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shelf, broad or narrow in the centre. 

 The north part would be admirable for 

 kecpimj many plants in winter, and 

 exhibiting 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 tri- 

 angles, whichever is most approved, 

 with walks between them. The expense, 

 and the room apparently lost, are 

 more than compensated by the ease 

 with which all the plants may be ex- 

 amined, and the greater thickness with 

 which they may be safely set, as the 

 pathway will be so many breathing 

 /ones (See Floiver 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 cin- 

 ders, 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 visit- 

 ations. 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 80 to 40. This 

 low temperature must not, however, be 

 longcontinuedinastagnantatmosphere. 

 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 tem- 

 perature must not sink below 4"). 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 close- 

 ness and moisture must be obtained 

 a limitation of air and plenty of moist- 

 ure 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 con- 

 trivances is the best: a compact little 

 boiler, well set, and a flow and return 

 pipe on the simplest principles. A small 

 boiler and two or three-inch pipes are 

 the most suitable for a greenhouse 

 where only quick and occasional fires are 

 wanted. Flues are far from being des- 

 picable conveniences. In some respects, 

 in small houses, where a higher tem- 

 perature is wanted at one end than 

 another, they answer better 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 

 greenhouses, 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- 

 iuch 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. 



J'eiiti lotion. Means should be se- 

 cured for a thorough circulation of air 

 from the sashes in front, and the high- 

 est point in the roof, as there the heat 

 will generally be the greatest. In cold 

 weather in winter, unless there are 

 means for heating the air before it en- 

 ters, the little given should be at the 

 top of the house, as thus the cold dry 

 ' air would be heated and absorb tho 

 ! moisture before reaching the bulk of 

 i the plants. When the air is very dry, 

 and the weather very cold, the less siir 

 that is given the better. In such cir- 

 cumstances, the heating medium should 

 be cool before the sun strikes upon the 



