of tin or zinc, with
the requisite number of holes cut out, and supported by three or four
inch strips of wood running lengthways of the box, supplies the
drainage. These strips must, of course, be cut in the middle to allow
all the water to drain out. The false bottom will take care of any
ordinary surplus of water, which can be drained off into a watering can
or pitcher by taking out the cork. The details of construction of such a
box are shown in figure 1. It will be best to have the box so placed
upon its supporting brackets that it can be changed occasionally end for
end, thus keeping the plants growing evenly, and not permitting the
blooms continually to turn their backs to the inside of the room.

[Illustration: Fig. 1--Box for plants. AC--false zinc bottom; AB,
CB--slanting bottom to drain water out at hole B.]

With the above simple provisions one may take advantage of all the light
to be had in an ordinary window. Occasionally a better place may be
found ready to hand, such as the bay-window illustrated facing page 8 or
such as that described in the preceding chapter, or those mentioned in
the first chapter of Part II (page 146). The effort demanded will always
be repaid many times by greater ease and greater success in the
management of plants, and by the wider scope permitted.

TEMPERATURE

Next in importance to light, is the matter of temperature. The ordinary
house plants, to be kept in health, require a temperature of sixty-five
to seventy-five degrees during the day and fifty to fifty-five degrees
at night. Frequently it will not be possible to keep the room from going
lower at night, but it should be kept as near that as possible;
forty-five degrees occasionally will not do injury, and even several
degrees lower will not prove fatal, but if frequently reached the plants
will be checked and seem to stand still. Plants in the dormant, or
semi-dormant condition are not so easily injured by low temperature as
those in full growth; also plants which are quite dry will stand much
more cold than those in moist soil.

The proper condition of temperature is the most difficult thing to
regulate and maintain in growing plants in the house. There is, however,
at least one room in almost every house where the night temperature does
not often go below forty-five or fifty degrees, and if necessary all
plants may be collected into one room during very cold weather. Another
precaution which will often save them