MAY. 
115 
piping being drilled with innumerable small 
holes, a gentle shower is given, and one man 
can manage a lot of work, as he can attend to 
three or four places at once. 
Shelling Peas and Beans by Machinery. 
—According to the Journal of the Society of 
Arts , Mr. Price, an American engineer, has 
invented a simple machine for shelling Peas 
and Beans. It consists principally of a roll¬ 
ing mill: the rollers are covered with india- 
rubber, fixed on a wooden support, and driven 
by a crank. At the bottom of the compart¬ 
ment where the rollers work there are holes, 
which let the Peas drop into a drawer situated 
underneath the machine. In working this 
mill the husks or shells are drawn in and 
compressed. This compression bursts them, 
and forces the grain to fall on one side of the 
machine, whilst the shells pass across and 
fall on the other side. 
OBITUARY. 
The Rev. George Cheere, F.R.H.S., of 
Papworth Hall, St. Ives, died on the 10th 
ult. The deceased gentleman was a devoted 
horticulturist, and occasionally exhibited spe¬ 
cimens of his productions. Amongst other 
things very fine forced blooms of Anna 
Boleyn Pink have been sent by him to the 
London shows; and at an early meeting of 
the present season he exhibited some wonder¬ 
fully fine potsful of Mignonette, remarkable 
for their healthy and abundant foliage, and 
the number and vigour of their flower-spikes, 
as well as for the small size of the pots in 
which they were grown. 
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE. 
Plants in flower may now be moved to 
the conservatory or to an intermediate-house; 
by this their flowering will be prolonged, 
while the growing plants will gain more 
space. In ordinary seasons fire heat may be 
greatly limited towards the end of this 
month; it remains to be seen whether it may 
or may not be so in this remarkable one, in 
which we have had short intervals of extra¬ 
ordinary mildness, alternating with weather 
of unexampled severity, the searching winds 
carrying off heat from glazed structures al¬ 
most with greater rapidity than it could be 
generated by even good heating apparatus. 
As there is now plenty of light, increase the 
temperature; and correspondingly with it, 
and with the growth of the plants, the mois¬ 
ture also. 
GREENHOUSE. 
Shading must now be attended to. In 
arranging the plants a distinction should be 
made between those that are benefited by 
more direct exposure to the sun and those 
which rather prefer the shade, or at all 
events require a slight screen from the inten¬ 
sity of the sun’s rays ; they should be placed 
so that they can be accommodated in these 
respects. Give air as freely as the weather 
will permit, more especially on account of 
hardening those that are usually turned out 
in the early part of the summer. When 
plants are turned out, the state of the pots 
should be examined after rain, and if water 
is then observed to stand on the surface of the 
soil, the plants should be shifted. Propagate 
Heaths and other hard-wooded plants as soon 
as they push young shoots sufficiently for the 
purpose. If mildew appears, apply flowers 
of sulphur, and keep the house clean, re¬ 
moving all decayed leaves, and admitting a 
free circulation of air to dry up thoroughly, 
once a-day, all superfluous moisture. 
conservatory. 
Towards the middle of the month a little 
air may be left on at night, and it should be 
freely given during the day in fine weather. 
This will have the effect of causing dryness in 
the atmosphere, therefore means must be u'sed 
to prevent its getting too dry for the young 
growth of plants, such as syringing the 
foliage, and also the footpaths and borders, 
reducing the air at the same time, or even 
shutting up the house early if there are any 
signs of red spider. The appearance of this pest 
is a sure indication of a deficiency of mois¬ 
ture, either at root or top : let the former be 
especially seen to, in order that a healthy 
growth may be promoted. Regulate young 
shoots so as not to encourage growths that a 
little foresight might determine to be useless, 
and which if allowed to proceed would ulti¬ 
mately have to be cut away, with much loss 
of expanded foliage, and consequent derange¬ 
ment of the flow of sap, which should always 
be avoided as far as possible. 
PITS AND PRAMES. 
As many Bedding plants brought forward 
in these structures may now be placed under 
an awning, space will be left for sowing 
annuals and propagating other plants by 
cuttings for autumn-flowering; and also for 
the reception of plants that require the assist¬ 
ance of bottom heat to start them, or to for¬ 
ward their flowering, or that require shading, 
nursing, or some other treatment different 
from the routine suitable for the generality 
of plants in the stove and greenhouse. Any of 
these plants that are weak and not thriving, 
may be invigorated in the pits or frames. 
FORCING. 
Bine Apples .—Maintain for fruiting plants 
a steady bottom heat of about 84°. The 
air of the house should range between 75° at 
night and 85° in the day, and it may rise by 
sun heat to 95°. Those for autumn and 
