Middletown transcript., 1893-03-18
FLOWERS IN A HOME.
AN INEXPENSIVE WAY OF BEAuTlFY-
ING ALMOST ANY HOUSE,

The Proper Methods For Stocking and TAX
ing Care Of a small Conservatory or Bay
window Decorative Considerations Are
Essential.
Many are no doubt deferred from becom
ing amateur cultvators of flowers because
| they fear the expense Of building, stocking
and maintaining greenhouses They hear
of $1,000 being paid for one specimen OF
Wanda Sunderland, and of the fancy prices
brought by other plants; of such collections
AZ that Of Frederick l. Ames of North East
ON. Mass, HenYy Graves of Orange, n. j.;
william S. Kimball of Rochester, Erastus
Corning of Albany and Hicks Arnold OF
New York, and conclude that love of flow
ers il Il taste that cannot be cultivated with
out enormous expense. This is very much
as If people should give up learning to play
the piano because they cannot become lilszts
or Paderewskis, or amateur theatr1cals
should ne abandoned because the standard
of a Garrick or Il Booth cannot be attained.
II everybody wanted to play first v1olin
there could be no orchestra
An intelligent amateur grower OF flowers
can derive in modest way Il delight from
a bay window of well selected plants, and
thus begin what may in time develop into
good collection 1t is quite obvious that
bay would not be rtinously expensive to
stock About 81 TO the square foot OF floor
will cover the outlay. For, unless the own
er wishes to develop some special variety,
which il would be unwise for the beginner
TO attempt. he need not invest in costly
plants.
Ii be will proceed with an eye to beauty
only. he will soon discover that often very
beautiful varieties of species can be had
at low prices The most gorgeous OF the
orchids. the cattleya, can be bought, and in
bloom. TOO. if an ordinary variety, for 81
plant cannot imagine richer decoration
in a room the prevailing color of which is
pink, or some harmonizing tint, than bay
Of these noble flowers, with their large pc
tails and sepals of delicate pink and lips of
royal purple Many beautiful varieties of
chrysanthemums can also be had at slight
expense.
The cost Of maintaining a bay window
after it has once been stocked is virtually
nil. The ordinary temperature Of the house
will suffice Almost any plant will thrive
in temperature of from 60 to 65 degrees
this being the medium temperature to
which both warm and cool house plants
adapt themselves, and the plants will re-
ouire but little care beyond watering and
occasional cleaning
Color effects can be produced in a simple
bay window upon which the eye will rest
with delight-effects which the art of the
most skillfui decorator cannot equal, let
alone surpass One can have graceful foil
age plants, like the Ficus elastica (the rub
L 4 n no fan rs
varieties of kentia and the beautiful Arau-
caria excelsa (New Zealand pine), and,
blooming under their fresh green foliage,
such buIbous plants as hyacinth, tulips and
narcissus or azaleas, genistas and abutilon.
These are among the more common flowers
best adapted to window growth.
Vary these with those orchids which are
most apt to thrive in bay, and exquisite
harmonies in color can be produced. One
could have Cypripedium insigne, with its
yellow and white flowers; Lycaste skinner
Iii, ranging from light pink to deep purple;
Odontoglossum Rossii majus, with white,
pink and brown flowers, besides the glo-
rious cattleyas, laelias and dendrobiums.
Nor is there any reason why the amateur
should not devote himself (of course in .
modest, vet none the less delightful way)
to the perfecting of some special group OF
flowers branching out more extensively, If
he desires, as opportunity presents itself.
1t may have been gathered from state
ment made above that plants do not require
80 much care as is generally bestowed upon
them Indeed in many cases plant suffers
rather than benefits from being handled too
much. All Plants as a rule want water
when dry that u.s. when the soil about them
iipcomes moderately dry Then they should
get Watering that will go right through
the pot and not only IA little on the top soil
~ IL generally the practice, while the roots
at the bottom are starving
Floweriilg plants need plenty of fresh air
and all the light that eau be given them.
while the foliage plants will do well il
shady places Besides watering the plants
care should be taken to keep them free
from insects, which is accomplished by oc
cs,sionai sponging and keeping few to /
bacco stems near them or sprinkling them
with tobacco dust These are certainly not
very imposing labors
These suggestions apply equally well to
the conservatory and greenhouse small
conservatory is. next to the bay, the least eS
l,rllsive means Of enjoying flowers indoors,
For it il possible to heat it from the room
INTO which it opens provided the furnace
Hue is near enough to the door OF the con
servatory to allow considerable heat to ,,,Iss
through it. To have II flue from the furnace
directly to the conservatory would be un
wise IN the heat would then be too intense
aud dry. The only practicable method OF
directly heating II conservatory or green
mouse is by boiler and pipes As a rule
the expense uf building a conservatory or tfn
ordinary greenhouse, with pipes, boiler and
other fixtures will average $50 running
loot uI 81 pei square foot of floor
This of course does not include any ex
cayation or masonry work, simply wood,
iron. pipes boiler, glass, painting and the
like in fact. everything over the ground.
The expense of running such greenhouse
would be about 80 cents Il square foot for
All eutire year This would be the only
outlay should the proprietor tend the plants
himself. The expense OF stocking a con
servatory can be safely estimated by square
feet of the floor. AZ the cost of fitting up
with foliage and Towering plants, includ
ing Orchids would not be more than 81 to
tl25 per square foot Thus it would cost
only from $3.50 to $500 to stock small
greenhouse say 25 feet by 10 or 12, with
choice plants This estimate for stocking
applies equally to a bay.
But the groupings plants proceeds upon
different lines, for in bay the tones in the
decoration of the room should be consid-
cred, while in conservatory the plants
constitute in themselves all the decoration.
1t is advisable to have in each nook and
corner of a conservatory strong combinar
ton of similar varieties-for instance, ferns
arranged together are more effective than
II they were scattered through the house
Similarly. the fan shaped palms should be
grouped together with the long frond va
rieties. forming special group, and vari-
gated and fancy foliage plants will also be
Ear more effective in special group
James K. Pitcher in New York Tribune.
& TaP defined