364 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
February 10. 
j)roprictor to determine the definite uses to which he 
applies liis house, and the things to wliich, when the 
pull of destruction comes, he will give tho preference. 
He must also determine w'hother tliis single house is to 
constitute tho whole of his glass, or whether, as often 
advised, he will treat himself to a light or two, in tlie 
shape of a hothed frame, and a few more lights in the 
form of a cold pit, with walls of turf, brick, wood, or 
whatever is most handy. Any of these conveniences 
w'ould enable him to have more variety in his house in 
summer, and also, if lie thought proper to give a slight 
forcing or e.vtra heat to his Vines when they were in 
blossom, as tho hardier plants would be })laced out-of- 
doors ; the more tender, as respects full exposure, in his ; 
cold pits; while tender annuals and Acliimenes, assisted I 
by the frame, would come in as summer ornaments. ! 
Let it bo taken as a general rule, that the lower the 
temperature which a plant will stand in winter, tho 
more it will bo injured by a closish, shady atmosphere 
in summer. The not having a few Vines merely to 
give a slight shade, hut covering the roof with them, is 
the reason why so many, who pride themselves on their 
bushy plants in spring, get disappointed witli the same 
plants being drawn and leggy in summer. A greater 
amount of light and of air would have prevented this; 
but the greater quantity of air would not so well have 
suited the Vines. In such circumstances, they receive 
only a few advantages over that they would possess when 
trained against a w'arm wall. 
Another general rule to be kept in mind is, that 
every vinery may he used as a greenhouse from tho 
time the fruit is cut until the bunches are again 
freely showing themselves; then you may give green¬ 
house treatment for tho season, or a little extra 
heat, either by fire, or confining the heat from the 
sun, just as you give a preference to hardy greenhouse 
plants, or a superior well-swollcd crop of grapes. I 
have said after the fruit is cut, but an amateur friend, 
who fills his house in October, has managed to have 
grapes at Christmas, simply by encasing the bunches 
in bags of bladder after a dry forenoon. During sum¬ 
mer—his flowering plants are chiefly confined to his 
wide front shelf—ho appropriates the stage to a few 
Achiinenes, Balsams, and the growing of his Camellias 
and Azaleas, before hardening them out-of-doors in 
August. In that house, I have seen Bulbs, Epacris, 
Camellia, Genista, Acacia, Erica, &c., all in bloom in 
winter; Cineraria and Calceolaria in spring, and adorn¬ 
ing exliibitiou tables in May; Bclargoniunis equally 
beautiful in June; Fuchsias in July; Achimenes and 
Gesnera Zebrina in August and Septembci'. In the 
latter month, grapes have taken a prize at a country 
show. In addition to the house, there was a small pit 
of four or five lights, used chiefly as a preservative for 
choice florists’ flowers in winter, part of it used as a 
cold resting place for favourite plants in summer, and 
another part used as a hotbed, for helping on tender 
things, and growing regular exhibition cucumbers. I 
must state, however, that all this was done by sacri¬ 
ficing (luantitij to quality. He was much more gratified 
with two bunches of grapes that beat all his neigh¬ 
bours, than if ho had had six times the numher of 
bunches, and four times tlie weight, but the individual 
bunches inferior. His principle was— what can you 
show as proofs of good gardening, not what have you yot 
at home —a principle of first-rate import for all intend¬ 
ing exhibitors to study, as has been previously demon¬ 
strated. Tho most of his soft-wooded jjlants, and tho 
hardier hard-wooded ones, being out of the house early 
in June, except what could be accommodated on the 
iront shelf thinly, he was thus enabled to keep his house 
closer; and if, during tho times when the Vines were 
coming into bloom, or swelling freely, a few veiy dull 
cold days intervened, ho would give air, but also put a 
little fire in his flue. The Vines, as they ought to be 
in such circumstances, were trained and ])runed on the 
spur principle,—one Vine to each rafter, the rafters , 
being rather more than four feet from each other. 'J’ho ‘ 
Vines wore planted outside, in a raised border, two loot 
deep, with a drain and nine inches of ojion rubble ' 
underneath. The border was twelve feet wide, the ])urt 
next the house being eighteen inches higher than the 
front, and that even slightly raised above tho surround¬ 
ing ground. 
Tho soil was equal parts of tho garden earth, which 
was good, and fresh turfy fibry loam, mingled together 
with several loads of brick rubbish, and a few bushels 
of broken bones. In winter this bolder was kept 
mulched with good dung. In summer it was raked off 
and the border forked on tbe surface ; but nothing was 
grown on it but a row of mignonette at its front. In 
summer it generally receives one or two manure- 
waterings, and now and then it has had a sprinkling 
of guano, or bone dust. The Vines were jiruned ami 
trained, and summer-managed much as detailed in 
No. 'J2; or, perhaps, it would be more proper to say, 
according to tbe copious, clear instructions of Mr. 
Errington. Our friend has been so successful, that 
among his acquaintances his practice is getting to be 
looked upon as a good model for imitation. 
Now such a combination of good grajie and plant grow¬ 
ing is founded chiefly on two facts, tlie basis of the above 
general rule. First, that a general collection of green¬ 
house plants may be successfully grown and bloomed, 
in winter and spring, with an average night temperature 
not above 45°, allowing from 5° to 10°, and even a few 
degrees more, for sunshine. And secondly, because such 
a temperature will not start the vines much sooner than 
the buds would have swelled under glass with no 
artificial heat whatever during the winter. As will 
have been seen, the future treatment will depend 
upon whether grapes, or greenhouse jilants, are con 
sidered the most essential; whether a little extra heat 
be given, or not given, in summer; or whether the 
plants may not be so changed that tho greatest amount 
of beauty may be realised, with, in the circumstances, 
tho greatest amount of profit. Keeping in view that 
the inquiries made relate chiefly to a house that is to 
receive little or no artificial heat in summer, 1 will, to 
meet a number of cases, say a few words on such a 
house when used as a Preservatory in winter, for win¬ 
dow and out-door adornment in summer, when green¬ 
house plants are to be reckoned of most amount -sit all 
times; and again, when graj)es and flowers are deemed | 
equally valuable, and there is a small amount of glass; 
besides alluding to the management, and some of the 
plants that will be best suited for the dillcrcnt circum¬ 
stances. But these matters 1 must defer to another 
opportunity. R. Fisu. 
THE PELARGONJ FM. 
In no class of florists’ flowers has there hecu so great 
an improvement as in the Folargonium, or, as it is 
commonly called, llie Geranium. Tho race now in 
existence, as exhibited during the past year, is as much i 
superior in form, size, and colour, to the first hybrid, as | 
tho finely-formed and highly-coloured double Dahlia of I 
the iiresent day is to the first raised semi-double, half- ’ 
formed, and badly coloured Dahlia. Then, again, the ' 
culture of the Pelargonium is greatly im))roved. Gar- | 
doners advanced in years, like myself, well i-cmembcr : 
the day when the Geraniums were grown on the stage 
of tho greenhouse, almost as thick as mustard for salads, j 
so that if a plant was taken out from amongst tho 
crowd to be placed in tho parlour window, or in a basket 
in tho sitting room, its tall lanky stem required a strong 
