The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-29
In Moman'S World.

De a SpTlQSLlLuc ludAi1h
tition where there are little ones IN the
home. And the best methods OF Keepahs
up this interest will bear at least an an
nual repetition.
1t is surprising how quickly a child viii
learn to take the proper care OF no"ars
when once interested in them. While pre-
pairing our flower beds this spring iet US
not forget to reserve a space where the
children may nave full control. me MOTH
er who has never tried this will be sur
prised at the amount of pleasure the lttle
ones will derive from their flowers. Ieacn
them how to prepare the ground, ana now
to plant the seeds, and to care 1or the
small plants from the time they appear
through the ground. Give them good seeo'
not worthless varieties that you DO nor
care to plant, but beautiful sorts, ana
plenty of them.
ANIMALS will please them best, as they
develop rapidly, and children are always
impatient for the first blossoms. Brlgnt
colors are particularly pleasing to a cnlo,
and nothing will give greater Satisfaction
than a packet of mixed varieties OF pnioA
drummondl. The brilliant and varied col
ors and profusion of bloom will prove a
constant source of delight to him.
Pansles are easily cultivated and 100
beautiful to be neglected. A mixed packet
of seed will furnish a choice variety OF
colors, and the little folk will never tire
of watching them, and trying to decide
which has the prettiest pansy face.
A few white flowers will be wanted for
use in making boquets, and for this pur-
nose sweet alyssum cannot be excelfed.
( although %candytuft, etc., will also give a
profusion of bloom.
Be sure to include a plant of ~well-known
rose geranium in the children's flower gar
den; the leaves will be wanted to combine
with the pansies for the ~butonhole bou-
auets. which they delight in presenting to
! their friends. A small plant of rose geran-
ium, when set in the ground, will soon
attain an immense size, and will furnish
an abundance of foliage throughout the
sea son. when there are two or more chill
dren in the family it will be found more
satisfactory if each child is given a garden
oy himself. Each will enjoy being the
sole proprietor of the space assigned
nim. Some mothers may think it too much
trouble to attend to this, but if they VIII
( only try the plan for one season they VIII
be well repaid in noting the interest and
endowment of the little ones among the
flowers.
Some children like the lowers so well
hat they need no encouragement TO I'M
dertake their cultivation. Others must pc
led into the pleasant work by degrees.
They must first have their interest ero's-
ed This can be done by a study OF eie-
mentary botany for the older children, and
after becoming interested IN learning CT
the structure OF a plant it is but a step to
the knowledge Of its culture. The child
who becomes interested in how a flower IS
! formed will soon show a desire to grow
them. Get a boy to growing plants be-
cause of a love of them. and he is conn
paratively safe from the temptations that
lie in wait for the boy who idles away a
large share of his time.
1t is a good idea to interest children in
Horticulture by helping them to get up a
little fair at which to display their flew
ers. They will readily understand that
their success depends largely on the atten-
ton given their plants. Well grown ones
will produce good flowers; poorly grown
ones will produce inferior flowers. Know
ing this they will study how to bring
about the most satisfactory results. In lo-
ing this they are not only amusing them
selves, but are learning valuable practical
lessons.
Encourage a healthy and innocent rival-
nv. Do not impress upon them that the
object to aim at is to get the start of
some one so much as to see can be
done in the development of flowers. Let
them make a specially of some flowers if
they care to do so.
Encourage them to concentrate their
work. Show them that it is better to. do
a little and do it well than to undertake
a good deal and half do it. Help them to
understand about the proper conditions Of
soil and moisture.
Explain to them the many little things
that will be sure to puzzle them. The
more insight they gain into the mysteries
of growing things the more fascination
the employment will have for them. One
reason why children attempt SO little in
gardening is tina those who could help
them seldom think it worth while to give
them any assistance. This is not as 1t
should be. The surest way 70 make a man
of a boy is to treat him as If you already
saw the man in him. Put him on his dig
nifty. Give him to understand that you
expect a good deal of him, and the
chances are that he won't ~disappoint you.
Let the children feel that you give them
credit for brains enough to understand
and work intelligently in Horticulture and
all their other work.
80
1--WE spend one-third of our lives in bed;
and yet beds are not mad a supreme or
even a very important consideration in
the equipment of most homes. The fact
is strangely u-naccountable," writes Ella
Morris Kretschmar in the May "Wonan's
Home Companion "Anne of Austria told
her friend Cardinal Mazarin that her idea
of future punishment waste ue Put
between linen sheets. So would say many
if questioned-at least the protest against
linen would be long and loud. In winter it
borders upon refined torture, in summer
it is fairly comfortable, but not sufficiently
so to justify it's expensiveness. Nice cot
ton sheets, made long enough to tuck in
generously, are the sensible thing, and
good enough for the most fastidious.
Sheets should measure at least two and
three square yards. This will make the
sheets long enough to u 1T well in at
the foot and give enough at the top to
turn back and prevent the blankets from
coming in contact with the face and
hands. Why will people make sheets too