TH E sitting room was long and narrow, with a bay window filling one end, with plenty of sun for my beloved plants. I made a plan, and then sent for a carpenter. First, the inside blinds were removed, and then six iron brackets screwed on half way up the window; and three shelves that were cut to fit the windows were put on the brackets. I also had two brackets fastened on each side to hold pots. Then a long shelf was made to fit in the lower part of the window. The whole could be removed in a few minutes and packed in the back shed, when the plants were put out into the garden.

There was a small stove in the room, and every morning I put a tea-kettle of boiling water on top of it, thus furnishing the moisture which plants require. The kettle could be whisked out of the way when visitors came. For protection in very cold nights I had three large pieces of card-board, which I bought at the bookbinder's, that just fitted the window. I made a cloth case for each piece so that it would cover the card-board tightly and smoothly. These pieces could be put between the window and the plants, and they always kept the frost out.

My window was the delight of my heart as well as of the neighborhood. I had flowers all winter. An abut-ilon is a valuable plant for the window garden. Mine bloomed and bloomed. Also my calla, which I roll under the back fence every summer, and there let it care for itself. The last of August I repot the bulb, putting a little hen manure in the bottom of the pot, and from Thanksgiving time until spring the royal flowers rejoice my heart. Begonias filled one shelf, and I have a mania for collecting different kinds. There are so many varieties, and some so lovely, that it is the most fascinating of bobbies. And there was the tropical shelf, upon which was an orange tree from seed, also a pine-apple. Pineapples are very easy to grow. Cut off the crown in the summer, put it down an inch or two in soft earth, and it will be rooted by fall. It must be potted before the cold nights come. Dates can easily be grown from seed. The plants are interesting to watch, but not remarkable for their beauty.

My hyacinths smiled at the passers-by in early spring. I pot them in October and bring them out after Christmas. Every year I buy a bulb of the Chinese sacred lily. Our best preserve dish filled with water does duty on the plant stand for the lily, which is propped up with pebbles. The flowers are so sweet, and the whole plant so interesting, that it pays to have one.

As for vines, an English ivy is on one side of the window and a coboea on the other. A cobcea hardly grows; it dances along the string given it, and will soon be at the top of the window, with its rich purple flowers show-ing amid the glossy leaves. My window garden cost six dollars and fifty cents for carpenter work. The plants were slips given by the neighbors or exchanged. Now and then a new one was bought, and my family grew in numbers and interest as the months went by. My window garden led to outdoor work, and from a nervous sufferer from catarrh, I became a well woman and a very happy one. Sister Gracious.