1873.1 TEMPERATURES OF FORCING-HOUSES. 75 



September — White Isehia, Grosse Violette de Bourdeanx, Black 

 Provence, Grosse Yerte, Bourjassotte Grisie, Col de Signora Blanca, 

 De TArcliipel, and the second crop of Wliite Marseilles and Lee's 

 Perpetual. October — White Ischia, Black Provence, Grosse Verte, 

 Bourjassotte Grisie, Col de Signora Blanca, and Col de Signora Xera. 

 J^ovember — White Ischia, Grosse Verte, Lee's Perpetual, D'Agen. 

 December — White Ischia, D'Agen, the latest of all." 



Where, however, space is limited so that such a collection is im- 

 practicable, I recommend as the most constantly prolific and otherwise 

 excellent, the varieties I first named. They are medium-sized and of 

 excellent flavour. D. T. 



TEMPERATURES OF FGRCHSTG-HOUSES. 



Being one of the readers of your valuable magazine, I hasten to pick 

 up the gauntlet as thrown down by your correspondent J. S., respect- 

 ing low or extreme high temperatures in early forcing-houses. 



Amongst the various systems of heating forcing-houses, Lot water 

 may be considered the best for general purposes when properly arranged, 

 although I am aware that some of our best practicals still believe in 

 the old flues for setting Muscats ; but as there is no rule without excep- 

 tion, circumstances generally alter cases, and it is well known that ex- 

 cellent fruit has been grown with either system ; and as to the evils 

 which afflict the inmates, these cannot always be laid to the system 

 adopted, but more particularly to the practice or inattention of the cul- 

 tivator, in supplying circumstances which favour the different pests 

 which haunt our hothouses, instead of keeping a sweet and healthy 

 atmosphere capable of bedewing the leaves with moisture as your 

 correspondent J. S. ably observes. I quite agree with him in his 

 " new proposition " of a lower scale of night temperatures. At the same 

 time, I will be very much pleased to hear the opinions of your numerous 

 and able correspondents on this very interesting topic, as J. S. has 

 not said all yet on this subject, and means to return to it again — 

 which I trust he will, as it is a long way off being threadbare, and, 

 like the hothouses themselves, will stand any amount of ventilation. 

 And as to the nut which your correspondent has given us to crack, 

 I beg to inform him that I have cracked it long ago, when the present 

 race of gardeners were beardless ''laddies ;" and as " facts are chiels that 

 winna ding," I may state that I have had the honour to stand at the 

 head of the poll several years in succession with Peaches and 

 Nectarines at the Metropolitan Exhibitions, where I consider a certi- 

 ficate of merit is no mean prize, owing to the quantity of dishes exhi- 

 bited. Well, the nut, I must admit, was cracked with a very low night 



