The Indoor Window Box Ferns, Ivy, Smllax and Geraniums Are Easily Grown. Flowsrlng Plants Require Special Conditions Those who lovo plants need ha'-o no hosltation In Installing window boxes in their homes. Tho old notion no-tion that plants mako living rooms unhenlthful Is qulto unfounded, according ac-cording to specialists of department, for the consumption of nlr by p'nnts is so small that It may safely bo Ignored Ig-nored if tho room is ventilated ns It should bo. On tho other hand, the window box will furnish much Interest Inter-est and ploasuru through tho period when outdoor gardening Is Impracticable. Impractic-able. Tho following suggestions for a window box nro mado by the department's de-partment's gardeners: Preparlnn the Box A good depth for an Indoor window win-dow box Is 10 to 12 Inches. The lnrg-er lnrg-er tho body of soil tho easier to maintain main-tain uniform molsturo conditions. Cover tho bottom of the box with stones nnd broken pottery to glvo drainage and cover this with n layer of moss to prevent tho boII boo from working down through tho stones. Tho drainage nnd moss uhould tako up 2 to 3 inches. Tho soil should como to within nn Inch and a half or 2 Inches of tho 'op of tho box. Thoso who do not havo gardens will do well to got potting soil of tho nearest florist. It Is desired to prepare pre-pare it, ono part compost, ono pirt good loam, and ono part sand ihould bo used. Tho compost should ho of cow manuro and good turf rotted to-gothcr to-gothcr for a year and turned 'wo or thrco times In tho Interim. Well decomposed de-composed leaf mold would answer ns :i partial substltuto for tho compost. In regions whero tho forests havo a largo sharo of beech, maple, elm, bnsswood, and nsh, tho best potting soil is woods earth. Tills is ffll from a sheltered position of loof mold. Oak and chestnut lenvos do not decay In mold ns readily as do thoso mentioned above. Onotwcntl-oth Onotwcntl-oth pnrt bono meal is a good add! tlon to tho mlxluro. If tho loam U very heavy, containing much clay, Its proportion should bo Bomewhnt diminished. If tho loam Is light and sandy, roduco tho amount of sand, or In somo localities omit it altogether. altogeth-er. Place tho top of tho box lovol with tho window ledge bo as to got a much light as possible. It may bo fastened with brackots, placed on a tablo, or on legs. Keep n drip pan benenth to provent water from soiling soil-ing tho floor. Tho box may rest directly di-rectly nbovo (he drip pan on legs half nn Inch to on Inch high, or It may bo watertight with tho exception excep-tion of a holo at ono end to let out tho excess when over watered. Allow tho top of tho soil to becomo qulto dry onco In a whllo. Experience In watering will tench tho owner to logulnto tho supply. Tho boxes may need watering ov.ory dny in sunshiny weather, especlolly toward spring or at least ovcry other day1, but In tho cloudy midwinter woalher thoy may not need It oftonor thnn onco each week. In sfcam healed rooms n ro'coptav do containing water should bo l:opt on tho radiator, so that tho 'air wil' .not becomo too dry. ' Foliage Plants Are Best Poloct plants with tho samo gen-I gen-I oral requirements, nsplants of dlf I fcront chnractor demand different treatment. It requires moro caro through a, longer season to produce blooms In a window box than to I grow good follago. Floworlng plants nro exnctlng, nnd will not ns a rulo find enough light In tho ordinary living liv-ing room, oven though plnced near tho window, although thoy may do well In a conservatory. Vines aro among tho most satisfactory satisfac-tory plants for n window box. Among hoso thnt can bo trained up over l ho window to make an attractlvo i:reen framo nro English Ivy (Hedora helix), German Ivy (Soneclo makan-loldes), makan-loldes), and smllax (Asparagus as-paragoldos). as-paragoldos). Tho first two nro grown from cuttings which nro best started In spring whllo tho amllnx is best started In lato winter from seed. Rooted plants of all of theso mny, howovor, bo purchased from florists, Strings to support tho vines are necessary. nec-essary. Geraniums when grown with il'fso vines nro attractive as foliage plants, but nro not likely to glvo much bloom In a soli moist enough for tho vines To Induco bloom, geraniums uhould bo grown In scpnrato box or In pots. Begonias Especially Drslrnble Hegonlns nro ndmlrnb'e plants for growing In window boes. The folll-ago. folll-ago. of all begonias la attractive, but especially so aro the beautifully mark ed leaves of tho Itox varloty. Tho Ueefstcak, Glolro do Lorralno and other vnrletles may bo expected to grow well and to flower under tho conditions that suit tho vines already described. Ferns In vnrloty nro available for tho window box and may bo selected select-ed at am florists to suit tho tnsto of tho grower but dwarf varieties aro bettor suited for the room available. Forns ninv bo grown with begonias satisfactory. Roth require n temperature tem-perature lower than the nvorngo living liv-ing room. Colons Is another group of plants that mny bo grown In a window box but they must havo sun. Tho leaves of tlicso plants havo a wblo rango of color nnd marking as well as of Rtfco and shopo. They must have a warmer warm-er atmesihere than tho plants nl-rendy nl-rendy mentioned, temperature of PC degrees to CO dgrecs nt night being desirable. Tho mealy bug Is often qulto troublesomo on Colous. For an upright plant growing a foot or eighteen Inches high Aspidistra Aspid-istra Is satisfactory. Tho leaves of this plant grow In somo what tho samo manner ns tho garden flags, but thero aro varieties with vaiiegat. cd leaves as wcll as thco .vltli tho green leaves. Kcnilworth Ivy is a trailing plant that is nttractlvo when it droops ov-or ov-or tho sides of the box. It is a delicate deli-cate looking easily grown vino, with Bmall leaves and small whlto flowers. flow-ers. It Is usunlly grown from seed, but Into in tho season It nwv bo bettor bet-tor lo purchaso plants from tho florist. flor-ist. Another good plant for drooping ever tho box is the Mesembrynntho-innra Mesembrynntho-innra tricolor, or air plant. It is very easily grown from cuttings. To mako a vnrloty somo of the Sodtuns nro very attractive and stand moro neglect than many other plants. Sedum ncre, or Lovo Kntan-glc, Kntan-glc, wIM form n mat on tho nrfoco or hnnc over tho edge of ti"j box, whllo Sedum spectablle, Old Hen mid Chickens, will mako Httlo olu.itnvs of b'uo grocn among other iroons. Another good group of rlauts for tho window box Is t,ho Me3unbrynn-themums, Me3unbrynn-themums, or ico plants. Tnero nio several of theso to bo obtained nil of thorn moro or less trailing In hnblt. An attractlvo flowering vino that will thrlvo under conditions Miltnb'o fpr Geraniums, and moro particularly Colons, is tho nasturtium. J'hla Is grown from seed nnd blooms tt.iough n long season. Flowering plnnts to Rupp'nmont thn green of tho window gnrden need to bu grown elsewhere 'hrougli nt Irnst a part of their cxlstonco and be brought In when in bloom. WInlcr bulbs, lilies, potted geranium1, nml many othor floworlng plants may be supplied from tlmo to time, either fiom tho florists or from n window In somo less used room whom thoy nro grown till nearly read" to blossom.