January 27, 1SG3. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



67 



The present Canadian-house is on a slop?; it is IS feet long, I 

 15 feet wide, and 1-1 feet deep, with the bottom -1 or 5 feet sunk 

 in the earth. The filling, or ice, is up to the height of the walls, 

 then a straw covering on the ice, and above the straw 6 feet of 

 empty space under the span-roof, to speak in garden language. A 

 ventilator is in the ridge of the roof at one end, and a door in 

 the bottom of the wall at the other end, and just within the 

 door a four- feet-square space is fenced-off from the ice, that 6pace 

 boing open as high as 14 feet, the top of the ice, and then com- 

 municating with the six-feet empty space over the ice. 



Now, that empty space at the end of the ice-house is the 

 Canadian dairy and store-room for things requiring to be kept 

 cool, and the door into the dairy is opened on an average — say 

 so many times a-day. Every time that door is opened a 

 volume of hot air, sometimes at 96°, 4 feet square, rushes into 

 the ice-house, then up the "shaft" 14 feet, and along the top 

 over the ice to the ventilator in the ridge at the other end, yet 

 that large volume of hot air eo passing from the very bottom of 

 the ice at one end to the top, and along the top to the other end, 

 does not affect the ice in the least— that is to say, a column 4 feet 

 square and 20 feet in perpendicular height is only separated by 

 a covering of 6 inches in thickness of sawdust, and so much 

 Btraw from the ice, and yet the farmer tells his brother pro- 

 prietors from actual experience, and through their own organ, 

 the Canadian Agriculturist, that an ice-house constructed in 

 that manner " is one of the best investments for a farmer." 



But an entirely new turn has just taken place on the question 

 of ice-keeping. Many people have run away with the idea that 

 they could keep a few loads of ice in a stack, or in a shed, or in 

 some kind of underground contrivance. There are three such 

 attempts on my books from my own part of the county of 

 Surrey, and the same tale has been told at our office — all a dead 

 failure, of course, and all also arising from this driving of warm 

 air full against the heaps of ice. Now, I must say in earnest 

 that to attempt to preserve twenty, thirty, or forty loads of ice 

 is only throwing money under the ice. I said fifty loads are 

 about the smallest quantity that should be tried ; but I was 

 very wrong in the calculation — I forgot the difference between 

 a load of ice and a load of sand. Can any one tell me the 

 quantity of ice that should be in a load of it ? 



As far as I know, a load of ice is no given quantity at all. 

 A Scotch cart will carry as much in one load as two of many 

 English carts. When I Baid fifty loads of ice I meant the bulk 

 of fifty loads of sand or fifty solid yards. The probability is 

 that it would need seventy-five common cartloads of ice to make 

 the fifty loads, or fifty solid yards in my calculation. But sup- 

 pose you start with sixty fair good loads of it for a trial. I 

 should not like to trust the packing of it, or the openings to 

 get to it and from it, to a person who was not a thoroughly 

 good hand at that branch by previous experience. 



If you calculate the capacity of that Canadian ice-house — the 

 good-investment-house — it will make you open your eyes if your 

 notions are under a hundred loads in a lump. Just calculate 

 how many solid yards or loads are in 18 feet by 15 feet, and 

 14 feet, the dimensions of the said house, and then take from 

 it the quantity made by 4 feet square and 14 feet in depth, and 

 you will find the quantity of ice is comparatively enormoaB. 



After all, ten to one if that Canadian landholder is not a 

 Scotchman, and, if he is, he only followed the best practice of 

 my countrymen to a better issue ; for, if you recollect, that 

 Scotch gentleman whose good opinion I am so particular about 

 — Mr. Anderson, of Meadow Bank, told us about this time 

 last year that the best contrivance he had seen in the west of 

 Scotland had four hundred loads of ice in it, and their carts 

 there and their Clydesdale horses are much better for the pur- 

 pose than we could find in England. That was, indeed, the 

 best contrivance we had in the whole campaign — a kind of 

 rustic Bhed on the north side of a wall ; but recollect, the walls 

 in Scotland are of stone, and are so much thicker and bo much 

 better for putting ice against than brick walls — that should be 

 allowed for in the calculation. 



As far as I can make out, bricks are the very worst of materials 

 to put ice against ; they absorb moisture fast and keep it as long 

 afterwards as there is any damp or wet within the influence of 

 their sucking powers. But just think of the difference between 

 twenty English cartloads and four hundred loads out of a Scotch 

 cart ! I have kept under a hundred good cartloads in a stack 

 till ice came again ; and the expense of harvesting it could not 

 he much more per hundred than where the four hundred loads 

 were put, for the carts took it to the spot. D. Beaton. 



