November 28.] 
nicating between the kitchen boiler below and steam tins 
above. T could get sufficient heat, but the “ women folk,” 
not having the fear of John Frost before their eyes, were 
constantly interfering with me,—filling up the boiler with 
cold water, letting the lire go low, and other petty though 
undesigned annoyances. However, I set my wits to work 
this winter to circumvent them, and have succeeded. 
Thinking the steam would have no objection to travel three 
or four yards further to please me, I removed the top of a 
j square Amott’s stove, constantly burning during the winter 
in an adjoining office, and replaced it by a tin boiler about a 
| foot square; the bottom of the boiler forming the top of 
' the stove, and fully exposed to the action of the coke fire 
j beneath. On the top of the boiler is a small aperture, with 
a screw cover, for supplying fresh water, and an upright 
I one-inch iron gas-pipe, which, after rising four ieet, takes a 
| horizontal direction towards the greenhouse, and joins the 
, pipe from the kitchen boiler at a distance ot about twelve 
j feet. Altogether the steam from the tin boiler travels a 
distance of thirty feet, though I believe it would as readily 
travel sixty. In the greenhouse is a steam tin, thirty inches 
long, six wide, and sixteen deep, with a small tube at the 
top to carry off the waste, and another at the bottom to 
carry off the condensed steam. Both pass through the wall 
to the outside. In ten minutes after the water has reached 
the boiling point, the steam rushes into the tin, and through 
the waste pipe, with sufficient force to sound a lilliputian 
whistle. With this apparatus I can readily move the ther¬ 
mometer from five to ten degrees, which is amply sufficient 
to exclude frost, and something more—the real test of its 
utility, and the heat is delightfully sweet and pure. I have 
command over the steam from both boilers by means of 
stop-cocks, but rely mainly upon the small boiler over the 
Arnott’s stove, as being less effected by disturbing causes. 
I would not be understood to consider my method of heating 
as preferable to either the flue or hot water systems, where 
these can be adopted; but I firmly believe there are scores 
of small greenhouses and conservatories where such appli¬ 
ances are utterly inadmissible; and I further believe that 
scores would be erected were it not for the expense, and 
especially the trouble, involved in constant firing during the 
winter. I fearlessly assure any one desirous of possessing 
the luxury of a small greeuhouse, that if a good steam-tight 
kitchen boiler, or even a stove, is employed within thirty or 
forty feet of an eligible site, no fear need be entertained of 
the "result, whether it be on the ground or any other floor. 
The peculiar formation of my greenhouse compels me to 
use the steam tin in a disadvantageous situation; it is my 
conviction that a similar tin in the centre of the room, or a 
three-inch tin pipe passed along the low side of the house 
and returned, would be still more effective.—C. B., Barton. 
FLOWER-BED SHAPES. 
I have found much trouble in procuring pretty shapes for 
flower-beds. It is a subject not much thought about; but I 
find it is no use to have pretty flowers in ugly beds—they do 
not look at home: can you help me to any nice shapes ? 
Circles and ovals are very pretty, but beyond this no friend 
or gardener can furnish you with an idea that will look any¬ 
thing but tasteless forms. One thinks a set of small coffins 
“ nice" if arranged in a circle; another gard ener says, 
“suppose you have a neat square, ma’am ; ” and a third sug¬ 
gests some bed all points, so that the ends ot the beds must 
be empty or the flowers half hanging over the grass. I 
have some nice beds, but I sadly want three more, and they 
are not to be had. My lawn is something like the sketch I 
have given, only more crooked than I had room on the 
paper to make it. How would a lawn look covered with 
butterflies ?—they are bright creatures, and all shapes and 
colours. Would not a Butter jig Verbena-bed be good? The 
ground of the upper wings purple ( Walton's Emma) , with a 
good spot of white on each; lower wings scarlet, horns of 
Blue Lobelia , and the body some neutral tint? I had snakes 
last year, but have done away with them. The forms of just 
leaves are always pretty, but I cannot have all leaves. 
