368 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [May 3 , less. 
has borne a crop of Peas, Cauliflowers, and Cabbages. It is deeply 
dug and left rough during the winter. Before planting it is forked 
over, no manure of any kind applied ; I then with an ordinary garden 
drawhoe make rows about 3 inches deep, and from 20 to 30 inches 
between the rows, according to varieties and strength of tops. The 
sets are planted from 8 inches to a foot apart; with the drawhoe the 
soil is drawn from each side to form a ridge, covering to the depth 
of 6 inches. Before they come through the ground about 2 inches 
are raked oil the top of the ridge. The after-treatment is forking 
between the rows and finally eartbing-up. By this treatment I get 
good crops of first-rate quality, with comparatively little disease. As 
proof of this, Champions are preferred for table to any variety, grown 
on fresh soil in the farm, being free of the black streaks character¬ 
istic of that variety.—G-. H. M'Culloch, Power scour t Gardens. 
CHANNEL ISLANDS. 
Jersey. —1. February or the end of January. *Myatt’s Prolific, 
^Rivers’ Royal Ashleaf, Gloucester Kidney, and *Early Snowflake. 
Soil.—Light, good stable manure being employed. 2. Last week in 
February. Bresee’s Climax, American Kidney, Ashtop Fluke, and 
Improved Schoolmaster. 3. First week in March. Paterson’s Vic¬ 
toria, Improved Magnum Bonum, The Queen, and Late Fluke. 
General Culture.—I have cultivated those mentioned, and I find 
them all that can be desired.— John Williams, 53, Trinity Road, 
St. Heller's , Jersey. 
EARTH TEMPERATURES. 
Continuing this subject from page 291, the object at present 
is not to teach what degree of earth heat this or that plant is 
benefited by, but rather to direct attention to the principles that 
ought to guide the cultivator in the application of bottom heat. 
Were the object merely to teach the degree of heat required by 
Melons, Pines, Cucumbers, and other plants to which artificial 
bottom heat is applied, the space at our disposal would be wholly 
filled up with facts and figures to be found in every book treating 
on such subjects as we have named, and in every calendar of 
gardening operations. Our purpose is different, and is rather to 
show to what an extent bottom heat might be utilised, and the 
principles that ought to guide us in our application of it. 
Apart from such plants as those named, which are natives of 
tropical climes where the earth heat ranges high, and which we 
are all agreed are benefited by high, artificially raised, earth 
temperatures, there are many others grown at unnatural seasons 
—in other words forced—that also need bottom heat in order to 
do them justice. 
Not very long ago some gardeners denied the utility of bottom 
heat for plants treated at midwinter to midsummer heat. Vines 
were said not to require it. This need hardly be discussed. 
Failures have often occurred by men trying to force tops and 
allowing bottoms to remain dormant; and were gardening failures 
recorded as faithfully as gardening successes, the black list would 
be so appalling as to effectually frighten young practitioners from 
doing things upside down—from reversing natural operations. 
Our most successful gardeners maintain the necessity of raising 
the soil heat as the air is raised. This is only natural, and Nature 
is generally a safe guide to follow. Nature and successful men 
are thus far agreed. 
The best manner of applying this heat is not, seemingly, 
agreed upon. Many consider that when the roots of early Vines 
are confined to inside borders no further trouble is needed to 
secure a high-enough earth temperature. When the roots are 
near the surface, as they should be, those who hold such views 
are doubtless right, especially when soakings of warm water are 
applied and a dry surface maintained, for, it should be remem¬ 
bered, a wet surface means evaporation, and evaporation cold. 
Others, again, build hotbeds inside, which assist to start the 
Vines by warming the air, and also to keep up a steady moisture ; 
but the heat thus imparted to the border is much less than is 
generally thought to be the case. Those who have tested the 
matter in the only satisfactory way—by inserting a thermometer, 
know this to be so. Applied to outside borders, otherwise drenched 
with melted snows and ice-cold rains, hotbeds will do much to 
impart bottom heat to the outside roots; but they exclude air 
and turn the soil to a puddley inert mass, which is not favourable 
to the production of roots of the best character. Dry sun heat 
secures a circulation of air in the soil, and this air produces 
change of a beneficent nature. Hotbeds have an effect quite 
the opposite, and are, therefore, an evil, if the least of two, as 
they undoubtedly are when the choice lies between borders 
windswept and soddened down to a minimum British winter 
temperature, while the tops are treated to a French or even 
Italian summer heat and hotbeds. Still hotbeds are by no means 
faultless. We leave outside of the question the amount of labour 
their management involves, and their untidiness, and only 
discuss their fitness for securing the conditions for which they are 
employed. 
