3 )8 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
to a structure designed tor forcing tlie growth of 
pine apples only. It is similar to a pinery. 
TILE GREEN-HOUSE. 
A letter before ns says: “ Many readers of 
the Agriculturist , ladies especially, who live in 
retired localities where there are few amuse¬ 
ments, would be glad to cultivate their taste for 
flowers, and devote some time to the care of a 
green-house; but they are deterred from any 
attempt in this direction by their entire ignorance 
on the subject.... ” The letter proposes a num¬ 
ber of inquires in regard to the least expense, 
Fig. 1. — OUTSIDE VIEW OF A BAY WINDOW. 
smallest dimensions, heating, etc., etc. The 
subject is very extensive, if taken up in all its 
details, and those interested in it should procure 
one or more works devoted entirely to the topic.* 
We will, however, offer a few hints which may 
be useful, and perhaps lead many persons to 
make a beginning at least. A very good green¬ 
house, on a small scale, may be put up at little 
expense. Success in the planning, and especial¬ 
ly in the after care, depends mainly upon the 
taste, skill and constant attention of the owner. 
Tiie object of a gTeen-house is not merely to 
protect tender plants from cold or frost, but to 
furnish a genial atmosphere that shall not only 
increase the growth and development of plants 
that are ordinarily cultivated in a Summer gar¬ 
den, but also render it practicable to grow many 
plants not adapted to out-door culture. The 
main requisites are: Plenty of light and plenty 
oifresh air , with a due degree of warmth and 
moisture ., Any structure, no matter how simple, 
in which you can command these four requisites 
at all seasons, is a good green-house; any struc¬ 
ture, no matter how costly or showy, is a fail¬ 
ure, if these four requisites can not be secured. 
The simplest form of a green-house is a well 
lighted room in a dwelling, uniformly warmed 
in cool weather by a stove, or by a basement 
furnace, and kept constantly supplied with mois¬ 
ture by frequent sprinkling, and with fresh air 
by ventilators or windows. The main objec¬ 
tions to such a room are : the difficulty of keep¬ 
ing uniform heat and moisture night and day, 
and the fact that if light be admitted by win¬ 
dows on only one or two sides, the plants will 
tend to grow one-sided, as they always develop 
most rapidly towards the strongest light. Fre¬ 
quent turnings of the different sides of the plants 
to the light, will partially overcome the last 
named difficulty; while constant care and the 
use of steady burning fuel will measurably rem- 
C* w e know of no very valuable book for popular use 
published here. Perhaps the best one is “ Leuchar’s 
Work, ’ costing$1.25. This, though in some respects ob¬ 
jectionable, may well he procured and studied by all who 
contemolate even the smallest attempt a green-hotise.] 
edy the first named. The syringe or sprinkler 
will help to overcome the lack of a moist atmos¬ 
phere. With the inexperienced, the most com¬ 
mon error is an excess of heat, especially at a 
time of year when most plants should be in a 
state of comparative rest. The main thing at 
all seasons is to have only so much heat as is re¬ 
quired to keep out frost. The less artificial heat 
we have, the more perfect will be the growth 
and development of the plants. A simple cheap 
thermometer should always hang in every 
green-house, to mark the degree of heat. With 
attention to these general rules, it is not im¬ 
practicable to have a green-liouse, or green-room, 
within many of the dwellings of our land. Per¬ 
fection may not be secured; but, as in many 
other things,mediocrity is far better than nothing. 
A “Bay Window ,” as it is commonly called, (figs. 
