JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 16, 1881. ] 
491 
any found to be very dry should be well soaked in a pail or tub of 
water, and allowed to drain for a time previous to potting. The 
soil employed being in a moist state, fresh potted plants need 
not be watered for three or more days according to the weather ; 
and for a time particular care must be taken not to give more 
water than is required, especially where liberal shifts were given, 
or the fresh soil will become sodden and sour, and altogether un¬ 
suitable for the reception of the delicate roots. At the same time 
the old balls should occasionally be examined, as they frequently 
become excessively dry although surrounded with moist soil. In 
this case a basin should be formed round the stem, aud the soil be 
pierced with a wire skewer ; small quantities of water may then 
be repeatedly given till the ball is properly moistened, without 
saturating the fresh soil. This may appear a small matter, but it 
is very important, and may save the life of many a valuable 
plant. 
Those who possess a plant stove have special need of good soils 
for potting. The majority of heat-loving plants require a liberal 
quantity of good peat to root in. Many Orchids will thrive in a 
mixture of equal parts of turfy peat, sphagnum moss, and charcoal. 
As a general rule the pots for these plants should be at least half 
filled with crocks, and the plants raised above the level of rims. 
A compost consisting of two parts of roughly broken fibrous loam, 
one part each of peat and leaf soil, with a small quantity of decom¬ 
posed manure and a good addition of sharp sand, broken pot¬ 
sherds, or charcoal, will be found suitable for Caladiums, Gloxinias, 
Begonias, Lycopodiums, Ferns, Coleuses, Crotons, Dracaenas, Alla- 
mandas, Stephanotises, Cissuses, Bougainvilleas, Eucharises, and 
other similar plants. Much might be said on the subject of pot¬ 
ting, but for the present we only advise the use of clean pots care¬ 
fully drained ; giving liberal shifts to those plants that are coarse- 
rooted, such as Crotons, Caladiums, and Allamandas.— I. M. 
PRIZE BOILERS. 
A CURIOUS accidental omission occurs in our report of the 
boilers that were exhibited at South Kensington on the occasion 
Fig. 110.—Greens’ Silver-medal Tubular Saddle Boiler. 
of the great Show there. The apparatus to which the silver 
medal was awarded is described on page 462, but the name of 
the exhibitors, Messrs. Thomas Green & Son, Leeds, was not 
mentioned. As so much interest attaches to boilers, especially 
Fig. 111.—Warliurst’s Bronze-medal “ Ben’s Boiler.” 
to those for which prizes are awarded, and as it is impossible to 
explain the features of boilers without figures, we submit en¬ 
gravings of Messrs. Greens’ silver-medal tubular saddle, and 
Mr. Warhurst’s bronze-medal flued saddle boilers, so that our 
readers can comprehend their nature and form their opinions on 
their merits. Without saying a word against any other boilers 
that were in competition, we have no doubt that those to which 
the Judges made their awards are strong, durable, simple, and 
quick generators of heat. The two figures now submitted, and 
the descriptions on the page quoted, will enable the two boilers 
in question to be fully understood, and it is not necessary, there¬ 
fore, to refer to them at greater length. 
GLASS STRUCTURES FOR AMATEURS. 
Planting Vines. —The canes will have to be procured in 
autumn or winter, making choice of those with short-jointed well- 
ripened and moderately strong wood. Cut them back to such 
length that when planted there will be sufficient stem to reach to 
the trellis. Winter them in a cool house or in a shed, the roots 
especially being protected from frost. The soil in the pots must 
not be allowed to become very dry, but should be kept a little 
moist to secure the vitality of the roots. In March place them in 
the house, from which frost must be excluded, but not kept at 
more than a greenhouse temperature—viz., 40° to 45° artificially, 
ventilating at 50°, and fully above that temperature. Keep the 
canes upright to insure the upper eyes breaking first, and the soil 
moist. When the shoots from the uppermost buds are a couple 
of inches long turn the Vines out of the pots, carefully remove 
the soil from the roots, and spread them out as straight as 
possible, working the soil amongst them, and cover about 3 inches 
deep. Give a good watering at a temperature of 100° to settle 
the soil, and mulch with about 2 inches thickness of short manure. 
Syringe the canes two or three times a day— i.c., morning, early 
afternoon, and at about 5.30 P.M., and shade from sun until 
established. The house should be kept rather close, ventilating 
from 60°, and allowing an advance to 70° or 75°, closing early in 
the afternoon, but not so as to raise the temperature over 80° ; 
the minimum or night temperature should be about 55°. 
When the roots are working freely in the fresh soil, as will be 
known by the shoots growing freely, make choice of the best for 
training up the trellis, and stop the others gradually at the fourth 
to the sixth leaf, not rubbing them oft' as is often done, every leaf 
being of consequence in the manufacture of roots. These super¬ 
numerary growths may be allowed to remain until the leading shoot 
or cane is growing fast and is well advanced up the trellis, when 
they may be removed close to the rod without any fear of bleed¬ 
ing, not removing them all at once but by degrees. The main 
shoot should be allowed to make all the growth possible, and the 
laterals also should be allowed to extend, but must be kept down 
so as not to interfere with the principal leaves, especially at the 
bottom of the trellis. The cane may be stopped when the bottom 
of the trellis is reached, or in the case of a half-span or span 
when the full extent of the trellis is passed over. 
Copious supplies of water will be necessary, and the surface 
should be frequently damped to encourage surface-rooting ; and 
besides sprinkling available surfaces in the early part of the day, 
the Vines should be syringed in the afternoon of fine days when 
the house is closed, which should be done early, the temperature, 
however, not being raised above 90°, and at night it should fall to 
between 60° and 65°. but no artificial heat need be employed after 
May. 
By September the canes may be as thick as walking sticks (and 
there is a difference in those) and have eyes like nuts. The wood 
must be ripened and the eyes plump at least at the bottom of 
the trellis to the extent of about a yard. This may be effected by 
lessening the supply of water to the roots, and discontinuing the 
syringing as well as admitting air more freely, and leaving a little 
on at night so as to promote a circulation of air. The laterals 
also should be shortened, commencing at the bottom of the trellis 
and cutting them back by little and little until those at the first 
3 feet of cane on the trellis are brought close in by October. The 
growths will as yet be active, which, however, it is little use en¬ 
couraging ; therefore remove part of the laterals and shorten others. 
If the wood early in October is not brown and hard, especially at 
the lower part of the trellis, fire heat must be applied, and the 
house ventilated day and night, which should be continued until 
the wood is ripe, the atmosphere being kept dry, and no water 
given at the roots except to keep the soil moderately moist. 
Either the wood will be ripe in November or never, and the house 
should be freely ventilated except during frost, and the foliage 
will soon ripen and fall off. 
When the foliage has fallen cut the canes down to a bud at about 
3 feet from the bottom of the trellis, and at once have them washed 
with soap and water, and then dressed with an insecticide, the 
house having previously been thoroughly cleansed. The border, 
particularly near the stem of the Vines, should be given a top¬ 
dressing of turfy loam with about 20 per cent, of bone dust, the 
loose surface soil of the border having been scraped off, making 
