42 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[February, 



which it continues in bloom several days ; it 

 loads the air with fragrance during the night, 

 while in the day time the fragrance disappears, 

 but can be made perceptible by placing it in a 

 very dark room. It blossomed about October 

 1st, for the first time in this season, when I sent 

 you a plant, but which you never received. 

 We have no plants for sale, but if you think it a 

 novelty, we have two large plants, and would be 

 very happy to present you one in the Spring. 

 [This is Datura, or as it is called Brugmansia 

 arborea. It is a shrubby greenhouse plant, not 

 uncommon. It is a capital thing for blooming 

 out of doors in Summer time. — Ed. G. M.] 



HEATING HOTHOUSES. 



BY R. G. PARKER & CO., BOSTON, MASS. 



Kot knowing whether you accept items from 

 unknown people, but thinking that perhaps what 

 follows might interest some of your readers, we 

 have ventured to mail it to you. 



Our text, we would quote from Loudon's En- 

 C3'clopedia: "Steam affords a simple and effec- 

 tual method of heating hothouses." Also, "The 

 disadvantages of steam, as a vehicle for convey- 

 ing heat to hothouses, are few." "VVe presume 

 that the old gardeners and horticulturists gener- 

 ally will smile at our verdancy, but " the proof 

 of the pudding," etc., is very apt. 



We have about 10,000 square feet of glass, 

 which is heated by a twenty-eight horse-power 

 steam-boiler, of a cast iron, sectional pattern, 

 called the ''Exeter boiler," made at Exeter, N. 

 H. We chose this as it seemed to be best ad- 

 apted for our purpose, admitting of being easily 

 made larger or smaller. Being somewhat afraid 

 of heating wholly by steam, we laid 4-inch pipes, 

 the same as for hot water, and connected with 

 cast-iron heaters or boxes filled with steam 

 pipes, which were connected with the boiler. 

 The steam passes from the boiler through the 

 pipes in the heaters and back to the boiler again. 

 The 4-inch pipes are filled with water, as is also 

 the space around the steam pipes in the heaters. 

 Our fire is regulated by a steam damper, and as 

 we never need carry a pressure of over five 

 pounds of steam, there is no waste of coal and 

 no danger of explosion. We obtain our heat 

 much quicker than by the old method. We have 

 also two houses heated wholly by steam, which 

 works, so far as plants are concerned, full as 

 well as those heated by the 4-inch hot-water 

 pipes. 



As to economy, we burned last season five 



tons of coal to 1,000 square feet of glass, which 

 is better by three tons than any have done in 

 this vicinity. If any of your readers have done 

 better than this, let us hear from them. Any- 

 body interested wishing further information, we 

 shall be happy to give all we know. 



[Hints like these from practical experience, 

 from any friend of horticulture, are always wel- 

 come. — Ed. G. M.] 



EUPHORBIA. 



BY MANSFIELD MILTON. 



As winter-blooming plants, some of the spe- 

 cies of this large genus of plants are very use- 

 ful, and ought to get more attention from those 

 requiring bright flowers during the dull season 

 of the year. They are of easy culture and will 

 repay the labor bestowed upon them to make 

 them bloom abundantly. They are easily propa- 

 gated by cuttings which if shifted on as they re- 

 quire, will make large plants in a short time. 

 The soil I find most suitable for them is loam, 

 and a good sprinkling of thoroughly decayed 

 manure. Make it porous with a good addition 

 of sand. 



E. Jacquinteflora is one of the best for pro- 

 ducing flowers suitable for bouquets and other 

 floral devices. It produces its flowers from the 

 axils of the leaves, along the shoots of the pre- 

 vious year's growth, forming beautiful floral 

 wreaths of an orange scarlet color. The plant 

 can be trained into any shape desirable by at- 

 tention to training and pinching off the shoots 

 during this season of growth. Planted into a 

 border, and trained up the back wall of a green- 

 house, they produce an immense number of 

 flowers during the season. 



E. splendens is a rough looking plant, the 

 branches being closely set with stout spines. 

 The flowers are of a bright red color, and pro- 

 duced in clusters which are splendidly adapted 

 for bouquet making. It is also at home when 

 planted in a border, and trained up a trellis or 

 back wall, producing large numbers of flowers. 



SALVIA SPLENDENS CCERULEA. (?) 



BY PETER HENDERSON. 



In response to the query of a correspondent, 

 in the January number, asking for some infor- 

 mation about the new blue Salvia splendens (?), I 

 beg to report as follows : In the spring of 1879, 

 a Boston florist sent me what he called a blue 

 Salvia splendens. When it came it was easy 

 to see at a glance that it was of an entirely dis- 



