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=THE CORRECT WAY TO WATER.= Numbers of people do not know how to give
water in the correct way, whereby the florist prospers! =The golden rule=
is never to water a plant until it requires it, and then to do it
thoroughly. It is fatal merely to moisten the top of the soil, and to
leave the deeper roots dry. First give =a sharp tap to the pot=; if it
rings, water is required; if, on the contrary, a dull sound is given out,
the soil is wet enough. Lifting a pot is a sure test too, as one's hand
soon becomes accustomed to the difference in weight of a moist and dry
pot; the former, of course, being so much heavier. Always see that the
water runs through the hole at the bottom of the pot, then you may be sure
that each particle of soil is wet, and not till then. If you possibly can,
it is best to =use water of a corresponding temperature to that of the
room they are in=; this is most important with delicate plants. Large,
shiny, horizontal-leaved plants require a weekly sponging to remove the
inevitable dust which settles on them. =Gloves should be worn= while this
is being done, as contact with the skin turns the edges of the leaves
yellow; also gloves, of course, help to keep the hands soft and white.
Plants with large leaves should never be watered overhead, unless
immediately wiped dry, as each drop allowed to stand on the leaf turns
yellow, rots, and finally quite spoils the leaf, so that it has to be
removed. Palms will stand gas fairly well, but not so well as
_aspidistras_.

=THE BEST PLANTS FOR DARK CORNERS.= An _aspidistra_ (please note spelling)
is =the best plant there is for roughing it=. The long, thick, dark leaves
seem to stand draughts, gas, dark corners, poor soil, and general neglect
almost with impunity. But here again watering overhead is fatal, as
regards the appearance of these plants.

The =leaves should be washed once a week=, but I will just say here that
where one is in a hurry, and cannot wait to get a sponge and water, a good
polish with a duster is not at all a bad substitute.

There are disputes occasionally as to whether _aspidistras_ ever flower.
Of course, it is an undoubted fact that they do, and I can give a decided
affirmative to any who may question it. My plants flower regularly every
spring, but, as these blooms are a dull, greenish-purple in colour, and
only sit, as it were, on the top of the soil, they are naturally
overlooked.

The modesty of the violet is nowhere when compa