FLOWERS OF THE LAST SEASON. 



GREENHOUSE PELARGONIUMS. 

 In these railroad days it is hard work to keep up with things 

 at the rate at which they go. Every one seems pushing on at 

 express speed. Competition is endless ; and we have hardly 

 time to take our cup of coffee before the bell rings and we are 

 off again, protesting all the while that it is very hard lines to be 

 allowed no breathing time. It is so, I am sure, in gardening. 

 One set of new flowers is hardly grown, notes taken of them, 

 and determination to let all the world (because, of course, any 

 one who is somebody reads The Journal oe Horticulture), 

 know about them, when lo ! another little lot comes in to put 

 their noses out of joint ; and I am sure if flowers were all 

 sensitive plants, they would feel quite as sulky as does Master 

 Knickerbocker when he finds the baby boy with which he was 

 so delighted at first has absorbed the attention which he alone 

 formerly received. It Beems a long while ago since the Pelar- 

 goniums of which I now write were exhibited as seedlings ; and 

 I believe in the present instance this feeling is greatly increased, 

 owing to the superior excellence of the seedlings of last Beason. 

 We do not much care to know about anything, good though it 

 may be, when we know that there is something much better of 

 the same sort coming on ; and the year 1861-62 was not par- 

 ticularly distinguished for the excellence of its seedling Pelar- 

 goniums, although there were some flowers of real merit amongst 

 them. 



It is, of course, well known that Mr. Charles Turner, of the 

 Royal Nursery, Slough, stands Al as the letter-out of new 

 Pelargoniums, Messrs. Dobson & Sons being the only other 

 firm from whom they emanate, they only letting-out their own 

 seedlings ; while Mr. Turner, in addition to those he raises 

 himself, has on his list the flowers of those well-known raisers 

 S. W. Hoyle, Esq., of Reading, E. Foster, Esq., of Clewer 



Manor, and W. Beck, Esq., of Worton Cottage, lsleworth. It 

 is of their flowers, then, that I now specially write, as Mr. 

 Turner has most kindly every year furnished me with plants, and 



thus given me an opportunity of ascertaining their merits which 



I should not have otherwise had. 



The gradually- widening circle of Pelargoniums has now reached 



four distinct sorts — the Large-flowering, Fancies, Spotted, and 



French or Bizarre — odd-looking flowers, which, however, tend 



much to the gaiety of the house from their profusion of bloom. 



The first-named class being, however, I think, the more general 



favourites, instead of naming all those which were sent out in 



the autumn of 1861, I shall rather select those which seemed 



to me to have any peculiar merit. 



large-flowering pelargoniums. 

 Arcturus (Beck), this is one of those brilliant scarlet flowers 



which are alsvays attractive. The petals were well held together, 



and not inclined, as some are, to become loose and open. 



Alba Segina (Beck), a pretty flower of Fairest-of-the-Fair 



style of growth. With me the blooms were small, although the 



colour was very pleasing. 



Celeste (Hoyle), this was one of the most novel of the new 



flowers, the colour being a brilliant orange maroon with clear 



white centre. A fine plant of it was exhibited by Mr. Charles 



Turner in one of his collections, and was greatly admired. 



With me it had an inclination to crumple in the top petals. If 



this defect should disappear it will be a great addition, owing to 



the beauty of its colour. 



Mrs. Hoyle (Hoyle), another very beautiful light flower ; the 



colour a sort of light violet rose ; small black spot on the top 



petals. A large and free-flowering variety. 



JPrincetta (Hoyle), one of those painted flowers which are to 



my mind so very attractive, and this was a fine variety of the 



kind ; very dark top petals, in fact, rich glossy black, with a 



narrow crimson margin ; lower petals richly painted with rose 



and dark red. 



Sylph (Beck), a nice, neat-looking flower ; white ground, with 



purple on top petals. 

 Lord, Chancellor (Foster), a nicely-shaped flower ; the lower 



petals richly painted ; the top ones dark maroon ; centre of 



flower white. 



Patroness (Turner), a large white flower, somewhat in the 



style of Ariel ; crimson spot on top petals. The habit of this 



plant is excellent. 



SPOTTED PELARGONIUMS. 



Cyrax (Hoyle), lower petals rosy lilac, maroon spots ; centre 

 of flower white. 



