November 10. 
have not seen this bulb yet, and cannot say if it is 
unify to keep; few of the Sisyrinchiums are; but until the 
whole order of Irids is revised by an able baud, who 
can tell which is a Sisy rinchium, and which is not ? 
Plantia will grow in any light compost; and, if it keeps 
to the family name, it ought to seed, and also mnltiply 
by ofisets freely enough, under good management. 
POLIANTHES, OE TUBEKOSE. 
The “ Sweet tuberosa ” is as well-known as the Tulip 
itself, and the ways to grow it we know not, or if we do, 
we do not practice it, and so we allow the Italians to 
grow them for us; we merely Jlower them. In the good 
old times of “ herbaceous plants,” they used to have 
patches of the tuberosa all along the borders, about four 
feet from the edging, with a stick in the middle of the 
patch to tie four or live of them to it; and once I saw a 
large bed of them in full bloom in the open air ; they 
were potted, and gently forced in April, just like Tigri- 
dias ; and in June they were planted out in the open 
ground; but now-a-days, we more often see them drawn 
up like ghosts, in too much heat and conlinement, 
“ to scent the rooms.” The kind called gracilis is only 
a botanical plant, of which they take good care in 
herbariums, the only place it is lit for. 
PHALOCALLIS PLUMBEA. 
This is an Extraordinary-looking, gauky plant, a 
native of Mexico, and requiring the same treatment as 
Tigridias. It only produces one flower on tlio top ol a 
very long rigid stalk; rather a large flower for the 
plant; a beautiful lead colour, with yellow and violet 
towards the bottom ; but it only keeps open a few hours, 
and that early in the morning, therefore is of no great 
use as a garden plant. If it could be crossed with any 
of the allied plants to Tigridia, the peculiar colour ol the 
flowers would come in useful. 
RIGIDELLA FLAMMEA. 
This is a tall-growing bulb from Mexico, whence it 
was introduced by the Horticultural Society. It is 
nearly related to Tigridia, but more slender and much 
taller in growth, and requires exactly the same treat¬ 
ment as the Tigridias, and flowers from June to Sep¬ 
tember, in the open borders; and with a slight protection 
in winter, it will stand out-of-doors all the year round. 
The dowers are of a liery-crimson, or dame-colour ; they 
hang down on long peduncles, and do not open till 
towards the afternoon, and when open they are redexed, 
the individual dower soon fades, but they come in long 
succession. As soon as the dower drops, the long, 
drooping footstalk, or peduncle, assumes a diametrically 
opposite position, and stands up as firm and stiff as can 
be, holding the seed-vessel to the full sun. it is from 
this peculiarity that the genus was named Rigidella, 
signifying, literally, stid’-stalk. The scarlet Geraniums 
have the opposite habit of showing the flower; they 
point to the sun, but when the dower drops, it the 
germen is fertilised, the peduncle droops immediately, 
and all the “ beaks ” point to the ground, until within 
thirty hours of the ripening of the seeds, when they 
begin to take to their first upright position, and by the 
end of that time they are stiff-stalks again, as much so 
as Rigidellas. Strong bulbs of this species, in a rich, 
light border, will throw up dower-stems upwards of four 
feet high. The bulbs are easily kept, and increase 
readily, and they are very desirable summer ornaments, 
when grown in masses, on a south border. 
EIGIDELLA IMMACULATA. 
This, the spotless-flowered stiff-stalk, differs very little 
from the preceeding species. The dowers are a little 
smaller, but of the same dame-colour, and the plant is 
somewhat more dwarf, and tho leaves narrower than in 
99 
Jlammea. It has been sent from Guatemala, by Mr. 
Hartweg, to the Horticultural Society. In a general 
way, it might be described thus—the Guatemala form 
of the plant is a little smaller, in all the parts, than the 
Mexican form ( Jlammea ), with the addition of a spotless 
flower. The two would certainly cross, if that would 
improve them ; but looking at the two together, 1 see no 
opening for much improvement iu them ; but there are 
more kinds of them in Mexico, some of which may be 
likely enough to improve the breed. As it is, this one 
ought to be planted in front of Jlammea, on account of its 
being less of stature, and, also, because tho dowers open 
early in the day, like those of the Tigridia, and begin to 
close by the time those of Jlammea are ready to open in 
the afternoon. In a pot, in-doors, this dowers much 
earlier than Jlammea; but give both the same chance in 
the open air, and they will bloom for nearly three 
months in the height of summer. Id. Beaton. 
(To be continued.) 
VINERY AND PEACHERY GREENHOUSE. 
“ I am about to construct a Greenhouse, heated by hot 
water, for plants, and a Vine up every other rafter, at the 
end of my parsonage, where there is already a Peach¬ 
tree growing. Would you have this removed, oi allow 
it to remain ? ” “ Cannot 1 have Peaches from a Vinery, 
the plants either planted out, or in tubs or large pots ? 
“Is it impossible in one house to keep bedding and 
greenhouse plants, and yet from it to obtain fair average 
crops of Peaches and Grapes .” “ How long may I keep 
Grapes in a house iu which I am obliged to keep many 
greenhouse plants after the end of September; and what 
is the best mode of doing so?” 
These are a sample of the inquiries that have lately 
been made on these subjects. All of them, I rather 
think, have received less or more attention. I had pre¬ 
pared some notes, in answer to the latter inquiry, before 
reading the admirable article at page 58, to which 1 
would direct the serious attention of everyone who 
wishes to preserve late Grapes in the winter months. 
With the presence of plants that require much water, 
it is next to impossible to maintain that low tempe¬ 
rature, and motion, and dryness in the air, on which Mr. 
Erriugton rightly lays such great stress. If only succu¬ 
lents, such as Cactus, or large plants of Scarlet Gera¬ 
niums, iu pots or boxes, were introduced, there would be 
no great difficulty, as each ot them, by means ol then 
stems, would absorb nearly as much moisture from the 
‘ atmosphere as they would perspire. But, whenever 
much moisture is prevalent from watering many plants 
that cannot be kept dry, the atmosphere of tho house be¬ 
comes loaded with moisture; and it you light a sharpish 
lire, there is danger either of hastening the decomposi¬ 
tion of the berry by heat, shrivelling it by strong 
draughts of air, or surrounding it with invisible vapours, 
next to saturation point. Hence, those who wish to 
make the most of their one house for plants and vines, 
should give no more heat in winter and spring than 
would allow their Vines to break only a few days beloie 
those in the open air; should remove out-of-doors, and 
under partial protection, all these hardier plants, by the 
middle of May, or rather the beginning of that month; 
should then, by keeping the house closer, though never 
without air at the back, and the use of fire-heat, laise 
the temperature to 65° at night, by the time the bunches 
were in bloom, and to from 75° and 85° at mid-day from 
sunshine; and then good Grapes may be had from the 
end of August to the end ot October, with little oi no 
trouble from damping; when the house may be prepared 
again for its winter residents. Those who, by that time, 
must have all their flowering plants housed, will act 
wisely in securing some of their best bunches in bladdeis, 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
