DECEMBER S, 1S9S. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



29 



TABLE OF ORCHIDS. 



The iUiistration hardly does justice 

 to the little group of orchids pictured 

 below. November 10 or thereabouts is 

 not the very best time to find orchids 

 in abundance. There were but four 

 species in the collection, but it is need- 

 less to say that whenever a few dozen 

 well flowered orchids are exhibited at 

 a flower show they are the "observed 

 of all observers." A far more effective 

 arrangement could have been made 

 with these orchids than merely setting 

 them on a table, among them some 

 pots of maidenhair fern, which was 

 the simple arrangement of those now 

 pictured. For instance, the Cattleya 

 labiata could have been fastened on 

 some stout limbs of an apple tree, and 

 at their base, springing from a bed of 

 green moss, the cypripediums. 



face, and on the arrangement and pro- 

 portioning of the pipes used for dis- 

 tributing the heating medium. In con- 

 sidering the providing of a heating ap- 

 paratus, the question which first arises 

 is, of what nature shall it be. radiation 

 from flues, hot- water or steam? And 

 in this connectior also arises tho 

 question of cost. The least costly to 

 install but most costly to maintain, 

 and at the same time the least effec- 

 tive in its desired results, is the fine 

 system, so I will not devote much time 

 to this, except to suggest that where 

 such a system is desired the length of 

 the flue should not exceed seventy-five 

 feet of 12-inch salt glazed drain tiles. 

 The joints should be well filled with 

 good cement mortar, the flue given an 

 upward grade from the furnace to the 

 opposite end of not less than one inch 

 in five feet, and as much more as cir- 



be seen, that with this system heat 

 may be promptly produced, increased 

 or diminished at will of the person in 

 charge, which in this latitude of sud- 

 den rise and fall of outdoor tempera- 

 ture, are points of immense import- 

 ance. 



The pipes used tor circulating steam 

 through the greenhouse, being of small 

 diameters, one inch or one inch and a 

 quarter, the requisite amount of ra- 

 diating surface can be readily distrib- 

 uted so as to produce the desired 

 warmth throughout all parts of the 

 house. In the matter of regulating the 

 heat in more steady winter weather, 

 the heating medium being distributed 

 through a large number of small pipes, 

 and all or most of these pipes being 

 fitted with valves, the proportion of 

 effective radiation surface and the con- 

 sequent temperature of the air within 



Display of Orchids by 'William Scott at the Buffalo Exhibition. 



Two or three years ago Mr. E. Lons- 

 dale made a fine exhibit of orchids at 

 the chrysanthemum show, Philadel- 

 phia. If I remember rightly they were 

 placed on a circular table of mirrors 

 with a lot of Farleyense among the 

 orchids and a space of three feet in 

 the center left clear of everything, 

 which gave the appearance of a mag- 

 nificent growth of orchids surrounding 

 a miniature lake. The kinds shown in 

 the photograph are Cattleya labiata, 

 C. Bowringiana, Cypripedium insigne 

 and C. Lawrenceanum. W. S. 



GREENHOUSE HEATING. 



By H. W. Gibbons. 



[Read before the Morris Countv (N. J.) Gardeners' 



Society, Nov, i).] 



The ultimate result of a greenhouse 

 heating apparatus depends, not so 

 much upon the nature of the heating 

 medium used, whether it be the old- 

 fashioned flue heat, hot-water or 

 steam, as upon the proper proportion 

 and distribution of the radiating sur- 



cumstances will allow, and also a di- 

 rect rise of about three feet from the 

 furnace before starting off on the run 

 in order to secure a quick draught. 



The question of the superiority of 

 either of the other two systems, re- 

 quires much consideration before 

 reaching a decision, as the advantage 

 of the one or the other depends very 

 largely upon the particular require- 

 ments of the grower, extent of the 

 house to be heated, and other points 

 which I will speak of later. 



We will first consider steam, its ad- 

 vantages and disadvantages. This sys- 

 tem has these very desirable features- 

 its comparatively low cost of installa- 

 tion, and what is of vastly more im- 

 portance, the possibility of a perfect 

 and prompt control of its circulation 

 and consequent heat radiation. With 

 this system, unless steam is formed in 

 the boiler, no heat is given off in the 

 greenhouse, and, as in a well pro- 

 portioned boiler, steam may be pro- 

 duced very quickly, and it will readily 



the greenhouse are under the most ab- 

 solute control. 



Two objections to steam heat, are 

 rai.3ed by advocates of hot-water sys- 

 tem, first the fact that if from any 

 cause the fire should die down below 

 the intensity necessary for the pro- 

 duction of steam, heat ceases to circu- 

 late in the house, which condition on 

 a winter's night would be fatal to the 

 stock within the houses. This objec- 

 tion is entitled to some consideration 

 in connection with small greenhouses 

 on private estates where the gardener 

 is too often also coachman and general 

 utility man, and as such his duties, 

 more important to the immediate con- 

 venience of his employer, often pre- 

 vent his giving the requisite attention 

 to his greenhouse fires, also in con- 

 nection with small amateur green- 

 houses where only a very small body 

 of fire is carried, but in connection 

 with commercial ranges of any extent, 

 or the larger private ranges, where du- 

 ties other than the legitimate ones of 



