Cacti do not require very rich earth, as they like a sort of rocky soil.
Old plaster is good mixed with it. The jar must not be too large, as it
has to be well filled with roots before the cactus will bloom. Some
varieties will require seven years' growth before blooming. Care
should be taken to secure an old slip or leaf, as the older the slip the
sooner it will bloom. They can sometimes be forced to bloom by the
application of a little burnt oyster shell close about the plant. This
should be used with care as it may be the death of them.
Lantanas are excellent winter bloomers, and very easily cared for, only
requiring plenty of water. Of abutilons, Boule de Neige (white), is
best. Begonias — Sandersonii (coral), the common wax and weltone-
insis are all constant bloomers, and the blossoms of waxy pink and
vivid coral form a pretty contrast to the dark shining green of the
leaves.
The oxalis is especially suited for culture in small pots and hanging
baskets. There are a great many varieties of this family ; the sham-
rock, dear to the heart of Erin's children, is an oxalis. They produce
an astonishing quantity of flowers from the very small bulbs. The
most common is the pink variety.
Alternantheras are good house plants, with beautiful variegated foli-
age, growing about six inches high. The leaves are tinted with many
bright colors, crimson tints predominating in every conceivable man-
ner.
Chinese primroses are very easily raised and flower freely. They
should have light, rich soil, and the pots should be well drained, for if
the soil becomes sodden the plants never flourish.
There is also the gorgeous tulip, the pretty crocus, the modest snow-
drop and the sweet lily of the valley. And the cyclamen is in bloom
the entire winter. Tea roses, heliotropes and hyacinths will give us
their fragrance; abutilons, bouvardias and begonias their color, and
smilax and lycopodium their glossy green leaves.
ORNAMENTAL WINDOW BOXES.
Make a box six inches deep and long enough to fit the window. If
the window has a ledge on the inside, the box had better be made the
width of the ledge. If not, and you have many flowers, make it
102 FLO WERS.
twenty inches wide. Many ways are given for decorating the outside.
Some take oilcloth of a pattern to imitate tiles. Some use cloth of a
geometrical design, or of bright colors. Others use wall paper — that
with storks, palm trees and tropical designs seeming to be the favorite.
This can be pasted or glued on, or, if preferred, tacked on neatly, and
a narrow molding put around the top, sides and bottom. Others are
painted or made of rustic work ; some are covered with a mixture of
acorns and shells. Cut the acorns lengthways, cover the box with thick
furniture varnish ; lay the acorns flat side down along the edge and
bottom of the sides, one after the other ; on the open space affix them
in any fantastic shape liked, then sift the powdered shell thickly all
over the box between the acorns.
Page 90
Presented as published in 1886. 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
Cacti do not require very rich earth, as they like a sort of rocky soil. Old plaster is good mixed with it. The jar must not be too large, as it has to be well filled with roots before the cactus will bloom. Some varieties will require seven years' growth before blooming. Care should be taken to secure an old slip or leaf, as the older the slip the sooner it will bloom. They can sometimes be forced to bloom by the application of a little burnt oyster shell close about the plant. This should be used with care as it may be the death of them.
Lantanas are excellent winter bloomers, and very easily cared for, only requiring plenty of water. Of abutilons, Boule de Neige (white), is best. Begonias — Sandersonii (coral), the common wax and weltoneinsis are all constant bloomers, and the blossoms of waxy pink and vivid coral form a pretty contrast to the dark shining green of the leaves.
The oxalis is especially suited for culture in small pots and hanging baskets. There are a great many varieties of this family ; the shamrock, dear to the heart of Erin's children, is an oxalis. They produce an astonishing quantity of flowers from the very small bulbs. The most common is the pink variety.
Alternantheras are good house plants, with beautiful variegated foliage, growing about six inches high. The leaves are tinted with many bright colors, crimson tints predominating in every conceivable manner.
Chinese primroses are very easily raised and flower freely. They should have light, rich soil, and the pots should be well drained, for if the soil becomes sodden the plants never flourish.
There is also the gorgeous tulip, the pretty crocus, the modest snowdrop and the sweet lily of the valley. And the cyclamen is in bloom the entire winter. Tea roses, heliotropes and hyacinths will give us their fragrance; abutilons, bouvardias and begonias their color, and smilax and lycopodium their glossy green leaves.
ORNAMENTAL WINDOW BOXES.
Make a box six inches deep and long enough to fit the window. If the window has a ledge on the inside, the box had better be made the width of the ledge. If not, and you have many flowers, make it
twenty inches wide. Many ways are given for decorating the outside. Some take oilcloth of a pattern to imitate tiles. Some use cloth of a geometrical design, or of bright colors. Others use wall paper — that with storks, palm trees and tropical designs seeming to be the favorite. This can be pasted or glued on, or, if preferred, tacked on neatly, and a narrow molding put around the top, sides and bottom. Others are painted or made of rustic work ; some are covered with a mixture of acorns and shells. Cut the acorns lengthways, cover the box with thick furniture varnish ; lay the acorns flat side down along the edge and bottom of the sides, one after the other ; on the open space affix them in any fantastic shape liked, then sift the powdered shell thickly all over the box between the acorns.