Bottom heat for fruit borders is frequently secured by another 
method. By coverings of non-conducting material the heat stored 
during the previous summer and autumn is preserved. Although 
recommended by the best of gardeners, including one we all 
look up to—Mr. Thomson, Drumlanrig—it may be questioned 
whether the plan is so good as seems at first sight. The experi¬ 
ment already quoted proves the possibility of preserving the heat; 
but, as the proof of the pudding is in the eating, nothing but long 
successful experience could make us certain that bottom heat 
during the resting period is not harmful. Vine roots under 
natural conditions, and others as well, remain dormant till the 
leaves are matured enough to carry on the functions of leaves ; 
then the leaves begin to act, and then new roots are formed. 
All growth before this is at the expense of the material stored in 
the stems the previous autumn. Out of this the newly formed 
leaves and shoots are formed, but by giving bottom heat enough 
the roots may be made to move first—nay, they may be made 
grow considerably before the buds move, as anyone possessing a 
pot Vine may prove. This is unnatural, and, we are convinced, 
mischievous. The shoots of Vines so treated have a smaller store 
to fall back upon than have those which get their fill before, 
metaphorically, the roots help themselves. Now, roots in soil, 
the heat of which has never been allowed to decline, are kept 
abnormally active. They are deprived of their winter’s rest, at 
least to some extent. 
Bottom heat is supplied to Vines by pipes. These are generally 
covered by flagstones, on which rests the drainage. That, when 
properly managed, heat thus applied has proved of real benefit 
is beyond question, but it is not uncommon to see such arrange¬ 
ments taken to pieces after a few years’ trial. Heat thus applied 
has a tendency to cause an excessive dryness exactly where the 
best roots are, for these travel towards the heat. Even floodings 
often fail to wet soil once thoroughly parched, and this parching 
is liable to occur even in good hands. The consequences are 
shanking, stinted Vines, poor crops. Given the requisite skill and 
attention, there is no reason w'hy heat applied from below to 
Vines should not succeed as well as when applied to Melons. 
Theoretically that is how the case stands. Practically gardeners 
find it cheaper and more satisfactory to have inside borders only 
for the very earliest house, and these, when a pit exists for forcing 
pot Vines, are from one to two months later than was the case 
only a dozen years ago. 
But for the expense, there can be little doubt that the best way 
to warm outside borders in winter would be to cover them with 
glazed sashes and to maintain a summer temperature over the 
border by hot-water pipes. Most persons who have forked over 
an inside border must have remarked how the roots cluster near 
the surface in the vicinity of the hot-water pipes. Such a fact 
proves that heat by heated air from above is not only most 
natural but most efficacious. Nor need the heat of such a frame 
be wholly devoted to warming the border. Such a place would 
prove of more than usual value for forcing many things, especially 
salads, during winter. 
Before the invention of heating by hot water, flues were occa¬ 
sionally employed for producing bottom heat. But flues are now 
nearly obsolete, and would not have been named here but for the 
fact that there is an idea abroad among unpractical men that 
economy is observed by carrying the flue used for conveying the 
smoke from the boiler fire underneath earth beds for growing 
Melons, Cucumbers, and other crops, in order to get bottom heat 
for nothing, as is believed. The first objection to such a practice 
is, that it necessitates deeper stokeholes than would otherwise be 
necessary. The second is that one end of a flue is hot and the 
other cold, when of any considerable length. But, worst of all, it 
is impossible to regulate the bottom heat by such means. When 
the flues are newly cleaned the heat is too high, when foul too 
low. On bright days there is no bottom heat, for the fire is 
allowed to go out. The sun which warms the air indirectly cools 
the soil. We only know of one such modern erection, and our 
faith in the wide dissemination of common sense leads us to 
believe that not many such arrangements exist, but that one is 
such a failure, and such a waste of labour and capital, as leads us 
to warn others against adopting the seemingly good theory in 
their practice. 
Bottom heat is of great service in the propagation of plants. 
This in modern well-appointed pits is supplied by hot water; but 
well-appointed propagating pits are the luxury of the compara¬ 
tively few. To the mass many makeshifts have to be resorted to. 
One we may mention. A sheet of iron placed over hot-water 
pipes in any early vinery or elsewhere, on which is placed a 
handlight and a few inches of wet sand, will prove a capital little 
