The memories and wisdom found in very old books

Old books.........I love them. There is something about the images and the print in old books. I have such a book.....among the shiny and inviting covers of my garden books, sits this very unassuming book. Printed in 1935, The Complete Book Of Garden Magic, by Roy E. Biles, is the first book I reach for and keep beside me throughout the year.

It may not look like much, but once opened, the wisdom of garden know how pulls you in and once tried, the results in the garden, make this book priceless. This book was given to me, when I lived in town and only dreamed of gardens, greenhouses, and chickens. My elderly neighbor, Ruth, passed away, the only good soul left in the neighborhood. We would often spend late afternoon hours out on the sidewalk, talking about flower gardens and children. Her daughter found this book among her mother's things, and knowing that Ruth and I often exchanged flower cuttings with each other, brought the book over to me. I have cherished it since.
This is the book, from where I am going to share wonderful tidbits of good garden advice with you! It is full of things on how to make your soil better, composting, greenhouse managing and so on. One particular section I have grown to love is the garden calendar. In this section, the book takes you through each month, telling you what you should and should not be doing during a particular month. And so, for this month of January..........a note about Poinsettia
If you were fortunate to receive one of these Christmas beauties and have trouble on keeping them after Christmas, maybe this tip will help.
Protect the Poinsettia from draft, keeping it in a temperature of seventy degrees in the daytime and not lower than sixty-three at night. Water twice a day with tepid or slightly warmer water from above. When it has finished blooming and begins to drop it's leaves, set it aside and give it only enough water to keep it from drying out. In April, the plants are pruned back hard and repotted in a rich light soil. They are kept growing in a light position and in early June are plunged in the garden, where they may remain until late September.
* Please note that this is from a very old book. I have not worked with a Poinsettia, wish I had gotten one at Christmas now, however.
If you have tried this and it turned out to be a wonderful way....please let me know, I would love to hear.
Now, how about you? Are there any old books that you hold dear and have found to be a good source of wisdom or comfort? I would love to hear!

*If you want to see what I cooked from The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook, please visit My Country Kitchen blog. http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com