lid THE COTTAGE GARDENER. :MAUtH 4. 
I BLOCK FLOWER-15EDS. 
A CoiuiEsroNi'ENT ill Till; Cottage Gaiidener of Febru¬ 
ary tlie 12th, slates, that iluriiij? bis visit to Ribston, orAppU> 
iiittoriely, lie was much improsseil witli tlie beauty of a llower- 
' bed, the (lescTiption of ivliicli be gives. 1 think you will agree 
; with me, when 1 say that horticulturists and tlorists are an 
ciimlatory class of animals, when they see anything worth 
emulating. J t is not my business to discuss here wliether this 
! attribute is a good or bad one ; but sucli is the case ; and I, 
I bring one of that number, of course partake of their nature. 
; Now, 1 came across a garden,.some live or six years since, 
and saw a circular bed similar to the one your correspondent 
describes, being formed of poles about two or three inches 
in diameter, and these placed in a vertical jicsition one 
row or tier above the other, the centre being about three 
feet high, and it certainly made a beautiful appearance, and 
one, 1 thought, worthy my imitation. I consequently set to 
work, and although I was not the originator of this design, 
which may have been as old as my grandfather, for ought I 
know, yet, I fancy, in my design i made some little improve¬ 
ment: but even in this, others may have anticipated me. 
However tliis may be, I made one in the following manner. 
1 first procured some Spruce Firs (Larch will do as well) 
from six to four inches in diameter at their h.ase. I had 
these sawed down their middles, and cut into four different 
lengths, as 1 WTiutcd my bed with four rows, ranging one 
above the other, so I liad the lai'gest ends of the young 
' trees cut about two feet six inches in length, the next size 
I two feet four inches in length, and so on with the others, 
I reducing them ten inches respectively. In my case, I did 
j not intend having them placed in a vertical position, as 1 
thought, by placing them rather slanting from the centre 
: would give them somewhat a more elegant appearance; 
I and yet I wanted the upper ends of the blocks cut in 
I such a manner, that when placed they would be parallel 
with the horizon, if I may' use the expression. I, therc- 
. fore, in cutting these blocks, took care not to cut them 
1 square, but rather slanting inwards from the back, so that 
wlien placed they would answer the aliove ends. Having 
' these ready, 1 commenced the bed thus. I marked my 
bed about sixteen feet in diameter. 1 then had a trench 
cut about lifteen inches deep for the first row, cutting it a 
little slanting from the centre, similar to one for plant- 
: ing Box. I then placed the largest blocks close to each 
other in the trench, in order to place them upright in one 
direction, whilst the lop of each block slanted from the 
centre; it was necessary to make that end to ha placed in 
the trench somewhat smaller than the top. ‘When thus far 
down they were securely fastened by the soil being firmly 
jiressed around them; I then filled up with earth (any or¬ 
dinary soil will do for the centre of these bods). When 
Idled, and finally pressed, 1 proceeded to place the second 
row upon the surface in the same manner—one foot six 
ini.lies within the first circle, putting the second size blocks 
in this one, and so on, until all w'ore comiilete. In ascend¬ 
ing, it will not he necessary to place them quite so deep in 
the soil, as the pressure upon them will not he so great. 
Having made mine of heavy, retentive soil, I thought it 
necessary to give the plants a fair start, to take out the 
I earth one foot deep, and about fifteen inches wide around 
' each circle, and to fill it with good soil. I have had this 
1 tilled, during three years, with scarlet (tcraiiuimx, putting 
one tine plant in the centre, taking care to preserve unifor¬ 
mity to the bottom; then around the edge of the first circle 
; I planted a row of variegated JIi/kskhi,* which completed 
, the. bed. The Ahjssum soon grows, and hangs gracefully 
; over the bottum serii'S of blocks. During the summer months 
! one can hardly picture a more brilliant disphay, forming one 
large dome of scarlet edged with white, and can he seen at a 
! great distance. It fails not to elicit high encomiums—often 
I from those who generally are the least impressed with 
I floral beauty. No doubt, some of your readers have come 
; across something of this description, if not its prototype; 
, hut, on the other hand, probably this may meet with the eye 
, of some admirers of Ilora, tir which it may he useful, by’ 
l Uggesting some hints for the exercise of tiieir ingenuity, 
j If we are to have peace, I think of filling this upon the 
I * This plant is commonly called the variegated .l/ysA«m j but is it not 
I rather a variety of the Koni^ii innritiintt ? 
