108 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[April, 



bloom the flowers will be free from the pot, and 

 it can be suspended to the roof of the house, and 

 the flowers will be free from damp, to which 

 they are very liable. It is easily grown in a warm 

 house. The flowers are of a creamy white spotted 

 pink. It is a native of Singapore. 



SMALL GREENHOUSES. 



BY J. C. C, PROVIDENCE, K. I. 



It may be interesting to some who are not 

 'blessed with ranges of '"glass-houses," and whose 

 wants exceed their means, to have a trifle of the 

 experience of one, who for three short years 

 enjoyed a very small span-roof house, (only 12x 

 12) and from which he gained not only much 

 ipleasure and recreation, but also a deeper knowl- 

 edge of floriculture than constant reading would 

 have given him in thrice that time. The green- 

 house was situated in a large city, where yard- 

 room is an expensive luxury ; and few would 

 have thought that so many plants could be grown 

 successfully in so small a place. For six months 

 before building the writer had contemplated a 

 house, but his ideas, like those of most amateurs, 

 were on a much larger scale than his plot of 

 ground would allow. But finally he built a house 

 which was so erected that, by taking out one end, 

 it could easily be enlarged. The wood-work 

 beneath the benches was double, so that no heat 

 should be lost; three inches empty space between 

 the outer and inner boarding. Although a fill- 

 ing of sawdust was recommended, it was never 

 found necessary. The house was heated by three 

 rows of four inch pipe, carried from a Smith & 

 Lynch boiler, capable of heating 150 feet of pipe. 

 The boiler was at first placed in a trench in a 

 corner of the house and worked from the outside ; 

 but as this was found to be not only inconvenient 

 but also unpleasant to work in severe or stormy 

 weather, and as it was also difficult to keep water 

 out of the trench, the boiler was finally placed in 

 the cellar of the dwelling; the flow and return 

 pipe being laid in a wooden box beneath the 

 pavement. This arrangement worked admirably, 

 although there was considerable heat wasted, 

 but that was a small matter when we consider 

 the ease with which the fire was run. In the 

 winter of 1880 and 1881, which was as constantly 

 severe as Philadelphia has experienced for many 

 years, only two-and a-half tons of coal were 

 burned, the thermometer ranging from 40° to 

 50° Fah. at night, and from 60° to 70° during the 



day. The fire was usually covered at eleven P. M., 

 and not looked at until seven A. M. 



At first the writer— like many other beginners 

 — tried to grow anything and everything, but he 

 soon found out that such a course was by no 

 means practicable. Camellias and Azaleas did 

 not enjoy a heat suited to Begonias and Marantas, 

 or, in other words, plants that luxuriate in a 

 temperature ranging from 50° to G5° could not 

 be placed alongside those that enjoy stove treat- 

 ment. So in the course of two years Camellias, 

 Carnations and Roses gave place to Azaleas, 

 Amaryllis, Geraniums, etc. And it may seem 

 almost incredible to the readers of this article, 

 who have had no experience with a small green- 

 house, when the writer says that he had at times 

 upwards of 400 plants in his house, some of them 

 by no means small, but every inch of space was 

 brought into requisition by means of shelving 

 and iron brackets. The plants were kept from 

 being drawn only by constant turning and re- 

 arranging, and although that pest, the green fly, 

 would occasionally appear in the early spring, 

 yet a couple of careful tobacco fumigations would 

 be sufficient to smother hitn. The writer thinks 

 that there are few who have five times his space 

 who could boast of such a blaze of Azaleas, 

 Amaryllis and Geraniums, the last named plant 

 constantly in bloom from the first of December 

 until time for bedding in the spring. The average 

 time spent in this house for watering, repotting, 

 etc., was one-and-a half hours a daj*. 



Fearing that this article is already too long for 

 a corner in the Gardener's Monthly, and that 

 the editor may think it an old story, which has 

 been told too often, the writer will conclude 

 rather abruptly, at the same time hoping that his 

 experience may cause some one else to try a 

 small house, and enjoy it until he is able to build 

 one of larger proportions. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



JusTiciA CALYCOTRICHA. — A plant which is much 

 more valuable than is commonly supposed is 

 Justicia calycotricha. When cut the inflorescence 

 is most useful for vases, and it lasts in beauty a 

 considerable time. The flowers are very numer- 

 ous and of yellow color ; they do not individually 

 last long, but open in succession. Not only is 

 the corolla yellow, but also the calyx, which is 

 formed with long slender lobes about equal to 

 the corolla in length. These give a character to 



