December 9. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
183 
wish youv plants to be, and the state of forwardness in 
which the cuttings are. Plants in small pots are liable 
to all extremes, and involve additional labour in 
routine attention, and any moving they require. When 
left in cutting-pots, the young plants should be chietly 
round the outside, and thus the surface soil can easily 
be stirred and renovated. When struck moderately 
early, I prefer placing a number in largish pots, as they 
are less liable to extremes, and more quickly moved. 
But for all such stock purposes in winter I approve of 
wooden boxes—say from two to three feet in length, 
from nine to twelve inches in width, and from four to 
seven inches in depth. Any spare boards may soon be 
converted roughly into such a purpose, and if they 
have a good painting with quicklime, and be allowed to 
dry before using tliem, damps and funguses will 
trouble them little that season. The chief advantages 
are—that from the non-conducting properties of the 
wood, the plants are not exposed to the extremes of 
heat and cold, dryness and moisture, which they are 
liable to in small pots, and thus necessary attentions are 
minimised, while all labour in moving from place to place 
is abridged,—a matter of no little consequence where a 
limited portion of glass is made subservient to many 
purposes during the season. When economy in labour 
becomes a still more serious affair, I shall expect to see, 
for all out-door ornamenting purposes, with tender- 
plants, pots, and boxes, too, entirely dispensed with, 
and the reqrrisite number of small plants pricked-orrt 
into beds in autumn, there to remain until wanted in 
the following May. 
3rdly. Watering. —This has been already alluded to. 
So few will require anything of the sort, that they had 
better be removed, watered, and replaced when the 
extra moisture has drained away. 
4thly. Protecting from frost. —We have had a few 
touches of this, and must expect more. Plants in gene¬ 
ral are in the worst position for resisting its eiiects. 
Even under the hardiest treatment, the last si.x weeks 
has filled them with crude juices, along with adeliciency 
of solid matter. It is good, therefore, to be prepared. 
Those who have acted according to the advices of this 
week would have the plants near the glass. Unless 
these were on a stage, so as to have several feet of air 
beneath them, the nearness to the glass, though bene¬ 
ficial in fine weather, would be equally prejudicial in a 
sudden frost. When there is the smallest likelihood of 
the iog king, it is best to cover the glass at night, even 
though it would be advisable to leave half-an-inch of air 
beliiiid. In such circumstances, several degrees of frost 
would not do much injury, as radiation would chiefly 
jtrocecd from the glass, or its covering. But near tlie 
glass, and not covered, tender, spongy shoots v^ould suffer 
much from a few degrees of frost. I have hitherto made 
as simple as I could the whole theory of protection. 
I could add nothing were I ever so willing. I was told 
by a j)erson lately, who had read these remarks, that 
he had built a six-light pit, sunk it two feet in 
the ground, and left two rows of out-jutting bricks on 
the back and front wall, so that bo could i)lace jdants in 
the bottom, or on transverse ]ilatforms of boards, near 
to, or nearer the glass; and that he meant to have a 
regular tarpaulin to keep all his glass dry at night in 
winter, with a softer cloth to lie u])ou the glass, and to 
have hay, &c., on it, and beneath the tarpaulin in rough 
frosty weather. And how canid I do other than approve. 
He rates me, however, that his plants are damping, even 
though lie has dang linings round the walls; and that 
the water stands in the bottom of his pit like a canal. 
Reader! have you any desire to have suchajiit; and, 
for the sake of noaUiess, and great ultimate economy, 
do not grudge a little ]irimary outlay? Thou build as 
our friend has done; only have hollow walls if possible, 
and thou they will need no protection; and if not, tic 
on them neatly for the winter months, a two-inch layer 
of wheat-straw. Concrete the bottom of your pit to ])rc- 
vent damp rising; for you have no business to put water 
there now, and a little in summer will be rather an ad¬ 
vantage. Raise the earth round the outside of the walls of 
your pit, so that when beat or rolled firmly there will be a 
slope outwards of at least one inch to the foot; cover this 
to the width of six feet with one-eightli-of-an-iuch in 
tliickness of coal tar; over that place a layer of gravel 
firmly rolled, and you may defy outside moisture 
finding its way within ; and then, for protection, tack 
a lath to the side of every sash—to l)e removed in 
summer — and have light half-inch deal wooden 
shutters, well painted, made to slide up on every sash : 
and though for such covers for six ordinary lights you 
pay the best part of two pounds, with ordinary care 
they will be little the worse for twenty years’ wear, 
while they will enable you to dispense with all other 
protecting material, except a little litter thrown over 
them in venj severe weather. The laths round the sash 
are both to prevent the covers wearing off the paint, 
and to enclose a body of air between the glass and the 
cover. AVbo, that prides himself on being an amateur, 
would not prefer examining his pets in cleanliness and 
comfort, instead of wading among rotting filth and 
littery, dripping mats? 
The same principles will apply to pits and houses 
heated and used as Preservatories. The labour and atten¬ 
tion is, however, considerably abridged, as in the dullest, 
closest weather a sharp fire in the morning, with plenty 
of air, will promote a free circulation, and thus so far 
put a dam])er on damps. Keep in view, however, our 
first directions. R. Ejsii. 
CONSERVATIVE AND HEATED FRUIT WALLS. 
A CORRESPONDENT (F. H.) writes thus :—“ Observing 
in The Cottage Gardener that Mr. Appleby remarks 
upon the Osmastou IManor Garden, and mentions that 
the garden-walls there are heated with hot water, and 
answer well, I should feel obliged to him if he would 
answer the following queries:— 
“ How large is the boiler? What length of pipe to one 
boiler? What is the diameter of the pipes? What 
height is the wall? And are there any gratings in 
the wall?” Our Flditor very naturally sent me these 
queries to answer; and in order to bo quite correct, 
1 sent them to my friend Mr. Lamb, the gardener at 
Osmastou, and with his usual prompt kindness 1 had, 
by return of post, the following answer :— 
1st. “ The boiler is composed of a series of pipes three 
inches diameter, connected together at each end; thus 
' forming a boiler seven feet long, which is placed over 
the lire. 2nd. We have upwards of 3090 feet of pipes 
to one boiler, but intend to connect another powerful 
boiler, to be used if found necessary, as there is more 
' pipe to bo added. 3rd. The pipes arc principally four 
! inches diameter, except the flow and return near the 
boiler; there they are five inches diameter, in conse- 
([uenco of there being many connections, oth. There are 
no gratings in the wall. Tlie walls arc about twelve feet 
high.” Mr. L. adds in a postcript, that if any further 
description is necessary he will ho happy to give it. So 
I would advise F. H. to write to him personally. This 
cori'esi}ondenco is just the thing that is really useful 
to such parties as may be about to build garden-walls, 
eitber for fruit, like those of our correspondent and the 
Osmastou gardens, or for growing ornamental plants 
against, usually called conservative-walls, though, I 
think, 77r(?6'6'rru<it'e would bo a better teim. 
Heated walls have, as is well known, been used for 
a long jieriod. I well remember, when I was under- 
gardener at a place in Yorkshire (Wheatley Hall, near 
