1876.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



233 



The flue should rise from the back of the fur- 

 nace to the level of the greenhouse flooi-, with a 

 steep slope, and be built from thence to the foot 

 of the chimney with a gradual rise. The steeper 

 this rise is the better the draught will be ; but 

 care nuist be taken not to interfere with doors 

 and benches. 



The instructions for building flues, usually 

 met with, were evidently written by persons who 

 have used anthracite coal, or coke — as they 

 speak of carrying them one hundred and fifty 

 feet, with two or three bends, and but little rise, 

 and no mention is made of any method of clean- 

 ing the flue. 



In many jjarts of the country the fuel must 

 necessarily be bituminous coal ; and unless 

 some provision is made to remove the soot and 

 ashes from the flue, the destruction of the plants 

 by gas will inevitably occur. 



If the flue is built straight, with a uniform rise, 

 and a door is made in the base of the chimney, 

 opposite the entrance to the flue, the soot 

 may be brushed into the furnace by a close-fit- 

 ting swab. 



The flue should be raised from the ground 

 sufliciently to keep it dry, and should be built of 

 good size, not less than eight inches Avide and 

 twelve inches high inside. 



The bricks forming the side may be set on 

 edge, but are better when laid flat, and the top 

 may be covered with narrow tile. The whole 

 should be laid with good thin mortar, and the 

 joints should be thoroughly plastered. 



Build the chimney not less than twelve feet 

 high, and let it rise six feet above any object 

 near it. 



Such a furnace and flue, if well built and kept 

 clean, should do good service ; but if W. H. L. 

 intends to make floriculture a business, he will 

 never be satisfied until he procures an efficient 

 hot-water apparatus. 



I began with flues, and many a cold night I 

 have slept beside them, with no bed but a board, 

 waking as the heat began to decline to replenish 

 my fires. 



My next step was to a simple form of boiler, 

 but I made a mistake common to young florists 

 who are struggling along with little means. I 

 bought a boiler too small for its work, and that 

 winter my wife and baby occupied a sleeping- 

 room with me, improvised in the potting-shed, 

 directly over my little heater, and every two 

 hours I wakened to fire up. 



The next summer I put in a large boiler of the 



best construction, capable of heating twice the 

 amount of glass I had in use. This I could 

 leave without attention for twelve hours at a 

 time, and I consider it the best investment I ever 

 made. 



MR. SARGENT'S AZALEA SHOW. 



BY BOSTON. 



Towards the end of May Prof. C. S. Sargent, Esq., 

 of Brookline, Mass., exhibited his famous Aza- 

 leas, and they were grand. The plants, some 

 large and others of various sizes, were well grown 

 and densely flowered, and tastefully arranged in 

 beds on the lawn under a very spacious tent. 

 The pots being plunged out of sight, the fresh, 

 grassy carpet and the presence of a few Palms 

 and Rhododendrons set off" to advantage these 

 floral pyramids, umbrellas and cushions. Chief 

 amongst the varieties were Decora, Exquisite, 

 Bride of Abydos, Iverzana, Beaute de L' Europe, 

 Variegata, Flower of the Day, Daphne, Criterion, 

 and Marquis of Lome. These Azaleas in order 

 to be retarded as late as convenient are wintered 

 at the lowest possible temperature above the freez- 

 ing point, and they appear to bear such treatment 

 with impunity. The sjDring had fairly opened, 

 out-door vegetation was approaching its prettiest, 

 the weather was pleasant, neither too hot nor too 

 cold; in fact, everything we could wish for, to 

 make a visit enjoyable was in our favor. The 

 gardens of IMr. S. are extensive and picturesque 

 and undergoing considerable improvement. 

 They too contain many fine specimen deciduous 

 trees and handsome conifers. The greenhouses 

 are well stocked with plants, most remarkable 

 amongst which are the gigantic specimens of such 

 Agaves, as Coccinea, densiflora Glaucophylla, 

 Angmtifolia, Verschaffeltti, Uncinata, Grandiden- 

 tata, Ghiesbreghtii, Horrida, Xylacantha, Univiftata. 

 Remrvispina, Besseriana, Atrovirens, Jacohiana, 

 and many others. 



MR. HUNNEWELL'S RHODODENDRON SHOW. 



Now, June 10th, is the season of Mr. Hunne- 

 well's Rhododendron Show at Wellesley, Mass., 

 and such a display Waterer, Veitch or Lane 

 might be proud of— yes, Waterer went to 

 see them, was surprised at their excellence, and 

 now admits, "Well, you can grow some things 

 in America after all ! " It is not the quality that 

 is so surprising, it is the quantity. The finer and 

 more tender kinds are arranged in beds, and 

 some as isolated specimens under a very large 

 tent near the greenhouses. Evergreen hedges 



