318 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



fresh plant one or two beds every seaijon. But for the trouble 

 and unsightliness there is no better plan of blanching Sea-kale 

 at this season than covering the plants a foot or 15 inches thick 

 with leaves. When pots or boxes are used, a little light is apt 



S* $t i D ' U " IeS8 tlle pots ' &0 '' are 00Tere<i all over with earth. 

 Pricked out Celery ; sowed in succession. Pricked out Chilies, 

 &c. Potted succession Cucumbers, and sowed for ridges, and 

 Vegetable Marrows for general crop, as the plants do better 

 when not stunted or knocked about before planting. 



PBTJIT OAEDEN. 



Run the hoe through Strawberry-beds and borders, which are 

 now showing their trusses strongly. This will kill incipient 

 weeds, keep the ground from cracking, and let rains go in nicely 

 when they come. Had we such a thing at command we would; 

 now give the plants a slight dressing with soot or lime, or both 

 together as the first will tell on the quality of the crop, and 

 both wi.l keep slugs and worms at a distance. 



Some time ago we told of making patent ventilators in the 

 iront wall of a Cucumber-pit, the openings being the size of a 

 half-brick, and these were fitted with wooden plugs in the wedge- 

 shape, so that we could give very little air or take out the plug 

 as we liked. As the openings are against the hot-water pipes no 

 plan could answer better for securing a sweet hot atmosphere. 

 .But there are few advantages without some countervailing dis- 

 advantages ; and the disadvantage in this case is that these open- 

 ings being a little above the outside ground level, mice have 

 got m, and soon let us know they were there. Close to the 

 back wall and the glass of this narrow pit is a shelf of Straw- 

 berries that were, if anything, extra promising and just taking 

 their second swelling. In a night or two they cleared them at 

 well that it is not worth while keeping the plants. We should 

 have been apt to have forgiven the mice if they had eaten what 

 they liked, and left the remainder; but the shelf and the surface 

 ot the pots were covered with fruit not half swelled which they 

 mpped-off and strewed about for their diversion, after selecting 

 a few of the half-ripened seeds. We trust, as they have cleared 

 away since phosphoric paste and poisoned wheat, that they have 

 been punished for their misdeeds. Fortunately they have not as 

 yet troubled Strawberries ripe or green elsewhere. In using 

 manure water even now for Strawberries, care should be taken" 

 that it is clear and not too strong, or it will do more injury than 

 good. The same rule applies to all fruit trees in pots. The 

 amount and the strength of the manure water should depend 

 not only on the wants of the plant, but also on its condition. 

 A plant in full growth with vigorous shoots and swelling fruit 

 will like an amount of nourishment in the shape of strong 

 liquids that would next to glut and render sickly a plant merel? 

 swelling its ouds or opening its blooms. 



Thinned Grapes, tied-up Vines in late house loosely, keeping 

 them still a good way from the glass to guard against suddeS 

 extremes, as we do not wish to give them any or much artificial 

 heat at present. Shut-up one orchard-house early in the after- 

 noons, so that it may succeed the Peach-house sooner. In such 

 a case one fruitful source of mischief is not giving air soon 

 enough in the morning. In this house we placed an old iron 

 stove that was lying about after being turned out of some part 

 of the mansion ; and though we have had little occasion to light 

 it this season, our previous experience with it and what we have 

 seen of brick Arnott's Btoves leads us to the conclusion, that for 

 places where a high temperature is not needed no other plan is so 

 simple and economical. So far as fuel is concerned, a Bnaall shovel- 

 ful will often do more than a bushel either by common flue or hot 

 water, if people would take a little trouble with simple matters. 

 Of course we are glad to see all experiments tried, and we have no 

 fault to find with those who for some little pet greenhouse will 

 have an expensive boiler and a hot-water apparatus which, after 

 all, they find consumes a vast deal more fuel than they were 

 given to believe. Nothing is bo nice as hot water for a fine 

 finished greenhouse ; but there are many houses where the ex- 

 treme of nicety is not at all desirable— where keeping plants and 

 truit and working comfortably amongst them, and a moderate 

 degree of neatneBs are more wanted than the extreme of elegance 

 and refinement ; and in many such places we have not a doubt 

 that a healthy temperate atmosphere may be maintained by a 

 stove with large evaporating-pan for years for something like 

 the expense that would be required to set a hot- water apparatus 

 fairly going. Even for starting the idea of brick stoves Mr. 

