November 7, 1872. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



359 



great variety of bedding plants. — J. Gaedner, Elsham Hall 

 Gardens, Brigg. 



A KNOWLEDGE OF DRAWING FOE 

 GARDENEES. 



The winter is at hand, bringing with it long evenings and 

 opportunities for self-improvement. Now, I know of few 

 branches of knowledge more useful and interesting to a gar- 

 dener than drawing. The mechanical portion is particularly 

 suited to young men engaged in gardening pursuits. It can 

 be studied by an isolated individual, or by several persons to- 

 gether if they are hke-minded ; and to those who have a 

 desire to find a suitable employment in leisure hours during 

 the winter season, I know of no pursuit which recommends 

 itself more than drawing. 



Where to begin and how to begin, is a difficulty which deters 

 many. If an artisans' evening class for drawing is within 

 your reach, by all means take advantage of it. You will there 

 learn the great extent of the subject, many of the early diffi- 

 culties will be smoothed, and you will find that a small portion 

 of accurate knowledge will be of great practical use. An hour 

 or two of steady application to a subject of this kind each 

 evening affords a rest to the mind, and leaves it better pre- 

 pared for returning to the more engrossing pursuit of garden- 

 ing, just as a day's holiday makes the burden of daily care 

 seem lighter by its removal for the time being. 



If you cannot join a drawing class you must be your own 

 teacher. Ton will then require an instruction book of some 

 kind, as well as a few drawing materials — viz., a drawing- 

 board, T-square, a few drawing pins, and a small case of in- 

 struments. I think geometry is the most suitable branch to 

 begin with, and a very useful book for a beginning is Cassell's 

 "Lineal' Drawing," 2s. ; it is specially designed for self -tuition, 

 the directions are plain and very easily understood, and the 

 author supposes that the pupil has no previous knowledge of 

 the subject. Afterwards, if the pupil wishes to acquire a more 

 general acquaintance with the subject, I know of no better 

 work for self -teaching than Cassell's " Technical Educator," 

 which is now being issued in monthly parts. The lessons on 

 drawing are very plain and practical, with good instructions 

 for colouring drawings, and the proper use of the instruments. 



One thing I would endeavour to impress on the minds of 

 any commencing geometry, &c. — namely, aim at absolute 

 accuracy from the first. Do not be content if the lines are 

 nearly right, but try again, and again, till the work is perfect, 

 and exactness will then become habitual. Another point I 

 would mention is, to let the pupil from the beginning accustom 

 hi in self to the use of the inking instruments. To ink neatly 

 requires considerable practice, and much depends on the ink- 

 ing pen being in good order and the ink pure. 



After the pupil has gone through the lessons on geometry, 

 let him learn the use of the scale, and, beginning with simple 

 structures, draw plans and sections of glass buildings, remem- 

 bering the previous hints with regard to accuracy. 



If a gardener can draw he can make his own plans for new 

 houses, &c, and arrange every detail at his leisure, instead 

 of being to a great extent at the mercy of the builder ; he 

 can also form a better judgment as to whether the work is 

 being satisfactorily executed. The use of drawing in the 

 formation of flower gardens is, of course, apparent to any 

 practical gardener. — W. P. 



LAEGE-CEOWNED PINE APPLES— GLOXINIAS. 



I have lately seen inquiries made about overlarge crowns on 

 Pine Apples, and in reply I can state the following remedy for 

 the evil. 



As soon as a crown is of the desired size I take a not very 

 sharp-pointed but sharp-edged flower-stick about 8 inches in 

 length, insert it into the centre of the crown, and twist it like 

 a gimblet into the heart of it ; I then remove the few loosened 

 leaves, and the crown will cease to grow, but the operation is 

 not detrimental to the swelling of the fruit. 



An article appeared on page 272, in which it is stated that 

 Gloxinia maculata and speciosa were both introduced into 

 Europe in 1739 from South America. I beg to differ from Mr. 

 A. Kerr, inasmuch as L'Heritier, a French botanist, brought 

 Gloxinia maculata first into public notice as late as 1774, the 

 plant being named in honour of P. H. Gloxin, of Strasburg, 

 who published several articles on botany in 1775. As for 

 Gloxinia speciosa, it flowered for the first time in Europe in 



Loddiges' establishment in 1817 ; and I daresay some aged 

 members of the profession will recollect the sensation caused 

 in the gardening world on the first plant developing its blue 

 flowers.— A. Wipf, Gardener, Hcighington Hall. 



