94 



ladies' flower gardener. 



ties and holes through their centers to permit the moisture to per- 

 colate freely through the whole of the mould. The bottom being 

 properly fitted, the sides are fixed to it with brass nails — no iron 

 being used in any part. When completed and filled with plants, 

 the apparatus appears something like the cut on p. 93. 



At the upper edge of the box a groove is sunk to receive the 

 lower edge of the glass roof which rests securely in it. This 

 groove is lined with brass ; its inner lip is one sixteenth of an 

 inch lower than the outer, and at each end is a notch one fifth of 

 an inch only above the bottom of the groove to allow the con- 

 densed moisture which trickles down the inside of the glass to 

 flow back into the mould. 



The frame-work cover of which we have now to speak is made 

 of brass, with a door on one side, made to fit close. The glass 

 used for it may be of flattened crown-glass ; that for the door 

 should be plate-glass. The panes must be fitted in the frames 

 with great care, and with a putty specially made for the purpose, 

 which should, when dry, receive three coats of paint. Along the 

 top of the roof, hooks or brass rods may be placed, from which 

 small pots may be suspended. The whole of the frame-work 

 should be well fitted, and nicely put together, so as to preclude 

 as far as possible all interchange between the air in the case and 

 that in the room. 



We now come to the preparation for the plants. Lay the 

 bottom of the box with pieces of broken earthenware, to a depth 

 of two inches, as an open subsoil. Next, lay a stratum of turfy 

 loam one inch deep, and fill in the remainder of the space with 

 soil, composed of equal portions of peat and loam, mixed with 

 about one-twentieth part of rough white sand, free from iron. 

 The artificial garden-plot is now ready to receive the plants. 

 Plant these in the usual manner, and then shower over them, with 

 a fine rose watering-pot, from three to four gallons of water, till 



