Mmh 20, 1873. ] 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



245 



younger trees was entirely out off. It may here be mentioned 

 that the Bamie Grass, Urtica or Btchmeria tenaoissima, is cul- 

 tivated with great success by tlie Duke, who takes much 

 interest in this member of the Nettle family, and not without 

 reason, for he has succeeded in extracting from home-grown 

 plants a tiue, beautifully white, and extremely tenacious fibre, 

 which will bo exceedingly valuable for textile and other purposes. 



In a paddock adjoining the kitchen garden Copenhagen, the 

 horse which the tirst Duke rode at Waterloo for fifteen hours 

 without dismounting, spent in peace the remainder of his exist- 

 ence, and there he 13 buried, in a raHed-rouud enclosure, under 

 three Evergreen Cypresses and a Turkey Oak. He was not 

 more than four or five years old at the time of the battle, and 

 lived till about 1838. 



On quitting the kitchen garden we passed through a dense 



Yew hedge some 12 feet high, and then into the American 

 garden, which is neatly laid out with clumps of Khododendrons, 

 Azaleas, and Kalmias, and very effective in the early summer 

 when the plants are in bloom. The main feature, however, 

 hero is four fine specimens of Araucaria imliricata, the largest 

 of %vhich is about 33 feet high. Three out of the four have 

 flowered, and two female trees have produced cones with per- 

 fect seeds, which have vegetated freely. One of the female 

 trees is 180 yards from the male, but having been artificially 

 fertilised, it has matured seeds, a process which occupies two 

 years, as plentifully as the tree whose branches interlace those 

 of the male. At the time of our visit the catkins of the latter 

 were just coming out. 



We cannot conclude these notes without taking this oppor- 

 tunity of thanking Mr. Bell, under whose care the gardens are, 



Group of Cedai'S at StratHeldsaye. 



for the great trouble which he took in pointing out the features 

 of the place, and it is through liis kindness that we have been 

 enabled to give the dimensions of the largest trees from actual 



measurement. It ie only necessary here to add that the 

 management of the gardens and pleasure gi'ounds amply 

 proved his professional skill. 



FORCING BY NATURAL HEAT. 



A WEiTEB in the Scientific American, of November 23rd, 

 upon " Scientific and Mechanical Possibilities," says : — Heat 

 increases about one degree to every 50 feet that we penetrate 

 the earth ; shafts are now sometimes sunk to a depth of 

 2000 feet. It is not within the possibility of mechanism to 

 bore 4000 feet more. At that depth we should find a heat 

 of at least 150', and in many places even greater than 

 this. Mechanical power could be obtained from the steam 

 and water forced up from this depth. Heated water and 

 steam from these wells could be carried into our houses 

 and warm our dwellings to a summer temperature. Con- 

 ducted in pipes under the soil protected by glass, we could 

 cheaply grow in New England, all of the southern and 

 tropical plants and vegetables. The snow could be kept 

 melted from the streets of New York, and all of the build- 

 ings warmed from this spontaneous flow ; useful also for 

 cooking and other purposes. 



The Garden of Plants in Paris is heated by \vater from an 

 artesian well 1800 feet deep, which has a temperature of 



82° Fah., and is carried in pipes under the soil. A salad 

 garden at Erfurt, in Saxony, is heated in the same man- 

 ner, and is said to have yielded #00,000 a year to the pro- 

 prietor. 



That the cost of artesian wells is not too great to grow tropi- 

 cal plants in New England cheaply by heat thus obtamed, is 

 not shown. Whether the internal heat of the earth cannot bo 

 made available for winter forcing, is a question worthy of care- 

 ful consideration. 



In this locality a uniform temperature of 52° is found at a 

 depth of not more than 20 feet, and probably it would be 

 about the same in the latitude of 42° from this to New 

 England. 



It would seem to be among "scientific and mechanical possi- 

 bilities" to utilise this proximate internal heat in securing to 

 plant structures a proper night temperature, which need not 

 be above 45° for greenhouses — the sun, in bright days, giving 

 a day temperature of 60 to 80 degrees. This, cheaply ac- 

 complished, wUl it not inaugurate a new era in window gar- 



