PLANTS IN RESIDENCE WINDOWS There is no one way to grow plants in windows, since there are so many kinds of plants to be con sidered ; but it will be worth while to give the farmer's wife advice. There is no intention of cov ering the general question of window-gardening in this article ; that will be found in many special books and articles. It is purposed only to mention the four or five main causes of success and failure, omitting all details of the culture of special plants.
General cultural requirements.
Soils that will grow a good corn crop, will, with the addition of manure and sand, generally grow good crops of flowers. But for the best results, a made soil is preferable. This soil may have for a base any good garden soil or the soil next under the sod of an old pasture, to which may be added well-rotted manure, leaf-mold and sand. The pro portion of the latter to the former will depend somewhat on the kinds of roots the plants have ; whether strong, stiff roots, capable of pushing through the soil, or fine, fibrous roots that require mellow, easily penetrated soil.
As to the kinds of manure to use, preference should be given to well-rotted cow manure, as this is a cool, slowly available plant-food. Horse ma nure is of value, but heats and soon loses its value as plant-food. Sheep manure, poultry manure and the commercial fertilizers are best used in the liquid form, dissolved in water, and are of value as a stimulant after the plants have filled the pots with roots. There are no rigid rules as to the make-up of soils, and plants may thrive in a vari ety of mixtures of soils. With a larger number of plants a mixture of three parts loam, one part each of well-rotted manure, sand and leaf-mold, or woods dirt, will prove satisfactory.
Having in mind the fact that the growing of plants in a room through the winter is an unnat ural process, every care should be taken to make all conditions favorable for plant growth. The most important point in house-culture of plants is to have ample drainage in the box. The neces sarily dry atmosphere of the living-room soon dries out the soil and frequent waterings are neces sary; but if there is imperfect drainage there may be water standing around the roots of the plant when the top soil needs moisture. With but few exceptions, such as callas and cyperus or umbrella plant, water is decidedly injurious to plants and facilities for the escape of excessive water should be furnished, leaving only moisture.
When one has facilities, window-boxes should be used rather than shelves or ledges, setting the potted plants in the box and filling in around the pots with moss or sifted coal-ashes. This prevents the soil drying out, keeps the roots cool, and saves in the watering.
Kinds to grow.
A prime cause of failure in raising house plants is a poor choice of the kinds. The practiced grower usually has a rather small range, such as experi ence has taught him will thrive under his condi tions. The choice of the plants, therefore, is of the greatest importance. In this age of furnace warmed and gas-lighted houses, the range of plants that may be successfully grown in a dwelling house, to a certain extent, is limited ; yet a good choice remains if one is willing to give the atten tion that the plants require and will use good judg ment as to temperature and moisture. The so called "foliage plants "—those grown for their graceful or colored foliage rather than for their flowers—are, perhaps, the easiest to manage. Hav ing no flowers or buds to be injured by water, they may be sprayed or washed as often as re quired ; and, needing no change in the temperature to develop flowers, they may be grown together without difficulty ; and, as many of them can be grown from seed, they may be had cheaply. Choos ing a list of six plants of this character, we could start with Draccena indirisa, a graceful, narrow leaved, erect-growing plant with a drooping leaf habit. Another good choice would be Grerillea robusta, or silk-oak, a rapid-growing plant of erect habit and graceful, finely-cut, dark green foliage. For a drooping plant, nothing is better than Asparagus Sprengeri, a rapid grower and a plant that lends itself to almost any treatment, training along the windows, held upright, or hanging in a natural way. The Boston fern, or some of the more graceful types of the same species, are en tirely satisfactory. A small Date palm, Phoenix reclinata, and either a Kentia or an Arena palm, will finish the list, giving one a range of upright, spreading and drooping plants, all requiring prac tically the same general treatment.