358 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[. November 8, 1877. 



penny, which does not after all seem very much, yet compared 

 with the outlay for heating my house it is excessive. 



While it cannot be for a moment doubted that " Respioe 

 Finem " went the right way to work in erecting his house, 

 it appears to me that he did not do so in feeding it; and there- 

 fore I beg to offer to him, and others who may feel enough 

 interest in the matter, some notes as to the way in which I 

 heated mine at much less cost for the years 1876-7, while at 

 the same time maintaining an average temperature of 50° 

 throughout three seasons of the year — i.e., autumn, winter, 

 and spring. 



My house is considerably larger than that of " Respioe 

 Finest, " being 15 feet long by S feet wide, and the heating 

 apparatus consists of a brick flue, once straight through the 

 house, the furnace being inside the house but fed from the 

 outside. For heating this, and keeping up the temperature 

 named, what was the outlay ? Why, not more than £1. And 

 of what did the fuel consist, and how much ? The answer is, 

 one and a half chaldron of coke breese supplied me by the gas 

 company here at 8s. per chaldron delivered to my house (I 

 could get it for 6s. per chaldron were I to send to their yard 

 for it), and allowing for wood and a sprinkling of coal where- 

 with to speedily light the fires, I make up at the very outside 

 20s., — a saving of nearly two-thirds on the outlay of " Respioe 

 Finem." 



Now, it is not only the cheap and at the same time excellent 

 fuel so obtained which bringB about so small an outlay. The 

 secret in economising is also to be found, to a great extent, in 

 the attention and care bestowed on the firing and the regu- 

 lating of the damper in the chimney. In my caEe I take care 

 that the furnace is well cleared every morning of all cinders 

 and ashes, thus causing a free draught, and the throwing away 

 of all clinkers, to make which breese has a great tendency ; 

 and if they remain to be used again with the fuel for freBh 

 fires the latter will be deadened and the flue not properly 

 heated, no matter how much the fire may be Btirred up. In 

 starting the fires let the damper be drawn out as much as 

 possible, but when well up the furnace may be filled with fuel 

 and the damper closed to within 1J to 2 inches (enough for 

 the escape of all smoke), thus retaining all the heat within 

 for the purpose for which the same is required. As to the fuel 

 itself, there is none in my opinion to equal the breese either 

 for its cheapness or good qualities. I do not mean to use 

 anything else, and I think I may safely say to all whom it may 

 concern, it is the cheapest and the best fuel for all lovers of 

 flowers to use who have places to grow them in other than the 

 garden during the few summer months with which we are 

 now favoured. 



My houBe is only now one year old ; my experience in it is 

 therefore short, but it has been of a practical nature, and I 

 will on some future occasion render an account thereof. It 

 may interest some of my fellow readers of these pages who 

 like myself are but amateurs. — L. Hakehan, Bromley, Kent. 



NEW FANCY PANSIES AT PINK HILL. 



When visiting Edinburgh some time ago I had the pleaBure 

 of a "look round" the Pink Hill Nursery, and of enjoying a 

 hearty shake of the hand with one of the heartiest of florists 

 — John Downie. I observed many "good things" there — 

 flowers which to my mind have something more sterling and 

 satisfying about them than Geraniums, Calceolarias, and 

 Golden Feather — such plants as Pentstemons, Phloxes, and 

 Pansies. 



Nothing attracted my attention at Pink Hill more than the 

 seedling beds of fancy Pansies. They were growing with the 

 luxuriance of Watercress, and flowering with the profusion — 

 well, of Violas. And such flowers ! The size and Bubstance 

 of some of them, together with their bold quaintness and mar- 

 vellous variation of colour, are not soon to be forgot t n. Why 

 are not these beautiful flowers more generally grown ? " Oh !" 

 someone may poEsibly reply, " th6y are northern flowers and 

 do not flourish in the sunny south." To this my reply is that 

 I have grown them three hundred miles south of Edinburgh, 

 and this not on the moist west, but on the drier east coast, 

 and have found them capable of yielding much pleasure to the 

 owner, attracting a large share of attention from visitors, and 

 recommending themselves as vorthy of being taken awty in 

 the form of " a few cuttings " by all who had the luck to 

 obtain them. The truth is they will grow and flower as well 

 in the south as in the north, but not so long ; long enough, 

 however, quite long enough, to be worthy of their room and 



cost, and to give other flowers an opportunity of having their 

 " turn" of appreciation. 



