December 30, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



519 



The fixing of cement pipes is a very simple affair, aa they 

 are prepared with socket joints ; a email quantity of cement 

 only is required to unite them, and a rag tied to the end of a 

 stick to smooth away any of the cement that squeezes through 

 ought not to be forgotten, otherwise the cement would harden 

 into an ugly protuberance. If the corner or end cover of the 

 brick flue be laid aslant, so that it may be easily taken off to 

 clean the whole out, so much the better. As I expect " C. A. B." 

 will place the flue in the front of his forcing pit, he might so 

 arrange i the end pieces as to take off easily, and a wire left 

 in the flue will be very handy. 



If coke or other fuel producing little amoke be need, the 

 pipes might be smaller, but in coal-producing countries the 

 raw material is often the most abundant, and it is not always 

 that those managing the fires can be persuaded to economise 

 coal, so as to give a chance of much of the smoke being con- 

 sumed before it reaches the flue. It would, therefore, be better 

 to allow for this by having the flue large enough.— J. Robson. 



CONSTRUCTION OF A FLUE. 



I HAVE read with much interest the remarks in your columns 

 relative to heating by flues. I have had «ome little experience 

 in the above matter, and perhaps you will allow me to com- 

 municate my ideas thereon. 



One old-fashioned mode of constructing a flue is three courses 

 of plain tilea, or a single course of foot tiles for the bottom, 

 three courses of brick-on-edge for the sides, and foot tiles for 

 the top, the interior well plastered with a mixture of cow dung 

 and lime. The lime might perhaps be dispensed with, but in 

 my opinion it tends greatly to make the flue smoke-tight. A 

 correspondent in the Journal of December 16th complains of 

 the plastering falling down through explosions. I have never 

 found this occur, and fancy his flue muat be too small, and 

 also badly constructed, for explosive gas to collect ; probably he 

 bums coal. A golden rule in the construction of a flue is to 

 sink the furnace low enough. No portion of the flue should be 

 lower than the firebars. This is especially important where it 

 is necessary for the flue to descend to clear a doorway. The 

 furnace should be within the house, of 9-inch brickwork, and the 

 top of fire tilea set with fire clay. It should not be too large, 

 or the fire will fall back and will not burn so steadily as when 

 kept in a compact mass. A furnace a foot from front to back, 

 inside measurement, is large enough for a greenhouse 10 feet 

 long. At the same time it can easily be reduced in size by 

 piling up bricks at the back. Close-fitting furnace and ashpit 

 doors are easential, the latter provided with a ventilator. Any 

 ordinary bricklayer can easily manage the construction. I have 

 entrusted the management of such a flue to ordinary labourers 

 and female servants, and have always aa yet contrived to pre- 

 serve my plants. 



My instructions for lighting are, when the fire burns clear, 

 to add fresh fuel and shut the ventilator, which is prevented 

 from entirely closing by a small pin. The great risk is in 

 overheating. If the ashpit door should be left open, the fur- 

 nace, furnace door, and part of the flue would probably become 

 red hot, and the plants sustain damage. It is in this point 

 that the hot-water system is so much superior to the flue. 

 Many amateurs fancy that if the fire go out during a frost 

 they are running a risk, but they need not be alarmed on this 

 score. In a frost of perhaps a week's duration, with dull sun- 

 leaa daya, and perhaps 5° or 6° of frost during the daytime, I 

 have found I could always maintain a temperature of 40° 

 during the day, though the previous night's fire has burnt out 

 hours before daylight. Coke is the best fuel. 



In conclusion, I would recommend amateurs about construct- 

 ing a greenhouse to heat it by the flue, on the score ef economy, 

 and if possible to place the furnace so that it can be attended 

 to without going out of doors ; then the trouble of management 

 will be reduced to a minimum. — Faik Play. 



THE CLARKSVILLE GRAPE. 

