December 26, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
495 
—_ > 
the manipulation of the soot door and damper, both of which are intended 
to check draught, and the damper is also meant to retain heat about the 
boiler and to prevent its escape up the chimney. In a saddle-back boiler 
heating a range of vineries some 80 feet in length, the fire is often left un- 
touched for eight hours, and a given temperature steadily maintained in cold 
weather by simply leaving only a very slight opening in both soot door and 
damper. the fire being of course thoroughly established, and the furnace full 
of fuel and banked with fine well-damped ashes at the time of leaving it. 
We therefore counsel you to retain your saddle-backs and to apply this hint. 
Also see if your boilers are well set. The fire should pass under the boiler, 
back along one side, over the top near the door, and along the other side to 
the shaft, so as to subject its entire surface to the action of the fire. To 
ascertain the number of feet of 4-inch pipe required for lean-to houses 
divide the cubic feet of air contained in the house by 30 for a temperature 
ef 60°, and by 20 fora temperature of 70°. This will afford you sufficient 
data in calculations for houses of any size or form. 
MACHINE FOR WASHING FLOWER Pots (7. W.).—A really efficient pot- 
washing machine would be a boon to gardeners, and if reasonable in price it 
would probably command a sale when fairly before the public. 
CUCUMBERS BITTER (22. H.).—Bitterness of the fruit often arises from 
slow growth, If more active root-action can be induced, and the tempera- 
ture of the house can be raised a few degrees, improvement will probably 
follow, and in spring the bitterness will probably disappear. The quality of 
the fruit hitherto haying been good affords evidence that the fault is not 
attributable to the variety. 
HEATING BY PARAFFIN STOVE (Jf S.).—For preserving such plan 
youname—Fuchsias and Geraniums—a temperature of 52° is nnnec 
high. With a good and well-managed lamp and good paraffin ther 
be little smell from the stove. If you have to make the stove very hot a 
shallow vessel of water should be placed on it to prevent the atmosphere of 
the house becoming too dry. 
HARDY PERENNIALS FOR FLOWERING THE FIRST SEASON (Somer 
—Antirrhinums, Deiphiniums in variety, Dianthus chinensis vars., Pansy 
vars., Verbena venosa, Pentstemons, Pyrethrums, and Violas, they being 
forwarded in gentle heat. All hardy perennials are best raised from seed 
sown in May or June in the open ground, and they will dower with certainty 
the year following, Phlox decussata and Adonis vernalis not excepted. You 
may readily find the names of hardy perennials by referring to any descrip- 
tive seed catalogue. 
ANNUALS FOR GREENHOUSE DECORATION (X. X.X. and W. W.).—We 
presume you mean hardy annuals, which, by sowing in gentle heat so as to 
forward them, can be had in flower early in the on, growing them in 
cold frames or with a little heat, it being mtial that they have only suffi- 
cient heat to keep them gently moving. They must also be kept near the 
glass to prevent drawing, and have free ventilation to keep the plants sturdy. 
All the dwarf-growing kinds are suitable, a few of which are—Asperula 
azurea setosa, Calandrinia grandiflora, Alyssam maritimum, Collinsia bi- 
color, C. candidissima, Clarkia integripetala limbata, C. pulchella marginata 
flore-pleno, Kaulfussia amelloides, Nemophilas, Nolana atriplicifolia, Gino- 
thera bistorta Veitchi, Schizanthus pinnatus, Silene pendula and. vars., 
Whitlavia grandiflora, and many others. Many of the half-hardy annuals 
are very effective when grown in pots. The names of hardy and tender 
annuals may be found in any catalogue. 
SEEDS FROM SoUTH AMERICA (Z. Jf, F.).—Your deciphering of the 
names appears correct, but 3 is probably Aspleninm gelatinum ; 4, Pteris 
scaberula; 9, Coprosma lucida, greenhouse evergreen, loam; 10, Pittosporum 
tenuifolium, New Holland, loam with a little peat, greenhouse evergreen ; 
2is no doubt Todea; it and 3 and 5 succeed ina greenhouse temperature, 
but should be raised in heat, the Ferns requiring to be moist and shaded, 
and Filmy Ferns, Hymenophyllum and Todea, constantly wet. The others 
should be sown in strong bottom heat early in March. 
REMOVING BARK FROM VINES (Young Gardener).—We advise the loose 
bark to be removed ; but scraping or peeling, so as to injure the live bark, 
cannot be too severely condemned. Aérial roots on the stems of Vines are 
often caused by defective root-action, but are more frequently resultant of a 
close and moist atmosphere, with frequent damping of the rods. 
LAPAGERIA ROSEA (J.P. C.).—We should defer transferring the Lapageria 
to the orchard house until February or March, as the plant from being grown 
in a greenhouse will be likely to feel the change and suffer from frost if 
remoyed now, whereas by another winter it would be more hardy, and would 
better endure the cold; the roots being well protected it is nearly hardy. 
STRAWBERRIES FROM SEED (J. £.).—Strawberries will fruit the follow- 
ing year if raised from seed sown in heat in February, some probably in the 
autumn of the first year. Slates or tiles should be about 15 inches long by 
9 inches wide, placing them on both sides of the plants. Leaves are a poor 
manure for Strawberries, and no efficient substitute for stable manure, 
thongh in a decomposed state are useful. In the fresh state they are worth- 
Jess, and should be at least half decayed before being employed. We should 
apply the guano in liquid form, pouring it between the rows after the plants 
come into flower, one ounce of gnano toa gallon of water. You will gain 
little by raising plants from seed, very likely be much disappointed. Well- 
rooted runners taken from fertile plants afford the most satisfactory results. 
