Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1913 — INDOOR PLANTS NEED CARE [ARTICLE]

INDOOR PLANTS NEED CARE

Many Will Do Well In Gas-Lighted Rooms If They Are Judiciously Selected and Tended.

One of the great secrets in the successful cultivation of plants in rooms is judgment in selecting the right kinds, as an experiment will soon show, will do well in gas-lighted or drafty rooms, others will not; so it is most essential that care should be exercised in choosing kinds adapted to both purposes. Those who have the good fortune to have their rooms lighted by electricity need not worry, because all kinds of plants will succeed under the latter conditions. The best of all plants to grow in gas-lighted rooms are the parlor palms. There are two distinct kinds of theße, one which produces very tall leaves and another of the dwarf growth. If carefully watered and their leaves sponged at least once a week, they will thrive for years. Another excellent plant to grow under similar conditions is the fig-leaf palm, or so-called “castor-oil plant.” This has giant ivy-like green leaves, which radiate from a central stem and form a handsome plant. As it increases in age it is, however, apt to lose its lower leaves, and hence some of its beauty. The “india-rubber” plant, a brother of the fig tree, is another plant which is admirably adapted for gas-lighted rooms. - The plant usually grows with a single main stem, and if well cared for will in a few years attain a height of five feet or six feet. When it becomes too tall the upper part can be clipped.