OKCTIIDS : now TO (iltoW IKKM SUCCESSFULLY. 19 



ciiougli to kcop up u iiippht tcinjioraturc of oo degi'oos ; whilst thf 

 tcmpciiituro of the Wann house should not ho allowed to full 

 Ix'low ()() degrees for any length of time. 



STOKING THE FIRES. 



As it is warmth from the pipes which cremates tho ai-tifir;ial 

 temperature in the greenliouse, and as Orchids are jjlants which 

 sustain thcimselves chi(!fly on air, it is quite (jvident that the better 

 the artificial air is produced an;I maintained the better it is for the 

 Orchids, as well as for other plants gi-owing wdth them. Stoking, 

 then, is an important matter, and sucli work should be done by an 

 intelligent man and not h^ft to any odd hand, as is too often the case. 

 Tlierc' is art even in stoking a greenhouse fire, and the person who 

 is in charge of the fires should understand the thermometer, and be 

 one who can be relied upon to give careful attention to his duti(;s, 

 letting the conditions of the weather outside guide him. Let us 

 suppose, for instance, that it is a very dull and cold day in January, 

 when the fires require to be well stoked, keepmg them clear and 

 1 >right, as can be done with anthracite coal or coke, at such a time 

 more heat will be necessary during the day than at night, in order 

 to give a rise of a few degrees in the temperature. This is an 

 instance when careful stoking and watchfulness of the thermometer 

 crops up. Then suppose a day in March or April, clear and bright 

 but very cold, necessitating good firing during the night to keep 

 up a proper temperature, but with the sun shining brightly in the 

 daytime, a much reduced amount of fii-e only would be wanted. The 

 fire could then be "damped down" with slack (small coal) until two 

 or three o'clock in the afternoon, when it should be started again, 

 first clearing out the furnace bars and firehole. In the hot summer 

 days of June to August it is possible that fires may be disj^ensed 

 with, even in the stove house, but still a cold day or night may 

 come, when a little fire to warm the pipes and raise the temperature 

 a few degrees woidd be advantageous. Again, in November, one 

 day may be very cold, requiring brisk fires to keep the proper 

 temperature, whereas, the following day may be damp and close, 

 ueerhng but little warmth in the pipes, enough only to assist 

 ventilation and to admit of the ventilators being opened. See, 

 then, that the fire is managed carefully, always maintaining an 

 <'ven temperature, avoiding the extremes of overheating and 

 dryness, or damp and cold. 



