17! 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



I June, 



Pavonia has much in common with Hibiscus, 

 Althaea and other well-known plants of our gar- 

 dens. Indeed there is one very pretty summer 

 bloomer, a small shrub, of the same genus, Pa- 

 vonia Wrightii, under culture though not as 

 well known. The species here illustrated is re- 

 markable for its large colored bracts. In P. 

 Wrightii these are small and green. Here they 

 are so large as, in the picture, to look almost 

 like a proper calyx. It was introduced to culti- 

 vation by Mr. Bull, of Chelsea, London, Eng- 

 land, who says of it : "A handsome free-bloom- 

 ing plant of erect growth, with oblong-lanceolate 

 coriaceous leaves; it belongs to the Malvaceee, 

 and has been imported from Brazil. Its 

 corymbs of flowers are peculiarly attractive from 

 the bracteoles being large, and of a bright rosy 

 carmine color, forming a striking contrast with 

 the dark purple corolla. The plant is extremely 

 floriterous, and the blossoms remain a long time 

 in perfection." 



Orxithogalum coarctatum.— Among the rare 

 plants that attracted attention at the April 

 meeting of the German town Horticultural So- 

 ciety, was a finely bloomed specimen sent by 

 Mr. E. H. Skinner, of Troy, Ohio. 



It has a head of white flowers, with a fuscous 

 spot at the baae on opening, but which disap- 

 pears a few days after. Each flower is about an 

 inch over, and with several dozen open at once 

 it makes quite a gay appearance. We regard it 

 as one of the most valuable of early spring 

 bulbs. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Questions on Steam Management. — " S. P.," 

 Brooklyn, New York, remarks : " In reading 

 your last issue, I found several communications 

 in regard to heaters for greenhouses. I have 

 also heard several gardeners talking in reference 

 to steam as a means of heating, in place of our 

 old friend, the ' hot water apparatus.' 



"I think it would be well for all interested in 

 the matter, to study the question in all its bear- 

 ings before making so decided and radical a 

 change. 



'' In the first place, up to the present time, I 

 have found no means of heating greenhouses to 

 give such universal satisfaction as the hot water 

 apparatus has done, and when put up in a 

 proper manner by good mechanics, have al- 

 ways found it reliable. It is economical in the 



use of fuel, requires very little attention, and any 

 man of ordinary intelligence can manage it. 

 When a greenhouse is properly piped, and haa a 

 boiler of sufficient capacity to heat the same 

 without forcing (which should always be the 

 case), we can fix our fires at 10 p. m., and find 

 everything going along nicely at six o'clock the 

 next morning, and this can be done in the 

 coldest weather, if the conditions in regard to 

 pipe and boiler be complied with. The hot 

 water apparatus, if put in properly, costs very 

 little for repairs, as there is nothing to get out of 

 order except the boiler, and that is good for ten 

 or twelve years. I have known cases where 

 they have been in use for twenty years, without 

 any repairs save a few new grates. In a hot 

 water apparatus a very slow fire will keep the 

 water circulating all night, and by so doing gives 

 us the proper amount of heat from very little 

 fuel. Now the question arises, will a steam 

 heater do all this? For myself, I am afraid not. 



'' I think that a steam apparatus will burn 

 more fuel, for it is actually necessary that steam 

 be kept up, or the heat goes down at once, and 

 to keep up this steam we must have a lively fire. 

 To get that permanence of temperature so much 

 desired in greenhouses, a steam heater would 

 demand almost constant attention. 



'' The parties getting up these heaters claim 

 that they have self-regulating dampers, &c., that 

 will just keep the steam and fire to a certain 

 pitch; but my experience with all such contriv- 

 ances is, that it takes very little to put them out 

 of order, and then they are worse than useless. 

 In all steam boilers there is more or less trouble 

 with sediment, and these for greenhouses would 

 be no exception to this general rule, and would 

 require to be cleaned out occasionally or 

 great injury would result to the boiler. No 

 matter how safe you try to make a steam boiler, 

 if placed in the hands of inexperienced parties, 

 there is more or less danger of explosion. 



" I could say much more on this subject, but 

 not wishing to trespass too much on your valua- 

 ble space, I will conclude by stating that, in my 

 opinion, before steam can take the place of our 

 old friend and banish him from the greenhouse, 

 its advocates niust make it as safe, convenient, 

 economical, permanent of temperature, and 

 easy of management as the hot water ap- 

 paratus." 



[It is not likely that steam will take the place 

 of hot water for small greenhouses ; it is only 

 for the larger establishments that it seems a great 



