February 2,1882.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
would not allow it to be brought into the house, having decided 
that it was unfit for dessert.—W. R. 
CULTURE OF THE COCKSCOMB. 
Few plants are more effective during the late summer months 
than well-grovvn Cockscombs, though they are very seldom seen 
in good condition. The first thing to insure success is to procure 
a good strain of seed, and then, with attention to the few cultural 
remarks that I here offer, little difficulty will be experienced. A 
structure heated with hot water is not required to grow them in, 
but a good dung frame suits them admirably. Sow the seed the 
first week in March in a compost of equal parts leaf soil and loam, 
and place the pot on a hotbed. When the seeds have germinated 
the pots should have a position near the glass to insure sturdiness 
in the plants. When large enough to handle transfer the seed¬ 
lings to GO-size pots, in which they can remain until the combs 
appear ; then shift them into 48-size pots, employing a compost of 
two parts loam, one each of leaf soil and decomposed cow dung. 
Place the plants low in the pots and plunge in the frame, main¬ 
taining the heat by linings. When the pots are filled with roots 
transfer the plants to 24 or 16-size pots, having the soil rough. 
Still keep them plunged until the combs have grown their full 
size, supplying liquid manure freely. They can then be removed 
to a cooler temperature, and finally into the conservatory, when 
the supply of water must be carefully attended to, or the roots 
will die.—A Berkshire Man. 
INCRUSTATION OF BOILERS. 
In September last I wrote in reference to the “scale” on a 
boiler described by Mr. Ollerhead, that I believed such scale was 
caused by the boiling of the water rather than the mere hardness 
of it ; which boiling ought not to take place in any circulator of 
hot water for heating purposes. Last month I was called to see a 
boiler of about the same heating power, but of the form called 
“ Witley Court,” which had burst for a length of about 2 feet along 
the inside of upper flue. One patch had been put on a large 
crack about a year previously and stood well. When the boiler 
was taken out it was thought to be unusually heavy, in fact 4 to 
5 cwt. more than a new one, and on breaking it up it was found 
that the whole of this extra weight was incrustation. The boiler 
being only 5 feet long, the weight of this scale was greater in pro¬ 
portion than that in Mr. Ollerhead’s case, and much greater 
when it is considered that the one I saw was in use only three 
winters, or a total equal to twelve months continuous use. The 
water was not hard, being that in ordinary use in Westminster, 
and it even had some liquid mixed with it as in adjoining steam 
boiler to prevent furring. If it had not been for this scale we 
should have said that bad welding or faulty iron was to blame. 
There was one 6-inch flow, and one 6-inch return ; but the flow 
was on the top front, and the return in the middle of the end. The 
man in charge said that both flow and return pipes were equally 
hot (as might have been expected), and that the water in an 
expansion box on the top of the flow main was nearly boiling at 
times, but the coils in the building were barely warmed eight 
hours after lighting the fire, simply because there was no circula¬ 
tion going on. 
Both mains acted as flows to a certain extent, and met some¬ 
where in the building, while the boiler was destroying itself. 
This was the secret of the failure. 
If there had been tw r o 4-inch or 3-inch flows (about 2 feet apart), 
and a 4-inch return on each side as is usual, that boiler would 
have been doing good work for some years to come, because scale 
could not have formed with such an arrangement of outlets keep¬ 
ing up a constant circulation in the boiler itself. We really 
ought not to call them “ boilers,” unless they are intended to boil 
water into steam, but hot-water heaters or circulators, as that is 
their sole object. I may add that there was not a particle of 
scale on the flow and return pipes attached to the boiler, though 
the water in them must have been nearly as hot as in the boiler, 
but the fire heat did not touch them at all.—B. W. Warhurst. 
Culture of CL-elogyne cristata.— Will some successful grower 
of Caelogyne cristata give me, through the pages of the Journal, the 
proper treatment to insure success with those useful Orchids ? So 
far I have not been able to obtain that desirable object. I will 
briefly describe the treatment they have been subjected to for the 
last three years, and I hope someone will point out where I am at 
fault. The plants are potted in good peat and sphagnum, and in 
pots large enough according to size of plant, are subject to a night 
temperature in winter of 55° to 60°, and G0° to 65° by day. In 
summer 60° to 70° by night, 70° to 85° by day according to outside 
temperature. They are permanently shaded during summer with 
No. 3 tiffany. The plants are about 3 feet from the glass in a span- 
roofed house. We have not an Orchid house proper, but the plants 
are grown in a house with foliage plants, Ferns, Ac. My largest 
pseudo-bulbs scarcely measure 3 inches in circumference.— Kirby. 
POTATOES SPROUTING—“ SNIPPING " THE SETS. 
EARLY ROSE. 
My first proceeding after reading “ Single-handed’s” critical 
remarks bearing upon this subject was to turn to what I had 
written on page 50. and as expected, found I had not, even by in¬ 
ference, expressed the belief that there is no help for Potatoes 
sprouting unusually early this season. If I truthfully assert “the 
remarkable mildness of the present winter is inducing an extra 
early growth,” it does not follow I commit myself to the opinion 
that prevention is impossible. It will be seen 1 avow myself an 
“advocate of the prevention of undue sprouting,” and I may 
further add not merely in theory but in practice. At the present 
time we have not less than six bushels of Ashleafs—principally 
Veitch’s Improved—disposed on trays, with sturdy sprouts not 
half an inch in length. Others, for which we have neither trays 
nor suitable space whereon to thinly dispose them, are sprouting 
unduly ; and this is the case generally among cottagers and others, 
who having been caught napping last season are taking too great 
care of their seed Potatoes this. There is no necessity to “ put a 
considerable heap of damp Potatoes in a damp corner of a room 
and cover them ” by way of experiment, as heaps of dry Potatoes 
in dry corners according to our labourers’ experience have sprouted 
badly. Tubers “spread thinly near a window,” certainly would 
not have been so forward ; but after last season’s experience, who 
can wonder at their being kept in heaps for convenience of protec¬ 
tion ? When I offered advice on the subject I was thinking of 
others’ dilemma, not my own. 