 Kiyers deserves the thanks of all humble amateur gardeners. 

 With all thiB we should never think of having anything but 



[ April 28, 1863. 



hot water in a large establishment, as combining in sueh circum- 

 stances ease of management with general economy. 



Having said this much, we hope that the discussion about 

 Hues and boilers and the best boilers, suggested by our friend 

 Mr. Kobson, will be attended with some valuable results, though 

 we are not very sanguine on the subject. Aa to the mere eco- 

 nomy of fuel, having had considerable experience with flues and 

 the various kinds of boilers, the result of that experience is, that 

 for moderate- sized houses to be heated singly by a flue or singly 

 by a boiler, and where a somewhat regular high temperature is re- 

 quired, the flue will be the most economical, and if in good order 

 will be just as safe as the boiler and the pipes. When several such 

 houses are to be heated by one boiler, then economy in fuel will 

 be on the side of the hot water, as there is only one wasting 

 chimney instead of many. The chief drawback againBt this 

 system is that the boiler may fail at a very critical time, and 

 whole crops be ruined before it can be mended or a freBh one 

 put in. At such times the discarded and slighted stove and even 

 unhealthy open pans of charcoal have had to be resorted to. 



BOILEBS BT/ESTINS. 

 As we have alluded to the subject we Bhould also, like Mr. 

 Robson, wish for facts as to the wearing-out qualities of cast- 

 iron and wrought-iron boilers. We have heard of a good many 

 of both kinds giving way within these two years. In our own 

 practice the wrought-iron have been by far the least lasting. 

 From what old men tell us there are two cast-iron boilers here 

 that have had rough treatment, and must have been worked 

 for at least thirty years. We have had two wrought-iron ones 

 worn out into holes and to the thinness of a wafer in about fifteen 

 years. Both of these gave way in critical times— the first in 

 the terrible frost of Christmas, 1860 ; and the Beeond, which 

 heats three pits, gave way early last year, when all the places 

 were filled with plants needing heat. 



This reminds us that we have never answered some half a dozen 

 letters as to how we doctored-up this boiler, so that, bad as it 

 was, it is doing its work well now ; and we suppose we must 

 let it do so until it collapses again. The boiler was saddle- 

 backed, and some 15 inches deep on the side. On examining 

 the side where the water streamed out into the flue, there, for 

 the space of a foot, the iron was so worn out that we could stick 

 our fingers through it. The dread of having to wait for a fresh 

 boiler made us resolve to tinker it in the simplest manner. The 

 old scaly iron was scraped off, and the side dried, and then well 

 smeared all over where holed and thin with a mixture of red 

 and white lead. An iron plate, some 17 inches by 10 inches, 

 was similarly daubed, and then placed against the side of the 

 boiler, and driven tight home by four pieces of iron being placed 

 across and driven down tight between the plate and the brick- 

 work on the opposite side of the flue. This held the plate 

 firmly against the side of the boiler without rivets or anything 

 else. To make assurance more sure, a row of bricks was laid on 

 the bottom of the flue on that side, holding the plate if anything 

 still more firmly, and with the disadvantage of taking off that 

 much from the depth of the flue, and thus preventing the heated 

 air acting on so much of one side of the bottom of the boiler. 

 Not a drop of water has leaked since, though the boiler has been 

 almost constantly at work ; and we suppose that now we will go 

 on with it until the other side give way. Of course, if the 

 leakage had happened in summer, common prudence would have 

 said, "Have a fresh boiler at once;" but at the se««m it oc- 

 curred we must have lost many things before the boiler eould 

 have been taken out and a fresh one put in and the connections 

 made. All the top-arched part of the boiler was as good as ever 

 it was. We feel sure that our fresh-plated part though merely 

 squeezed on will be the last to give way. 



This patching may be interesting to some one in a similar diffi- 

 culty, and we have no doubt such patching could often be done if 

 the wornout or defective part could be got at, which opens up 

 the whole question of exposed boilers, and on that, too, much 

 information is wanted — such as how best to work them so as to 

 secure all the heat they give off, and yet feed them from outside 

 the house. 



OENAMENTAI DEPARTMENT. 



Proceeded with potting and planting much the same as last 

 week. Out of doors the chief work was rolling the lawn, and 

 chiefly the sides of walks, mowing these especially, and cutting 

 afresh with line and edging-iron the sides of the walk, as if done 

 well now the shears will do all that is necessary during the 

 season, and much more easily from the cutting now; but taking 



