220 



PLANTAIN-EATERS 



PLANT-HOUSES 



long filament* ; the ovary free, of a single carpel, 

 1 i celled ; the cells containing one, two, or many 

 ovules ; the fruit a membranous capsule with a 

 lid. The testa of the seeds abounds in mucilage, 

 which is easily extracted by Imiling water. There 

 are about 120 known species, diffused over all 

 parts of the globe, but most abundant in temperate 

 and cold countries. The most important genus is 

 Plantago, the species of which often receive the 

 English name Plantain. Five of this genus are 

 found in the United Kingdom, the chief of which 

 are the following : the Greater Plantain, or Way- 

 bread (Plantago major), one of the most common 

 of British plants ; a perennial, with broad ovate 

 stalked leaves and long cylindrical spikes, growing 

 in pastures, waysides, inc. It is very widely diffused 

 over the world. Its seeds are a favourite food of 

 birds, and the gathering of the spikes to feed cage- 

 birds is familiar to every one. The leaves are 

 applied to wounds by the peasantry in many dis- 

 trict*. They are said also to be a useful appli- 

 cation to ulcers and indolent scrofulous tumours. 

 The Ribwort Plantain, or Ribgrass (P. lanceo- 

 lain), is another very common British plant, form- 

 ing no small part of'the herbage of many meadows 

 and pastures, and sometimes sown by farmers, but 

 with doubtful wisdom. Its leaves are lanceolate, 

 and taper at both ends ; its spikes are short, ovate 

 or cylindrical, and placed on long angular stalks. 

 Its seed is acceptable to cage-birds. This is the 

 plant commonly known as 'bullies,' or 'sodgers,' 

 the striking off the heads (or spikes) of which is 

 such a favourite amusement of children. The 

 mucilage of the seeds of P. ispaphula and of 

 P. psyllittin is much used in India in catarrhs 

 and other complaints ; and P. jtsyllium called 

 I'leawort, and its seeds Fleaseed is cultivated in 

 l'':ance for the sake of this mucilage, which is used 

 ! y paper-stainers in preference to that obtained 

 from linseed, and is also extensively used by 

 iiuslin manufacturers for stiffening tiieir goods. 

 The plant has a branched spreading stem, and 

 recurved leaves. 

 Plantain-eaters { Ji/w/'/"'.'/' v '"' >. a family of 



Pie-like birds, of African distribution, arlx>real 

 habits, and vegetarian diet. The species of Muso- 

 phaga are bluish black, the Turacous (Turacus) 

 are light green with carmine wing-feathers. This 

 occurrence of a green pigment (turacoverdin), as 

 distinguished from a green colour, is unique among 

 birds, and the carmine pigment (tiiracin) is also 

 interesting because it seems to be partially washed 

 out during the rainy season. 



Plantation. See ARBORICULTURE. 'His 

 Majesty's Plantations' was a not unusual term 

 in the 17th and 18th centuries for the British 

 'settlements in America, to which it was custom- 

 ary to transport offenders, political and other, 

 till the American Revolution. See PRISONS, 



TR A NSPORTATION. 



Plant-houses are garden structures designed 

 for the protection and cultivation of the plants of 

 wanner climates than our own. Apart from the 

 style of architecture, a plant-house must be so con- 

 xtructed as to admit a maximum of light to the 

 interior ; there must also be ample provision for 

 ventilation, and means for maintaining such atmos- 

 pheric temperature as is necessary to the plants 

 that are to be cultivated in it. (ilass, wood, and 

 iron are the materials of which plant-houses are 

 made. Masonry is not essential in the erection of 

 plant-houses, but it is very generally employed to 

 give stability, durability, ami architectural effects. 

 Glass obviously is the most, ini|Mirtant material : 

 the larger the amount of it that enters into the 

 structure of a plant-house the better adapted will 

 it lie for the cultivation of plants ; the menus for 



securing the maximum of light is thereby |>n> 

 viiled, and its regulation is then under the control 

 of the cultivator. 



Under the term plant house is included every 

 kind of horticultural glass erection employed in 

 the culture of Dowering and ornamental plants, 

 as distinguished from those whieh are devoted 

 exclusively to the culture of fruit-trees or other 

 plants that are grown solely for the sake of their 

 fruit. They are broadly divided into three classes 

 viz. hothouse or plant-stove, intermediate house, 

 and greenhouse. The structure of cadi class may 

 be the same in all respects except in the ]>\\er<>f 

 the heating apparatus. In the hothouse it must 

 be adapted to create and sustain tropical tempera- 

 tures irrespective of the temperature of the outer 

 air; in the intermediate house thr heat of extra- 

 tropical and temperate countries must be provided : 

 and in the greenhouse all that is required of the 

 heating apparatus is the exclusion of frost or the 

 maintenance of a minimum temperature of 40 F. 

 Hothouses are either dry or moist, according to 

 the class of plants to which each may be devoted ; 

 the natives of dry tropical regions and those of 

 maritime lake and river districts severally requir- 

 ing special adaptations in connection with the heat- 

 ing apparatus for providing atmospheric humidity. 

 Thus there may be tropical orchid-houses, tropical 

 fern-houses, tropical aquatic-houses the latter 

 being fitted with tanks of heated water, iu which 

 Victoria regia, Nymplm'as, and other aquatic 

 plants of the tropics are cultivated ; but the more 

 common class of stove is that in which the internal 

 arrangements are made with the view of accommo- 

 dating a large variety of plants, having consider- 

 able diversity of constitutional requirement. The 

 intermediate house may be sulnlivided in the same 

 way into the cool orchid -house, the cool ferncn, 

 &c. ; but more commonly it is adapted to the 

 wants of miscellaneous plants, nnd very often 

 indeed it is used temporarily for tropical plnnts 

 during their period of rest, wlien a lower tempera- 

 ture and less humidity than those of the stove are 

 desirable. The greenhouse may I* a heath-house 

 if exclusively devoted to the culture of Cape heaths 

 (Erica) and kindred plants, or it may be a New 

 Holland house, if its inhabitants are chiefly com- 

 posed of the interesting natives of New Zealand, 

 Tasmania, and other temperate parts of Australasia. 



The conservatory is a plant-house in which a 

 miscellaneous collection of plants, after having 

 been grown elsewhere, is placed in order to display 

 the Ix-auty of (lowers and foliage. It may lie either 

 cool or hot, according to the classes of plants 

 accommodated in it. Being usually a place of 

 resort, or a lounge accessible from the drawing- 

 room or some other part of a mansion, its archi- 

 tectural features should be in harmony with those 

 of the building of which it forms a part; but due 

 regard should also be had, in deciding upon archi- 

 tectural details, to the providing of ample light, 

 and the means of securing perfect ventilation. The 

 propagating house is a plant-house devoted to the 

 purpose of rearing the several classes of plants 

 indicated in the foregoing, either by seeds, cuttings, 

 grafting, or any other mode that may be required 

 111 particular coses. It may lie heated or cool, and 

 differs from the ordinary plant-house chiefly in 

 lieing more restricted in atmosphere. It is fitted 

 with close glass-cases, fixed or |x>rtahle, for the 

 purjiose of preventing exhaustion, by the atmos- 

 phere, of cuttings and other subjects temporarily 

 destitute of roots. An essential feature of the 

 internal arrangements of the propagating house is 

 a bed or beds filled with sand, cocoa nut fibre, or 

 any other cleanly material, in which the pot* eon- 

 tuning cuttings mav be plunged at will, to pic-vent 

 evaporation from their sides and fluctuations of 



