ITarch S7, 18f0. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
257 
system. The different kinds (some patent) of apparatus now manu¬ 
factured by hundreds of firms, are innumerable ; but as far as my 
knowledge goes, those who have been longest in the trade, and whose 
work has been pretty uniformly successful, nearly all strongly advo¬ 
cate the low pressure form of heating apparatus for horticultural 
buildings. 
Boilebs. 
I will now describe the component parts, and to commence with the 
boiler, I consider that a saddle form of boiler (either wrought or cast) 
set in brickwork, is very serviceable for horticultural purposes; for 
small ranges plain saddles, and for larger work terminal-end flued 
saddles. There are several patent boilers manufactured by different 
firms which answer their purpose exceedingly well, notably Weeks 
and Co.’s tubular boiler, which is composed of a ring of vertical tubes 
set in a fire-brick well and fed from the top ; the larger ones are in 
two halves, and have water-way fire-bars. Messrs. Weeks have fixed 
these to work some exceedingly large apparatus, and from what I 
know of them they are very powerful boilers. Steam boilers and pipes 
were tried for large ranges of houses, but did not prove successful, 
as the heat from a steam pipe, being of a scorching quality, is not good 
for plant life. Some of these apparatus being put in by country firms 
gave a vast amount of trouble in the working, as steam traps were not 
brought to the perfection they are now, and consequently the condensed 
water collecting in the pipes stopped the heat, and in many cases split 
the pipes badly. 
A great deal has been said about wrought versus cast boilers ; the 
question really resolves itself into whether it is worth while, on account 
of the great durability of cast boilers, to run the risk of their liability to 
crack, as wrought boilers, although not so long lived, are not likely to 
crack, and consequently the latter have greatly superseded cast iron, as 
the cracking of a boiler may be of a very serious nature to the con¬ 
tents of the houses, especially if the accident occurs in frosty weather. 
However good a boiler may be, gobd results cannot be obtained 
unless it is properly set and has a proportionately siied stack. The 
cause of many boilers not working properly is simply that the flues or the 
chimney are too small. The next portion of an apparatus which claims 
our attention is the main pipes. These should be of large bore; the 
old-fashioned method of putting small bore mains being a great mistake, 
throttling the circulation and putting much more strain upon the boiler 
than if the mains were large enough to allow the water to go ahead 
freely. Valves should always be pressure-tight and placed in both flowand 
return pipes to thoroughly stop the circulation. Air pipes are always 
preferable to air cocks, as being self-acting it is an impossibility for any 
air to collect in a properly constructed apparatus. The hot-water pipes 
should be placed on proper rollers, so to allow them to expand and con¬ 
tract freely. 
Building*. 
Having touched generally upon heating apparatus, I will now pro¬ 
ceed to the different classes of horticultural buildings, together with the 
suitable interior fittings and heating appliances for each class. Com¬ 
mencing with conservatories as exhibition buildings, I can of course lay 
down no hard and fast line as to their construction, as individual cir¬ 
cumstances always dictate their own conditions. As a general rule a 
conservatory is placed against the dwelling, with an entrance to it if 
possible from the drawing room. The design should always harmonise 
as much as possible with the architecture of the house, and a very good 
effect can generally be obtained without using unnecessarily heavy 
timbers, which is a very frequent fault in architectural conservatories. 
The sides of a conservatory should always if possible be twice as high as 
an ordinary plant house, and should be glazed with clear glass. Lead 
light work may in some designs be used in the transoms, but only very 
sparingly, and in any case only light twist. The glass in the roof of a 
conservatory should as a whole be either rough rolled plate or obscured 
sheet, as this will very often save the necessity of blinds. 
Ample ventilation in the sides and roof should be provided, the 
lights to open simultaneously by a mechanical appliance. Shafting 
levers and screwgear are, I think, the safest and most easily worked of any 
that have come under my notice. The most convenient and general form 
for planning the interior of a conservatory is by placing staging for small 
plants about 2 to 3 feet on a level with the cill all round the glass 
front or sides, a border being placed against the back wall, and the wall 
and roof wired for creepers. The floor can either be laid all over with stone 
or tiles with the hot-water pipes in a trench all round, covered with cast- 
iron gratings, or a large bed or beds can be left in the middle for plant¬ 
ing large Palms, &c. The quantity of hot-water pipes should never be 
overdone for a conservatory, as being only an exhibition house care 
should be taken that it is a temperate one, the plants in bloom retain 
ing their freshness much longer in a cool and well ventilated house 
than in a warm and stuffy one. 
(To be continued.) 
FRITILLARIA (KOROLKOAVIA) SEWERZOWI. 
This curious and interesting bulbous plant was first described in 
Eegel’s “ Gartenflora,” tab. 760, as Korolkowia, but was eventually re¬ 
duced to Fritillaria by Mr. Baker in his revision of the Liliacem. In 
the figure referred to above the flowers are given as being very small, of 
a greenish yellow colour, and, as will be seen by our woodcut (fig. 33), 
some improvement in size at least has taken place since its introduction. 
The present species is extremely interesting, and is, moreover, a relief 
from the lurid tessellated forms so prevalent in collections. The habit 
also is most distinct, the bold glaucous foliage and yellowish green 
FIG. 33.— FEITILLARIA (KOROLKOWIA) SEWERZOWI. 
flowers being attractive in groups. The variety bicolor (Gartenfl , 1181), 
called discolor in gardens, is a distinct improvement on the species, 
and well worth securing for collection. The whole plant is more robust, 
the flowers being considerably larger, bright yellowish green with a 
distinct reddish brown mark at the base. Both are quite hardy in 
English gardens, but usually flower too early. They should be planted 
in a dryish position in light sandy soil. Natives of Turkestan. 
NOTES ON FRUIT TREES—APPLES. 
( Continued from page 223 .) 
The cultivation of Apples alike for home use and for market is 
of two kinds—viz., dwarfs, which comprise bush, pyramid, 
espalier, and cordon, horizontal, diagonal, or vertical methods of 
training ; and large or standard systems. On the merits of the rival 
systems I do not intend to make any lengthy observations, but it is 
patent to all cultivators and observers that the finest fruit is pro¬ 
duced by trees on the dwarf system, which is mostly, if not 
entirely, due to the favourable conditions of soil and location, to 
the greater pains taken in preparing the soil for the trees, and to 
the subsequent cultivation. Large or standard culture is of a most 
primeval character—viz., a hole is dug and a tree stuck in, and 
then it is left to Nature, no means being taken to increase its 
fertility or improve the quality of the fruit. I propose to make a 
selection from the varieties previously enumerated (which may not 
be the best, but I shall be happy to hear of better, and if objection 
is taken to any let it be stated on what ground), both for small or 
