510 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Half of the plants on the Manetti that produce grand exhibition 
blooms are supported in great part on their own roots. If they 
were not—had not rooted from the collar, but were sustained 
wholly by the Manetti roots—the growth would not be so vigorous 
nor the flowers so fine. In numerous instances I have known the 
whole of the Manetti roots die after “ own roots ” became plenti¬ 
ful, and have cut off the former, replanted, and had as fine 
growths and blooms as before. 
Your able correspondent is on safe ground in promising that if 
anyone beats Mr. Cant for the championship with own-root Roses 
this year, he (“A. F. M.”) will devote himself to cuttings hence¬ 
forth. But perhaps Mr. Cant will not be defeated at all, and 
then if the losers have grown their blooms on worked plants, as 
will probably be the case at least to a very large extent, will it be 
said that the cup was lost because of the inferiority of the stocks ? 
No, nothing so illogical will be adduced. It will simply show 
that soil has more influence than stocks. 
Again, I think it can scarcely be expected that with ten thousand 
to one against them—for there is probably that proportion of 
worked and “ own-root ” Roses—the latter can win in great con¬ 
tests ; if so, large standing armies might safely be abolished. A 
fairer test will, I think, be the relative merits of the blooms from 
the plants in Mr. Baker’s garden at Holmfels, where “D., Beal'' 
thinks (see p. 476) those on their own roots are “ the most remark¬ 
able.” I do not want to “get up a case ” for own-root Boses, but 
let them have justice.— A Judge. 
VENTILATION. 
I have repeatedly said that with forcing houses giving air 
should, with very rare exceptions, be only for the purpose of pre¬ 
venting too high a temperature. Opening ventilators for the 
purpose of changing the air is generally quite unnecessary. True, 
my friends will have it that when writing in this strain I am only 
thinking of the management of the large vinery under my charge, 
but I beg to assure them that my thoughts are not always con¬ 
fined to this vinery, nor even to the garden over which I have the 
command. The principle of ventilation is the same in one garden 
as in another, but the practice has tr be varied to suit local 
circumstances. A house in which Grapes are now ripe was only 
aired on three occasions during two months, and had there been 
no likelihood of the temperature rising to a dangerous height it 
would not have been aired as often as that. Why should it ? Our 
houses are not air-tight cases. There is constant ventilation to all 
of them whenever there is considerable difference between the 
internal and external temperatures. The system of growing 
Cucumbers without ventilators is thoroughly in accord with my 
ideas, if it can be managed without the temperature rising to a 
dangerous height. I should be glad to know what is the angle of 
the roofs of the houses in which this is practised, on what system 
they are glazed, what is their aspect, whether they are ever shaded, 
and what is about the highest point reached by a shaded ther¬ 
mometer placed in one of them. 
There are two distinct practices in vogue of giving ventilation 
to hothouses, and both have their disadvantages. My practice 
and that of a few other growers is to give air very early and let 
the rise of temperature take place mostly after it is given. 
The other practice is to give a certain amount of air when a 
certain temperature is reached, and add to that when the mercury 
has risen to another certain point. 
The principal disadvantage in my system is, that sometimes as 
soon as we have done our work as regards opening the ventilators, 
the sun goes in and we lose the benefit of the high natural tem¬ 
perature we might have secured and kept for some time had we 
not opened the ventilators at all. 
By the other plan, that of giving air after a rather high tem¬ 
perature has been reached, we lose more atmospheric moisture, and 
the plants are apt to droop. 
I was glad to see from a correspondent’s note some time back 
that an amateur was trying to make an automatic ventilating 
apparatus. I hope he will be successful, and that he will not be 
discouraged by the few words I am going to say on the subject. 
I once puzzled a little over a self-acting plan for ventilation. 
I thought of making use of the metal which is the most sensitive 
to temperatures, making coils of it, and using multiplying wheels, 
so that when the metal lengthened by expansion, the ventilators, 
which would be very numerous and be furnished with springs 
gently forcing them outwards, would open gradually as the heat 
increased, and close again as gradually wdien it declined. But I 
suddenly woke up to the conclusion that our theory of ventilation 
is radically wrong, and that we must some day take a “ new de¬ 
parture for if, as I maintain, ventilation is only given to hot¬ 
houses generally for the purpose of preventing them reaching too 
high a temperature, why not prevent the high temperature in 
another way and get rid of the disadvantages of ventilation ? In 
short, is it not refrigeration or allaying of heat we often want 
rather than ventilation ? 
