November 1, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
371 
not be made up before six o’clock in the evening from the 1st of 
March till the 1st of November, except when frost or high winds 
prevail, when it may be necessary to keep them going to a later hour. 
In the morning the greater part of the fire will be found at the front 
enveloped in ashes. With the back of the shovel push this well back 
and carefully clear out any clinkers. These will sometimes be found 
in a cake all over the bais. Insert the clinker iron below, turn it 
over so that the hot ashes may be left, and lift the clinker out whole, 
if possible, and place it on one side to avoid the sulphur fumes 
arising from them. Clear the bars of ashes and bring the greater 
part of the fire towards the front again, place two or three shovelfuls 
of fuel on it, put the damper in to about 2 inches, open the ashpit 
door, and leave it to burn up bright. If the weather is cold and dull 
more fuel may be added in about half an hour and the damper 
pushed in a little, but leaving the ashpit door open. If the morning 
is a bright one, and with every appearance of a fine day, the fire may 
be banked up for the day, after having burned up for ten minutes or 
so, in the same way as we have recommended for nights, but with 
half the quantity of fuel. 
In giving the directions it will of course be understood that they 
will only apply to those who have properly fitting furnace doors and 
a damper in the chimney. Sometimes I have seen the ashpit doors 
rusted and immoveable on their hinges for want of use, and often 
missing altogether. Furnace doors are sometimes turned and twisted 
and anything but airtight. And, again, how often do we find boilers 
without anything in the shape of a damper in the flue to regulate the 
draught! Young gardeners are not responsible for these matters, and 
therefore cannot be expected to produce the gieatest amount of heat 
from a given quantity of fuel. In the absence of both ashpit door 
and damper, in making up the fire use wet ashes and have the furnace 
door open a little way ; but if there is a damper but no ashpit door 
the furnace door should be closed to exclude any cold air reaching 
the boiler surface. Leaving the furnace door open at night is a very 
common mistake. If the doors are so well fitted as to prevent the 
necessary air from reaching the fire, a little should be admitted by 
the small ventilator generally fitted into the ashpit door. 
In conclusion allow me to urge upon your readers the great 
importance of having a damper in every chimney in the garden. 
Some have ignored the value of it, and would make you believe that 
true economy is to be found in a “ roaring draught.” I believe no 
boiler will give satisfaction without a good draught, but it will be 
equally unsatisfactory if the draught cannot be properly controlled. 
Some j ears ago in severe weather I found the little room I occupied 
rather draughty when high winds prevailed, the flames of fire going 
up the chimney with a “ roaring draught.” On these occasions I 
used to pull the flap or register (used for shutting the chimney up 
when not in use) forward till only a couple of inches space was left 
for the smoke to escape, and I have frequently observed a thermo¬ 
meter hung on the outer wall of the room rise 8° or 10° in an hour 
and a half. This anyone can try for themselves. If this result can 
be attained in an ordinary sitting-room, the economy of heat in a 
heating apparatus must be much greater by applying the same means. 
To get the greatest amount of heat out of a given quantity of fuel I 
should use a good draught till the boiler was quite hot, so that 
whatever fuel is added ignites almost immediately, and till that is 
nearly consumed allow only a limited draught up the chimney, but 
give unlimited air by the ashpit by keeping the bars free from ashes 
and clinkers, repeating the same process at intervals.—R. Inglis. 
SHARPE’S VICTOR POTATO. 
Having grown the above new Potato this year a few notes in reference 
thereto may not he unacceptable to some of the numerous readers of the 
Journal of Horticulture , and more particularly to those who have not 
given it a trial. It is said to be a seedling, the result of a cross between 
the Alma Kidney and the old Early Short-top Round Potato. We pur¬ 
chased 1 lb. of seed, and to make the most of these when planting they 
were cut into single eyes. They received precisely the same treatment 
as our other Potatoes. The produce from the 1 lb. being as near as we 
could tell without measuring, nearly 4 pecks of good sound tubers. We 
took the trouble to have one of the largest tubers weighed; it weighed 
2l£ ozs. In shape and appearance it favours Magnum Bonum. It has 
very shallow eyes, which is a great recommendation in an economical 
point of view, and when cooked the flavour is excellent. Taking into 
consideration its prolific character, handsome appearance, fine flavour, 
and disease-resisting properties, I cannot speak too highly of it, and shall 
predict a very extensive cultivation when it becomes more known. Indeed, 
it is the best new early kidney Potato that has come under my notice for 
some time, and would recommend all who have not given it a trial to do 
so, as it is well worthy of one.—J. Richaedson, Calverton Hall, Notts. 
Shallots and Underground Onions Decaying. —I grow a quan¬ 
tity of Shallots underground and other Onions, and I have them very 
large, as I thoroughly manure the beds. I generally plant my Shallots 
and underground Onions during the first week in February, and when 
they commence growing 1 take care that they receive no check until 
they are taken up the first week in July. They are supplied liberally with 
liquid manure during hot weather, and I cease watering them the second 
week in June. For the last three years they have been subject to what 
is called the mould or gangrene, so much so this year that I have lost 
half of my Shallots, and rather more than half the underground Onions. 
I found in taking up these that the gangrene was growing inside in the 
very centre. I thoroughly dried them and kept them in a dry airy place, 
but it wa3 of no use, as some decayed and others shrivelled. Can any of 
your able correspondents tell me the cause and state a remedy ? The 
matter is a serious item to me, as I have to supply a house of seventy 
people.—R. R. S. H. 
SCYPHANTHUS VOLUB1LIS. 
Grammatocarpus volubilis, better known under the name of 
Scyphanthus elegans, represented in the woodcut (fig. 69), is a native 
of Chili, from whence it was introduced to this country about the 
year 1824, but from inattention to the collecting of seeds was lost 
to cultivation, appearing again among more recent introductions. It 
is a hardy annual, having a very slender twining stem, which is 
Fig 69. 
hard and wiry, covered with small stiff hairs bent downwards, making 
it rough to the touch, but entirely devoid of the stinging properties 
of its near ally the Loa«a. The leaves, which are opposite, are 
pinnatifil, with fringed margins. 
The flowers are large, cup-shaped, and of a beautiful lively yellow 
tint, being sessile and terminal when the buds first appear, but the 
young shoots are generally produced on each side, so that when full 
expanded it is between two branches or forks. Planted against a 
south wall with a few twigs to cling to, it has a very pleasing 
effect, growing from 8 to 10 feet high, and is well adapted for 
covering old or unsightly walls. 
It is also well adapted for covering trelliswork in the flower or 
pleasure garden, and is unequalled in the form of a screen, having 
also the advantage of giving variety to those generally grown. 
