When you bring them in, put them in the sunniest
window of the coolest room.
Shower the leaves with a hand sprinkler, or by simply
holding the foliage under a spigot, breaking the force of the
fall, and at the same time scattering the water with the
hand.
Do not water the earth too frequently. Wait until the
surface is dry, and then give the plant a thorough wetting.
The water should run through to the saucer.
About once a week give them some of the numerous
ammoniacal plant foods. I have used Bowker's with great
success ; presumably the others are equally good.
The best geraniums for blooming are the zonias, or bud-
ding geraniums, of which the species are very numerous.
The double ivy-leaf geraniums are very beautiful, but the
other fancy kinds are not very good for house plants, par-
ticularly for the amateur.
If your windows are not sunny, probably begonias will
flourish best of all the flowering plants.
Give them plenty of plant food. If they drop their
leaves, it is either because the room is too hot and dry for
them, or because they are watered too much.
The easiest plants of all to care for, and, in the long run,
the most satisfactory, if one does not expect bloom, are : —
Aspidistras, excellent plants of which may be bought from
fifty cents to a dollar.
Eubber plants, costing from fifty cents to a dollar and a
half, for small to medium specimens.
Pandanus (screw pines), costing about the same as the
rubber plants.
Palms, which, however, cost considerably more, two dol-
lars being about the minimum cost of a medium sized plant.
The palms most useful for the house are the Kentias,
THE DINING ROOM 235
Phoenixes (date palms), Latania (fan palm), Cococos (cocoa-
nut palm), and Areca. Of these, the best species for the
purpose are, perhaps, Kentia belmoreana, Phoenix recUnata
and sylvestris, Latania horhonica, Cocos weddeliana, Areca
lutescens.
But the very best species of palms need more care than
the plants mentioned before them. Their leaves must be
kept clean by sponging them, they must get fresh air, and
be shielded from the gas.
Cycads are among the best house plants, but their cost
(from five to ten dollars for a medium size) makes it scarcely
worth while to discuss them here.
Flowers, like plants, need a cool atmosphere.
Strip the leaves from the part of the stem under water.
Cut off the ends of the stems, for an inch or so, every day,
and do the cutting under water, so that the cut surface will
not become full of air. Change the water every day. Keep
them in a cold room, except when they are needed for the
table.
Flowers so cared for should last at least a week.
An aquarium may be an ornament to the dining room.
Method. — In these days, every schoolroom is provided
with plants and flowers. The most efficient way to teach
children to care for them is to let each, in turn, take care
of those in the school, after definite directions from you,
and under your careful supervision.
Lamps
Since lamps are a necessity in some parts of the country
and considered ornamental in others, it will be well for the
teacher to give a lesson on their care.
Cleanliness is the first essential, of course. Since we are
dealing with oil, this can only be secured by strict attention
to the following rules : —
236 HANDBOOK OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE
Page 111
Presented as published in 1900. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
When you bring them in, put them in the sunniest window of the coolest room.
Shower the leaves with a hand sprinkler, or by simply holding the foliage under a spigot, breaking the force of the fall, and at the same time scattering the water with the hand.
Do not water the earth too frequently. Wait until the surface is dry, and then give the plant a thorough wetting. The water should run through to the saucer.
About once a week give them some of the numerous ammoniacal plant foods. I have used Bowker's with great success ; presumably the others are equally good.
The best geraniums for blooming are the zonias, or budding geraniums, of which the species are very numerous.
The double ivy-leaf geraniums are very beautiful, but the other fancy kinds are not very good for house plants, particularly for the amateur.
If your windows are not sunny, probably begonias will flourish best of all the flowering plants.
Give them plenty of plant food. If they drop their leaves, it is either because the room is too hot and dry for them, or because they are watered too much.
The easiest plants of all to care for, and, in the long run, the most satisfactory, if one does not expect bloom, are : —
Aspidistras, excellent plants of which may be bought from fifty cents to a dollar.
Rubber plants, costing from fifty cents to a dollar and a half, for small to medium specimens.
Pandanus (screw pines), costing about the same as the rubber plants.
Palms, which, however, cost considerably more, two dollars being about the minimum cost of a medium sized plant. The palms most useful for the house are the Kentias,
Phoenixes (date palms), Latania (fan palm), Cococos (cocoanut palm), and Areca. Of these, the best species for the purpose are, perhaps, Kentia belmoreana, Phoenix recUnata and sylvestris, Latania horhonica, Cocos weddeliana, Areca lutescens.
But the very best species of palms need more care than the plants mentioned before them. Their leaves must be kept clean by sponging them, they must get fresh air, and be shielded from the gas.
Cycads are among the best house plants, but their cost (from five to ten dollars for a medium size) makes it scarcely worth while to discuss them here.
Flowers, like plants, need a cool atmosphere.
Strip the leaves from the part of the stem under water. Cut off the ends of the stems, for an inch or so, every day, and do the cutting under water, so that the cut surface will not become full of air. Change the water every day. Keep them in a cold room, except when they are needed for the table.
Flowers so cared for should last at least a week.
An aquarium may be an ornament to the dining room.
Method. — In these days, every schoolroom is provided with plants and flowers. The most efficient way to teach children to care for them is to let each, in turn, take care of those in the school, after definite directions from you, and under your careful supervision.
Lamps
Since lamps are a necessity in some parts of the country and considered ornamental in others, it will be well for the teacher to give a lesson on their care.
Cleanliness is the first essential, of course. Since we are dealing with oil, this can only be secured by strict attention to the following rules : —