314 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER.- 



[ October 20, 186S. 



old age lias wrought a change for the better in their dis- 

 position; for -when water impregnated with sulphur salts 

 has for a long time passed through leaden pipes, or has long 

 acted on leaden cisterns, the lead becomes coated with a 

 sulphate or a sulphide ; and sulphide of lead, being perfectly- 

 insoluble in pure water, and equally so in water not too ex- 

 cessively charged with foreign matters to be potable, renders 

 the leaden vehicle perfectly hai-mless, and thus perfects it 

 for the duties which in all other respects it performs in such 

 a utilitarian manner. But we have a moral to append to 

 om- subject. Are we to wait content to be poisoned until 

 our pipes become transmuted, or what are we to do ? The 

 remedy is said now to be easily attainable without waiting. 

 Dr. Schwarz, a chemist of Breslau, has made a discovery 

 that cannot be too highly esteemed in a sanitary point of 

 view ; which is, that by passing a hot solution of the sulphide 

 of potassium through leaden pipes, the interior face is trans- 

 muted from the metallic state to that of a sulphide in a few 

 minutes, at a cost too insignificant to mention. If, then, the 

 need of some change in our water-conduit be satisfactorily 

 shown (and we have endeavoured to do this for yeai's), and 

 the change proposed is based on equally well-known scien- 

 tific tniths, if water in the mines of galena, the sulphide of 

 the noxious metal, be di-unk with impunity, let us by all 

 means see that for the futm-e, at any rate, our pipes and 

 cisterns be no longer silent poisoners, but made to support 

 the character they have hitherto not fuUy deserved, of useful 

 auxOiai'ies to the requii-ements of daily fife. — (Builder.) 



CONSTEUCTION OF GLAZED HOUSES FOE 

 GAEDEN PITEPOSES. 



A GENTLEMAN wishing to enlarge his garden establish- 

 ment employed a well-known horticultural buDder to con- 

 struct a vinery and Pine-house. About the construction of 

 the house I have nothing to say, but what I wish to solicit 

 yom- advice upon is the gai'dener's part of the business — 

 namely, the airangement of the houses for theii- respective 

 occupants. 



I herewith send cross sections of both hoiises. The soil 

 on which the houses axe built is a vei-y stiff, wet, yellow clay. 



'' Fig. 1 is the vinei-y. To make the border, 1, the old soil 

 was taken off to the depth of 4 feet, the bottom was con- 

 creted, a wall biult all round to keep the roots in, and drains 

 laid to take away all superfluous wet. 2 Is a stage for 

 plants, which runs across both ends and along the middle. 

 3 Are walks. 4, Upright slabs of slate let into iron posts 

 24 feet deep at the highest part of the ground, but getting 

 deeper as the ground falls, to keep the houses on the level. 

 There was about 6 or 8 inches of brick rubbish put upon 

 the concrete for di-ainage. The soil for the border consisted 

 of about one-third vei-y light fibry loam, one-thii-d yellow 

 loam without any fibre, and one-third of about equal pai-ts 

 of mortax rubbish and very rotten dung almost reduced to 

 black mould. The soil, after being turned over and mixed, 

 was wheeled and shot upon the di-ainage without any turfy 

 or other loose stuff being put in to keep it fi-om washing 

 among the drainage, and the whole of it was put in at once. 



Now, my idea is that in a few years the soil will wash in 

 among the drainage and choke up the di-ains, so as to cause 

 the Grapes to shank. There is an old vinery near, where 

 the Grapes are much given to shanking ; and the border 

 being sun-ounded by wet, heavy, cold clay, will be colder 

 and damper than it ought to be if the Grapes are required 

 to hang any length of time or if early forcing is intended. 



Fig. 2. 



Fig. 2 is the house devoted to the culture of Pines. 1 Is 

 the pit where the Pines are plunged, the dots across show 

 where is the bottom of the tan ; 2 are three hot-water pipes 

 which are covered with brick rubbish, 'S, up to the dots. 

 4 Is a stage originally intended for Orchids, but as the 

 house is raised so high above the grovmd level, 7, it is im- 

 possible to keep the atmosjihere moist enough for them, 

 none of the hot-water pipes being cast with a trough to hold 

 water. The gardener has had some zinc troughs made to fit 

 on the top of one of the pipes, but on account of the rims 

 that encircle the pipes the troughs do not touch, conse- 

 quently the water is scarcely ever wai-med ; 5 is the walk 

 which goes aci-oss both ends and along the i'ront of the pit ; 

 6 are the upright slates, which are here upwards of 5 feet 

 deep. 



In the present arrangement of the Pine-house the tan is 

 fidly 5 feet deep, and that body of tan put together new 

 would get so hot that the roots of any plants plunged 

 therein would be quite burnt up, unless it were allowed a 

 month to cool, and that would be a great waste of time. 

 Besides, in a yeai' or two the tan wovdd become rotten, and 

 the best conceivable place for worms ; they would reproduce 

 themselves by thousands. Also, as it is a usual practice to 

 repot Pines as early in spring as the weather and circum- 

 stances wUl permit, by the time the sun gained power 

 the plants would be nearly burned up, a.nd the house being 

 so veiy di'y and not shaded at all, they woiUd soon be 

 worthless. 



Fig. 3. 



Fig. 3 is the same house asfg. 1, but I propose making it 

 the Pine-house. My method is to supply bottom heat with 

 hot water. 1 Is tanner's bark used for plunging, which I 



