Mabcii 6. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
441 
possibility of getting nice, dwarf, liealtliy, compact plants in 
sueh small pots. I apprehend they will be more in request 
in May, June, and July, than any other part of the year, but 
occasionally all the year round.—A Young Gakdenek.” 
[All plants are more or less injured from standing long 
in such places, and, therefore, soft-wooded plants will be the 
most useful. For the three months mentioned, some annuals, 
as Ncmophila insignis would look well for May. Cinerarias, 
Geraniums, and Fuchsias would furnish nice compact plants 
for all the three months. In fact, there is not a soft-wooded 
plant generally grown, but would be nice and stubby in 
such a sized pot, if properly stopped, and plenty of air 
given. For the summer months, one whole tribe of small¬ 
growing Achimenes would suit admirably; the bulbs being 
placed rather thickly, and part of the shoots allowed to 
grow upright, and the others to hang down over the vase. 
Bulbs of all kinds, and chiefly of Amaryllises, would come 
in well in winter. Lists were lately given fbr window- 
gardening for each month, and where there is a greenhouse 
and forcing-house, that may be much increased, the only 
thing is just to grow a sufficiency of plants in sueh a sized 
pot. To give you more earth room, you might substitute 
zinc for earthen pots.] 
HEATING A GREENHOUSE FROM A KITCHEN 
BOILER. 
“ In giving advice to a correspondent in the November 
part of your valuable publication, a hint was thrown out as 
to the use to which a kitchen boiler might be put-in the 
heating of a small greenhouse. I have a kitchen wall with 
a southern exposure, within which is the boiler attached to 
the grate. The difficulty I have is, how should I make the 
said boiler available, it being two-and-a-lialf feet or so above 
the level of the ground outside the wall. If it were so 
many feet below it I would have none. My idea is, that the 
heated water will not descend and return to the boiler ; or, in 
other words, will not circulate ; and, in order to obviate this, 
I should build a dwarf, or retaining wall, and fill up the 
ground within it to a level with the bottom part of the 
boiler. If this is correct, what is the best material to fill it 
up with ? The width of the house to be ten feet, and length 
eighteen. The roof I should wish would be such as running 
from front to back. AVhat size ought I to adopt, having a 
rod of iron running horizontally along the centre ? 
“ If I am necessitated to fill up the ground, as above 
stated, I shall have a short-coming of a portion of the height 
of the kitchen wall. Could I not make up this with wood, 
leaving openings, to be shut when required, for the ventila¬ 
tion, covering the outside with asphalt, such as is used for 
roofing purposes ? What kind of glass should I have, and 
the size of the pane ? Should the front sashes move on 
their centres, or be hung with hinges at the top ? What 
height should these front lights be, and how many ?—A 
COUNTEY SuBSCBIBEE.” 
[There has been much said lately that just meets your 
case. You may raise the floor of your house, or part of it, 
if you please; but, provided the pipes are placed high 
enough on piers, there is no absolute necessity for sucli a 
thing. Will there be no difficulty in fixing pipes to the 
boiler you now have ? That difficulty might be lessened by 
having merely one-inch pipes fixed to the boiler, and con¬ 
nected with four-inch pipes in the house. If one of these 
was placed near the top of the boiler, and the other near the 
bottom, the pipes in the house might be on a similar level; 
in fact, must not be higher, if the boiler has a moveable lid. 
The circulation is generally quicker when the pipes rise 
above the boiler; the lowest part of the pipes being, at least, 
as high as the top of the boiler; but this you cannot do 
unless your boiler has a close top, and is fed by a cistern 
considerably higher than the highest part of the pipes. The 
front wall should be about six feet, and you may divide that 
into brick and glass, according to your fancy; many would 
say three of the one and three of the other. If there is a 
shelf at the front it will be advisable that the window open 
outwards, it matters not how. Mr. Lane's bar, described 
the other week, will just suit you. With your iron rod you 
might curtail it, if it so suited you, half-an-inch in width 
and depth. You must have means for giving air at back, 
either as you propose, or by ventilators in the roof. You 
will want four or five sashes. You might have no moveable 
sashes in front at all; but make them fixed to resemble the 
roof, and have ventilators in the front wall. The less 
moving of glass sashes the better ; for economy’s sake, and 
future repairs.] 