[You are wrong relative to G. maculata. It was discovered 

 by Mr. Robert Millar near Carthagena in South America, who 

 sent seeds to Europe ; and Mr. Philip Miller, author of the 

 well-known Dictionary, cultivated it in 1739.— Eds.] 



MTSTEEIOTJS DISAPPEAEANCE OF SPANISH 

 CHESTNUTS. 

 On Saturday, October 26th, I placed in a basket on the floor 

 of my fruit-room rather more than a peck and a half of Spanish 

 Chestnuts, thinking to store them away in sand on Monday. 

 I saw them all safe about ten o'clock on Sunday morning, but 

 upon going in about the same time on Monday every Chestnut 

 had disappeared out of the basket, and, what was worse, out 

 of sight ; so, as the window was fast, the door locked, and the 

 key had not been out of my possession — there being, moreover, 

 no other aperture by which anyone could gain access to them 

 — we commenced moving some seed Potatoes, Beetroot, Onions, 

 and, in fact, everything except an empty barrel standing upon 

 some bricks, and not a single nut could we find. The head 

 of this barrel was out, a piece of lath across the top, and upon 

 that some garden mats. We did not for one moment expect 

 to find them there, as the distance from the basket to the 

 top of the barrel was 11J feet ; but to my great surprise, when 

 the mats were removed there were the Chestnuts, and the 

 industrious little fellow that had so mysteriously emptied my 

 basket (a mouse), which seemed rather alarmed at my appear- 

 ance at his storeroom ; but of course he had no chance to 

 make his escape, so had to suffer the penalty of death for his 

 pains. He was a large light brown mouse with a very long 

 tail, but nothing approaching to a rat either in size or colour. 

 I have no doubt that many will read this, and not only think, 

 but say, that it was impossible for a mouse to convey the 

 Chestnuts from the basket to the barrel in the space of twenty- 

 four hours, which he did, and by himself, I believe, as no 

 trace of any other mouse has been seen since then in the room 

 or near it, and there was no chance for a rat to have assisted- 

 him, as there was not even a mouse-hole. This little fellow- 

 must have got in some time when the door was open. — S. 

 Taylor, Sion Hill, Kidderminster. 



[The stealer and storer was not a house mouse, but the 

 garden mouse, Mus sylvaticus ; it frequently comes into a house 

 at this time of the year, and establishes a store. —Eds.] 



WATEE PEEYENTING FREEZING. 



Could you or your correspondents tell me whether placing 

 a pailful of cold water in a room would keep away frost, so that 

 Potatoes spread on the floor should not be frosted when there 

 was ice on the water half an inch thick ? I have never tried it 

 myself, but an old man assured me that it would, and that he 

 had done it dozens of times. He says the water draws the 

 frost to it, and so the Potatoes escape unhurt. — A. P., 

 Charlton. 



[As long as the water remained unfrozen the Potatoes 

 would probably remain uninjured, for the obvious reason that 

 the cold is not sufficiently low to cause freezing ; but so soon 

 as ice appeared upon the v water the Potatoes would be badly 

 off. A3 for the water drawing the frost to it, that is only the 

 utterance of ignorance. Water in freezing gives out heat, and 

 so for a short time would render the ah- less cold than if the 

 water were not there. — Eds.] 



BOILEES AT THE EOYAL HOETICULTUEAL 

 SOCIETY'S BIRMINGHAM EXHIBITION. 



No. 4. 

 Continuing our notes, we come next to Stand 54, Mr. Edwin 

 Lumby, West Grove "Works, Halifax, Yorkshire, who had for 

 competition a boiler called the Excelsior. It is cylindrical, 

 made of wrought iron, with two flows and two return pipes. 

 The smoke is made to traverse the outside of the boiler, passing 

 through an aperture with a smoke-grating left on one side of 

 the boiler ; and by means of midfeathers placed on two sides of 

 the boiler the smoke is made to descend under the midfeather 

 and to rise on the opposite side, the draught being divided, and 

 the whole of the boiler encircled with the products of com- 



