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bouse, and then the sun-heat will raise 

 the house the less; and 10 or 20, for 

 a short time, from sun-heat, is a very 

 different affair from having that increase 

 from artificial means. For greenhouse 

 plants, generally, in favourable weather, 

 too much air cannot be given, night or 

 day, from the middle of May to the 

 middle of September. For two months 

 preceding May, and subsequent to Sep- 

 tember, air should be given early in the 

 morning, even if it should be withdrawn 

 or reduced soon afterwards, or early in 

 the afternoon. In winter, unless the air 

 is very mild, it will be time enough to 

 give air by ten o'clock, and shut up be- 

 tween two and three. When the wea- 

 ther is very severe, one hour, or even 

 less, in the middle of the day, must be 

 sufficient. In dull, close weather, air 

 should be given, though a brisk fire 

 should be put on during the day, on 

 purpose. When, however, the green- 

 house is changed into a vinery, a place 

 for growing tender annuals, c., the 

 forwarding of the growth of Camellias, 

 Epacris, Azaleas, &G., then the tempe- 

 rature in spring and summer must be 

 higher, and the atmosphere closer and 

 moister. By means of divisions, you 

 may have almost as many temperatures 

 and atmospheres in one house as you 

 please, by regulating the ventilation of 

 the different compartments. Slight 

 wooden moveable divisions we find ex- 

 tremely useful in pots, as we can then 

 give a peculiar treatment to one or any 

 number of lights at pleasure. 



Firiiifi. The heat from the furnace 

 merely extends vegetable tissues, that 

 from the sun expands and concentrates 

 them. No stoker should visit his furnace 

 without knowing the temperature of his 

 house, the temperature, of the external 

 atmosphere, the direction of the wind, 

 and the changes that have taken place 

 in a certain number of hours, and thence 

 calculate what will be the most likely 

 to happen. The minimum tempera- 

 ture should never be exceeded by fire- 

 heat during the night. More than suf- 

 ficient is not only waste, the plants are 

 drawn and dried, while less advantage 

 can be taken of the glorious light arid 

 heat which conies from the sun. For 

 dispersing damps, &c.,use a brisk little 



j fire during the day and allow it to go 



; out. In very dull, close weather in win- 



j ter, such a fire often, if even for an 



i hour, would be useful ; not for heat, 



but for enabling us to give more air, 



and causing a rapid circulation among 



the plants. 



Wateriny. The rule is, water so as 

 I to reach every fibre of the plant's roots, 

 I and then wait until a similar repetition 

 | is necessary. A plant may want wa- 

 i tering twice a day in summer, and, 

 j perhaps, only twice a month in dull 

 weather in winter. From the end of 

 September to the middle of May, let 

 the temperature of the water used be 

 from f> to 10 higher than the mini- 

 mum temperature of the house. From 

 the periods mentioned, making of course 

 due allowance for peculiar weather, 

 watering should be performed in the 

 morning ; in cold weather not too early. 

 Thus the stimulus of sun-heat, dimi- 

 nished though it be, meets the plants 

 when they have received their re- 

 fresher ; the extra moisture is parted 

 with before the evening comes, and 

 there is not that rapid cooling of the 

 soil by evaporation during the night. 

 During summer we reverse the lime of 

 watering, and perform the operation in 

 the afternoon and evening. Anything 

 that tends to cool the soil and the plant 

 is then, refreshing. By watering in a 

 bright morning, the moisture is exhaled 

 rapidly from the soil, as well as through 

 the foliage of the plant, which does not, 

 in consequence, receive the full benefit 

 of the watering, and, therefore, soon 

 requires a, fivsh supply. In llie even 

 ing the evaporating tendencies are ap- 

 proaching the minimum; the plant has 

 full time to absorb and refresh itself, 

 and thus is more able to stand the brunt 

 of the following dny. 



Manure Wateriny. Tbis should be 

 applied often, but weak and clear ; a 

 little quicklime added will effect the 

 clearing, at the expense of driving off a 

 portion of the ammonia. It is appli- 

 cable in almost any case where luxuri- 

 ance of plant is the chief object; where 

 size of bloom and compact, rather than 

 slender, growth, are the desideratum, 

 it should not be applied until the flow 

 er-buds appear. 