1 and 2,) makes a good green-house on a small 
scale, if it is connected with a warm room, and 
is not on the north side of the house. It adds 
very greatly to the value of such a window, to 
cut it off from the inside room by glass doors, 
as shown in fig. 2. These enable one to 
readily admit warm air from the room, or to 
shut the plants off from an over-heated atmos¬ 
phere, and at the same time to admit external 
air, without introducing an unpleasant current 
into the house. So also, the closing of these 
inner sashes enables one to readily secure a 
damp atmosphere around the plants. The floor 
boards of bay windows should incline a little 
downward towards some point where there are 
small holes to allow any surplus water to flow 
outside of the house. Such windows are easily 
managed; they cost but a trifle, and they are 
always beautiful and pleasant to look upon, 
both from within and from without. Let them 
be generally adopted, where larger structures 
are not practicable. By an error in making the 
Fig. 2.—INSIDE VIEW OF A BAY WINDOW. 
sketch, fig. 2, the plants are shown lowest at the 
inside. The higher plants would thus obstruct 
the sun’s light. The shelves for pots should he 
lowest in front—on the outside—so as to have 
all the plants directly exposed to the sun. 
Immediately connected with this part of our 
subject are the various glass cases for the table, 
or window bench, such as the “ Wardian Case,” 
the “ Ladies’ plant Cases,” etc. For a full de¬ 
scription of these, with several illustrations, see 
Agriculturist ,, Vol. 19, page 277, (Sept. 1800). 
Fig. 3, is a simple form made essentially as fol¬ 
lows : The bottom is a wooden box, 5 to 0 inch¬ 
es deep, lined with zinc, with a hole and plug, 
to draw off surplus water. The corner frames 
are of wood, about two inches square, or propor¬ 
tioned to the dimensions of the case, which may 
be of any size desired, from one foot up to half 
a dozen feet in length, tmd of proportionate 
width and bight. The sides and top are cover¬ 
ed with window glass set in sashes. A side door 
and an opening at the top to admit of ventilation 
when needed, complete the structure, except 
the painting inside and out, which may be of 
any color; green is usually preferable. Any 
carpenter can get up such a case, and it answers 
as a very good substitute fora diminutive green¬ 
house. The rules first given above, in regard 
to the light, moisture, warmth, and ventilation, 
of course apply to all these structures for plants. 
In another article, we shall describe green¬ 
houses proper, especially those of small cost, 
and adapted to the circumstances of the masses. 
To Obtain and Preserve the Perfume of 
Flowers. 
Did it ever occur to the reader to inquire 
whence and how are obtained the vast amount 
of odors or perfumery of flowers, that is used 
throughout this and other countries ? A large 
portion of the perfumery used in this country, in 
Great Britain, and in other parts of Western Eu¬ 
rope, is obtained from the Southern part of 
France, where seeds and flowers are raised by 
scores of tuns for this purpose. The odors are 
first absorbed by purified lard, and the perfumer 
afterwards extracts the scent by the use of spirits 
of wine (alcohol). A very few kinds of plants 
are used for this purpose, the great variety of 
perfumes being skillful combinations of a few. 
But every lady who has in the garden the Lily 
of the Yalley, the Honeysuckle, the Myrtle, 
Clover Pink, Roses, or other odorous flowers, 
may be her own perfumer. All she needs is a 
little pure lard. Common lard may be purified 
by melting, and pouring it into water a few 
times. Dr. Piesse gives the following directions: 
At the season when the flowers are in bloom, 
obtain 1 lb. of fine lard, melt it and strain it 
through a close hair sieve [or cloth], allowing 
the liquid fat as it falls from the sieve to drop 
into cold spring water; this operation granu¬ 
lates and washes the blood and membrane from 
it. In order to start with a perfectly inodorous 
grease, the process may be repeated three or 
four times, using a pinch of salt and a pinch of 
alum in each water; it is then to be washed five 
or six times in plain water; finally, remelt the 
fat, and cast it into a pan, to free it from adher¬ 
ing water. Now put the clarified fat into a 
glue-pot, and place it in such a position neartho 
fire of the green-house, or elsewhere, that will 
keep it warm enough to be liquid; into the fat 
throw as many flowers as you can, and there 
let them remain for twenty-four hours. At this 
time strain the fat from the spent flowers, and 
