Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-10
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

It after an ordinary experience "llb
growing flowers indoors.
There can be little doubt thai ilgst
householdeTs fail IT success With L0Iss
flowers owing To two facts.
Their homes are 100 hot aHd tos atJ
Many will be willing H. sd4iu - tHr
first indictment 6nd Gau pave u lEEH
selves by referring ~ ths HD4Ali.Iid
thermometer,
Few homes. even taday, G.IIalH ~
grometers. Instruments which HGosi4i a
the water content ~ tho ali
Not every huuselnldet vii admit
therefore. that Ills home 10 tao ary ~
Winter after The heat gges a. hut hs
viii be- guilty on this G1uHl, tS1, even
more surely than on the either
We know one WahhinRt HHiaH Hjia ~ p
stalled hygrumfter Last Summer UlEH
the official instrument al the Weather
Bureau was hitting 30 per cent humid
ity every day
Testing his small instrument daily
with the official reading. lie discovered
that IL was remarkably accurate. aud
therefore could be depended On fgr
proper Autumn readings, .
When he FIRST started his furnace the
relative humidity IN his home WAS 90
per cent.
Three hours after tho furnace was
reading OF 80 per cent.
Despite the use OF radiator pans be-
hind all radiators, the humidity has
never been higher than 90 since, and
mostly around 40 since.
The morning of the first real frost.
with the temperature of the living room
registering 70 degrees, the humidity was
&c.
This was Just somewhat better than
! A. GN.I.. II
moist than the air of the average home
where no thought at all is given to thia
essential matter.
It Is no wonder, therefore, II many
persons fail to grow flowers indoors
with any satisfaction. The air Is toe
warm and too dry for potted plants
which do poorly in such an atmosphere,
wither and finally turn yellow.
A proper indoor temperature for
flowers would be nearer go degrees than
| TO- and the relative humidity around
so to rs.
The question of air humidity remains
vexed one. with little real scientific
data available for the layman. One
may be forgiven for wondering IL the
| scientists know much about 1t them
selves.
One hears people speak with e2E1nlsi-
asm of the cold, dry Winters OF the Far
North. Life is pleasant in the Winter
there, they declare, whereas they find
our moist Winters extremely hard to
endure.
But living rooms OF the land in Win
ter are dry enough, every one knows, sc
l why should one put moisture into them
Yet there can be no doubt that more
moisture is the need. The trouble come.
in putting it into the air. Devices fol
doing this adequately are expensive.
Most people will solve the growing OF
flowers indoors in Winter by the simple
expedient of not growing them, with
the exception perhaps Of O bowl Of
paper-white narcissus, as they are
called.
| 1t is well.
The gardener ought to have a vaca-
ton. Save us from those enthusiasts
who never cry halt on their hobbies
These is no one more tiresome than the
gardener who never gives his plants 9
rest, nor his friends, either.
He would return to his yard with
more enthusiasm in the Spring If he
would give over in the Fall and permit
the normal stoppage of Winter to func.
! ton in his mind as well as In hi.
garden.