THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[July. 



2-inch pipe in each house, and last winter we had 

 trouble to keep our houses near 50'^ in cold 

 weather, around zero, with 30 lbs. or more of steam 

 on the guage and all the valves open ; so I doubt 

 whether that quantity of ij^^-inch pipe would be 

 sufficient. I intend adding 230 ft. to each house 

 to keep about 65° in cold weather, but as our 

 houses are rather higher than the most of that 

 size, some allowance must be made. To conclude 

 I will say that I am not against steam heat by any 

 means, for I would not dream of changing it to 

 any other system of heating ; but if I had my 

 houses heated with hot water as perfectly in all 

 details as Mr. P. Henderson's I would never think 

 of putting in steam, no matter what induce- 

 ments were offered. 



ERICA CAVENDISHII. 



BV JAMES LESLIE, ST. JOHNSBURV, VERMONT. 



I wish to say a word for this old favorite. What 

 handsomer greenhouse plants are there than our 

 old friend as a specimen covered with its rich 

 yellow flowers, and at this April season they can 

 be made to form a very important feature in con- 

 servatory decoration, and add greatly to the gener- 

 al display. The same may be said of the Ventri- 

 cosa section. They are all rich and beautiful. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Hot Water to Kill Insects. — Notwithstand- 

 ing it is nearly twenty years ago since the Gar- 

 deners' Monthly published the fact that water 

 heated to 120*^ or 130°, was the easiest and best 

 remedy against all sorts of insects which infest 

 greenhouse plants, people are very much afraid 

 of it. To encourage these timid people, we give 

 the following bit of experience contributed by a 

 correspondent of the Journal of Horticulture : 



"Last spring I read in the Journal that the 

 best way to get rid of insects destructive to Orchids 

 was to plunge the pots in hot water at a tempera- 

 ture of 120^. I was rather in doubt whether it 

 was safe to do this, consequently tried two or three 

 pots that I knew were pretty well full of woodlice, 

 or, perhaps I should say, appeared so from the 

 condition of the roots. The contents of these pots 

 all changed, the insects were killed, and the Or- 

 chids improved. Seeing that no injury was caused 

 to the plants, I last August plunged every Orchid 

 I had in water heated to 120*^. I have found that 

 it has not injured one plant. Dendrobium densi- 

 florum that I subjected to this treatment has now no 

 less than forty-two spikes of bloom, and these in a 

 few days will be fully expanded." 



Gloxinia Seed.— To obtain strong plants for 

 flowering early in the summer you must sow the 

 seed near the end of January, or early in Febru- 

 ary. Sow in five or six inch pots, filled almost level 

 with the rim with a mixture consisting of peat 

 and sand, the former broken up as fine as possible. 

 Drainage should be provided for filling the pots to 

 about one-third of their depth with medium-sized 

 crocks. Place the pots in any of the structures in 

 which a temperature of 65° or yc^ is m.aintained 

 and keep the soil in a moderately moist state. 

 When of a suitable size and before they become 

 overcrowded prick off into other pots or into 

 frames, which should be filled in much the same 

 manner as the seed pots, and place in a warm 

 and close position.- — Gardener s Magazine. 



NEW OR RARE PLANTS. 



Camellia C. M. Hovey. — This new variety 

 fully sustains the high opinion which its American 

 raisers had formed of it before it crossed the At- 

 lantic. It is now pronounced by competent au- 

 thorities to be without exception the finest Camellia 

 of its color in cultivation — in short, the very ideal 

 of perfection ; such were our thoughts on seeing a 

 specimen of it about 8 feet high the other day in 

 the Camellia house at the Royal Exotic Nursery, 

 Chelsea, where, though surrounded by every 

 variety of note in cultivation, it has no peer, 

 whether we take into consideration its size, growth, 

 floriferousness, or the size, form, and color of the 

 flowers. The bush in question was carrying a score 

 or so of blooms, some of which measured five 

 inches across. The flowers are perfectly circular; 

 the petals, though not large, lap over each other 

 in a beautiful way, and the center, often the weak 

 point, is not coarse in any stage. The color is a 

 sort of crimson-lake, with a peculiar and indescrib- 

 able brightness about it which makes it so much 

 admired, particularly when seen on the plant as- 

 sociated with the broad, lively green foliage. Mr. 

 Hovey, of Boston, the raiser of this variety, might 

 well be proud of having sent to Europe one of the 

 j finest Camellias, as well as having stolen a march 

 upon Italian raisers. — Garden. 



Aphelandra punctata. — A pretty South 

 American plant, in which is combined variegated 

 foliage and ornamental flowers. The erect stems 

 bear opposite elliptic acuminate leaves. The 

 green mid-rib is conspicuous in the middle of a 

 white central band, which also extends beside the 

 green veins, this silvery band breaking up on its 