There is no difficulty about the egress of air from ordinary hot¬ 
houses. Even’when the ventilators are closed as tightly as possible 
there is a very rapid change going on. All we want then is some 
method of bringing in cool air at the lower part of the house in 
sufficient quantity to prevent too high a rise. Can this be done 
by any kind of pumping apparatus, and thus save us the cost of 
making ventilators and the pain of seeing our plants dried up by 
the wind when they ought to be rejoicing in a balmy atmosphere 1 
—Wm. Taylor. 
CENTROPOGON LUCYANUS. 
Few winter-flowering plants are more serviceable than the 
above, and it is worthy of extended cultivation in all gardens 
where winter and spring flowers are in demand. While in bloom 
it is at home either in the stove, intermediate house, or the con¬ 
servatory, and on this account is doubly valuable. It is more 
useful than many plants grown for flowering at that season 
of the year, because it will unfold its terminal truss of bright 
scarlet flowers in the dark days of November, and the same plants 
will continue to produce in succession bunches of flowers from 
the axils of every leaf along the shoots until April. 
It is of easy cultivation, and a good stock can soon be raised 
by means of cuttings. Cuttings taken with or without a portion 
of the old wood attached, root readily if inserted in sandy soil 
and plunged in slight bottom heat and placed in a close frame or 
under bellglasses. As soon as the cuttings are rooted they should 
be placed singly into 2 or 3-inch pots, and kept in a warm house 
until they commence growing freely. The growths of the young 
plants that have been rooted seldom extend to any great length, 
but after a time strong vigorous shoots are produced from the 
base. These, if pinched well back, will be the means of other 
strong shoots springing from the base, which should be encouraged 
to extend. Stopping is of but little service towards producing 
bushy specimens, for they seldom break into more than one or 
two shoots again at the most. If by repeated pinching bushy 
specimens could be produced it would by no means add to the 
beauty of these plants for purposes of decoration. When twisted 
for the purpose of dwarfing them they have a stiff formal appear¬ 
ance compared with those that have been allowed to extend 
naturally, as the upright arching spikes display their real beauty 
and true character when in flower and arranged amongst dwarf 
plants. 
As soon as the small pots are full of roots the plants should be 
placed in others 5 or 6 inches in diameter, which are large enough 
for decorative purposes. The pots should be drained liberally 
and the soil pressed moderately firm, especially when placed in 
the last-named sizes. They are not very particular about soil, and 
do well in almost any mixture ; but the one we have found most 
satisfactory is good loam, a seventh of manure, a little charcoal, 
and a liberal dash of coarse sand. These plants should be grown 
warm until they are well established in their flowering pots, and 
then more air should be given them until they can be gradually 
hardened to cool-frame treatment during the warmest months 
of the year. They can remain in this position until there is fear 
of the temperature falling from 55° at night, when they must 
have a position where that temperature can be maintained. While 
under cool treatment the frame in which they are grown should 
be closed early in the afternoon while the sun is upon it. 
Light shade is beneficial during very bright weather in the 
earlier stages of the plants’ growth, but at no stage must light be 
excluded from them. Towards the close of the season they must 
have full exposure to sunshine to harden and mature their shoots. 
The syringe must be used freely, for these plants are subject to 
red spider, and liberal applications of water must be given at the 
root while in active growth, and weak stimulants when the pots 
are full of roots.— Scientia. 
Nightingales in Kent. —I have watched the papers during the 
last two months expecting to see a peculiarity of the Nightingale 
noticed that I have never seen during the last twenty years. There 
are many places within a few miles of this town where the Night¬ 
ingale may be annually heard, and many a time have I peered into 
the foliage of the trees to catch a glimpse of the songster, usually a 
difficult task. This season they have perched boldly on outside 
twigs adjoining the public roads, almost within reach, and without 
the shelter mentioned by your correspondent “ J. R. S. C.” In fact, 
so tame have they been that on two occasions when mentioning this 
peculiarity' a Nightingale has settled in the road in front of us. Can 
