The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-09-30
The Household,
Beanpole Geraniums.

Calling upon friend not long since
who has kept house plants ten years or
more, l found four gerauiums in large
pots. Each one mad three or four stems
at least two feet high entirely bare ex-
cepting tipped with a close cluster of
small leaves and head of flowers. AT
the base were shoots springing up
vigorously with large, rich leaves
asked an exchange of one fine sort for
something of mine. "Oh, yes" the
dear woman answered, "here are lots of
little slips that ought to be cut off,
and she would have cut away every bit
ofnew growth if l had permitted. When
| explained that tall stems should never
be left to grow, but the lower shoots
be encouraged, she held up her hands
in astonishment. exclaiming: as that
so? John, John, just hear what Mrs.
Fl. says; these great bean poles,' as you
call them, are spelling my geraniums
and we are going to cut down every
one.' ''Well, I always told you SO! 1t
seems to me I'd learned something
before fooling with rubbish all these
years. Why, Mrs. H., she" 80.
come now. John, you go long This is
no FOOLS day at all, for these geraniums
are to be put in good shape right now.'
This wise John put on a comical look
and, with hands in his pockets, watched
me while with sharp knife I severed
every "pole" few joints from the base,
then divided each one into three Joint
lengths and told her to make nice little
plants of them to give her friends, and
never to cut slips from the base of a
plant she wished to have in bloom. but
to encourage all fresh growth and nip
back after every two or three joints to
make new shoot appear below, permit
the buds to start but then check further
growth of that stem. Geraniums con-
stlntiy treated this way will never be
without bloom, besides you will need to
lift the leaves to discover the stems.
Another place where I visit has a
round bed where every summer since
Noah was a baby ring around Of
geranium stems appears. Evidently
the lady buys every spring lot of
those "eisht cents by mail' plants to
make her ring with what she has kept
over. About the last of August this
ring begins to promise some fine flowers,
but fierce wind aud light frost in Sep.
TENDER deny the hope and the plants are
pulled and stored while in best growing
condition, therefore not many survive
the winter.
1 cannot stop this TRADE without a
fling at the array so often seen in
windows, of pint and quart pots or cans
and in one wee slip of a geranium,
and there they stand all winter. kept
warm day and night, and "watered
twice a week REGULAR Then when
spring comes they (some Of them) have
two stems instead of one (the plants l
mean, not the pots), and they begin to
bud and so join with other freshness to
warm the family heart and encourage
each Individual member to do it again
next winter.
Plants for winter blooming should
be rooted in early spring and nourished
and nipped, and grown fat and kept
flourishing all summer in pots at the
north or east side of the house till nearly
time to take in, then harden little in
the sun and drouth, then taken in for
part of the day and left out little, SO
when finally given permanent position
they will make fine display of leaf and
flowers all winter, and hardly stem to
lbe seen.-VicEs Magazine for Sept.