180 TUE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. [AUGUST, 



cement mixed with sand, which makes a substantial and comfortable floor and 

 pathway, is easily kept clean, harbours no insects, and stands a great amount of 

 wear and tear. The double or folding doors are the best for such structures, 

 because, if large plants have to be moved in and out, they afford greater space 

 than the doors in ordinary use. The doors should always be fixed so as to open 

 inwards, which is more convenient, and besides, the glass is not so liable to be 

 broken through the violence of the wind. The side lights or sashes are 2 ft. in 

 height, and need not be made to open, but instead thereof, some large iron or 

 slate ventilators should be built in the brickwork beneath them, opposite the hot- 

 water pipes ; by this means the air is prevented from blowing upon the plants in 

 a raw or cold state. We also recommend that large drain-pipes be laid in the 

 ground, passing from the outside under the foundation to the inside of the 

 house, and rising under the heating pipes, by which means fresh sweet air may 

 be admitted, even in severe weather if necessary, without detriment to the plants. 

 The lantern roof, shown in the figure, we consider the very best style of top ven- 

 tilation for a stove, because it does not let the cold air in directly on the plants. 



So much for the Stove. The Greenhouse (fig. 2) is, it will be seen, very 

 similar thereto in the general features of its construction ; but there is this 

 difference, that in the greenhouse, the side lights are all made to open, and the 

 lantern is not used, but the upper sashes of the roof slide up and down in the 

 ordinary way. The underground system of ventilation should be applied to this 

 structure as well as to the stove, as it affords means of maintaining a pure and 

 healthy atmosphere in the interior without injury to the plants even in the 

 most severe weather. 



In this practical way Mr. Williams discourses on a variety of general topics, 

 adding special instructions for culture under the various generic headings. 



M. 



DECORATIVE PLANTS FOR THE PLEASURE-GROUND. 



MAY first notice Scimbucus racemosa aurea, which should never be 

 omitted, however limited the space. It is somewhat singular that this 

 plant should be so seldom met with ; it certainly cannot be on the plea 

 that it is either scarce or high-priced, more likely that it is little known, at 

 least I presume such to be the case, as it seems a stranger both to the professional 

 and amateur gardeners who visit here. This plant is the property of the poor 

 as well as of the rich man ; it may be purchased for a few pence, and increased 

 ad libitum, as cuttings will strike with as much, if not more, freedom than a 

 willow. We have no plant so well adapted as this to lighten up masses of dark 

 green, owing to its deep golden colour. If planted too profusely, it is apt to 

 dazzle, and become oppressive to the eye. It grows vigorously in any situation, 

 and must be pruned sharply during winter to keep it within limits, and to prevent 

 the plant getting naked at the bottom. 



