IIG 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ February 5, 1874. 



wasteful of all is a hot-water or steam-heating apparatus with- 

 out the addition of smoke fiuea. From the most perfect of 

 these the gases of combustion must pass off at a temperature 

 hardly under 212°, for the water cannot abstract heat below 

 its own temperature ; but in practice even this result is never 

 approached. 



In the best ordinary steam engines the proportion of boiler 

 exposed to the action of the fire and hot gases is not less than 

 5 or 6 square feet for every pound of coal consumed per hour, 

 yet the air as it escapes from the chimney has a temperature 

 of 500° to 800". The Cornish engines expose a very much 

 larger boiler-surface. I have not the figures at hand, but 

 possibly some of your correspondents could supply them. If 

 a good marine or fixed engine, carefully watched by a stoker 

 who adds fuel every few minutes that it may burn clear and 

 bright, and presenting a boiler-surface to the fire to the extent 

 above mentioned, is only able to extract 7000 units of heat 

 from coal which actually yields 14,000, how enormous must be 

 the loss of heating power in an ordinary hot-water boiler, in 

 which a change of fuel is expected to last many hours without 

 attention, in which the boiler- surface instead of being at the 

 rate of 6 square feet per pound of coal per hour is probably 

 not one-tenth of that extent, in which the smoke is hardly at 

 all consumed, and the temperature of the effluent gases at 

 the chimney top is probably not much below a red heat. — 

 J. BoiB KiNNBAB, Guernsey. 



(To be contiuoed.) 



PEACH FOBCING. 



Forced Peaches will require more than ordinary care this 

 season. August — a very important month to those who have 

 to force early fruit — was very wet and dull, at least in the 

 western counties, and not at all suited to the ripening of wood 

 and fruit buds. Where attention had been given early in the 

 season, and no more shoots allowed to grow than were really 

 necessary, sufficient would probably be so far matured before 

 the dull weather not to be materially injured by it. 



Trees shut-up at the beginning of December, and kept at 

 from 45° to 50°, wUl now be in full flower if the wood was well 

 ripened, and anything we can do to assist them at this un- 

 natural season ought not to be delayed a day. It is not only 

 this season's fruit we have to think of, for the permanent 

 health of the trees ought always to take the first place in our 

 thoughts. Everyone will allow that the act of setting the 

 flowers is a great strain on the tree's energies ; I believe it even 

 greater than during the process of stoning, because at the time 

 of stoning the trees are in thoroughly good growth, whereas at 

 tho flowering time they have scarcely commenced to grow, also 

 there is generally less light and natural warmth to assist them. 



Whether I am right or wrong in this, it is clear it is easier 

 for a tree to set a hundred flowers than it is to set a thousand. 

 There are many flowers so placed that if allowed to remain no 

 fruit good for anything could be formed there, owing to want 

 of space, want of light, &c. It is a good plan to begin by 

 picking off all those that are weak or misplaced, or not accom- 

 panied by a wood bud, the backward ones, and those at the 

 base of the shoots, thin clusters of blooms, and those on the 

 weaker shoots severely, also thin the lower part of the tree 

 and horizontal branches more than the upper portion ; leave 

 flowers on the upper sides of the branches and those at the 

 extremities of the shoots in preference to those at the base ; 

 in short, leave them as much as possible where there is room, 

 Ught, and vigour. Of course, I am supposing that the points 

 of the shoots are well ripened, otherwise the blooms there will 

 not be perfect, and must give way to those that are. Many 

 will say. Leave all the flowers untU you see which do set. 

 That is not at all scientific gardening, and as I have already 

 pointed out, more than half of them are useless if they do set. 

 There is, then, evidently a chance to assist Nature, and she will 

 amply repay in future seasons, if not in the present one. It is 

 of no use to be timid about it ; a timid man can never make a 

 successful gardener. Of course, a due amount of caution is 

 always necessary. I thin my flowers much more than I shall 

 advise my readers to do at present. 



