1883.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



39 



roots and put it into a small pot as it can Ipc got j 

 into; and when it grows again, and fills the pot | 

 with roots, rc-pot again as liefore. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



LARGE COXCOMB. 



!iv s. w. \\i:hi;, ( iiari.icsion, s. c. 



During the past summer my attention was 

 drawn to some " Celosias " growing in the garden 

 of an amateur in this city. There were only two 

 that grew to any size. The largest measured 30x18 

 inches. The plants in height were not over two 

 feet and a half, and were never transplanted. 

 During their entire growth they received no atten- 

 tion save the driving of a stake to support the 

 flower. Seeing a description of the Chelsea cox- 

 comb in the Monthly, I thought I would write you 

 about this .South Carolina one. 



CARNATION— JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



RV AIGUST D. MVLUS, DlCTRc )1 1 , MUHKiAX. 



The best colored carnation I have at present is 

 President James A. Garfield, a seedling raised by 

 Messrs. Breitmeyer & Sons, of Detroit. The plant 

 is very robust, and proves to be the best for win- 

 ter blooming of all colored sorts, on account of its 

 sweet scent and very large flowers, it being double 

 the size of other carnations. In every way this 

 carnation is perfect, and I am sure in a short time 

 it will take the place of the kinds now used for 

 winter blooming. In fact there can not be too 

 much said in praise of this carnation. The color 

 is a rich vermillion. This firm raised another good 

 carnation which they named Mrs. Carfield. The 

 color is like a Chinese pink. 



pipe for the purpose of radiating heat ? How many 

 horse power boiler is required to heat such a house 

 (100x20 feet) ? Can three or four ^uch houses be 

 heated in the same proportion, that is if it requires 

 a five-horse power boiler to heat one house, will it 

 require a twenty horse power to heat four such 

 houses ? Is steam heating cheaper than hot water, 

 regardless of the cost of pipes ? Does steam heat- 

 ing work as well in an ascending as it does in a 

 descending pipe, or would the condensation of the 

 steam in the pipes cause trouble in keeping up the 

 circulation of steam in the ascending pipe ? Can 

 a steam boiler be safely left at ten o'clock at night 

 until se\en o'clock in the morning, or is it neces- 

 sary to watch it more closely than fo'- hot water 

 boilers ? What style of boiler would you recom- 

 mend where economy is an important item. Any 

 one who has had experience in steam heating (for 

 it is experience that we want), that will kindly 

 answer the above questions through the columns 

 of the Carde.ners' Monthly, I think will confer 

 a favor on a large number of its readers. 



HEATING GREENHOUSES 'WITH STEAM. 

 • r.V K. HOLLLV, HI nSON, N. ^. 



Having been very much interested in reading 

 the various articles which have appeared in the 

 Gardeners' Monthly during the last year, and 

 wishing more information on the subject, I would 

 now like to ask those who have had experience the 

 following questions : 



How many radiating pipes of one inch or two 

 inch size, are required on each side of a hundred 

 foot greenhouse, and twenty feet ;wide, to easily 

 keep up a night temperature of 65 when the ther- 

 mometer goes down to '15- below zero? Are two 

 one-inch pipes as good or better than one two-inch 



THE MEALY BUG ON COLEUS. 



1!V WALTER ELDER. 



The mealy bug has got among the Coleus fam- 

 ily, and done damage the past three years, threat- 

 ening to drive them out of culture. Propagators, 

 by whose carelessness the bug spreads in this way, 

 will be the first to suffer by the calamity, and it is 

 time to look into it to save their customers from 

 disappointment and themselves 'from loss. The 

 bug is fond of the heat and moisture of a propa- 

 gating house, and multiplies fifty times as fast as 

 Coleus plants do. It can easily be destroyed. 

 Make a weak solution of carbolic acid soap and 

 Paris green or sulphur. When the cuttings are 

 prepared for planting, dip them in the solution, all 

 but the lower cut ends. Hold them there for a 

 minute in bunches ; then lay them upon their side^ 

 and shade them from sunshine and dry air. Let 

 them lie a few hours with the lower cut ends open. 

 They will not lose by evaporation while wet ; the 

 end cuts will partially callous, and will not be so 

 apt to rot when planted. After being well rooted, 

 and transplanted singly into small pots, dip them 

 in the solution as before, but not the roots. Cover 

 them wholly for shade, and when partially dry 

 plant them. Once a week after that, syringe them 

 with the solution. 



To purchasers, I would say before planting, dip 

 the plants in the solution, spread the fingers over 

 the mouths of the pots, and turn the plants under- 



