608 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 
[Srpt. 2, 
the fire over-night, and your hotbed is warm and sweet in 
the morning, ready for culture of any kind, and its dura- 
tion and intensity will be as much under control as the 
pinions of the fanner ; and in our variable climate, where 
a few hours will raise or depress the thermometer thirty 
degrees, a perfect control over the supplies of heat is 
invaluable. nm the other hand, observe, in ‘“ Miils’s 
Treatise on the Cucumber ” (pages 11 and 12),—which, 
by-the-by, may be taken asa fair, indeed a refined, sample 
of the system of dung hotbed making; he turns dung 
eight weeks to sweeten it, and after he allows its body to 
rest in the bed he shakes the face of it for another fort- 
night, thus making ten weeks’ preparation before the 
instrument is tuned to play its part, during which time in 
‘* Niven’s Stove for various purposes,”’ of which every- 
body has heard, Mr. Niven would, from all accounts, have 
reared Cucumbers from seed and ripened their seeds to 
sow again, in less time than Mr. Mills takes to tune his 
strings. But, mark well, Mr. Mills owns that steam from 
dung thus prepared is not superior, after all, to the steam 
obtained from heated bricks for growing Cucumbers ; and 
his improved pit is neither more nor less than a hothouse 
flued and buried in a dung-heap, the heat being dry as 
that obtained from hot iron. Surely such statements 
need no comment to show that heat obtained from 
sweetened filth comes slowly, and costs foul handling, and 
eavy unreasonable labour to come at all; witness Mills, 
shutting his lights to keep the heat in, at three o’clock in 
the morning of 13th Nov., 1840 (see page 29). 
But I should not complain of the filth and labour of 
fermenting materials so much, if, after all, we could control 
the heat; but, unfortunately, it is always in the inverse ratio 
to the out-door cold; for in frosty weather, when, as a 
matter of course, we want heat most, that is just the time, 
and in windy weather, when linings are the coldest. See, 
then, the necessity of trying some simple fire apparatus to 
generate heat for horticulture just when it is wanted ; and 
here it may be as well to remark, for the sake of those 
who wish for hot moist air in motion in.their hothouses, 
that it is just as easy for ignited gunpowder to stand still 
as for heated air to stand still—by whatever system heated; 
and as for moisture, I should rather prefer heat by itself, 
and then I could easily add moisture as I might see occa- 
sion, for the continual damp or vapour arising from heated 
water in an open tank or gutter must seriously injure the 
pollen of flowers, and the colour and flavour of fruits 
while ripening off. I prefer, therefore, a close apparatus, 
containing a column of water three or four inches in 
diameter, with the simple saddle boiler of malleable iron, 
containing little water and without bricks, forming both 
sides of the fireplace, such as Fowler, of Temple-bar, and 
others, have been so successful with, combining strength 
and simplicity, and such a control over the heat as enables 
the cultivator to increase or diminish it with the great- 
est nicety, and make it moist or dry by merely turning a 
cock. I must, therefore, not be misunderstood as crying 
up the ‘‘killogie,”” in preference to these inimitable and 
truly practical systems of heating, which leave nothing to 
be desired, except that they were cheaper for horticulture. 
Tonly wish to throw in my mite towards substituting some- 
thing in place of the decaying masses of filth for hotbeds in 
British gardens, and to enable the moorland cotter and the 
American backwoodsman to nurse, force, and cultivate 
exotic luxuries with three-light Melon-frames and the use 
of his own good axe and spade: where he can find 
fuel, however coarse, there he can always have a good hot- 
bed without dung or any other fermenting material. 
The walls of the fire-room, or killogie, must be isolated, as 
it were, from the outer walls of the house, by a cavity, 
such as is common in Cucumber pits, built after Mills’s 
plan. This cavity admits the heat from the side walls of 
the fire-room into the atmosphere, where the Vines, Pines, 
&c, &c. are growing in the hothouse, and as there never 
can be any difficulty in finding space for a fire-room in 
any Grape or Pine house, since the killogie will occupy 
that usually useless space in the body of the house where 
the tan-bed generally lies, for it is well known that the 
first four feet immediately under the glass roof is the only 
atmosphere in which fine fruits can be produced, and the 
empty space beyond that is highly injurious and wasteful, 
as it has to be heated to no purpose, and there being no 
surface near the glass for the reaction of the rays of the 
sun, the amount of vapour that sun heat would raise is 
lessened, and all the light that would be reflected is lost. 
