Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-12-31
FARM TOPICS.
How to Keep Plants Successfully in Livin e
Rooms in Winter-The Use and Care
of Farm Implements.
The Advantage of Keeping at Least One
Cow-COrn and Water Good Food
for Fattening Hogs.
WINDOW GARDENING.

The time has come for removing TO the
oriel or other window, or to the con-
servatory of the house, if there be such,
all plants intended for winter blooming.
The principal source of failure by anna
teurs is in an improper selection of
plants. As rule, soft or hairy leaved
plants do not stand the dry heat of living
rooms, though this may be obviated to a
considerable degree by frequent Swinging
and keeping the temperature of the win
dow at a rather low degree. Hard and
glossy leaved plants stand the high, dry
temperature of living rooms better than
soft-leaved plants. Thus with little
care many beautiful foliage plants may
grace the window of city and country
dwellings if the precaution is taken to
provide double windows to prevent
direct drafts and consequent freezing,
even when the general temperature of
the room may be high. Of course, the
temperature must not go below 40 deg.
at night. and so deg. would be nearer
the mark for inter-tropical exotics.
If plants are taken up from the garden
for winter blooming, unless they have
been summered in pots, they must be
rather severely cut back. Hence such
plants should have been transferred into
pots during August, or early September
at the latest. Bulbs like amaryllis,
Easter lily, ETC., may be potted at any
time and kept where it is warm. Hya-
cinths. tulips, narcissus, ETC., should be
potted and placed in a moderately lighG,
cool cellar until they have made con-
siderable growth before being brought
into the window. They are better if
they remain cool until they show the
buds fairly well filled.
The best soil for Towering plants
usually grown in windows is a fibrous
loan. Thoroughly rotted sods from a
loamy meadow may be selected as con-
tanning the necessary fertility and as
possessing proper texture. Few domestic
recreations are more pleasant than those
found in the care of window plants.
They soon come to be regarded with
real affection. Attention to watering,
comes a true labor of love.
Drainage of the pots is important in
window gardening. This is simply fill
ing the pot to one-sixth of its depth with
pieces of pottery broken rather small.
linus plants may be placed IN pretty
large pots with no danger of sowing the
soil, and the trouble of reporting is
avoided, and also much danger from
overwhelming. Special care must be
taken that the po5Sting soil contains no
earth-worms, however minute. They
will invariably honeycomb the soil SO the
water will run Immediately through
without moistening the mass.
Some experience is necessary in deter
mining when to water plants. Most
amateurs water them too much. When
water is required give them a thorough
wetting, and when the roots are largely
near or about the inner surface of the
pot neither direct nor radiated heat
should strike the outside. If it does a
little water may be given next the rim of
the pot at intervals between regular
waterings. The soil must never be sod
den with water 1t is moist, not wet,
earth that plants require-in fact, the
vapcr of water and not the water itself