THE FLOKAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 119 



mixture of equal parts light loam and rotten manure. I think we 

 have sometimes used quite three-fourths of very fat manure, and 

 with none but good results. Tou can scarcely overdo it in the way 

 of food, but you must not put rank or half-fermented dung in the 

 bed. Equal parts loam and manure will do well, and add a fifth part 

 of coarse gravel, grit, or sharp sand, if you can ; but if you cannot do 

 so conveniently, never mind. As fast as you get bulbs which have 

 had their day, remove the spikes, but leave the lower part of the 

 flower-stalk to perish in its own way. Open shallow trenches across 

 the bed, knock the plants out, remove the crocks, and plant them 

 carefully in rows, deep enough to quite cover the bulbs. The leaves 

 and roots must be handled tenderly : It is not a job for a clumsy 

 person ; at the same time it is as easy as eating bread and butter. 

 One good watering makes an end of the work. Being hardy, they 

 want no shelter; being in rich stuff, they will be moist to the last : 

 and being still in a growing state, the roots will at once take hold of 

 the rich stuff they are in, and the leaves will presently after grow to 

 a tremendous size, and will have a beautiful dark green colour. 



All the potted bulbs used here in the plunging system are turned 

 out into rich beds to finish their growth. In fact, they all go to the 

 same bed, which in the end contains a complete medley — here a row 

 of crocus, next a row of hyacinths, next a row of tulips, etc., etc. 

 After a few weeks of dry, hot weather in July, the whole lot are 

 taken up and cleaned and sorted. S. H. 



FERN CASE HEATED BY GAS FLAME. 



T has often been regretted by you and your correspondents that no simple 

 method exists for the heating of fern cases. It is to assist, if I possibly 

 can, in removing this difficulty, tbat I send you the enclosed plan, 

 which I have used for some little time with the greatest success. It is 

 true, up to the present time the winter has not been sufficiently severe 

 to give my amateur heating apparatus a thorough test, but from being able to 

 regulate the temperature up to any degree, I have no doubt of its success under all 

 circumstances. 



You must understand that my fern case is an outside one, south-east aspect; and 

 being situate in a corner abutting on a neighbour's house, the wind blows on the 

 top, two sides, and underneath, rather sharply. You will say this is not the best 

 situation for growth of ferns, but still, as it is the only one I can get, I must make 

 the best of it ; and I am consoled by knowing that greater is the success when you 

 can produce favourable results under the most unfavourable circumstances. 



My mode of procedure may be easily explained. A tin tube (lapped joint not 

 soldered) marked T in sketch, stands in the corner of my case, perfectly out of sight 

 to any ordinary observer looking into the case from the room. Passing through a 

 brass bottom, a small gas pipe enters the tube supporting a six-hole argand burner. 

 A bat's-wing or fish-tail burner will not answer, as the wide flames impinge against 

 the side of the thin tin tube, and would have a tendency to destroy it. The small 

 door D is to close the aperture through which the gas is lit, and the pipe S is carried 

 out through the frame into the open air to supply the burner with air to support the 

 combustion. Be sure it is a tolerable size, for when the gas is full on much air is 

 required to support a clear steady flame, and to prevent smoke. The gas passes 

 through the pipe G, carried also into the open air through frame of case. 



Of course, the heat thus engendered would be much too dry for the proper 

 development of ferns. I therefore arrange two pans, holding about a quart of water 