The filling up of this empty space in Vineries, therefore, 
cannot fail to be beneficial; and in the case of Pines, the 
Killogie will be invaluable as supplying bottom-heat 
cheaper, and more at command, than any other way that 
Tam acquainted with. The roof of the killogie may be 
made with iron sleepers and-flue tiles ; or, instead of tiles, 
iron castings, the same as for a kiln, only not with holes, as 
kiln coverers are made. I need not say how many other 
forms it may take, and of what various materials it may | 
be made, as bricks and mortar in the form of arches, stone | 
or brick walls roofed with flag-stones, either flat like a 
kiln, or in shelving tiers like an amphitheatre—the force | 
of the ingle or fire being always directed towards the | 
sunny front, to make amends for the sloping rise in the | 
glass, as the higher level will ever be the hottest. The 
depth of the Killogie should be 9 feet; the grate shaped 
like a punchbowl, with a circular plate of iron, rather 
larger than the surface of the grate, hung right over the | 
fire, at adistance of 3 feet from the surface of the grate, | 
thus making 3 feet from the ground to the top of the 
grate, and again 3 feet to the reflector, which will hang 
3 feet from the roof. A fire-room 16 feet long, 9 feet | 
wide, and 9 high, will heat a Pine stove or Vinery of the | 
ordinary size, say 25 feet long and 12 wide,—A. Forsyth, | 
Allion Towers, August 8, 1843. 
(Zo be continued.) 
THE GARDENER’S LAMENT, 
FOR THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST, 1843, 
The clouds “ tuck up their petticoats’? * in haste, 
And wade and welter through the murky air, 
Shower upon shower come pelting thick and fast, 
And desolation rules the broad parterre 
My tender Poppies off in whirlwinds fly— 
My knots of Tigers, Larkspurs—all are gone; 
Headless my noblest Dablias prostrate lie, 
nd there--my fairest brightest Pentstemon ! 
No setting sun pale Enothéra cheers 
No merry morn the bright Convolyulus calls ; 
The much-loved Pansy hides her face in tears,— 
Oppressed with moisture, too, the Lily falls. 
My dwindling Balsams, pranked with many a dye; 
Pelargoniums and my Oaks called Holy, 
Begrim’d and prostrate in disorder lie; 
Ah! naught remains to soothe my melancholy, 
My orchard, too, no better tale relates ; 
‘There Apples rot beneath a sunless sky ; 
The trees themselves a withering fate awaits, 
Foliage and fruit alike all black’ning die. 
No savoury juice my well-dressed Peaches own, 
ines, once luscious, all insipid seem ; 
Melons are naught, and hard as nether stone. 
And Grapes but ni/, or nothing worth the name, 
My bursten Gages drop from off the trees, 
The same sad fate awaits my ripe Morells ; 
Mildew?d are all my rath-ripe Cocagees, 
And bletted all my best bright Jargonells. 
Whip me the fools who prate of western breezes, 
Of balmy zephyrs and eternal springs ; 
Give me the subtle east, tho? oft it freezes, 
n summer months it warmth and summer brings, 
But still the west and north-west winds prevailing, 
Atlantic vapours, rushing to and fro, 
*ercast our skies, our hard-won sunlight veiling, 
Spoil all our year, and work my present woe 
AMATEUR’S GARDEN.—No. XXXV. 
Ty my desire to bring the various kinds of Scarlet and 
other Pelargoniums adapted for bedding out prominently 
under notice, I find I have forgotten to mention, two 
other classes equally worthy of cultivation, viz., the 
variegated and Ivy-leaved varieties of the variegated. 
Captain Mangles’ variety,—or what in some parts of the 
country is called ‘“‘ Pullen’s variegated,’—is perhaps the 
best, as the markings are very distinct and the white 
Bree 
particularly good. The flower however is very small, of 
a pale pink colour, and not profusely produced, so that in 
grouping a garden I generally regard it more for the 
colours of the foliage than the flowers. Among the 
common and golden variegated, there are several kinds 
with rich scarlet flowers, but as they have no established 
names the amateur must examine the gardens in his 
neighbourhood, and choose for himself. There is in 
cultivation a new variegated variety, with flowers equal to 
the Shrubland, or Smith’s Emperor, but unfortunately it 
is an exceedingly shy grower, and therefore, being in few 
hands, is more likely to be lost altogether than extensively 
disseminated. The Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums being of a 
trailing habit are plants indispensable for furnishing vases 
and baskets, or running over Rockwork or Rootwork. 
