Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-03-23

HOME GARDENING. :
BY Angela Newbold. !


From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Just as the expression 1t is the little
things in life that count" applies to peo-
pie. so it does with equal force apply to
plants. Upon this rests the fate of the
plants. AS soon as We learn to treat them
thus we may expect reward for our ef-
forts and not before.
Regularity is one OF the foremost es-
sentiais if we wish healthy. vigorous.
blooming plants. They must receive daily
summing. watering and ventilation, and it
rs only by emphasizing these points that
we can be successful. After all, what is
most required is common sense" for
most OF us do not stop to consider. but
are only too prone to dash ahead"
Plants which We have in Conservatives
and on sunny window stills must. after
they are well IN bloom, be moved away
from the sun and stood about the house.
Otherwise, If allowed to remain in the
sun, the gorgeous coloring of the bios
SONS will fade.
Watering is a factor in which expert
ence tells, and rests with the judgment
OF the individual. as there are no set rules
10 FOLLOW. A rather safe rule, however,
which applies especially to cloudy days,
Is not to water unless the soil is dry a
couple or inches below the surface. 9th
erWise the plants become sickly, due to
an oNer-wet condition. In the morning,
from 10 to II o'clock. is an excellent time
TO water. and in winter it must have the
chill off to prevent the sudden shock
which water greatly varying from the
temperature of the room would cause.
AT nisht they should so to sleep dry, as
the wet and the colder atmosphere make
them susceptible TO fungous diseases. The
higher the temperature of the room the
more quickly the plants become dry, and
so more frequent watering is necessary.
The flower pots are always filled to the
tops. giving as much water as they will
hold. Thorough watering and seldom,
and never a little and often, which causes
shallow root systems and is bad in more
ways than one. More danenr is Incurred
by overwhelming than ,tndcrwatering.
Such plants as primroseS and cyclamens
should never be watered in the center. or
crown. of the plants, as this will cause
them to rot. The watering must be done
without a hose the watering can without
81 noZ2'e>, holding the spout reSr the rim
of the flower pot and fnins shA nrt e.
the top.
When arranging cut rownrs select a
wide-nccked vase, or do not use enough
flowers in the vase to cause the neck to
become choked. After filling with water
add q half tcaspoonful of powdered char
coal. or two or three small pieces OF lump
charcoal. This prevents the water from
becoming sta2nant and makes changing
of water unnecessary. although a little
must be added now and then. according
70 the rapidity with wliicl, the flowers
drink the water. a half inch of the stems
should be cut off daily.
The addition of charcoal is of great
value. when growing bulbs in sand or pcb-
bles. as it is important to keep the water
clean, 60 that the root systems will not
be disturbed by changing the water.
When growing bulbs in water it is best
TO use sand and to sprinkle just enough
pebbles over the surface. around the
bulbs Gin this way one package or peb-
bles Will do for several bowls to hide
the sand. This is done because pebbles
are much more expensive than sand. but
are no better for growing purposes.