SHALL not attempt to give any hints or instructions to those who have bay windows and plenty of money to expend on plants for their em-lishment, but solely to those are amateurs, with ordinary dows which they wish to fill such plants as will prove st ornamental during winter. one can have a handsome gal-ized-iron stand, bronzed or paint-cu, and the top fitted or made in the form of a tray, it is a very attractive receptacle for ornamental foliage plants and free bloomers. If this stand cannot be afforded, a nice pine box lined with zinc, of a size adapted to the stand or table on which it is to be placed, will answer very nicely. The box can be stained or painted any color you fancy. I had one made ten years ago with zinc, and to give it strength it was framed with wood at the top. It is much lighter thus made than when of wood and lined. Mine was three feet long. fourteen inches broad and seven inches in depth. It is good for service yet.

I first put in something coarse for drainage, and then fill in with rich, mellow soil which is about one-third fine sharp sand. Being a great admirer of begonias, I planted several varieties, choosing rather such as are handsome in foliage ; yet one can rely on their blooming pretty well in the winter. I never use the Rex for this purpose. Gloire de Sceaux is both ornamental and a free bloomer. The foliage is a dark bronzy plum color; flowers borne freely in clusters, color a lovely pink ; of compact habit.

Rubella has velvety, deeply-pointed leaves, the ribs of which are banded with purplish brown, while the ground is a pallid green, blotched with red. Manicata, var. aurea is the most beautiful in foliage of any begonia I have seen. The leaves, which are thick, are finely blotched with cream color, deepening into canary, with now and then a bit of pink. It bears clusters of pink flowers. Subpeltata, var. nigricans, has foliage of a dark red. with a silvery surface. Sonderbruchii, foliage divided into nine sharp points; bright metallic-green, veined and shaded with black. It bears large panicles of pinkish white flowers, well above the foliage.

I need not name more than these, which are well adapted for the box. I always have a few small plants of abutilons, as they are reliable for flowers. For beauty of foliage and its light drooping habit, I admire Mesopotamicum, with its small pointed leaves, elegantly marbled green and yellow, while its pendent bells of crimson and yellow grow profusely along the slender branches. Darwinii is also well adapted for the box, because of its dwarf habit and its free blooming character. It blossoms when only a few inches in height; the flowers are very open. Color orange scarlet, veined with pink and borne more in clusters than singly.

Coleuses are admirable to brighten up the box, and vines can be set in the corners to droop over and twine around it. Of course the plants must not be very large when set out if one would have many, as they would soon crowd each other. I set the largest in the center and put very small ones next to the box, and these will make nice plants for bedding out in the spring. I did not find it necessary to water the plants oftener than twice a week, for they do not dry out as in pots.

Another way of arranging plants to have a pretty effect is to have brackets, each holding two or three pots, fastened to the window casing one above another at proper distances. Three on each side of the window will make it a bower of beauty. The brackets can be swung outward when one wishes to drop the shade, but the plants will so cover the window as to render this hardly needful. For these brackets the larger leaved begonias than those I have specified are admirably adapted. Olbia is one of rare elegance. The leaves are large, deeply pointed, and of varying shades of brown and red. giving them a changeable appearance The veins are so sunken as to give the surface a crape-like appearance. The plant soon has a stout main trunk. from which the branches grow in an erect form. It has racemes of large lemon white flowers.

Semperflorens, var. elegans, is a very fine variety which grows to a height of twelve to fourteen inches, and has a compact mass of glossy olive-green foliage, sharp pointed and toothed. The flowers are rosy-white and many of the florets are double, having larger outside petals, and a double rosette center.

Argentea, var. guttata, is a cross between olbia and alba picta, and combines the silvery blotches of picta with the form and beauty of olbia ; flowers white.

Ricinifolia has very large leaves which are divided into seven or more deep points ; they are borne on thick stems eighteen inches or more in length ; color a rich green with reddish markings. The bloom is magnificent : color pink.

For a trailing begonia, glaucophylla, var. scandens. is fine ; flowers orange colored.

The aspidistra is an excellent window plant. Varie-gata has long lance-shaped leaves, broad, and striped with white. It is very easy of culture.

Pandanus or screw pine is very ornamental for a bracket. P. utilis is the one most generally cultivated P. Veitchii has leaves striped with creamy white. The long narrow foliage droops very gracefully.

The new abutilon, Golden Fleece. I find to be all that is represented ; it bears large golden bells in profusion.

I might specify many more beautiful plants, admirably adapted for box and pot culture, but I consider no window garden complete without the bulbous flowers, hyacinths, freesias, etc., etc., not to omit the Chinese sacred lily, a most interesting plant in its way.

Yarmouth, Me. Mary D. Wellcome.