16 



JObENAt 6F HOEtlCULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAtlDENEE. 



[ January 4, 1&72, 



fine spikes? But if " Stiff Soil" did have show varioties, for 

 which, of course, he must have paid good prices, he did right, 

 after all his care and attention, to look for some decent spikes 

 amongst them. I have alwavs observed tliat the bulbs for 

 which 3s. 6(/. and upwards is paid, invariably produce the best 

 flowers. " First get the goose, ami tlien cook it." I wonder 

 what sort of spikes " Stiff Son. " expected ? Wonderful spikes, 

 perhaps, after his gi-eat liberality t<iwards them — equal to those 

 we see exhibited by Messrs. Kclway year after year. If his 

 bulbs have spots and black marks m them indicative of disease 

 or decay, surely one man can see them as well as another ? 

 It is imuecessaiy to send a sample of them to any Gladiolus 

 physician for his diaguosis of it. .Allowme to give " Stiff Soil " 

 a little advice upon this matter. Fhst procure good varieties, 

 which he will find, if he refers to any of our English lists, 

 depends upon the price charged — the higher the price (excepting 

 the improved Continental vai'ieties) the better the flower — and 

 having carried out the advic; given him by " D., Veal" and 

 also the instructions to be found in the principal catalogues, 

 j)articulaily Messrs. Kelway"s, of Laugport — " Attcmh pour lex 

 rffetx, esperaiit pour le mieu.r." May " Stiff Soil " have a 

 better report to give us twelve mouths hence. — Expebto Chede. 



BEDDING-PLANT HOUSE. 

 I SEND a sectional (h'awing of a small bedding plant-house 

 which I have put up here on an economical plan — that is, 

 economical in pouit of expense, and economical as regards 

 space, all the plants being fully exposed to light. There are 

 two shelves carried all the way round, one of wHch, the centre 

 shelf, is wide enough'for fom- rows of 4-uich pots jilaced cross- 



Sc-fliuu of Hou.' 0. Ri-alo ciie-quai-tcr inch to the fiwt. 

 iug each other ; the outer one is for three rows of pots. The 

 plants on the shelves are easily watered by a small step-ladder 

 from the central path. I use no putty aud have no laps ; the 

 glass in the sides (marked c in the se"ction), merely sUps'iuto 

 gi-ooves, the upper groove being made seven-eighths of an inch 

 deep, the lower one three-eighths. The glass is slipped up iuto 

 the upper gi-oove first, and allowed to fall into the lower one 



The glass for the rafters and sides is all of one size — 20 inches 

 by 1(), aud is 21-oz. fourths. The upright side pieces, 3 inches 

 by 2, wliicli support the upper piece of wood, 3 inches by 3, ou 

 wliich the rafters rest, are set back 1 inch ou the wall-plate, 

 so as to allow the glass to slide freely past them in the groove. 

 The glass is continuous on the sides from one end to the other, 

 the squares merely butting one against the other. This jjre- 

 vents all necessity for sashbars. I cut a nick in the bottom 

 groove in the centre of each pane, to allow rain to drain out 

 of the groove. The panes of glass in the rafters are pushed 

 up from the bottom, and butt one against tlie other. They 

 are fastened at the bottom by a bent 

 galvanised U'on wue pin, which is 

 screwed on the mside of the upper 

 pan 3 by 3, so that at any time ui 

 case of fracture the pin can be un- 

 screwed and all the glass taken out. 

 The spouts aie fixed in the same way Spout, 



by strong iron crooks bent over to the toppaue and screwed on 

 to the inside. 



The water from the roof is carried into a tank made the 

 whole length of one side of the house, by cementing the outer 

 waU, aud building an umer wall to carry the staging. The 

 staging over the tank is of slate, with two rows of hot-water 

 injies confined iu the chamber imderueath. Sliding venti- 

 lators, as A A, are put into the inner and outer walls. If both 

 ventilators are closed, the space over the water-tauk acts as a 

 hot-aii' chamber, aud keeps the slates at a temperature of from 

 90° to 100°. The heat is, however, entii'ely under control by 

 means of the double ventilators. 



Soctiou uf rafter, 3 by 2 indict. A A, Glab^. 



On the opposite side the staging is open woodwork, laths 

 3 inches by 1 mch, half an inch apart, and nailed together in 

 •1-feet lengths. Two rows of 4-mch pipes, oue flow aud one 

 returu, are supported by the wooden staging, by wood pieces 

 from the uprights into the wall. These wood pieces are 4 feet 

 apart, aud gradually rising 1 inch at every upright from oue 

 end of the house till the pijws reach to the highest point of 

 the flow, under the slate tauli, on the other side. 



The house, owing to want of space, is only 25 feet long, and 

 contams a httle over 90 feet of pipe ; but the flow is so perfect 

 that there is hardly any perceptible dift'ereuce between the heat 

 of the flow and return pipes where they enter the liouse. 



The boiler-house is at the 02iposite side of a path .5 feet wide, 

 at the end and as a continuation of a five-light frame, the flue 

 from the boiler heating the frame ; the boQer, a common small 

 saddle-back, properly set, the fire playing through and all 

 round the boiler. I have not sent a ground plan, as there is 

 no necessity. 



The shelves are made of laths 3 inches by 1 inch, screwed 

 on to light flat iron bars, so as to be moveable iu sections, and 

 to be taken out when required ; they are supported ou wood 

 brackets tenoned into wooden uprights. The water-tauk is 

 made with a slight fall to the end farthest from the door ; and 

 under the staging, which returns at the end, a small cistern is 

 mad,-, about 2 feet square aiul 2 feet deep, to dip a can into, 