Fancy PanBies are the most free in growth of all the types 

 of Violas and the most gorgeous in colour — gorgeous but not 

 gaudy, for many of them are extremely chaste. They like a 

 generous soil and cool: afford them this, and the protection 

 also of a few pegs or sticks to prevent them being broken by 

 the wind, and they will give an ample return in any county in 

 the three kingdoms. The great point to attend to is to plant 

 them early. If very choice they should be wintered in pots in 

 a cold — quite cold — frame, and be planted out on the advent of 

 genial weather in spring. Late spring planting is a fertile 

 cause of Pansy failures. 



Since inspecting the striking beds of seedlings the work of 

 selection has been going on, and the following varieties have 

 been named as worthy of heading the list in the clasB to which 

 they belong — the latest and the best of their tribe. 



Mr. Jamieson. — Rich golden yellow ; the finest of its class that 

 has yet been raised. It has won three first-class certificates. 



Mrs. Scott Plummet: — Bronze and yellow, with a large crim- 

 son-maroon blotch. A splendid variety, having been twice 

 certificated. 



Mina. — Pure white and purple, clearly and charmingly laced. 



Mr. Comfort. — Deep rich bronze with a bright yellow eye. 



John Beveridge. — Bronze lilac shaded with blue ; of excellent 

 form and attractive. 



Iago. — Yellow, slightly edged with white ; novel and chaste. 



Mrs. Forbes. — Creamy yellow ; upper petals rosy crimson. 



Mr. A. Douglial. — Pare white, of fine form and good sub- 

 stance ; very chaste. 



Such are the cream of the Fancy Pansies at Pink Hill — Mr. 

 Downie's "latest out," and particularly worthy of "honour- 

 able mention." I have a few other new flowers in my pocket 

 book, but they must remain there for the present. — Nomad. 



VEITCH'S NEW SELF-PROTECTING AUTUMN 

 BROCCOLI. 



The Autumn Giant Cauliflower is now nearly over, but it 

 will not be much misBed, as we have several patches of the 

 new Broccoli just beginning to turn in. When growing the 

 leaves of the Broccoli are more twisted over the flower than 

 those of the Cauliflower, consequently it is better protected. 

 The seed from which the plants were raised that are now pro- 

 ducing heads was sown on the 16th of March, and the plants 

 were transferred from the seed bed to their present quarters 

 on June 6th. I send you a specimen, which I think you will 

 say surpasses Messrs. Veitch's catalogue illustration of it. I 

 did not expect it became so handsome. — J. Muie, MargamPark. 



[The Brocooli sent is extremely fine and well protected with 

 foliage, and, as you say, " surpasses the illustration" of it. — 

 Ens.] 



THE KOSE ELECTION.— No. 5. 



NUBSEEYMEN'S VOTES. 

 The Roses in the following returns are placed in the order 

 of merit — namely, the first best twelve, the second best twelve, 

 and the third best twenty- four varieties, except where otherwise 

 expressed. 



Mr. Cubtis, Devon Bosery, Torquay. 

 Best forty-eight exhibition Roses, approximating to their order of merit as 

 grown in Devonshire. 

 1. Marechal Niel 7. Charles Lefebvre 



•2. Baronne do Bothschild 8. Francois Michelon 



3. Alfred Colomb 9. Bonis Van Hontte 



4. Devoniensis 10. Catherine Mermet 



5. Marie Baumann 11. Ferdinand de Leeeeps 



6. La France 12. Marquise de Castellane 



13. Etienne Levet 19- Mary Bady 



14. Niphetos 20. Souvenir d'Elise 



15. Camille Bernardin 21. Duke of Edinburgh 



16. Marie Flnser 22. Marguerite de St. Amand 



17. Madame Victor Verdicr 23. Comtesse d'Oxford 



18. Souvenir d'un Ami 24. Monsieur E. V. Teas 



25. Marie Van Hontte S7. Dupuy-Jamain 



26. Dr. Andry 8". Beauty of Waltham 



27. Mdlle. Eugenie Verdior 89. Princess Beatrice 



28. John Hopper 40. Comtesse de Serenye 



29. Victor Verdier 41. Antoine Ducher 



30. Pierre Notting 42. Duchesse de Vallombrosa 



31. Senateur Vaisso 43. Madame C. Joigneaux 



32. Ltelia 44. Annie Wood 



S3. Madame C. Wood 45. Duke of Wellington 



34. Horace Vernet 45. Sir Garnet Wolseley 



35. Reynolds Hole 47. Miss Hassard 



86. Star of Waltham 48. Prince Camille de Kohan 