Among these, one which has been named in compliment 
to Captain Mangles, and which has peculiarly wrinkled 
leaves, is the best, as the white is’ clear,—indeed, has a 
silvery appearance. Sometimes whole {branches in this 
variety are produced with leaves entirely white, but 
variegation being a diseased state of the leaf, it is found 
impossible to perpetuate these white varieties. There are 
also several kinds with plain leaves, and others with 
golden and plain white markings, all of which, as they 
produce white or pale-pink flowers in large corymbs, 
are very deserving of cultivation. Both these classes will 
root freely now in any sandy soil under glass, and if they 
are placed a dozen or eighteen plants in a 32-sized pot, 
they may be stored in it until they require to be potted 
off next March. 
Another very interesting tribe of plants which now 
require to be increased for another season are the Petunias. 
My spring list contains a tolerable array of names, but 
now that they are in bloom I do not find many distinct 
varieties, and among them the following are all I consider 
worth preserving. Gem, or, as itis called in some places, 
Triumphans, is the largest flower that I have seen, but it 
is a shabby grower, and is of a pale rosy purple colour. 
Rosea alba (Wood’s), is nearly or quite as large as the 
preceding, and ofa purplish rose colour, with a dingy white 
centre. Lady Peel is the darkest variety in cultivation, is 
of a very dark purple, or rather rich velvety maroon 
colour ; it blooms freely in beds, and is of compact habit 
Standishii is synonymous with this variety. Next in 
colour may be mentioned a variety which originated in 
the Clapton Nursery, called Duncan’s Seedling; the 
colour is rich crimsonish purple, with a dark centre, and 
elegans is a smaller flower of the same colour, with a 
white centre. Medora is a very rich rosy purple, and 
remarkably beautiful. These are all distinct varieties, and 
well worth cultivation. Of the pale-flowered kinds 
Beauty is very properly the most beautiful; the colour is 
white, with dark centre, and the petals shaded with rosy 
lilac, very much like Dodd’s Mary Dahlia. Erubescens 
is French-white, tinged with pink, and being a dwarf 
grower and profuse fiowerer, is well adapted for beds. Of 
white flowers we have not a really good variety ; the old 
Nyctaginiflora is dirty, and Climax and Bristol Boy are 
tinged with rose, All these varieties may be propagated 
| readily by cuttings at the present time, in light sandy com- 
post in a gentle heat, and, like the Pelargoniums before 
mentioned, may be stored a dozen or a score in a po 
through the winter. 
_ The next fortnight is the best time in the whole year 
%* A familiar expression for the festoonin h sometimes shows 
ic 
| itself in the cumulus-cloud about to dissolye in nimous. 
for propagating Chinese, Noisette, and Bourbon Roses by 
cuttings. With a sandy soil, gentle heat, and a close 
frame, they will strike as freely as Couch-grass, Have 
you got the ‘Cloth of Gold Noisette Rose?” is the 
earnest inquiry of all Rose-fanciers at the present time, 
and many and loud are the forebodings that it will not 
come up to the description. Be that as it may, itis a very 
nice-looking plant, and a good grower.—W. P. Ayres, 
Brooklands. 
WEIGHT or FINE HORTICULTURAL PRO- 
DUCTIONS. 
PINE-APPLE, Queen » 5 Ibs. 14 oz.; length, 
OL in.; breadth, n. ; number of pips in height, 9. 
A well-swelled and remarkably handsome fruit, grown 
by Mr. Spencer, gr. to the Marquess of Lansdowne. 
PINE-APPLE, Queen.—Weight, 5 lbs. 30z.; length, 10 
in.; breadth, 5}in.; number of pips in height 10; 
crown small. A well-formed fruit, grown by Mr. Spen- 
cer, gr. to the Marquess of Lansdowne. 
Meson, Beechwood.—Weight, 54 lbs.; grown on a bed 
of fermented dung and leaves made up in the usual man- 
ner, by Mr. Carmichael, gr. to Mrs. Hawkins, Bignor 
_ Park, Petworth. Quality, first-rate. 
