122 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



Ckristmas onwards ; Chinese primroses all winter. In the 

 spring, the greenhouse will furnish cinerarias, heaths, epacrises, 

 hoveas, all the hard-wooded plants, geraniums, &c., which 

 hterally form a blaze of bloom. The stove yields a full share 

 of flower ; but the difficulty, if there be any difficulty in 

 keeping up the show, is, when the out-of-door beauties pre- 

 dominate ; but pot-culture of out-door subjects must make 

 ujp for any deficiency of exotics. The passifloras of the stove 

 will see us through June and July. The hoveas contribute to 

 the good efiect. Ealsams come at an excellent time to 

 brighten the scene ; and many autumnal roses, grown out of 

 doors, but in pots, may be removed to the conservatory, to aid 

 and assist. Annuals of the better kind, in pots, are of great 

 use, as are late-flowering geraniums, and dahlias in pots. 

 Many climbing plants, and, almost every month in the year, 

 some orchids, enable us to keep up a good show in the con- 

 servatory. There is rarely a month in the year without 

 several heaths in flower, and these always last a good while. 

 In short, what with retarding some things, and forcing others, 

 flowers may always be had in moderate quantity and variety. 



Heating. — To maintain a proper heat in the conservatory, 

 some consideration must be given as to the means. The 

 height and size must always be considered. The most com- 

 plete way, as regards neatness, is, to put the heating apparatus 

 under the path ; but as it is not always the most economical, 

 there must be pipe enough to command the necessary tempe- 

 rature with boiling water, as this requires less attention than 

 any other mode of heating, and is in general more steady. If 

 the pipes are above ground, they are unsightly, but they are 

 more effective ; and where a six-inch pipe and return would 

 be wanted under the path, a four-inch pipe and return would 

 do, and more than do, above. The nearer the pipe runs to 

 the walls at the lowest part of the roof, the better : because, 

 as the heated air ascends, it then takes the whole slope of the 

 roof, and falls in the centre as it cools ; and it is a good plan 

 to have the table formed with a sort of open work or wooden 

 shelves, of half-board mdth, with half-inch vacancies between 

 them, because it gives less obstruction to the circulation 

 of air, which is always going on when one part of a house 

 is heated. 



The glass of the sides should be within twelve or eighteen 

 inches of the ground, that all parts of the building may be 