I hope for a few lines upon this subject, which will, I feel 
sure, help many young gardeners as well as myself. —Fanny. 
[At present we can say no more than that “ We’ll think 
189 
about it; ” but at the same time we cannot keep your racy 
letter from our readers, any of whom will oblige us by sug¬ 
gestions of the forms ot beds they have observed to be 
pleasing, with the names and colours of the flowers in 
them; for there is more relationship between form and 
colour than most people imagine.—E d. C. G.] 
SOUP FOR THE POOR. 
A great deal was written and said two years ago about 
soup for the poor, and in the time of scarceness soup- 
kitchens were established; but still the poor do not appeal 
to have imbibed the art of making it in their own homes. 
They, generally speaking, prefer having (if it can be pro¬ 
cured) one good dinner a-week, and the other days are con¬ 
tented with potatoes, bread, &c. This I can only attribute 
to idleness, or want of thought and energy on the part of 
the wife; for I am very sure no labouring man would of his 
own free will choose this method of proceeding. The chil¬ 
dren, too, delight in broth, in which they can soak them 
bread and potato ; besides, in the cold weather, how cheering 
to have a nice basin of smoking soup to warm and comfort 
you! How many times have I repeated this to the poor 
people around me! Their usual auswer is, “ Oh, it cer¬ 
tainly would be much more comfortable, but I have no time ; 
I also work out of doors." They forget that, generally 
speaking, they leave the eldest girl at home to look after the 
baby, and it never enters their head that she could manage 
to boil a little broth. They keep her away from school, and 
do not teach her what they so easily might, which is, ‘ to 
be useful in her generation.” This surely is a lesson 
which should be impressed on the mind of every one. 
young or old, rich or poor, we have each and all of us our 
appointed tasks, which, however trifling they may appear to 
us, should be performed with cheerfulness and alacrity. 
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy 
might.” It is the duty of every one to whom God has given 
of “ this world’s goods,” to try and improve the condition 
of the poor, both by precept and example; and I am sure 
if the working man’s home was made a more comfortable 
one to him, "the alehouses would be much less frequented, 
constant disputes between husband and wife would _ be 
avoided, and they would be led to consider that there is a 
God to be loved as well as feared. I have found that the 
best way to improve a cottage kitchen is to give out once or 
twice a-week soup made by the receipts given to them ; 
they then taste how palatable it can be made, and vv ill, I 
hope, in time profit by the hints. It would be very easy at 
every gentleman’s house to have soup thus given to a certain 
number of cottagers; and if the lady ot the house super¬ 
intends the distribution, and at the same time adds a word of 
encouragement or exhortation to each, much good may be 
done. Servants, I am sorry to say, are ver)- apt to forget 
their own cottage homes ; and it is thereiore necessary that 
the mistress's eye should watch the proceeding. I vv ill now 
give some receipts, which may, perhaps, be found usetul to 
charitably-disposed persons as weR as to the poor. 
It must, in the first place, be remembered, that when a 
« soup-pot" is once established, nothing need be wasted. 
The outsides of onions, celery, pieces of bread, the shim¬ 
mings from any boiled meat, all improve the flavour and I 
add°to the nourishment of the soup. The vegetables you I 
intend putting into the saucepan must be cut rather small. I 
Whilst that is being done, allow some fat to be melting in 
the pot in which the soup is to be made. W hen the fat 
begins to bubble, throw in . the vegetables, let them remain 
tilf they are lightly browned, and then add water, also the 
bones and meat you intend for it; put some peppercorns 
and a little salt into it, cover it closely, and let it simmer for 
some hours. This soup requires very little trouble. It 
could easily be made before the mother of the family went 
to her work; and if left on the hob till she returns, it will 
be found very palatable. Sheep’s head and “ pluck” (as 
the liver, &c., is called) make a capital soup for a large 
family’s dinner for two days. The head should be split in 
two, soaked in a little water, and then, when the vegetables 
are fried, put into the saucepan with half a pound of 
damaged rice. Pea soup is very nourishing, and is always 
much liked. Whole peas are cheaper than the split ones, 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
