Now, my leaf mould over there in that tub isn't real mould from the woods. You see the part desired in leaf mould is vegetable matter. I can get that from old rotted leaves and rotted sods. Notice, girls, that you see no green gra.s.s in that soddy matter I have shaved off with my spade--only the under surface of the sods. This surface is full of vegetable matter in the form of young roots. Stir up all these portions thoroughly.

"Now, Elizabeth, look at these pots. Some are brand new, some are clogged with soil and green matter. Soak the new ones in a pailful of water and clean and wash the dirty ones."

"I'd like to ask why I am to soak the new pots, and why, since soil is going right back into these old pots, I have to clean them. I should think the soil clinging to the sides would help out."

"Yes, I should like to know that, too," said Miriam, stopping her work.

"If new pots are not soaked the soil in them dries out very rapidly. You can see that would be bad. Old soil clinging to plants interferes with the new root growth while the green affects the porosity of the pot."

The girls stirred, sc.r.a.ped, and placed bits of pot in boxes and pots for a time without speaking.

"Are we putting the right amount of drainage into these pots?" finally questioned Eloise.

"Not quite enough into those large pots. In the small ones the inch of drainage you have in the pots is quite sufficient, but in those pots over six inches in size put an inch and a half of drainage material.

There should be two inches of drainage in that window box. Katherine, you are taking those new pots out of the water too soon. Leave them in until the bubbling is all over. Wait a minute, you mixing girls over there. You mustn't put such coa.r.s.e soil into your mixture. That could well go into the pots and window box above the drainage material. But it is far too coa.r.s.e for a good potting soil. What soil you need for potting one of you should sift. If the lumps were not so large it would have been all right. What is that you are saying, Dee?"

"I wanted to know what you were going to use in place of sphagnum moss.

We have the drainage fixed in the box. Shall we put on the coa.r.s.e material next? Helena said you always used sphagnum moss."

"So I do when I can get it. But I can't always, so I just take some old thin sods and put them on, green side down, next to the drainage. To be sure, the coa.r.s.e material could go on next, but it is very apt to settle badly in the pot or box. You will find that sod just outside. Pick out the very thinnest pieces; any others will be too thick."

"Now," said Elizabeth, "if you will bring your pots over, we'll fill them up with soil for you."

"Wait a little, Elizabeth. What is going to happen with that pot already full of soil when you put the plant in? Just how are you going to work that?"

"Why, I had intended to make a hole in the soil and put the plant in."

"That is no way to pot plants. Come here, girls, and let us talk this point out. I will pot a plant for you. I guess this begonia would be a good one. See, it has quite a ball of earth of its own. Now look at Elizabeth's full pot. Trying to plant in a pot already full of soil is beginning entirely wrong. Hand over another pot, Josephine. Thank you.

See, here is a pot with its drainage, and a very little bit of old sod over this. The soddy matter takes up only about a quarter inch. Give me a trowel full of the potting soil, or a little coa.r.s.e soil first. Now I lower into the pot my plant with its own earth still about it. See, it is going to be about right. Now, while I hold the plant in position in the pot with my left hand, I shake the potting soil in all about the plant. Here is a stick. I made it and call it my potting stick. It is about the length of a foot ruler. See, it is about an inch thick and has a rounded end. With this end I gently poke the soil into place.

Occasionally, I give the pot a little shake, which settles the soil into crevices and crannies. But never do this jerkily or violently. When the soil is within a half inch of the top of the pot, press it down all about the plant stem; that is, firm the plant. You should be able to take up a potted plant by the plant stalk without uprooting it. The florist can do this with any of his potted plants. If the plant is loose in its new home it will not do well."

"You said to have a half-inch s.p.a.ce between top of soil and top of pot.

I should like to know why, because all the plants at my aunt's house are done the other way," eagerly inquired Helena.

"The purpose of the half-inch s.p.a.ce is for watering the plant. I should be willing to wager that when your aunt waters her plants she has a bad time with water spilling over and soil washing out. The s.p.a.ce allows for this and prevents its happening."

"I shall tell her about that when I go to see her. I am to go next week.

Don't you think I might carry her a plant nicely potted?"

"Indeed I do. I think we can spare a begonia for her. Just let me water this plant a little. Notice that I do not flood it. Now, set it outside, Elizabeth, right by my back door where it will be sheltered."

"Why put it outside?" asked the child, as she took the pot; "I'd have left it here under shelter."

"It goes out because good fresh air is as important for newly potted plants as good soil, careful handling, and watering. Now for a slipping geranium lesson!

"Old, stocky geraniums in the fall garden are exactly right to slip.

These properly slipped and started, if well cared for, will blossom by January or February. If closely crowded into the window box, you may be certain of bloom provided you have good, strong sunlight on them.

Florists slip geraniums and put them into sand; many people put the slips into water to form roots; but it is far easier for you children and for schools to place the slips immediately into the earth of the window box.

