Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-07

HOUSEHOLD ADoRNxEsr.

esnass.
From the pittsburh pispatch.]
These few bright days have filed the
understands and florists WINDOWS
with beautiful blooming plants. AL,
most everybody stops to admire ana
purchase. They take them home, and
sttcs their first beauty is spent they are
uselcss--from lack Of knowledge
regarding their treatment. Window
gardening and plant decoration Of apart
ments is becoming universal; scarcely
n mansioi, or cottage but has had It's
trials in this line. What can be more
beautiful or more entieing than to
| leave sleet. snow, and disagreeable-
ness for a room with bright carpet,
pleasant pictures, lovely flowers, and
birds? Where is the man who would
wish to leave this, presided over by
neat and sensible wife, for male COM
panions and his club? Flowers lend a
charm Of elegance to the poorly-fur-
nished room. They heighten the APP
pearance Of the most superb furnish
ment. They educate, instruct, and ele-
yate the human mind.
Now the question is. why does not
every woman beautify her home in this
way? Few are found who do not love
flowers. Some say 81 would ike to
have flowers, but cannot grow them
successfully" To grow plants to per-
lection is not an easy task. Still the
pleasure derived from them amply re-
paws for time and labor expended.
That they can be grown as well in
the rooms Of dwelling as in a
conservatory is proven here at
home. Rev. Z. A. johnson, OF Fulton
street, Allegheny, grows in his study
about forty plants. Many he has had
for five or six years, and they would
grace any conservatory or greenhouse.
The first thing to do is to select suita-
bic room--one where the windows face
the south; or, if this cannot be had,
the next best is one with windows to
the west. In these situations you get
the greatest amount of light and sun
shine. 1t is of
THE FIRST IMPORTANCE
that your plants be healthy when you
buy them, or remove them to the house,
as the case would be, in the fall. They
should be short, strong, and we'll
branched, and the leaves bright green.
Select pots of medium size, neither
over-large or small. Avoid plants that
have been grown rapidly-forced or
starved. The aforementioned may be
known by the stem being slim, the
leaves and branches, in proportion
to the size of the plant, too
far apart, and the foliage a
light-green color. On " starved "
plant the stem will be found hard and
woody, the leaves showing yellowish
tint through the green, the pot will be
found too small for the plant and the
roots coming up to the top Of the soil
or down through the drainage perfora-
ton in the bottom. These instructions
will be readily understood by plants
men, but any amateur who does
not think this information suifi-
cient to enable him to judge
plant properly grown for house
culture might visit the greenhouse
in the Allegheny Park and examine the
geraniums, coleus, and others used for
outdoor planting. There can be found
the best-grown specimens of bud
ding" plants. Among the geraniums
will be found no more than ten varieties,
selected after trial from hundreds of
varieties of American and European
origin, as best suited for the locality.
If "hard-wooded" plants, such as
grown by Superintendent Hamilton, are
in good condition when bought, with
little attention they will thrive sue
cessfully.
To attempt to grow house-plants for
the sake Of the flowers they may give
will hardly repay the trouble. 1t is
more gratifying and less worrying to
grow those that have graceful foliage
or beautiful leaves. Plants such as
carnations, fuchias, geraniums, hello
tropes, etc., are usually grown by the
commercial florist in moist and
high temperature. and are put on
the market as full Of flowers as
it is possible to get them. These
are anything but the best for even
outdoor culture; but the florist is not
to blame. If he offered to the general
buyer plants that had been grown slow
ly in hot temperature, without flow
ers expanded, not one in hundred pur-
chasers would take them off his hands,
but would choose instead the unhealthy
forced plant. The amateur florist will
see on sale splendid specimens Of plants
in full bloom. While they gaze they
fall in love with them, and think how,
for comparatively small sum, they can
feast their eyes and gladden. the hearts
of the loved ones at home. They buy
plant, take it home, place it
in the window, where for few days it
looks as if 'twould be "joy forever"
but soon it shows symptoms Of col
lapse. The leaves that were of such
beautiful green turn sickly yellow.
The flowers that but short time since
held their heads so highly and bore
their queenly grace so proudly, seem
sad and detected. The buds droop as
if ashamed to open and expose to view
their heart. The withered leaves fall,
and the grieved owner thinks perhaps
it needs more drink. He follows up
the thought with the deed, and thereby
hastens the death of the beauty.
THE ART OF IRRIGATION.
Watering plants properly is most
necessary thing to understand and the
most difficult to teach, being acquired
entirely by practice. The plant must
be studied, its nature and habits UNDER
stood, and treated accordingly. The
professional gardener is asked nearly
every day by amateurs :" How
often should ! water my plants ?"
and il it was in the power Of one man
to convey this information to his fell
low perfect gardener could be
made by diction. The answer gen.
orally given, and very properly, too,
is: "Water your plants when they
need it, giving plenty at the time, aud
don't water again until they show signs