The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-05-04
A WINTER FLOWER FAD.
SIMPLE RULES TO MAKE Pt ANTS
GROW IN THE HOUSE.

A Pleasure More Neglected Here I.Gan I'M
Europe - Light, Water and Cleanliness
the Necessary Requisites-Care OF Ferns
Desirable Flowers for the Beginner.
Americans do not take to house
plant culture as Europeans do. Perhaps
their winter climate makes the thing
more difficult. perhaps they haven't
time to care for the plants. Yet 1t Is
extremely easy to master the few car
dinal principles of plant care, and
plants afford so much interest and en-
tertainment that it is surprising that
more women do not grow them.
The love Of flowers is being spread,
however, among children In the
schools, especially in the kindergart-
ems. In one downtown kindergarten
each child received little potted
plant on Christmas day, and all pri-
vate and public business is apparently
made to give way to the care OF those.
flowers. Every morning the teachers
are called into serious consultation
upon plant symptoms and the question
of proper treatment.
Then, again, one wealthy uptown
mother recently told the kindergarten
teachers of her small children that she
had never found anything else the
children learned at school so satisfac-
tory as their recent craze for plants.
The mania which began with pot of
cyclamen has spread nightly. One
he rrkh hoc
been given over to the amateur GAR
deners, and an expert florist has been
paid for practical lessons in potting.
watering, fumigating pruning, etc.
Raising flowers in a modern house
is a troublesome problem. because of
the dry heat. Flowers must have
some moisture and good deal of fresh
air, if they are to thrive. The explain
alton of the fact that window plants
usually thrive better in the kitchen
than in any other room in the house is
found in the steam and moisture of
the cooking and dishwashing.
Gas is another enemy OF the house
plants, and it is worth while when the
gas is lighted to remove any growing
plants from the room If that is practi-
cal.
A south or east window Is naturally
the best place for plants; but. even at
a north window they will flourish, il
they have proper care, and some plants
will grow we'll with an astonishingly
small allowance of sunshine and light.
The China rose is veritable poor
mans friend, because it will grow and
blossom sturdily, in the gloomiest
place, if only it is watered properly,
receives an occasional smoking and
gets a breath of fresh air now and
then.
No cold air should be allowed to
blow directly upon a potted plant.
Next to fresh air in flower culture
perhaps before it-comes cleanliness.
The leaves are full of tiny, breathing
pores, some of them having as many
as $50, 900 pores to the square inch, and
yet persons will allow plant to go
unwashed all winter and wonder that
it doesn't thrive. Every plant should
be washed at least once a week, and
washed thoroughly, but the water must
be confined to the stems and leaves and
not soaked into the roots. Washing
plant is one thing. watering 1t is an
entirely different story.
The plant should be put into sink
or bathtub, and each leaf should be
washed on both sides. For the smooth,
waxy leaves a sponge may be used,
but for the hairy leaves a flower
syringe with a fine nozzle is needed.
Tepid water is the right thing. and an
occasional bath in weak soap suds is
advisable while the stems Of all hard
stem plants should be sponged with
warm soap suds every two weeks as
preventive for insects. The plants
should never be set in the sunlight
while wet.
The pests from which the house
plants are in danger are the green fly,
the mealy bug, the scale and the red
spider. Tobacco smoke will kill the
green fly, and warm soap suds will lay
low both the scale and the spider. The
mealy bug must be searched for and
Swinging will do much to exteminate
it.
One often hears of women who have,
as their neighbors put it, knack with
flowers. Translated, the knack Is
merely intelligent observation and in
terest. There is little German wom-
an on Avenue A, who has the knack.
She can coax anything from rose
gernanium to an orchid into glorious
health and reckless prodigality Of
blossom. Her flowers are the admira-
ton of her friends and the despair Of
her enemies, and she is called into con-
sultation all over the neighborhood to
prescribe for ailing plants.
ut is that love flowers" she says,
beamingly, when asked about her Sc
cret. 'They are my children. They
have all different notions. humor
them. That is ALL / do not make
them drink when they are not thirsty.
l do not let them catch cold. When
they are sick it is the same as with
the children. They show it so plain.
Then l doctor them"
There is no hard-and-fast rule about
watering plants. One must Judge the
need by the condition of the leaves and
of the soil. Never. save in the case of
some aquatic plants, should water be
allowed to stand in the saucer Water
of the temperature of the room should
be used-never water cold from the
pipes-and il rain water is a posi-
hility II is distinctly an adyantaoo