1877.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



107 



sprinkling the floors, &c., for moisture, for of 

 course the heat would naturally be dry. 



Last Fall I tried an experiment of having a 

 galvanized iron circular tank of about twelve 

 gallons capacity, placed back of the stove, with 

 f-inch gas pipe attached to the tank and run- 

 ning through one of the doors into the fire-pot 

 of the stove, and with an elbow returning 

 through the same door and passing under my 

 little propagating bench six feet, and then com- 

 ing back and entering the tank above the first 

 pipe about eight inches. I thus have a body of 

 water always hot — many times, with a large fire, 

 nearly reaching the boiling point — which gives 

 out moisture sufficient to keep the plants in 

 good health, entirely free from red spider ; and 

 the circulation in the pipes gives additional heat. 

 It has given entire satisfaction throughout these 

 unusually extreme winter nights. At night when 

 the mercury goes to zero, our man awakens and 

 stirs out the ashes and re-fills with coal about 

 one o'clock, but ordinarily it needs only to be at- 

 tended to late at night and early in the morning, 

 and it has kept my tenderest plants safely. 

 The mercury perhaps twice only has gone below 

 40°, and usually ranges from 40° to 60°. I do not 

 pretend to keep " stove " plants, but, for miscel- 

 laneous plants, I have no hesitancy in recom- 

 mending my plan. 



I have now blooming "Passiflora princeps," 

 "Thunbergia Harrisi," " Clerodendron Balfouri," 

 and others, and I should like a white winter- 

 blooming vine. Would I succeed with " Stepha- 

 notis floribunda?" Dreer does not give it as a 

 "stove," but he does Clerodendron B. Another 

 experiment I have tried successfully. I take 

 my little machine oil can and treat the " mealy- 

 bug" to a drop of coal oil, which is sure, and 

 so far, harmless ; even the Rex Begonias are 

 uninjured by it. 



[We have great pleasure in giving this letter to 

 our readers. It is just the sort of practical experi- 

 ence hundreds want to know about. The success 

 with the coal stove is particularly encouraging, 

 as so many can have flowers this way to whom 

 expensive heating arrangements are out of the 

 question. Our correspondent, in sending the 

 article, modestly asks us not to "put her in the 

 paper," whatever we do with her experience, 

 and we have respected her wishes accordingly. 

 Stephanotis floribunda would hardly flower in 

 Winter in such a house. Rhyncospermum jas- 

 minoides, as a white climber, would lie better. — 

 Ed. G. M.] 



LA BELLE CARNATION. 



BY H. E. CHITTY, BELLEVUE NURSERIES, 

 PATERSON, N. J. 



In reply to Mr. Lonsdale's reference to my 

 remarks on this plant, which appeared in the 

 Gardener s Monthly, January, 1875, I believe I 

 can truly say that I have no cause to change 

 or reverse my opinion as then expressed. But 

 all depends upon the manner in which the plant 

 is grown — if stopped and pinched back and 

 otherwise treated as the ordinary American 

 varieties are managed for Fall and Winter 

 flowering, it will not flower, but if allowed to 

 grow its own way with simple training, or pro- 

 vided with necessary support and ordinary 

 liberal treatment in regard to soil and pot room, 

 it will flower early in the season and abundantly, 

 and when so grown and flowered, I have no 

 hesitation in saying that it is the most perfect, 

 largest and purest white Carnation that we have, 

 and I believe all these good qualities are freely 

 conceded it in England where it originated, and 

 where it has prominently figured at exhibitions 

 during the last two or three years. 



During 1875 we grew lai-ge numbers of this 

 plant in 3, 4; 5, and 6-inch pots, and the plants 

 of sizes to suit all kinds of trade. The smaller 

 sizes were freely stopped to keep them within 

 bounds for shipping purposes, as were also many 

 of the plants in 6-inch pots. These last named 

 that were left over with us, flowered sparsely dur- 

 ing the following Spring, but plants in 6-inch 

 pots that were not stopped at all, nor had their 

 growth interfered with in any way, but were sup- 

 plied with sticks and tied up, commenced to 

 flower early in September, and flowered through- 

 out the Fall,Winter and Spring ; they were in fact 

 in flower long before Degraw as ordinarily treated 

 commences to flower, and continued to flower 

 through a period quite as extended. 



There exists quite a diversity of opinion 

 regarding this plant, and as is usual in such cases 

 those are best pleased who have been most success- 

 ful with it. Of course a carnation that will not 

 flower is utterly worthless, but I am fully con- 

 vinced that if florists will take cuttings of this 

 variety any time during the Winter and grow 

 the plants through Spring and Summer in pots, 

 giving good soil and pots not less than six inches 

 in diameter and not stop the plants, and during 

 the Winter keep them in a low temperature, say 

 40° or 45° as a maximum, they will have but 

 little cause for complaint. In a high tempera- 



