, ranging from sixty to seventy degrees during
the day and from ten to twelve degrees lower at night. If troubled
with insects, put them under a box or barrel and smoke from thirty to
sixty minutes with tobacco leaves.
FOR THE RED SPIDER
the best remedy is to lay the plants on the side and sprinkle well or
shower. Repeat if necessary. If manures are used, give in a liquid
form.
Some of the plants most suitable for parlor culture are: Pelargoniums,
geraniums, fuchsias, palms, begonias, monthly roses, camellias,
azaleas, oranges, lemons, Chinese and English primroses, abutilons,
narcissus, heliotrope, petunias, and the gorgeous flowering plant,
_Poinsettia pulcherrima_. Camellias and azaleas require a cooler
temperature than most plants, and the Poinsettia a higher temperature.
Do not sprinkle the foliage of the camellia while the flower buds are
swelling or it will cause them to droop, nor sprinkle them in the
sunshine. They should have a temperature of about forty degrees and
more shade. By following these rules, healthy flowering plants will be
the result.
A good way
TO START SLIPS
is to partly break off the slip (but do not entirely sever it from the
parent stock), leaving it hanging for ten or twelve days; then remove
and plant in a box of half sand and half leaf mold and it will be well
rooted in a week. Do not water too freely or the slip will rot.
If house plants are watered once a week with water in which is mixed a
few drops of ammonia they will thrive much better. Sometimes small
white worms are found in the earth--lime water will kill them. Stir up
the soil before pouring it on, to expose as many as possible. For
running vines, burn beef bones and mix with the earth.
TO KEEP PLANTS WITHOUT A FIRE AT NIGHT.
Have made, of wood or zinc, a tray about four inches deep with a
handle on either end, water-tight. Paint it outside and in, put in
each corner a post as high as the tallest of your plants, and it is
ready for use. Arrange your flowerpots in it and fill between them
with sawdust. This absorbs the moisture falling from the plants when
you water them and retains the warmth acquired during the day, keeping
the temperature of the roots even. When you retire at night spread
over the posts a blanket or shawl, and there is no danger of freezing.
SURE SHOT FOR ROSE-SLUGS.
Make a tea of tobacco stems and a soapsuds of whale oil or carbolic
soap; mix and apply to the bush with a sprinkler, turning the bush so
as to wet the under as well as the upper part of the leaves. Apply,
before the sun is up, three or four times.
TO PREPARE AUTUMN LEAVES AND FERNS.
Immediately after gathering take a moderately warm iron, smear it well
with white wax, rub over each surface of the leaf once, applying more
wax for each leaf. This process causes leaves to roll about as when
hanging on the trees. If pressed more they become brittle and remain
perfectly flat. Maple and oak are among the most desirable, and may be
gathered any time after the severe frosts; but the sumac and ivy must
be secured as soon after the first slight frost as they become tinted
or the leaflets will fall from the stem. Ferns may be selected any
time during the season. A large book must be used in gathering them,
as they will be spoiled for pressing if carried in the hand. A weight
should be placed on them until they are perfectly dry; then, excepting
the most delicate ones, it will be well to press them like the leaves,
as they are liable to curl when placed in a warm atmosphere. These
will form beautiful combinations with the sumac and ivy.
TO PREPARE SKELETON LEAVES.
When properly prepared, skeleton leaves form a companion to the
scrapbook or collection of pressed ferns, fronds, etc. This is a
tedious operation and requires skill and great patience to obtain
satisfactory results. Some leaves are easier to dissect and make
better specimens than others, and, as a rule, a hard, thin leaf should
be chosen; that is, when a special variety is not required.
Among those which are skeletonized most successfully are the English
ivy, box elder, willow, grape, pear, rose, etc. They should be
gathered during the month of June, or as soon as the leaf is fully
developed. The leaves should be immersed in a vessel of rain water and
allowed to remain till decomposed. When this takes place, press the
leaf between pieces of soft flannel, and the film will adhere to the
flannel, leaving a perfect network. Dry off gradually and clean the
specimen with a soft hair pencil. Place between folds of soft blotting
paper, and when perfectly dry place in your collection.
TO BLEACH THE LEAVES,
dissolve one half pound of chloride of lime in three pints of rain
water, strain, and use one part of the solution to one of water. For
ferns, use the solution full strength. When perfectly white remove to
clear water, let stand for several hours, changing water two or three
times, float out on paper, and press between blotting paper in books.
In mounting use mucilage made of five parts gum arabic, three parts
white sugar, two parts starch, and very little water; boil and stir
till thick and white.
HANGING BASKETS.
A correspondent of the _Gardener's Monthly_ tells of a new style of
hanging basket made of round maple sticks about one inch in diameter,
eight inches in length at the bottom, increasing to fourteen at the
top. In constructing, begin at the bottom and build up, log-cabin
fashion; chink the openings with green moss and line the whole basket
with the same. These are easily kept moist, and the plants droop and
twine over them very gracefully. A good way to keep the earth moist in
a hanging basket without the trouble of taking it down is to fill a
bottle with water and put in two pieces of yarn, leaving one end
outside. Suspend the bottle just above the basket and allow the water
to drip. This will keep the earth moist enough for winter and save a
great deal of time and labor. Plant morning glory seeds in hanging
baskets in winter; they grow rapidly and are very pretty.--_Buckeye._