one part rotted manure. The fibrous-rooted varieties are more easily grown than the more tuberous plants. Cacti require soil, half fibrous loam and half coarse, mortar rubbish. They should be put in large pots one third full of rough coke or broken crockery to secure perfect drainage, and should seldom be repotted. They require all the sunlight available. Fuchsias are among the easiest plants to manage in the average living-room, and will do well in a north room that is kept warm, as this reproduces somewhat the shady condition of their original subtropical home. They thrive in ordinary garden-soil, but need frequent applications of liquid manure; and bloom best if the roots are somewhat cramped. They are grown from seeds or slips with two or three leaves. Pelargoniums or “geraniums,” as they are commonly known, grow best in a pliable clay loam without manure. The few diseases troubling these plants are apt to be due to manure or too much water. Slips should be started in 2-and-½ inch pots, and be gradually repotted in larger sizes. The soil should be pressed in firmly to make a firm growth. They may be fed manure-water when they reach the five or six-inch pots. The rubber plant is the most popular of all foliage plants, over 75,000 being sold every year. It is tough, thrifty and can stand poor light. Bushy plants may be obtained by topping, or through natural branching, coaxed by two or three months' rest in the spring. They are injured by dust and should be frequently sponged. Bulbs intended for forcing should be set in pots, which should be buried outdoors in the ground for several weeks or set in a cool, dark basement, and should not be brought into the light until well-sprouted. Hyacinths require equal parts of loam and rotted manure, with some coarse sand. The bulbs should be left one third above the soil, three or four in a five-inch pot. They should be planted from September to late November, to secure a long succession of blooms. Narcissus bulbs may be treated in much the same way or planted in quantities in shallow wooden boxes. Tulips require earth of two parts loam to one part of light manure, with sand added. Three to five bulbs may be planted in a pot, but deeper than hyacinths. Easter lilies (Bermuda lilies) require rich earth without manure. Leaf-mould should furnish the enrichment; or if manure, it should be at the bottom of the large pot away from contact with the bulb. Bulbs of the sacred Chinese lily grown in water should be kept submerged in a bowl partly filled with stones. The water should be changed every two or three days, and not be allowed to get cold. Certain varieties of hyacinths and tulips may also be grown in glasses above water. See Bailey's Cyclopedia of American Horticulture.
Houston (hūs'tŭn), Texas, county-seat of Harris County, 50 miles north of Galveston on Buffalo Bayou. It is named after Sam Houston, and is one of the largest railway and business centers of that state. It is an inland city with all the advantages of a seaport. The ship channel, at present undergoing government improvement, gives direct communication with the sea; and, besides, the city has the service of fifteen railroads. It is a distributing center for cotton, rice and oil, while corn, hay and sugarcane are important products of the nearby section. Houston has four large rice mills, a rice elevator and, close to the city, a sugar mill. The city has 38 public-school buildings and 228 teachers, besides St. Thomas' College for young men and boys, St. Agnes' Academy for girls, Rice Polytechnic Institute for the advancement of literature, art and science, four schools of music, five commercial schools, a nurse's training school, a dental college etc. Houston has two libraries, many churches and all the conveniences of a modern and progressive city. Population, according to the census of 1910, 78,800.
Houston, Sam, president of Texas when it was a republic, was born in Virginia on March 2, 1793, and was adopted and reared by a Cherokee Indian in Tennessee. He enlisted in the army in 1813, and by his bravery rose to the rank of second-lieutenant. After leaving the army he studied law, and in 1823 and 1825 was a member of Congress and in 1827 governor of Tennessee. After three months of married life, he, in 1829, abandoned his home to go to the Cherokees beyond the Mississippi. He remained here three years, and at the outbreak of war between Mexico and Texas was made commander-in-chief. On April 21, 1836, he defeated the Mexican force under Santa Anna at San Jacinto and won the independence of Texas. He was elected its first president and was re-elected in 1841. When Texas came into the Union,
