The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-25
FOR WINDOW GARDENS.
Simple Ways For Boys and Girls to Gain
Amusement From Vegetables.

Amusement From vegetables.
A few interesting and pretty features
may be added to young peoples gardens
by the common vegetables. Carrots,
turnips. parsnips. potatoes and beans
can all te put to unique and decorative
uses by any ingenious boy or girl.
Take large carrot and cut IL off
about five inches from the thick end.
Scrape out the pale yellow center until
there is hole three inches deep Tie q
stout string around 1t. hang in light
place and fill the hollow center with
water. In few days the young sprouts
will begin to shoot. and it will not be
long before the feathery carrot leaves
grow out and up so as to almost entirely
cover the yellow root.
The parsnip is treated in the same
way, and when hung alternately with
the carrots they make a very effective
showing. The water must be daily re-
newed.
Many amusing little things can be
made with the use of cress seed and
pieces Of old wooden material A bottle
tightly covered with flannel, dipped in
water and rolled in cress seed, will soon
be covered with green. velvety surface
If kept moist and in the light.
A boy who spends his summers on
New England farm, with more in
genuity than opportunity, makes each
year a most interesting little garden
with the means of the few vegetables
and seeds at his command.
In one corner Of his garden he erects
a little square rustic arbor Of bean poles.
Next he plants scarlet runner beans, and
as soon as they get to be almost six
inches high he begins to train them up
strings leading to the poles The scarlet
runner is hardy, grows with great ra-
pidity and bears clusters Of scarlet bios
SONS. They will grow in whatever di-
rection the strings along which they
climb are arranged, SO the little garden
er has limitless methods Of arranging
for doors and windows in his summer
house.
About the lst of Juno he starts his
carrots and parsnips. He hangs them
alternately along the front side of the
summer house-the one side where the
scarlet runner is not allowed to creep.
In the little windows formed by the
creepers he hangs sweet potatoes, al
ways choosing the place where they
will get the most sun.
In the center of the summer house he
usually has small wooden table, over
which is tackled a piece of dark blue
flannel. On this he grows cress seed.
One year he marked it off like checker
board and kept it fiourishing with cress
all through the summer by replenishing
the seed. Just as the green squares were
reaching perfection he would sprinkle
the blue ones with fresh seed, so that
when one crop died down another was
ready to take its place.
Another year he covered a round
pumpkin with pale blue flannel, and
with the cress seed designed map Of
the world. He arranged this on short
pole and with the aid of wire man.
aged to have it revolve.
Another interesting experiment is to
put bunch Of grape blossoms into q
bottle with small neck and hang the
bottle to the vine. In time the blossoms
will drop off and the grapes will form.
They will soon completely fill the bot
tie, and if kept in the sun will ripen.
Care should be taken to empty the bot
tie after each rain storm.
When the grapes have reached perfec-
ton, sever the stem with pair of scis-
sors. The bunch may be preserved by
filling the bottle with boiling water
into which has been put few teaspoon
fuls of alcohol and sealing firmly with
cork and sealing wax.-Boston Globe.