HOME CORRESPONDENCE, 
Testa di Quaglia.—No answer having been given to an 
inquiry made some time ago by a ‘‘ Constant Reader” 
from Dorchester, relating to a curious plant called in 
Malta the Testa di Quaglia, I beg to inform you that the 
plant has been known in England ever since the year 
1738, under the name of Martynia Proboscidea, that it is 
mentioned by Miller in his “ Gardeners’ Dictionary,” as 
cultivated under that name in England in 1759, and 
belongs to the class Didynamia Angiospermia. It requires 
shelter in the winter, but can be raised as other half-hardy 
plants. Miller recommends sowing the seed in tan bark; 
but, as he says they frequently failed to vegetate, may not 
amore hardy treatment suit them better? It was im- 
ported to England from the banks of the Ohio, where it 
still flourishes as well as in the Island of Malta—Coturnia. 
singer.—Your correspondent ‘* J. M. Dytch,’”’ at p. 
590, is anxious to gain all the information he can with 
respect to growing Ginger. My method is as follows :— 
About the end of March or beginning of April, two good- 
sized tubers are placed in a 24-sized pot, and plunged 
into a bark-bed at the hottest end of a Pine-pit, using 
very rich compost, consisting of half loam and half 
manure, previously incorporated at least twelve months 5 
the bottom-heat should be 80° or 85°. As soon as the 
roots will hold the soil together, they are re-potted into 
a No. 12-sized pot, and plunged aguin 5 they now require 
a powerful heat, and proper attention to watering. By 
the end of June or the beginning of July the crop is 
gathered. If the old tubers be replaced in July, they 
will have plenty of time to mature a second crop behre 
Christmas. They will, however, do best planted outin 
rich soil, with a good bottom-heat, and gathered as they 
row, up to a certain time, similar to plundering an 
Asparagus-bed. I hope your correspondent will mike 
known his practice for my benefit, as well as for that of 
others. I must add, that this is my first attempt of 
planting the tubers twice in one year. Ours have yet to 
possess that transparency which is conspicuous in tliat 
we get from the West India Islands. — W. Brown, 
Merevale. 
Standard Roses.—Whoever is desirous of forming lines 
of these, well-organised under the shortest notice, should 
bud early in June; cut all away, to force the inserted 
bud: it will grow a foot and more the same year, and 
frequently produce a head of flowers. Most sorts (perhaps 
all of them) will yield to this practice—W. Brown, 
Merevale. 
Maggot in Onions.—The ravages of this pest to the 
Onion tribe have become very serious. Last year I totally 
lost a crop by them, and this year I have seen many crop$ 
seriously injured, and in some instances quite destroyed 5 
and as I have tried an experiment or two, and have suc- 
ceeded in obtaining a promising crop, I beg leave, through 
your pages, to detail the means I have used. A plot o: 
ground intended for Onions was well manured with roten 
stable-dung, and thrown up in ridges to be mellowedby 
the winter frosts. At the proper season for sowing the 
seed I had the ridges levelled, and the plot divided itto 
three parts: one part was covered with wood-aslies, 
another with soot, and the third was left as it was. The 
seed was then sown in drills; it came up very well, and for 
a time they all appeared to thrive alike; that part sown 
with soot, however, soon took the lead; the wood-ashes 
were next; but the part that was dunged only begun to 
show symptoms of maggots, and is now a failure. ‘Thete 
were a few maggots amongst the wood-ashes, but not one 
amongst the soot. Now as soot can be more easily 
obtained than wood-ashes, and as I have proved its efficacy, 
I trust that many of “your readers who may have suffered 
from this jinsect will be induced to give it a trial.—7, 
Appleby. 
Myatt’s Pine Strawberry.—After your notice of this 
Pine Strawberry, the culture appears so clear that J am 
reluctant to again throw over this variety any mystery 48 
to its cultivation, Deep trenching and manure (with early 
planting) will go very far to ensure success with any 
Strawberry, if the plants are not crowded 5 but as many - 
persons may not have the dry situation recommended for 
their preservation in winter, I can inform them that the 
very finest unfailing crops, in my experience, are grown 
in a marsh that, after heavy rains or floods from an ad- 
joining stream, will scarcely bear the weight of a man, and 
Lhave seen them produce their finest crop after lying 
| 
