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the upright glass and wooden ventilators 

 at the ridge in the roof and in the back 

 wall. 



Stages. These are generally shelves, 

 arranged in stair-like fashion, partaking 

 less or more of the character of the roof. 

 Tor a general collection, the stage may 

 l>6 from five to six feet from the glass 

 roof; for insuring dwarf, compact, hushy 

 plants, the distance should he from three 

 to four feet. The lowest shelf of the 

 stage should he a little higher than the 

 shelf that surrounds the house next the 

 front glass. Where the roof is hipped, 

 even though the hack wall he opaque, if 

 the house faces the south the stage should 

 be hipped too, terminating in a single 

 shelf, broad or narrow in the centre. 

 The north part would be admirable for 

 keeping many plants in winter, and ex- 

 hibiting in summer those that were in 

 full bloom. In a wide house it is always 

 preferable to have several stages, in the 

 shape of circles, ovals, or triangles, which- 

 ever is most approved, with walks between 

 them. The expense, and the room 

 apparently lost, are more than compen- 

 sated by the ease with which all the 

 plants may be examined, and the greater 

 thickness with which they may be safely 

 set, as the pathway will be so many 

 breathing zones. (See FLOWER STAGES. ) 

 For low-hipped, roofed, and ridge-and- 

 furrow roofed houses, flat, table-like, 

 trellised stages will be the best; the 

 highest plants being set in the centre, or, 

 if necessary, one being placed now and 

 then on a pot. As an improvement on 

 this, where extreme economy was the 

 object, we would dispense with the wooden 

 trellis, and substitute a bed of earth, kept 

 in its place by brick walls, the earth being 

 first covered with cinders, and then with 

 pure sand, on which to set the pots. 

 The damping of this sand from watering 

 in summer would be a source of health 

 to the plants, and save them from many 

 visitations. Small inclosures in such an 

 earth-pit, if suitable compost were used, 

 would be excellent for the less hardy 

 creepers, which would be likely to main- 

 tain a lingering existence if planted, as 

 they sometimes are, in a border close to 

 the front wall. 



Temperature. If merely preserving the 

 plants is the object, then artificial heat 

 may only be applied to maintain a 

 temperature of from 35 to 40. This 

 low temperature must not, however, be 



long continued in a stagnant atmosphere. 

 It will, therefore, be necessary to raise 

 the temperature to admit air during the 

 day. Where it is desired slowly to grow 

 the shoots, and to keep a winter display 

 of plants in bloom, the temperature must 

 not sink below 45. In either case a 

 rise of 10 or 15 may be allowed for 

 sunshine in winter. In summer, the 

 chief difficulty will be to keep the house 

 cool by admitting all the air possible, 

 and having it on night and day. If the 

 plants are turned out into pits and shady 

 places, and even very sunny places if 

 their nature requires it, and their place 

 is supplied with tender annuals, &c., then 

 more closeness and moisture must be 

 obtained a limitation of air and plenty 

 of moisture giving all the essentials of a 

 plant stove. 



Artificial Heat. The best, because the 

 most equal and the cleanliest, is hot water ; 

 and the simplest of all contrivances is 

 the best : a compact little boiler, well set, 

 and a flow and return pipe on the sim 

 plest principles. A small boiler and two 

 or three-inch pipes are the moist suitable 

 for a greenhouse where only quick and 

 occasional fires are wanted. Flues are 

 far from being despicable conveniences. 

 In some respects, in small houses where 

 a higher temperature is wanted at one 

 end than another, they answerbetter than 

 hot water. When neatly built they are 

 no eye-sore in a house. To insure 

 draught the flue should be at least a third 

 deeper than it is wide, and the mouth of 

 the flue should be eighteen inches above 

 the bottom of the surface. For green- 

 houses,one foot of four-inch pipe will be 

 necessary for every forty cubic feet of air, 

 making allowance, less or more, according 

 to the surface of glass, or the presence 

 of opaque walls; or, in other words, 

 taking the square foot of glass, it would 

 require a foot of four-inch pipe for every 

 six feet of glass ; or a foot of a common 

 flue above the ground for about ten or 

 eleven feet of glass. 



Ventilation. Means should be secured 

 for a thorough circulation of air from the 

 sashes in front, and the highest point in 

 the roof, as there the heat will generally 

 be the greatest. In cold weather in 

 winter, unless there are means for heat- 

 ing the air before it enters, the little 

 given should be at the top of the house, 

 as thus the cold, dry air would be heated 

 and absorb the moisture before reaching 



