242 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Have the door at the back if you wish it; but let the 
path from it lead not along the back, but to the centre of 
the house, or have the door in the end facing the 
centre, and thence take a path lengthwise along the 
middle of the house, and have a platform for your plants 
on each side, on which you can easily reach your 
plants for everything desirable. The next best, would 
be to keep so far to your proposed arrangements; but 
instead of taking your platform right on to the front 
wall, to have a narrow trellis of shelf over your flue 
there, six inches below the level of the front glass, and 
inside of your flue a pathway, so that you may examine 
your plants in front. 
I have furnished matter for consideration; I should 
hesitate to do more without more definite information. 
Another friend sends a section of a span-roofed house, 
glass all round, with the exception of the low side and 
end walls. It seems narrow, not wider apparently than 
your pit, as the two side shelves are each the same width 
as the path along the middle ; and a most, useful place 
it will be both for growing and showing off to the best 
advantage. As much more width as would have fur¬ 
nished room for a flat stage or pit in the centre, with 
walk round it for general purposes, would have rendered 
it complete. The proprietors of such houses will soon 
send us lean-to gentlemen to the right about. William 
K. inquires respecting it, whether the stage should be 
level, or in the gradation of two steps, the lowest next 
the path, and, therefore, farthest from the glass. Level, 
in such circumstances, undoubtedly; use topsy-turned 
pots to make starers if you like; but, instead of having 
that level equal with or rather above the base of the 
front glass, we would place it six inches below it, and 
then, though the top of your plants would receive all 
necessary light, the pots would not be so much scorched 
in bright sunshine. R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
EXOTIC STOVE PLANTS. 
General Hints. —This department of the garden 
will now be quite gay with bloom. The numerous 
branches of the Gesnerworts should be in the greatest 
beauty, Achimenes, Gloxinia, Gesnera, Sinningia, <{’•<?., 
showing, if well-managed, a galaxy of floral beauty, 
such as our fathers in gardening never dreamt of. The 
permanent inhabitants of the stove will, generally, be 
out of bloom, cut down, repotted, and placed in deep 
cold pits, kept close at nights to cause them to grow 
stout and bushy, and laying up a store of robust health 
to enable them, when the summer occupants are at rest 
and placed out of sight, to render the stove an interesting 
and pleasant place to visit, when all out-of-doors are 
wrapt in the sleep of winter. 
Considerable labour, care, and foresight, is now the 
portion of the best cultivators of stove plants. Very 
different was the management even twenty years ago. 
The plant stove was then a receptacle for as many plants 
as could possibly be crammed into it, and long-legged, 
unsightly objects they were. Now that the management 
of the best old plants, and the immense number of 
newly introduced ones, is better understood, since the 
industry and skill of the growers are brought into active 
operation, the stove plants are cultivated with such suc¬ 
cess, as regards form, size, and bloom, as would astonish, 
could they see them, the cultivators of half-a-century 
back. And why should wo not progress and attain to 
another advance as great by the end of this century, 
as we have accomplished since its commencement? We 
see, every year, an improvement, a decided improvement, 
in the plants exhibited at the various horticultural 
exhibitions throughout the length and breadth of the 
land. The visitors to these shows must observe that 
[July 17. 
advance, and go home with a determination to try to I 
produce such plants in their own stoves. Some, indeed, 
seem desirous to continue in the “ good old way,” as j 
they term it, and cry out against such exhibitions, 
because they point out, with a loud voice, that it is time 
to be up and doing, and actively too, in order to keep 
pace with the march of gardening in the culture of 
ornamental stove plants. These deprecators of improve¬ 
ments are happily few, and fast departing from amongst 
us (if not in body) in spirit. The grand cry with such 
is now, “ I have no time to grow a collection of stove : 
plants,” or “ I have not space to grow them.” Then why 
attempt it? Do not grow a collection at all. Aim at a 
selection. Throw away, courageously, all such as are 
not highly ornamental. Grow twenty plants well, and 
not a hundred badly. This was the grand mistake of 
our forefathers, and it is high time we aroused ourselves 
to cast off the trammels of ancient qu’actices, and enter 
into a new and improved mode of both cultivating and 
selecting objects of cultivation to render the plant stove 
attractive. By a judicious selection of plants, and a pit 
or two to grow them, the stove may be kept constantly 
filled with plants in bloom. Now, at this season, we 
have plenty of objects to flower. The tribe mentioned 
at the head of these remarks has, by fresh importation, 
and the art of hybridising, become sufficiently numerous 
to fill the largest stove. In winter we have the Justicias, 
the Eranthemums, the Aphelandras, the Rogieras, some 
Salvias, besides forced flowers, to ornament the stove. 
In spring we have the sweet-scented Gardenias, the 
Euphorbias, the Poincettias ; and in the early summer 
months there is the Stephanotis, the Allamandras, the 
Ixoras, &c. All these, as our skilful brethren are 
aware, require a preparation, a growth, and a rest, to 
render them worthy to fill during their season, in a 
creditable manner, the place, the honourable place, of 
the first rank in the scale of perfection in the stove. 
This preparation is a test of the skill of the cultivator. 
Unless done in season, and in the right manner, the 
attempt will be a failure; and, if not eventually success¬ 
ful, a disgrace. We delight to observe attempts, even if 
mistaken ones, they show a desire to improve and excel. 
“ What man has done, man can do,” ought to be the 
motto of the young beginner; and “what man has done, 
I can improve,” ought to be the motto of the more 
experienced cultivator. But this improvement cannot 
be achieved without exertion. Every power of the 
mind, a constant study of the physiology of plants, the 
circumstances of heat and food for them must be dili¬ 
gently studied, the situations in which they flourish in 
their native clime be learnt and acted upon, and, lastly, 
a large stock of persevering industry, and patient appli¬ 
cation of all the means at command, should be acquired. 
All these are indispensably necessary to become a suc¬ 
cessful improver in the art of cultivating all plants, 
whether hardy greenhouse or stove. T. Appleby. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
MR. GLENNY ON FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
The Botanic Society’s Show was not remarkable for 
seedlings. Optima and Purple Standard geraniums 
received certificates. Mr. Turner exhibited many seed¬ 
ling Pansies in his stand, and we must see some of these 
again. It is dangerous to give an opinion on a single 
bloom. He also exhibited a light Fuchsia, called Gon- 
spicua; we must see it grown better before we pronounce 
upon it. The highly-improper mode of allowing seed¬ 
lings to be shown in stands, places a raiser over the 
heads of all the most liberal buyers. Imagine the ad¬ 
vantage of turning to a seedling-bed to make up a stand, 
and resorting to it for eleven blooms out of twenty-four; 
or rather imagine a Society offering prizes at all for 
