200 



THE GAliDENElVS MuNTHIA 



IJuly, 



sptH'iniciis. when younger ones would Mooni i 

 more vigorously, and give better satisfaction. 

 Propagation of plants will go on. It is one of 

 the pleaijures of the gardening art ; and wliere 

 old treasures are prized, the greenhouse soon 

 beeonu\>< a crowded niatis of ugliness, with credit 

 to neither gardener nor owner. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



ABOUT GREENHOUSES. 



BY W. T. BELL, FR.\NKLIN, PA. 



Rev. Mr. Powell, in May nnniher, makes an 

 intemperate charge against " Nasty Green- 

 houses," and, as there is nothing in the article 

 implying otherwise, the charge seems to be a 

 general one. This is as unfair as to denounce 

 all clergymen as hypocritical scoundrels, be- 

 cause a few among the number prove to be so. 



There are too many nasty greenhouses ; but 

 there are others, and I hope a large majority of I 

 them, in which there is nothing to oflfend the 

 sight, or sense of smell, of the most fastidious. | 

 There are filthy, ignorant and boorish men en- j 

 gaged in the business, as well as men who are ■ 

 cultivated, intelligent and gentlemanly. 



Forcing plants into a sickly growth, of which 

 the writer complains, is to a great extent the 

 fault of the plant buyers. Florists endeavor to 

 grow what will sell best ; and, if buyers Foolishly 

 require that every plant they get shall have 

 flowers on it at the time, no matter what its 

 size, or what the season may be, they .should not 

 complain if its vitality is impaired, by crowding 

 it into such a condition. 



But all florists do not grow plants thus. Many 

 of them in all parts of the country are content 

 to keep their plants under conditions suited to 

 their healthy growth, and would scorn to send 

 away, even if they had them, such plants as 

 caused the writer " vexation of soul." Let Mr. P. 

 find such a man — and I have no doubt he can do 

 so in his own neighborhood — and trust him to 

 select such plants as will answer the purpose for 

 which they are wanted. Then, if he have any 

 skill or judgment in the management of plants, 

 qualities which florists do not claim to furnish 

 -with their stock, the result will be such as to 

 convince him how unkind and uncalled for, was 

 the article which provoked this reply. 



HEATING SMALL GREENHOUSES BY A COAL 

 STOVE. 



I?Y ('.. A. II. 



Perhaps my experience of the p:i8t Winter in 

 heating a greenhouse by means of an ordinary 

 coal stove, may not be valueless when added to 

 that of your Ohio correspondent in the April 

 number. The greenhouse in question is about 

 12x24, and is built against the west side of the 

 kitchen. A bonch runs along the whole front 

 except at the end where the stove stands, tlie 

 rest of the house being given up mainly to large 

 plants standing on the floor or ground. 



Not wishing to be at the expense of a boiler, 

 and having a stove and plenty of pipe, I set the 

 stove (a small base burner), in the northwest 

 corner, at the end of the bench, digging down 

 about eighteen inches to bring the flue at a 

 proper height. The stove has four doors, with 

 mica panels just above the fire pot. I took off 

 the rear door and had one of sheet iron put in 

 its place, with a hole and collar for smoke pipe. 

 The stove then had two flue holes, with a piece 

 of pipe about ten inches long projecting from 

 each, the upper one having a damper. I then 

 carried the smoke pipe from the lower flue hole 

 along under the bench, and returned it to the 

 stove, connecting it with the upper flue hole, 

 and thence carrying it straight outside to the 

 galvanized iron chimney pipe. The damper in 

 the upper flue is left open till the fire is well 

 kindled, when it is closed, so that the draught is 

 then through the whole length of pipe. I have 

 had no smoke or gas but once, when the outside 

 pipe became choked by soot. This could have 

 been prevented had I supposed it ever likely to 

 occur. Last year (1875-^) the greenhouse was 

 about half its present size, and I used the same 

 stove, with a single line of pipe running the 

 length of the bench, and out at the other end. 

 In either case it is satisfactory, though of course 

 the heat is not so steady as with a boiler. 



This greenhouse faces west, and has no pro- 

 tection on the north (about as bad a position as 

 can be, except due north), and a part of the 

 main house projects on the south, keeping oflf 

 the sun in the shortest days till after one o'clock. 

 With no care between 10 p. m. and 6 A. M., the 

 i temperature at night has ranged from 42° to 48° 

 I at the coldest end. On two or three occasions it 

 fell to 38°. The greenhouse was built mainly 

 I for ferns and palms used out of doors in Sum- 

 ' mer, and requiring cool treatment. Of these 



