1880. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



107 



garden last year, and it made a very fine plant 

 towards fall. It grew about ten inches high 

 and a foot in diameter. I have propagated it 

 this winter. I find that the roots are the same 

 as the Centaurea's. I should like your opinion 

 about it, whether it is a new plant or not. I 

 have consulted some of my friends, and they 

 think it is a new Centaurea. Please let me 

 know, and you will oblige me very much. The 

 enclosed leaves are a large one and a few small 

 ones. I have not any of the medium size or I 

 would send you some." 



[The leaves were small, and though some- 

 what near others that have been under culture 

 in the past, they do not seem exactly like any of 

 them.— Ed. G. M.] 



Fine Cinerarias. — From Louis Gloeckner, 

 Albany, N. Y., with a box of very beautiful 

 Cinerarias, we have the following note : " With 

 this letter you will find box of samples of Cine- 

 raria. Three years ago I got a package of seed 

 from Mr. Alfred Bridge man, of K. Y., who 

 told me it was from the importation from Ben- 

 ary's in Erfurt. I had about twenty-five good 

 plants then, and saved one of each color to get 

 some seed. Out of the whole, I got about two hun- 

 dred plants, which came out in beautiful colors." 



[It is a pleasure to note the interest taken in 

 the improvement of this beautiful class of plants. 

 There are few things more attractive in green- 

 houses and rooms in the early spring, than a fine 

 Cineraria.— Ed. G. M.] 



EucHARis Amazonica. — Mrs. E., Melrose, 

 Mass., asks : " Will some one familiar with the 

 culture of Eucharis, inform me through the 

 Monthly if it can be grown as a house-plant ? 

 I read in a newspaper report of Mr. Tailby's es- 

 say before the Mass. Horticultural Society, 

 that he said ' Eucharis were as easily grown as 

 potatoes.' Doesn't that statement need some 

 qualifications ? Anybody can grow potatoes — 

 can anybody grow Eucharis ? They are so very 

 beautiful, that even if they could be grown with 

 much care, it should be widely known. I have 

 always supposed it needed all the appliances of 

 the hot-house, besides the most skillful treat- 

 ment, to flower them successfully. If that is so, 

 why does this Mr. Tailby aggravate us with his 

 talk about potatoes? And again, if they are 

 of easy culture, why is not the knowledge 

 spread broadcast before the great world of ad- 

 miring amateurs? I think an article on this subject 

 would be interesting to a great many readers." 



Frames for Tender Plants. — W. M. G., 



asks: "Will you please inform me through the 

 Gardener's Monthly, what I can use as a 

 substitute for glass to cover frames in the spring 

 that will keep out the drying winds and hot sun, 

 and at the same time will admit of sufficient sun 

 and light to keep Geraniums in a healthy grow- 

 ing condition. I did not know but cheap bagging 

 might be dipped in some solution that would 

 preserve it and leave it in a transparent condi- 

 tion. As soon as the weather will admit of a 

 covering at night to keep out the frost without 

 fire-heat, I want to remove a portion of my 

 Geraniums into a frame, in order to spread 

 them, and thus give them a better chance to 

 grow." 



[The usual preparation is as follows : Take 

 white cotton cloth, of a close texture, stretch it 

 and nail it on frames of any size you wish ; mix 

 two ounces of lime water, four ounces of lin- 

 seed oil, one ounce white of eggs separately, 

 two ounces of yelk of eggs ; mix the lime and 

 oil with a very gentle heat, beat the eggs sep- 

 arately, and mix with the former. Spread this 

 mixture with a paint brush over the cloth, allow- 

 ing each coat to dry before applying another, 

 until they become waterproof. — Ed. G. M.] 



Steam Heating in Greenhouses.— W. D. 

 Phillbrick, Newton Centre, Mass., says : " I no- 

 tice in your February number an article by R. G. 

 Parker & Co. on Heating Hothouses, in which 

 the writer advocates heating by steam, and says 

 he used five tons of coal to 1,000 feet of glass. I 

 would like to hear what his average temperature 

 was at night in severe weather, also height of 

 house. I have used for several years hot water cir- 

 culation, having 1,000 feet of pipe in a house of 

 5,100 feet surface of glass, average height of house 

 4 feet from beds to glass. In this I keep a tem- 

 perature always above 40*^ with only 15 tons of 

 coal to the season. I have a ISfo. 16 Hitchings 

 boiler with good draught. If anybody can show 

 a better doing than this, let us hear from him. 

 Shelter from winds has a good deal to do with 

 this question." 



[It would also help to understand the situation 

 if the temperature of the severe weather were 

 given. — Ed. G. M.] 



New Carnation Marie.— A correspondent 

 sends us for an opinion, two flowers of a Carna- 

 tion, packed in dry cotton ! All flowers should 

 be sent in damp moss. We are sorry to say 

 that all we could tell from the dried flowers was 

 that they appeared to have been of a very pretty 

 crimson shade of color. 



