VARIOUS TENDER PLANTS IN THE WINTER SEASON. 
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difficult to manage, would be found to grow to our perfect satisfaction. Those who 
cannot spare a house for this purpose, should devote a good sized pit to it. 
The intermediate house would take many plants generally considered greenhouse 
plants ; but still as many early-flowering greenhouse plants require to be kept cool 
to retard their blooming season as much as possible, it will be well to arrange the 
plants in the greenhouse so that those which require it may be protected from 
draughts or cold currents of air, while others may be fully exposed to a free flow of 
fresh air, at every favourable opportunity. Thus where there is no better accommo- 
dation, such plants as Boronias, Gompholobiums, Leschenaaltias, Pimeleas, Erioste- 
mons, Poly galas, and the like, must be placed at the warm end of the house; 
then may follow, Chorozemas, Phcenocomas, Aphelexis, Zichyas, and similar plants, 
while the cold end will be occupied by Azaleas, Heaths, Epacrises, and other hardy 
plants, which will not be injured by a free exposure to air, even in mid-winter. 
Heaths, however, when it can be so managed, should always have a house to 
themselves, as it is impossible to do justice to them and other greenhouse plants in 
the same house, heaths not liking a fire heat of more than 40°, while to do green- 
house plants justice, the temperature should never fall below 40°, except in unusually 
severe weather. Indeed for a general collection of Heaths two houses should be 
used ; one to take the free-growing kinds, such as the ventricosa's, vestita's, perspi- 
cua's, hybrida's, and other soft-wooded kinds, which delight in a free interchange of 
air and a rather damp atmosphere, and the other to contain those hard-wooded 
species which, to prevent their being infested with mildew, must be kept in a dry 
atmosphere. Of these we may enumerate such as Massonii, ferruginea, gemmifera, 
aristata, ampullacea, tricolor, and their varieties. Heaths should never be subjected 
to fire heat except in cases of absolute necessity, and we would at any time rather 
see the thermometer at the freezing point on opening the house in a morning than 
at a temperature of 40°. Heaths detest fire heat, and therefore where it can be 
so managed it will always be found better to protect the Heathery by external 
coverings in severe weather than to use fire heat except under the most necessitous 
circumstances. 
The stove, where an intermediate house is used, should be kept at a minimum 
temperature of from 55° to 60° during the dormant season ; but when the whole 
collection is kept in one house, it will be advisable to keep the dormant plants, such 
as Ixoras which have set their bloom, Dipladenias, Allamandas, Steptlianotis, &c, 
at the cold end of the house, where they can have abundance of air in favourable 
weather, while the growing plants must be kept at the warm end. Endeavour to 
keep a gentle bottom heat, and then you need not fear a low atmospheric tempera- 
ture. The atmosphere of the stove should always be kept moderately moist, 
especially when strong fires are used, and give all the air possible in favourable 
weather. These hints, we trust, will be found of service to amateurs and those 
who have not devoted much attention to the winter management of the better kinds 
of stove and greenhouse plants. 