The flowers that are left should not be tampered with in any 

 way. They will always set naturally if they are healthy, and if 

 they are not healthy nothing you could do to them would 

 cause them to bring forth perfect fruit. They should always 

 have air night and day from tho time the buds commence to 

 swell, and a temperature of from 45° to 50' at night and in dull 

 days, allowing a rise of 20° or 30° by sun heat, with abundance 



of air. Do not commence disbudding too early or too severely, 

 rather stop the points of the shoots at first that you intend to 

 take off. Give the border a stimulant in the ehape of warm 

 liquid manure, if it is at all exhausted, as soon as some of the 

 leaves are grown to their full size. At any rate take care it is not 

 at all dry inside. I do not advise surface-sprinkling of borders 

 so often as it is usually done ; it makes them sour and imper- 

 vious to air. Once or twice a-week will be sufficient even in 

 bright weather. 



Finish thinning altogether when the fruit is the size of a 

 small marble : it is not good gardening to wait and see which 

 will fall at stoning. The same rule applies at this period as 

 at setting the flowers. It is easier for the tree to form a 

 hundred stones than to form two hundred ; and if my directions 

 are carried out as to thinning the flowers, &c., the fruit will not 

 be so likely to fall at stoning. If any should fall after proper 

 thinning, it is simply a warning that something is not quite 

 right, and must be attended to before another forcing season 

 commences. Probably a few broken bones and a Uttle new 

 loam would put all to rights. 



It is important to bear in mind that the Peach will not be 

 hurried during the stoning period ; it will bear a good deal of 

 forcing both before and after, but during that time fire heat 

 should be used very cautiously. — W. Tatlob, Longleat. 



CALADIUMS AND ALOCASIAS. 



As ornamental plants, and from their fine habit and exquisite 

 foliage, they are worthy a place in every collection of stove 

 plants. No one shown through my stove but is filled with 

 delight when seeing Caladium argyrites. It is indeed a gem 

 from the banks of the Amazon. Caladium Chantinii was 

 thought beautiful, but now it is quite in the shade compared 

 with the many varieties since introduced. 



They are of most easy culture, and ought to be more largely 

 grown than they are, as well as Alocasia metallica with its 

 magnificent bronzy foUage — one of the most glorious stove 

 plants that we have. 



It has been said that they are so difficult to grow, and 

 these notes on their culture are written to show how they may 

 be grown from the time they are at rest till they unfold their 

 beauteous foUage in the summer. 



When they have shed their foliage place them in such a 

 position that they may be readily examined. Give them just 

 water enough to keep them firm ; this is of great importance. 

 The water should be of the same temperature as the stove. 

 In some places it is customary to place them on shelves or 

 under the stages till wanted in spring, hence the many 

 failures. As soon as the first symptoms of growth are visible 

 turn out the bulbs and carefully remove the soil from the 

 tubers, clear away all decayed roots, and see whether the 

 tubers are perfectly sound ; if any decayed parts appear, scrape 

 them away and apply a little powdered chalk. The compost 

 should be good sandy peat and decayed leaf mould in equal 

 parts, with a liberal addition of silver sand, a good sprinkling 

 of charcoal broken-up finely, and old decayed cow dung, 

 taking the precaution to kill all worms and insects. Give good 

 drainage, cover it with a layer of turfy peat, and fill-up with 

 compost, just covering the bulb, and pack the soQ round it. 

 Give a gentle watering just to settle the soil, and plunge the 

 pots in cocoa-nut fibre refuse, temperature about 65° to begin 

 with. Great care is required not to saturate the soil with 

 water, but let it be given according to growth. I usually place 

 a bell-glass over mine, it adds greatly to the beauty of the 

 foliage, and when they have reached their full vigour take it off. 

 They require shade during the hot sunny part of the day. 

 Frequently give them liquid manure, they Uke it and make a 

 splendid growth. I grow mine in a temperature of 80° to 85°. 



Alocasia metallica, a native of Borneo, requires a compost 

 of very rough fibrous peat mixed with a little well-decayed 

 leaf mould, and a plentiful supply of sharp silver sand. The 

 pots should be well drained, for although this plant likes to be 

 freely watered whilst it is growing rapidly, yet nothing is so 

 injurious to it as water stagnating about the roots. While 

 young it should be grown under a hand-glass with the pots 

 islunged in a bottom heat of about 80. The atmosphere in 

 which it is grown should be kept very moist, especially during 

 spring and early summer. It must be shaded from direct sun- 

 shine. — F. P. LnCKHUEST. 



Dk. HofiG Grape. — I was very pleased on reading the account 

 given by " J. W. 0." of this fine new white Grape (see page 53). 



