December 8, 1863. 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICTJLTTJRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



451 



plants absorb it, and neither more nor less ought to be given, 

 or withheld. 



From these remarks it wiU be observed that I have men- 

 tioned two great fundamental points in culture — a proper 

 and relative degree of heat, and a proper and relative degree 

 of moistui'e. There is yet one other which is of the utmost 

 importance to be observed, and that is the keeping aU plants 

 as near the glass as possible. Let these three points be 

 intelligently observed and acted vipon, and the rest will 

 follow. 



The roots of all Pitcher-plants, and other bog plants that 

 usually stand either in saucers or tanks of water during the 

 season of rest, shoidd only be supplied when the saucers and 

 other receptacles become di-y, and then only moderately. 

 We have a plant of Eafflesiana just now with immense 

 pitchers, and leaves about 20 inches long — not a naked- 

 stemmed plant, but clothed to the pot-iim with leaves — which 

 is treated as above recommended. Little weakly plants of 

 Sarracenias, Philesias, &c., are all the better of being plunged 

 into pots two sizes larger than the one they are growing in, 

 and the interval filled up with moss, finnly put together, 

 which is kept constantly moistened. This is better for this 

 style of plant than placing them in saucers of water. — G. A.] 



PEOPAGATING EOSES BY CUTTINGS. 



I HAVE a good collection of standard Roses. Could I rear 

 some dwarfs from them the same as Gooseberries and 

 Currants are reared in the open garden ? I have an old 

 Cucxxraber-frame — where the Cucumber bines died off about 

 three weeks back — would a few cuttings grow in that ? 

 J. Chotce. 



[The great majority of Roses strike freely enough in the 

 way to which you refer. The best time to put the cuttings 

 in is about the middle of October. Good strong firm cuttings 

 should be selected from 9 inches to 1 foot long, with just a 

 heel of the previous year's growth. The leaves should be 

 removed from the bottom half of the cuttings, but aU the 

 rest left on. They should then be put in up to the first leaf 

 left, and made fii-ni in the soil with the foot, the same as 

 is usually done with Currant cuttings. They will callus 

 before winter, and root in the following season, and make 

 nice little plants. The best place to put them is in any 

 light, dry, common garden soil where they will escape the 

 midday sun. It is not, however, yet too late to make a 

 successful attempt, choosing strong well-ripened growths 

 and preparing the cuttings as described above. The shelter 

 of yoiu- Cucumber-fi-ame will be a great advantage to them ; 

 and if the winter be mild they will so far callus, and if 

 lifted and put into a little bottom heat in spring they will 

 root. There is not, however, that certainty as regards the 

 results of the operation when delayed tUl now as would have 

 attended it earlier in the season. We wish more of our fine 

 Roses were so propagated, and grown as dwarfs instead of 

 being hoisted on to the top of an unsightly stem to look 

 like a mop.] 



A NEW CONSTELTCTION OF SMOKE-FLUES. 

 In The Jottknal of Horticultitke I see there hag been 

 much discussion as to the two systems of heating plant- 

 houses — by hot water, and the old way by smoke flues. On 

 a large scale no doubt the hot-water mode is the better, 

 although more expensive in the erection, and afterwards in 

 fuel and renewing boDei-s, &c. For small houses heating by 

 smoke-flues is the best. They are sometimes "rickety," 

 and give out smoke ; this is often the effect of bad materials, 

 and their not being properly seen to. Now, I think it is 

 possible to improve them by making the sides of the flues 

 of long pieces of clay (call them clay planks), 20, 24, and 

 30 inches long, 9 inches broad, and 3 inches thick ; in one 

 end of these planks let there be a groove li inch wide and 

 I'r inch deep. In the other end make a feather or tenon 

 1 inch long and 1 inch broad. This is what a joiner calls 

 groove-and-feather. The sides when set up to be bedded in 

 mortar, and before they are put into each other, the tenon 

 to he coated with mortar, and after they are joined, the half- 

 inch not occupied by the tenon to be filled up with mortar 

 from bottom to top. The sides for the corners of the flues 



to be right-angled or square, 14 to 20 inches long to suit the 

 length of the flue, and that is the reason for giving the 

 difterent lengths mentioned before. 