j I'ihhon princiide ; if not exactly with “ red, while, and hlnc,’’ j 
at least to have these for tlie principal colours. What does 
Mr. Beaton say to it ? 1 have otliers of ditfcrcrit size.t and 
sliapes, all of which, when filled, whether upon the ribbon, 
mixed, or whole colour principle, are very interesting riming 
summer. I have had one tilled with mixed I'lrlH nns tins 
season, wliicli was very handsome. They arc also very np- , 
! propriale for the centre of geometric figures.— S. Aaiey, 
, ISalimj Grove. i 
ERUIT IUI’ENJNG JN AN ORCHARD HOUSE. , 
I AM a young gardener, liaving lately taken a situation as ' 
’ head-gardener, anrl having, at various limes, de.iiverl a great 
. amount of instruction from your valuable paper, I think | 
• that some of the various facts which have come under my ■ 
1 notice, m.ay, iiossibly, in return, he nsefnl to some of your i 
I readers; ami as the ipiestiou of Orchard-houses appears i 
to excite considerable interest at present, it, perhaps, may not I 
be out of place to state what I liave seen respecting them. 
Last year, I was living as foreman in the gai'den of a 
nobleman, and where I had the charge of an Ori'liard-bonse, 
. about forty feet in length, which was a lean to house, built 
I of feather-edged boards, with a fixed root', air being admitted I 
by means of slmtters along the front and ends, and the ' 
same .at the top. There was a walk along the centre ; and 
in the front border, which was four feet wide, were tliree 
Peach trees, planted out, and trained close under tlie glass. 
I They bore an excellent crop of highly-colimred and finely- 
I flavoured fruit; and althougli at the lime they were in 
I flower, and after the fruit was well set, we had as much as 
of frost, they were altogether uninjured, and ripened 
their fruit sixteen days earlier tlian did the trees on the 
wall, although these open wall trees were covered witli 
canvass. 
' The hack border of tlie house was. occnjiied hy Beach- 
, trees in pots; hut altbongh they ripened earlier than those 
I out-of-dours, the fruit was smaller, and not so fincly- 
I coloured.- 
GAS CONSUMED JN HEATING A GREEN 
HOUSE. 
Lx the number of The Cottage Garhexer for February 
I util, page do?, you ask for a iiriictical answer as to the 
question of cost of gas for the purpose of heating green¬ 
houses. 
1 have a greenhouse twenty-three feet long, liy seven feet 
six inches wide, heiglit in front, six feet six indies, and at 
the back, eight feet. It is heated by watci’, the wider being 
heated by gas, which I find answers very well. The green- ’ 
' bouse was tilted up, last autumn, with two three inch pipes j 
made of very stout zinc, connected with the boiler by brass j 
unions, for convenience of removal, if necessary. T'he j 
! boiler is constructed of copper, and is (jo arranged, that a ' 
I great amount of heat may lie obtained from a small quantity 
I of gas‘. Gn the coldest night this winter the tliormonieler 
in the greenhouse, at the farthest point I'rom flic pipes, did 
not fall below d8“. The qiianlity of gas consumed is about 
one Inuulred feet in six hours; but 1 do not usually find it 
i necessary to burn so much, my object being only to keep 
j tlio frost out, and, occasionally, to dry the bouse in damp 
; weather. The pipes and boiler, with fcod-oisteru, contain 
j about eighteen gallons of water. One himdred feet of gas | 
I would be sutheient, with the boiler I bavo in use, to heat a ' 
I larger pipe than I have attaclied to it, or a greater h'ngtli of 
I the same size, which, of course, would raise the temperuture I 
I of the house somewhat higher. I had the lioiler in question 
I made ten years ago, for the juirposo of heating a garden 
frame, nine feet by six feet, for which it was largrr tlian 
was required. I have been iiiformeil, tliat the gas produced 
by the Cannel coal does not give siiilicient lieat for use in 
stoves, and, consequenlly, would not do for this purpose. 
It is (piifo necessary to liave tlie boiler so arranged, flint 
tliere may be a tube to carry off the smoke and vapour 
arising from the gas, which, if allowed to cscaiie in tlie 
house, would be very injurious to the plants. Thin iron 
would be a bad material for Hie boiler, as the gas would 
