320 



THE DRY STOVE. 



EuphorMa, Stapelia^ and Cactcea, but certainly not for Crassulu and Aloe. 

 These, however, should upon no consideration be plunged into a bottom 

 heat, but should occupy shelves or other situations where they may be 

 kept dry at the root, and be fully exposed to the sun and air. 



Tlie mode of heating the Dry Stove does not differ from that of other 

 plant-houses, only as a higher temperature is requked, provision must be 

 made by increasing the number of flues, steam or hot-water pipes, as has 

 been noticed in the Moist or Humid Stove. For the purpose of producing 

 a mild bottom heat for the plants to be placed on, a much better, neater, 

 and less expensive method, instead of filling the pit with fermentable mate- 

 rial, such as tan, leaves, or dung, would be to leave it an open vault, covered 

 over at top with twelve-mch tiles, laid on iron bearers : on these tiles 

 some fine river-sand might be placed in which to plunge the pots, or to 

 set them on. The necessary heat would be obtained by carrying hot 

 water or steam pipes through it so as to heat the chamber, which would 

 give it out through the tiles on the top to the plants in an uniform and 

 sufficient quantity ; or the chamber or vault might be intersected with 

 brick flues, through which the pipes should run, or even be filled entirely 

 with brick-bats, or soft porous stones, as already recommended in the 

 early part of tliis work : these would absorb the heat, and give it out 

 gradually, even long after the steam or hot water had ceased to circulate 

 amongst them. Small tubes might be introduced through the tiles or 

 bed of sand, to admit copious supplies of steam into the body of the 

 house when requu'ed. 



The directions for propagation, already so fully entered into in the Moist 

 Stove, are in most cases apphcable to this also. 



