Editor Mayflower:
There are few who think to take up plants for winter garnishing, yet if one has a pit, conservatory or greenhouse enough can be raised for any amount of entertaining, without missing either the time or space. There are two plants suitable for this purpose, the Parsley and Lettuce, but the Parsley will be found most valuable and will be much more easily grown than the Lettuce. The Parsley is as pretty as it is useful, and a few sprays of this dropped on a meat platter or on salad dishes adds much to the attractiveness of the table. There are florists who grow this profitably as a greenery for cut flowers, and when grown in partial shade is quite dainty and pretty enough for this purpose. The Curled Lettuce is best for this purpose, but if kept damp is almost sure to rot.—Laura Jones.
LOUISIANA
Editor Mayflower:
Last winter a lady gave me some cuttings, among them a piece of green and white striped "Wandering Jew." I put this cutting in a pot with some hardy plant, and when the freeze came it was forgotten, and of course it froze. I dug it up and found one joint green, so planted it. It soon put out two shoots and it was transplanted to a two-gallon pan of well rotted manure and leaf mold, given an abundance of water, and how it did grow! It has covered the pan and hangs down, many of the vines being over a yard long,—one is 57 inches long. But when it first began to grow some of the shoots were perfectly green, and all branches from those shoots are green. Many other shoots were beautifully striped, and some nearly white. I also have a fine box full of purple striped Wandering Jew, but I prefer the green and white, for it hangs so much more gracefully. These common plants, if grown at their best, are lovely for small stands, hanging baskets, or any place where a trailing plant is desirable, I have grown delicate vines in pots very little, but a Kenilworth Ivy I have has encouraged me to add others to my gallery garden, and I expect to take great pleasure in training them.—Mrs. L. B. R.
MAINE
Editor Mayflower:
If any of your readers want something odd and interesting in the way of plants let them try one of your Little Monarch Fern Balls. I have had rather hard luck with mine. I received the Fern Ball about a year ago, and every member of the family except myself condemned it at once as being "no good," but I kept it watered and in a few weeks it began to show signs of life and had several little fronds on it in April when we decided to move, and the Fern Ball was left with my other plants for a friend to care for. She kept them all well watered except that, and when I next saw it in May it looked a few degrees deader than it did in the first place (if possible), but it came to life again and then it got chilled in the fall so it died again apparently; but now it is starting to grow all over and if nothing new happens to it it will soon be very pretty. I think it has more lives than a cat.—Mrs. F. M. Young.
MONTANA