ERRATUM.—The new Pear exhibited by Messrs. Wm. Paul & Son at the 
last meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society was incorrectly printed in 
our report Theresia Nevill. The correct name of the Pear is Meresia Nevill, 
as in the “ Fruit Manual.” 
NAMES OF PLANTS (Somersel)—Pinus Pinaster. 
t). 
THE HOME FARM: 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
THE MANAGEMENT OF SWINE. 
(Continued from page 477.) 
We will refer now to the pens recommended for store stock 
and fatting pigs. Having previously stated that the meal house. 
&c., should be in the centre of two ranges of buildings, the range 
may be continuous and facing the south, unless from circum- 
stances it may be necessary to take another line, when the build- 
ing may face the west. Werecommend that the building should 
be 20 feet space and be covered with a pantile roof, and be of 
the same height as previously stated—that is, the eaves to be 
7z feet from the ground level. A pitched path should be formed 
in front, raised 12 inches from the ground, in this case for de- 
fensive purposes only. In these sties we recommend a feeding 
path at the back of the shed, 3 feet wide with fixed iron troughs 
and flap shutters attached for feeding purposes, and communicat- 
ing with the meal house, boiling house, kc. The divisions of the 
sties should be of iron, either flat bars fixed at about 6 inches 
apart and 43 feet in height, or sheet iron galvanised of the same 
height, the divisions to be 10 feet apart; this will leave after 
taking off the feeding path, &c., pens of 16 feet by 10 feet. The 
frontage may be of wood or sheet iron, and haying a 23-feet 
wicket to each sty, so that from the front earth, litter, and dung 
may be added or removed as the case may be. These sties will 
be excavated 2 feet deep below the ground level and feeding 
path, but the troughs being fixed instead of rising with the 
mImanure as it accumulates, a space nexs the trough 3 feet wide 
should be left on the ground level to give the pigs a footing 
level with the feeding trough. The portion of the sties to be 
excavated will therefore be 13 feet by 10 feet. It is, however, 
sometimes excavated the whole distance of 16 feet, and then 
instead of only filling-in about 8 or 10 inches in depth of earth 
over the whole of the pen, the earth is filled-in 1} foot in depth 
in front of the troughs, giving a footing for the animals at feed- 
ing time, and an absorbent floor throughout. This in daily use 
will be littered with straw or other materials as cleanliness dic- 
tates, and be allowed to accumulate as long as convenient, but 
the dung should not be allowed to remain in one spot, but be 
spread over the pen each time that fresh litter is applied. A 
boar’s pen may be placed at the far end of the building entirely 
separate from the other pens, the feeding trough being in the 
same range. An off pen adjoining, however, should be made for 
use (when a sow pays the boar a visit), with a wicket 2} feet 
wide leading out of the boar’s pen. The division between the 
boar’s pen and the adjoining pen should be carried up to the 
cross bream—that is, 7$ feet from the ground level. The animal 
may then Jead a quiet life without being disturbed by the other 
stock, and be fed with a moderate diet of vegetable food and 
cracked beans, or peas, or beanmeal. 
We will now refer to the young pigs after being weaned. The 
sows having been removed from them and placed in a yard where 
dung is stored, the young pigs may be fed in the same pen, and 
there remain until they are old enough to be fed for fattening 
and be placed in the fatting sties before named. The food should 
now be in accordance with the time they will be required for 
killing. If for quarter pork of light weights, say from 60 lbs. to 
80 Ibs. each, they cannot be kept too high immediately they are 
weaned, and upon farms where butter or cheese-making is carried 
out there will always be a portion of whey or buttermilk available. 
This with barleymeal and a slight addition of bean or peameal 
will make them fat in a short time, and afford meat of the best 
quality with a fair proportion of lean and fat combined. In the 
winter months the food should be given warm. When the pigs 
are required to be kept for a time as store animals, we object to 
their being allowed to run at liberty about a farmyard as they 
often are; first, because we know nothing of a farmyard except 
as a temporary manure store, and this under our advice should be 
occupied by the breeding sows as before stated ; secondly, these 
animals we look upon as manure-making machines as well as 
profitable stock on the home farm ; therefore, when they are kept 
in pens as before stated they will not only have left their manure 
in the most available state, but their health will be insured as far 
as management can contribute to it; at the same time their well- 
doing will be assured by the warmth and comfort of the pens, 
because warmth and regularity of temperature must always be 
considered an equivalent to a certain amount of food. When the 
pigs are required to be kept on for bacon at weights about 200 Ibs. 
each, they should be removed to the larger pens, where plenty of 
room will be found for feeding. placing about six animals in each 
pen. Upto the time they reach seven months old they may be 
fed with cracked beans, peas, or maize about twice a day, and in 
addition during the summer months they may have a liberal 
allowance strewed over their pens of green fodder, such as iri- 
folium, yetches, clover, and the cutting of borders containing 
hog weed, cow parsley, and coarse grasses, followed in the autumn 
by the earliest roots, such as carrots, turnips, and Swedes, also 
cabbages—in fact, anything except mangolds, which we reject 
altogether, as we haye often seen young pigs killed by their use, 
-and after death the lungs have been found decayed and often 
turned a black colour. This mode of feeding will keep the stock 
in a growing state, the beans and other broken grain contributing 
a good foundation for future fattening by making a good pro- 
poriion of lean flesh, and the manure made will be good, because 
any portion of the green fodder not consumed will be trodden 
down and “mproyve the accumulating manure. 
When the store pigs are about six or seven months old they 
