iS 9 7. 



' GARDENING. 



155 



The Greenhouse. 



flLPlNIflS-STRELlTZIflS-MIGNONETTE. 



Kindly inform me whether or not the 

 alpinias and strelitzias can be bedded out 

 in the summer like cannas. Also if they 

 can be wintered dormant like cannas; are 

 they fast growers and free flowering? 



Would also like to know the best 

 method of growing mignonette in the open 

 ground in summer. Subscriber. 



Alpinias are a large genus of stove her- 

 baceous plants. They want a light but 

 very rich soil and flower freely it condi- 

 tions are suitable, which are a steady 

 high temperature and an abundance of 

 water. They are truly herbaceous, but 

 when their leaves are turning yellow in 

 the fall, water must not be suddenly with- 

 held, or at any time may they be dust 

 dry, and when dormant should not be in 

 a lower temperature than 60". A good 

 authority says, for the soil let it be one 

 part loam, one part leaf mould, one part 

 peat and one part decayed manure, with 

 an addition of some finely pounded char- 

 coal. I have never seen them bedded out 

 and in our northern clime don't believe 

 they would be at all satisfactory. 



The strelitzia is grown for its remarka- 

 ble flower, which is most fantastic in 

 form, and a remarkable combination of 

 colors. It is an evergreen hot-house 

 plant of very easy culture. Plants two 

 and three years old flower annually, 

 and large pots or tubs send up a number 

 of spikes A good loam with a fifth of 

 rotted stable manure will grow it well. 

 It would doubtless do very well bedded 

 out in your tropical bed, but would I be- 

 lieve not flower planted out and I do not 

 see that it would be a great addition to 

 your tropical bed except to add variety. 

 They must be kept growing the year 

 round. 



Mignonette is of the easiest culture out 

 of doors. As soon as the ground is dry 

 enough in spring, after spading draw- 

 drills 18 inches apart and about one inch 

 deep. Sow thinly and if you want extra 

 fine mignonette thin out the plants to six 

 inches apart. If you could cover the 

 ground between rows and close up to the 

 plants after they are 4 or 5 inches high 

 with an inch of manure and in dry times 

 give a good soaking of water you have 

 (lone all you can to produce good migno- 

 nette. Wsi. Scott. 



HEATING fl SMALL GREENHOUSE. 



(1.) To heat a lean-to conservatory 

 with hot water, how many feet of 

 Hn-mch pipe will be necessary lor 160 

 square feet of glass, the conservatory 

 having one side and one end attached to 

 the brick wall of the house. 



(2.) It is proposed to connect the pipes 

 with a wood furnace, whose fire box is 

 about twenty inches square and three 

 and a half feet long. How many feet of 

 pipe will be needed in the firebox of the 

 furnace, over the fire, extending from end 

 to end? The furnace stands about ten 

 feet from the entrance of pipe to conserv- 

 atory. The furnace will hold fire all 

 night. 



(3.) How is it best ventilated? 



Strathroy, Ont. C. E. German. 



1. The area of glass is very small and 

 it would have been better if Mr. German 

 had given the length and breadth of 

 house, but supposing it is 20 ft. long and 

 10 ft. wide the roof surface would be 200 



ft. For that amount of glass exposure 

 it would require six runs of 1%-inch pipe. 

 If it is wider than lOfeet andnot so long, 

 it would want the same amount of pipe 

 and more runs. As the house is a lean-to 

 the pipes should be all attached to the front 

 wall, as no resistance to cold will be 

 needed on brick wall side. The simplest 

 and best way to arrange pipes would be 

 to let the flow pipe when entering house 

 rise to the highest point at once and at 

 the elbow where you start the horizontal 

 pipe tap in a '-..-inch pipe running it up 

 the side of wall where it is least unsightly; . 

 this is for an air vent. Any air that is 

 formed in the heater will always rise to 

 the highest point and must have a vent, 

 for it will not go down hill and would if 

 allowed to accumulate stop circulation. 

 From the highest point, which can be 

 only a few inches beneath the bench, run 

 your pipe to the further end and across the 

 end, dropping from the highest point to 

 further end about one inch or less, if von 

 can manage that. Then return again to 

 starting point with another drop of an 

 inch and so on till yon have the six rows 

 ot pipe up. Be sure that from the air 

 vent you have a continual drop; ever 

 so little is sufficient; one inch in 100 

 feet is just as good as 1 ft. in the same- 

 distance. You will see by the arrange- 

 ment I suggest that the pipes are to be 



one above the other, which is much the 

 best wav, and fastened on the front wall 

 by what steam fitters know as hook 

 plates. 



2. A coil of pipes to heat this house 

 should be 3 ft. long and 2 ft. wide and 2 

 tiers; that is, 10 lt 2 inch pipes, 5 one 

 above the other. Let the flow pipe leave 

 the highest part of the coil farthest from 

 doorway and let the return pipe enter the 

 [concluded pace 156.] 



GRKOrFsI 



home cccnc 



; CROWN OCtUO 



A are known the country over to be excep- 

 / tionally reliable. They have a reputation of 

 A forty years back of them. They are sold 

 under three warrants. It would not be 

 wise to plant without consult- 

 ing Gregory's Vegetable and 

 FlowerSeed Catalogue for 

 it describes wit h engrav- 



ings several new vege- 

 tables of great merit 

 to be found in no 

 other. Catalogue 

 sent free to anyone 

 anywhere. 

 J.J. H. GREGORY 

 & SON. 



% 



MARBLEHEAO 

 MASS. 



SSS3333SSS 



TREES 



FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL. 



Small Fruits, Grapes, Shrubs, 



Roses, Evergreens, Hardy 



Plants. 



LARGEST AND CHOICEST COLLECTIONS IN AMERICA. 

 Beautiful Catalogue (168 pages, 1896 edition), free to cus- 

 tomers, to others 10c. Every intending buyer 

 should have it. 



ELLWANGER & BARRY, 



Mount Hope Nurseries, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 



Established over Half a Century ago. 



