The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-08
GREAT CHARM IN
 GROWING PLANTS No Room to Which Flowers Do
 Not Give Cheer HOUSE PLANT CULTURE Just a Little Time and Study Each Day Devoted to Few Plants
 Will Beautify the Plain
 est House.
HOUSE PLANT CULTURE
Prom the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
 Flowers and growing plants can do more toward making room attractive and homelike and lending an atmosphere of cheer and brightness than can be de- rived from the costliest furnishings and the most rare and valuable works of art. There is no room, from the formal salon of a large city house to the cozy living room of a small apartment that will not be quite transformed by one or two grace ful palms set in handsome brass, silver, or china jardinieres, or a cheery fern or even a hardy rubber plant which is striv- ing to bring indoors the color from the summer woods or the brilliant greens of the tropics.
 In the country also flowers and growing plants are indispensabie but there both the flowers and plants can generally be brought iY the greenhouse or con servatory any rate a conserva- tory is .ept up in the country house sunlight abounds and the injurid cts of steam heat have not to be cont 1 with. Any one who Is suffl- ciently i'd of the country to remain there t . greater part of the year will find the care of her garden and her in- door conservatory one of the chief pleas ures of her existence, and she will never be in want of fresh flowers at three sea- sons of the year nor of growing ferns and palms throughout the winter months.
 Original Cost Small.
 One hears repeatedly the complaint among housekeepers of really limited means that to keep growing plants in the house has proven such an expense that they have been forced to give up this luxury, yet this sacrifice, for such it really amounts to, is wholly unnecessary. as the original cost of any plant is com paratively small, and with the least bit of trouble and care even the most deli cate fern will live through the entire win ter, while the life of hardy palm can be extended for years with the proper amount of care and nourishment.
 With a. small menage it can scarcely be expected that the plants will receive their proper amount of care and attention, un- less one chances to be sufficiently fortu- nate as to have in her employ maid or a manservant who Is possessed ofSa real fondness for plants and flowers, and is willing to give up certain time each day to them. This, however, cannot be demanded, nor, if imposed as part of the daily round will the plants receive
 
 a certain amount of intelligence and even knowledge of the subject--and then, of course, to employ a florist to come regu- larly each day to water and look after the plants is added expense which must be done without if economy is to be closely consulted. It is therefore neces- sary for one in average circumstances to give up just little time each day and be willing to read and study about the care of each individual species of plant which she cares to possess if she would have her home beautifed by the graceful grow ing green things which act as such happy reminders of the summer time of sunshine and flowers.
 Plants Small Demands.
 After all plant asks very little of the world that 1t may be allowed to live and shed cheer around-just water regularly and plentifully given, good, wholesome earth, an occasional bath, and plenty of sunshine; that is all, with perhaps tonic at rare intervals, if the heat or artificial light in the room has not agreed with 1t. Broadly speaking, however, any plant will thrive if given sufficient water and sun light.
 It seems difficult for many people to un- derstand that different kinds of plants re- quire different amounts of food Cor wa ter) just as different individuals require
 
 sleep and that the quantity must be va ried also according to the kind of heat in the room. Steam heat, for example, rap fly takes all moisture from the air. and in steam heated room plant should be watered twice as often as during the sum- mer when there Is considerable humidity in the atmosphere.
 Most palms should be watered every sec ond or third day. It is always possible to faI ha nf a whether or not the plant should be given more water, and then about every two weeks it is a good plan to literally give the plant bath-that is, place it in a tub full of water, so that the plants can soak in all of the nourishment they can possi- by desire. After leaving the plant in the tub for an hour or more, the water should be drained off and the earth allowed to partially dry before the plant is returned to its jardiniere in the full blaze of the sunshine. A fern requires more water than a palm, and to keep it looking fresh and clean the entire plant should be sprinkled from a watering pot at least once a week. In a steam-heated room a fern should be watered anyway five or six times week. with bath every seven or eight days. after which 1t may go without its food for about AS hours.
 Death to Plants.
 The thing which perhaps causes more deaths among palms and ferns and, in fact, all growing plants or flowers that are kept in pardinieres is that the water which drains through the earth and the hole in the earthen ware jar Is allowed to remain in the jardiniere, until often enough has accumulated for the plant to be standing continually soaking in the water from which it has already derived all the nourishment it required. After tho plant has been fed the water should be allowed to drain through the earth, and at the end of about 15 minutes the jardin- ieres should be carefully emptied and dried If this is attended to regularly there will be little danger of the plant not thriving.
 rubber plant or any palm with leaves of sufficient size should be washed off occasionally with lukewarm water and just little soapsuds to prevent the spread of any scale or disease which may have attacked it. Each leaf and stem should be gone over with a clean rag. Too cold water must never be used but warm water Is also fatal and the best way to obtain satisfactory results with the plants