Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-27

In the old days it was house plants.
Then it was bowl OF cacti. Then
| it became the dish garden.
Now it is the glass garden,
! The honest. necessary goldfish has
been ousted from his bowl, and in his
place have been put small plants from
the garden.
Air has taken the place of water
Leaf mould, mixed with sand, usurps
the space formerly given to the latter
alone.
Best of ALL from the amateur gar
deners standpoint, ordinary moss, grow
ing on the earth outdoors, becomes
good for something at last.
In the outdoor garden it merely indi-
Gates an acid condition of the soil, but
in the So-called glass garden" ordinary
moss is prime requisite.
x X X X
This use of a hitherto neglected ma
terial is one of the many fine features
of the fish bowl gardens, as some call
them, since so many of them are con-
structed within the walls of these glass
Enclosures.
Any sort of bowl may be used, but the
favorite of the moment is the f1at-Sided
affair, as if round bowl had been
compressed on both sides.
These gardens must have lids, IN or
der to keep their moisture in.
This is the big point
The whole trick consists in creating,
in miniature, little vegetative uni
verse, from which nothing is lost.
The original water put in stays In.
Fluctuations of warmth and cold,
outside the sealed bowl, cause evapora-
ton of the water. and condensation on
the inner surfaces.
This small artificial rain" keeps the
plants in prime condition, If they are
not permitted to get mildeW.
X 4
All sorts of clear glass utensils are
being used for these miniature gardens
AquariumS are favoriteS, as stated, out
we know one lady who built one in
thick glass baking dish, and this gar
den is doing nicely after many months
Here at last, 1t is said, Is the one
perfect garden for those who hitherto
have never been able to solve the prob
lem of how much water to give their
flowers, when to water them, how often
to water them.
Once the soil is moistened and the
plants put in, the thing Is done: The
closed glass top holds the water IN and
helps in the condensation process.
Experts claim that these gardens will
lOT years WlJllOub ally RoA0ASAAoA oS
tention. The main thing is to make
them correctly in the first place and
then to give them air when necessary.
This latter step is to prevent the mil
dew.
First. get your bowl. The fish bowls
come in several sizes, and some of them
have fitted tops. If they do not have
tops, clear pieces of glass can be secured
cut to fit, for about Is cents from any
paint store. The nearer alright this
seal is the better.
Next, put a thin layer Of small
stones on the bottom of the bowl. Some
recommend that powdered charcoal be
put at the bottom, beneath the stones,
but this probably is an advice OF per-
lection and is not strictly necessary
Any charred stump will furnish nice
charcoal at minimum cost, or 1t may
be secured at the drug store.
X 4
The next step is to make your soil,
and, having made it, to fill the bowl
not more than a third of the way to the
top Of the rotundity. Let this be made
clear. The tendency on the part OF
every new constructor Of these glass
gardens Is to put in too much earth.
II this is done, and the bowl should be
placed on a level with the eye, some
thing of the artistic is lost. and here Is
why:
The whole idea in putting this toy