"The slipping process itself is easy. Suppose we have a big, old geranium from which to take our slips. It is full of branches. These branches or stems have around them at intervals rings called nodes. The s.p.a.ce between two nodes is called an internode. On the nodes are what seem to be small leaves. Press one aside, notice between it and the stem what appears to be a very small bud. Here a new shoot can start.

"So choose a branch, pick off all the large leaves except two at the extreme end. If there are more than two, choose the two smallest leaves. Now it is ready to cut. About four inches down the stem cut it off between two nodes. Do not cut straight across the stem but cut slantwise.

"You have now as I have in my hand, a geranium slip which is four inches long. At one end of the stalk are two leaves; the other end is cut obliquely across. Before you plant this slip look between the two leaves and see if there is a small bud. If so, and it is all green, leave it.

For this green means that as the bud develops only leaves will unfold.

If you see any other colour in the bud, pinch it out with your fingers.

The colour tells us that the bud is a flower bud. If this be left on the slip, all the strength of the little plant will be taken up in forming the blossom. A new plant is not strong enough to stand this. It needs all its power for plant growth.

"Plant the slip in your window box, burying it in earth above the first node; that is, the node just above the cut. Thus you have buried in the earth the place where roots will form.

"Crowd the slips in, three or four inches only apart. They should not be exposed to the full glare of the sun at first. Some gardeners say to let the slips wilt before watering. But it is quite safe to water a little from the first. Do not soak the soil, however, or the young plants will decay.

"Now the slips may be put right into a window box, or into these flats.

I would not place them immediately in a sunny window. But place them where the sun does not shine directly. It is excellent to leave window boxes and newly potted plants outdoors for a time, until in the fresh air they get accustomed to their new living conditions."

"Shall we fix up the school window boxes now?" asked Josephine.

"Yes, we will get right at that. But first I will give you a window-box talk.

"The most satisfactory way to grow plants in the schoolroom and in many cases, at home, is in the window box. The window box means the possibility of easily caring for a number of plants in a small s.p.a.ce.

Plants in pots take much more s.p.a.ce than the same number of plants in a window box.

"It is the cleanest way, too. You are all familiar with the sight of a pot covered with crepe paper stained and discoloured from water spilt upon it and moisture given off from the porous pot.

"The window box, if properly watered, need never leak. Its freshly painted sides need never be covered with any material. It stands for just what it is--a well-made, well-painted wooden box.

"It is quite impossible to give dimensions for the construction of the window box, since it must fit the s.p.a.ce one wishes to use. It is wise to keep in mind this--that these boxes when filled with soil are very, very heavy and awkward to handle. So if your window is large, why not have two small boxes for the s.p.a.ce rather than one large one? When these are placed end to end the effect is of one long box. The ordinary house window may well have the single box.

"Other things to keep in mind for the constructing of the box are depth, drainage, holes, joints and paint.

"Just as bulb boxes need no great depth, so with window boxes. If the depth be great the plants spend too much energy in root growth. A shallow box means, if properly filled, a compact root ma.s.s. So if your box is to be, say three and a half feet long make it not more than ten inches deep.

"As we make drainage holes in the bottom of the bulb box, so we do in the window box. Many people make window boxes without drainage holes. It seems rather better to have them since they offer exit for surplus water, and places for the roots to get at the air. These holes may be bored six inches apart down through the centre of the box; or they may be bored in two lines, thus doubling the number of holes and the amount of air s.p.a.ce. Take this rule, for every square foot of s.p.a.ce have four drainage holes.

"A box filled with soil all winter constantly in a state of moisture is quite likely to spring or spread apart at the joints. The better fitted the joints the better the box, and the better it stands the inside pressure and moisture continually brought to bear upon it.

"As to paint, of course the box must have one coat (perhaps two) on the outside. A dark green is all around the best. Green is always the best setting for plants. Nature made this colour scheme. We only follow her lead.

"After the box is made, and the paint dry, it must be filled.

"Do any of you girls happen to know just where in the school room the boxes are to be placed?"

"One goes into a south window, and I believe the other is to be in a north one," replied Dee.

"That certainly tells us enough to help us in selecting plants for these boxes. The kind of plants to place in the box depends upon whether the box is to go into a bright sunny window or into one which gets little or no sun. Everyone knows the most satisfactory plant of all for sunny windows is the geranium. It is easy enough to get them for schools without money, because this is the time when everyone's mother is taking up plants for the winter, some of which are always thrown away. Many large, old plants slipped make six or more good little chaps. Begonias are most satisfactory; you can plant these either in sun or shade. A good one for a shady window is the one called the 'beefsteak' begonia.

"Fuchsias make a fine show. If you wish to have a plant of some height do not choose a fern or palm, for these plants need so much water they should always be planted by themselves in single pots or in fern dishes.

The amount of water required for a palm would cause ordinary plants, like geraniums, to decay. So choose plants which take up about the same quant.i.ty of water. For height, then, one might plant a flowering maple.