 Enclosed I send you an aerial root from a Vine of the 

 " Scuppernong Grape," growing in our yard. There are hun- 

 dreds of them hanging down from the large limbs, from 1 foot 

 to 3 feet in length, Uke a huge fringe. They make an annual 

 growth of about 1 foot, most of which is killed back the suc- 

 ceeding winter, so that they rarely reach the ground. When- 

 ever they come in contact with the earth they burrow in it like 

 a mole, and throw out numerous lateral fibrous roots very 



rapidly. You will notice the ends of these roots are armed 

 with a hard spur, for the purpose of forcing their way through 

 the earth. So you will see the habit of this Vino ia similar to 

 that of the Banyan, or Indian Fig. By training the Vine so 

 as to let these aerial roots take hold of the earth, I have no 

 doubt a single Vine might be made to cover an acre or more of 

 ground. The main roots put out by seedlings of the Scupper- 

 nong the first year, are in like manner furnished with this 

 spur-like appendage, from the sides of which fibrous lateral 

 roots grow. The Vines of this species of Grape have just 

 finished blooming ; the berries are now from the size of squirrel 

 shot to that of large buck shot. They grow very vigorously, 

 and will be nearly or quite grown in a month, and ripen in 

 October. 



The crop this year (1868) ie very promising, and will be large 

 if not injured by storms. This Grape is never attacked by 

 insects or diseases in either Vine, leaf, or fruit, so that a crop 

 is very certain. — Codntby Gentleman. 



[The Scuppernong Grape, according to Downing, is " Vitis 

 vulpina, Lindley ; Vitis rotundifolia, Michaux, a southern 

 species growing wild from Virginia to Florida, and climbing to 

 the tops of the tallest trees. The species is dioecious, and too 

 tender for a northern climate."] 



GLAMIS CASTLE, FORFARSHIRE. 



The Seat of the Earl of Strathmobe. 

 {Concluded from page 479.) 

 Peaches occupy the second place of importance at Glamis, 

 three houses situated at the ends of the long vinery range being 

 devoted to their culture. The trees are planted in the usual 

 manner, and trained on trellises in front, and also against the 

 back wall, a dwarf and a rider, or 6- feet standard, alternately, 

 the intention having been to cut away the riders, and let the 

 dwarfs form the permanent trees. The riders, however, having 

 at first the best position, have succeeded so well — better than 

 the dwarf trees — that Mr. Johnston intends to preserve them, 

 and we think he is right. We have frequently observed that 

 Peach trees in the form of riders become the most fruitful, espe- 

 cially when young, as in this case. The crops in all the houses, 

 Mr. Johnston said, had been good ; at the time of our visit 

 the fruit was entirely over. The trees were pictures of health, 

 perhaps a little too vigorous in some instances, a tendency 

 Mr. Johnston was attempting to check by allowing the red 

 spider to have its fill— a questionable practice, some will say, 

 for repressing excessive vigour, and at first sight it may seem 

 so, no quarter to the red spider being the common watchword ; 

 yet we have ourselves at times employed the same evil agent, 

 and been benefited. 



Pine Apples are not so largely cultivated as might have been 

 expected. The young and succession plants are grown in some 

 narrow low brick pits, which we were rather sorry to see occupy- 

 ing the position they do in front of the principal plant houses. 

 These old-fashioned structures ought to be banished from all 

 good modern gardens, for they are only fit for growing some 

 rough bedding plants or common Cucumbers. In the long 

 range of three-quarter span-roofed houses, the fourth from the 

 end, measuring 40 feet long by IG wide, and of considerable 

 elevation, contains the fruiting Pines, which are plunged in 

 fermenting material in the front half of the house, there being 

 a walk down the centre. Here Mr. Johnston had some splendid 

 examples of Queens, which when fully ripe would average 

 5 lbs., and the whole stock was exceedingly healthy and sturdy, 

 altogether in fine condition. The back part of this Pine stova 

 is devoted to the culture of Bananas (Musa Cavendishii), 

 planted out, having plenty of heat supplied to their roots, which, 

 and a copious supply of moisture, seem to be the principal 

 requirements of these fruits. The temperature, &c., of the 

 Pine stove seem to suit the plants admirably, for here they 

 were producing some magnificent clusters. 



Another house in this range, of about the same dimensions 

 as the last, is devoted to Figs, the trees being planted out in 

 the borders, and grown like so many Gooseberry bushes. This 

 idea is very good, yet we fear the result will not be so gratifying. 

 Figs when planted out thus become so extremely rampant, 

 that it is scarcely possible to keep them within bounds, or to 

 make them fruitful. Here, although the plants were still 

 young, and but lately turned out of pots, the shoots were far 

 too gross for fruit-bearing. To fruit Figs successfully, they 

 must either be grown in pots, or, if planted out, allowed plenty 

 of scope, and then when aged they will bear profusely. Brown 



