50 



Notes and Gleanins:s. 



not only an ornamental plant, but remarkably distinct and novel in aspect. — 

 Florist. 



Beard's Patent Glass Houses. — We copy from " The Florist " the follow- 

 ing article on a new mode of erecting greenhouses which has just been intro- 

 duced in England. The subject is of great importance, and we trust the im- 

 provement may prove all it now promises. 



In nothing is it of more importance to draw a clear distinction between ab- 

 solute and fictitious cheapness than in glass houses. A commonplace wooden 

 house will eat its top off for repairs in ten or twelve years ; for, within that period, 

 a sum amounting to its first cost will have been expended on putty, paint, wood, 

 and glass. Of course, the better the materials used, the less will be expended 

 on repairs, and vice versa. Sap-wood left on the deal, putty made of wet whiten- 



ing or lampblack and worthless oil, and used new, thin twisted glass, and 

 cheap white lead, are so many taxes laid on fictitious cheapness, yielding in the 

 end a full crop of annoyance, and an absolute price of frightful proportions. 

 Even with the best materials, a heavy source of expense originates in the varied 

 degrees of durability of the substances employed. Glass, putty, wood, and 

 paint being all combined to form one structure, the time it will remain perfect, 

 without expensive renovations, must be measured by the durability of its most 

 perishable parts. Hence the importance of making all the materials employed 

 approximate to the most durable constituent. Glass being well-nigh imperisha- 

 ble, let it be combined with equally durable substances, and one of the most 

 troublesome horticultural problems of the day is solved. 



The distinguishing feature of Beard's patent houses is, that they may be 

 termed irreparable, in the sense of never needing repairs. The whole of the 