HERB GARDENS. 
(Concluded from page 400.) 
Roses are not herbs; but they employ the skill of the 
Mitcham herb-growers ; scores of acres ol' roses constituting 
a great part of his vegetable riches. The roses are grown, 
not for the sake of their flowers, but for the essence which 
can be extracted from them. The rose-fancicr need not be 
told that the varieties of his favourite flower are very nume¬ 
rous, and that while some are distinguished for delicacy of 
form and exquisite tints of colour, others are more rich in 
perfume. Of course, the least costly varieties, so that they 
possess the proper extractive qualities, will be sought by the 
rose-water makers; for, although rose water is alioady dear 
enough, it [would be yet more so, if choice roses were 
employed. About the months of April and May, men, 
women, and children assemble in the rose gardens, pick the 
delicate petals of the roses, deposit them in largo bags, and 
convey them to the place where the distillation is to be con¬ 
ducted. The distillation is managed carefully, but with 
simple apparatus. Rich and fragrant as this rose-water is, 
it is as nothing compared with the- attar of the gardens of 
of Ghazeepore and Fayourn. The distillation from these 
eastern roses is left to stand. In early morning, when the 
nights are still cool, a delicate film is found to have 
arisen to the surface of the rose-water; this is removed 
by a feather, and carefully deposited in a small phial. 
Another night’s rest enables the rose-water to throw up a 
second dainty film: another removal takes place, afid 
so on, day after day, until the phial becomes filled with its 
precious treasure. The phial is placed fur a short time in 
the sunshine, and the attar arrives at perfection. A pro¬ 
digious consumption of materials is requisite: one lac (a 
hundred thousand) of roses to produce one tolah (a 
hundred and eighty grains) of attar! The rose-grower's 
arrangements at Ghazeepore seem to be remarkable. The 
land near the town is laid out in rose-gardens, each rounded 
by high mud walls, and prickly-pear fences, to keep 
out cattle. The gardens belong to Zemindars, or land- 
owners, who plant the rose-trees at the rate of about two 
thousand to an English acre; they let out the land and the 
rose-trees to cultivators at a yearly rental. The distillers of 
rose-water buy the roses when at a proper state, cause them 
to be gathered, and conveyed to their distilleries. Rose¬ 
water of various degrees of concentration is distilled, and the 
attar prepared as already stated. So precious is this true 
cream of roses, that the market price has occasionally been 
six times that of an equivalent weight of pme gold. The 
rogues adulterate it, we may be sure, by means of sandal oil, 
sweet oil, and other substances. The essence of a thousand 
roses are contained in about a quart of the best rose-water, 
after the small amount of attar has been removed. Mitcham, 
though not comparable to Ghazeepore, can produce roses 
sufficient for a large supply of essence of roses, and oil of 
roses, and rose-water, and other delicacies, pharmaceutical 
and perfumetic. One or two of the Mitcham gardens have 
laboratories attached to them, where essences and oils are 
extracted; but, usually, the plants are sold to the regular 
distillers of perfume. 
Roses and Chamomiles are about as unlike as two plants 
may be ; yet they are both grown here in one garden, and 
both for the sake of the flower. At one of these Mitcham 
herb-gardens as much as a hundred pounds a week is 
sometimes paid to women and children for picking cham¬ 
omile flowers at the time when the plant has arrived at 
maturity. 
It has been sung of the sweet Lavender — 
I love thy flower 
Of meek and modest hue, 
Which meets the morn and evening hour, 
The storm, the sunshine, and the shower, 
And changctk not its hue. 
