74 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[March, 



pipes and trim and fill them, and the cold air 

 passes up into the pipe, and so keeps the green- 

 house in a nice even temperature. I have gera- 

 niums, pinks, fuchsias, hibiscus, heliotropes, ver- 

 benas, tuberoses and other plants in bloom, and 

 everything seems to be doing well, so that by 

 spring I shall have more than the house full. The 

 thermometer outside has been down to 10° above 

 zero two or three times this winter, yet I have kept 

 the greenhouse with only the two stoves, so that 

 the heat has never been lower than 48^^ at any 

 time. For a small greenhouse, I think the oil 

 stoves are just the things in connection with stove- 

 pipe. 



By the way, I like the Gardeners' Monthly 

 very much, and shall soon send for some of the 

 books your publisher has for sale, as I want every- 

 thing that talks and teaches about flowers. I 

 think some of them almost talk. Pansies seem to 

 laugh every time you look at them. 



CULTIVATION OF STRELITZIA REGINA. 

 BY CHARLES E. PARNELL. 



In the Gardeners' Monthly for May, 1882, 

 page 141, H. G. C. asks for information concern- 

 ing the Strelitzia regina. 



In reply I would say that the Strelitzia regina be- 

 longs to the natural order Musaceae, and that it is 

 a native of the Cape of Good Hope, from whence 

 it was introduced in 1773. 



It is a plant of tropical appearance, having long 

 oval leaves produced on leaf stalks from three to 

 five feet in length, while the singular flowers are 

 produced on stout erect flower stalks which are 

 somewhat longer than those of the leai stalks. 



Each stalk produces four or five splendid large 

 flowers which open in succession from a curious 

 horizontal spathe-like bract, and stand up like a 

 crest of purple and gold, the lanceolate shaped 

 sepals being from three to four inches in length 

 and of a rich orange yellow color, while inside of 

 them are the three hastate upright light blue 

 petals which enclose the stamens and style, the 

 whole forming a peculiar and singularly attractive 

 flower. 



The Strelitzia is a plant of easy culture, requir- 

 ing during the winter season a ' temperature of 

 from 55° to 60^, a compost of two parts turfy 

 loam and one part well rotted stable manure, give 

 good drainage, and at all times an abundance of 

 pot room for its thick fleshy roots. When grow- 

 ing water freely, but when in a dormant state do 

 not supply quite so much, yet it must be kept moist 



at all times, and an occasional watering of liquid 

 manure water is beneficial. During the summer 

 season the plant should be placed or plunged in a 

 sunny situation, care being taken as to watering. 

 Propagation is effected by division of the plant. 

 This should be done very carefully in order not to 

 injure the thick fleshy roots, and when re-potting 

 take care of the roots, for if they become injured 

 they are liable to decay and thus materially injure 

 the growth of the plant. 



AIDING THE DRAFT OF FLUES. 



BY E. S., EMPORIA, KANSAS. 



I am just a beginner in the florist's work and 

 have many things to learn yet. I may stumble on 

 something that may be of use to others and it is 

 no more than right I should make it known. 



During the last ten days we have had cold, 

 damp, disagreeable weather. At the commence^ 

 ment of this kind of weather, my furnace refused 

 to draw, and consequently the pipes used to heat 

 the greenhouse remained cold. I asked every one 

 whom I thought ought to know what the matter 

 was, and for a remedy I got plenty of solutions 

 with remedies, most of which I tried with no suc- 

 cess. At last I thought of the manner of starting 

 up a sluggish fire we used to practice in the an- 

 thracite coal regions of Pennsylvania, viz., to throw 

 cold water on the burning coals'. This I did by 

 putting about a quart of water in a manilla paper 

 sack and tying it, then tossing it into the fire, clos- 

 ing the furnace door quick, and in an instant it ex- 

 ploded, clearing the furnace and pipes of the ac- 

 cumulated gas, and in twenty-five minutes the 

 pipes, which had been cold for thirty-six hours, 

 were hot, and the furnace stopped smoking at once. 

 I have tried this four times during the past ten 

 days with the same effect each time, and while the 

 wind was in different directions, so now my pipes, 

 which are cement drain tiles, heat as well or better 

 than they did the first day I made a fire. Should 

 any one who uses soft coal experience like difficul- 

 ties with myself, I am sure a trial of my experi- 

 ment will prove satisfactory. 



[This appears to be one of the many valuable 

 discoveries which, after being made, one wonders 

 was never thought of before. Every one knows 

 by this time light air ascends because a heavier 

 column of cold air forces it upwards. Light air goes 

 upwards in the same manner as a stick in water is 

 forced to the surface. Gravitation draws down the 

 heavier water and the lighter stick has to go up. 

 When we light a fire for the first time in a damp or 