As this flue is not so deep as those in common use, it 

 shoidd be wider — say 18 or 20 inches broad ; the covers to 

 be IS or 20 inches long, 12 inches broad, and 2 inches 

 thick, check-lapped in the common way. For sinking the 

 flue opposite doors, common brick will require to be used, 

 with flagstones for covers. 



Upon the side of the house where the flue is far from the 

 furnace, the flue might be blackwashed, which will give a 

 greater radiation of heat ; and large flower-pot flats, set on 

 the flue here and there, and filled with water, will make the 

 air of the house more humid. — W. T., Aberdeenshire. 



. GAEDEN BOILEES. 



It would be a gi-eat advantage to gardeners in general if 

 the sensible article written by "W. W." page 409, had 

 been rendered a little plainer by showing the connecting- 

 pipe of the two boilers, and also the position of the flow and 

 return pipes at theii' connection with the boiler. 



If this should meet the eye of any boiler-maker who has 

 manufactured the simple and excellent boilers described by 

 " W. W." I am sure it would answer his piurpose, as well 

 as benefit the public, if he would advertise both the con- 

 struction and price of such boilers ; and with a view to pro- 

 moting such a desirable object, I am sure " W. W." would 

 receive the thanks of many if he would communicate with 

 some known manufacturer to that effect. — T. L. 



[I am sorry that I did not show the exact position of the 

 feed, the junction, and the flow-pipes in my first sketch ; but 

 for the information of " T. L." and others I will now endea^ 

 vour to furnish the requisite explanation. 



There is a flange at the fi-ont end of 2 (page 410), to which 

 is fixed the feed-pipe, and at the other end is the outlet, but 

 on the opposite side of the boiler, and forming the junction 

 to the upper boiler. At the fi-ont end of 3 is a flange in 

 connection with the flow-pipe : consequently the flanges at 

 the two front ends are on one side, and occupy respectively 

 the coolest and the hottest position, and the other two flanges 

 are on the other side of the boiler to them. 



I am told that these boilers are what are called " steam 

 chests " at calico-printing and bleaching works, and cost a 

 very small sum — in fact, so little that I do not like to name 

 it. I wish that some maker would advertise them in your 

 pages. — W. W.] 



EOSES IN POTS FOE GEEENHOUSE-STEAW 

 COVEES FOE PLANTS. 



In answer to a coiTCspondent, " L. R." 



Teas.—Safrano, Devoniensis, Comte de Paris, Niphetos, 

 Vicomte de Cazes, and Gloire de Dijon. Noisette.— Aimee 

 Vibert and Solfaterre. China.— Mrs. Bosanquet and Fa,bvier. 

 Bourbons. — Armosa and Souvenir de Malmaison. ^ Hybrid 

 PerpetuaU. — Auguste Mie, Baronne Prevost, Gcant des 

 Batailles, General Jacqueminot, Loms Peyronny, Caroline de 

 Sansal, Madame Vidot, and William Jesse. If you are 

 to order these plants, you will be wise to leave a little lati- 

 tude to the Rose-grower after telling him what you want. 



As to straw covers. If you can manage wood at first, such 

 as those mentioned as in use at Keele Hall and Trentham, 

 they would be more economical in the end. Mr. Fish uses 

 straw because he cannot obtain wood conveniently. He makes 

 most of these covers neatly, that they may be used for gomg 

 over glass sashes, as well as over earth pits where there is no 

 glass ; but for the latter pui-pose some of the nicety may 

 be dispensed with. As to the wood, pretty well anything is 

 used, but new covers are chiefly made out of elm boards 

 fresh from the saw, an inch thick and half an inch thick re- 

 spectively. Of com-se, deal, larch, or Scotch fii- would be 

 better. We shall suppose that the covers are 6 feet by 4, 

 and for this size we will require thi-ee pieces of one-inch-thick 

 wood, 6 feet long, and from 3i to 4 inches wide, and eight 

 pieces of the half-inch wood, 4 feet long and 2 inches wide. 

 The men rip up these in a wet day. Then on stools or 

 tressles place two of these long pieces square, at a distance 



