April 10. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
25 
atmosphere could easily be maintained by moistening j 
the zinc. Evaporation would not take place so rapidly | 
from wood, and the atmosphere for striking cuttings would 
not, therefore, be so genial. It would be found not to 
he all gold that glitters, even as to the saving of labour 
in preparing the dung. The plunging of such a box 
into a fermenting heap of rank manure could only be an 
occasional performance. The manure might be wanted 
for other purposes; or, as I have shown, the heat might 
expire for want of moisture and air; and in either case 
the box would have to be moved. There is a vast deal of 
truth in the old adage, “ that what is worth doing at all, 
is worth doing well.” Supposing that a sufficiency of this 
fermenting material of dung and leaves had been shaken 
and turned over several times, and then neatly built into 
a bed eighteen inches wider than the size of the small 
frames, and from two to three feet or more deep, according 
to the season, and then these little boxes were set 
systematically in a row, would not the whole course of 
operations be simplified and systematised? Let us not, 
however, under-value the idea, so far, at least, as 
amateurs are concerned, with, perhaps, merely one little 
box or two. On his dung-heap, if he keeps any thing 
at all in the animal way, he may pitch this frame of his, 
for sowing, or striking, aud, if bottomed with metal, with 
a very fair chauce of success, though wood is not to be 
despised if better is not to be got. 
Be it observed, however, that perhaps one or two 
turnings more of the fermenting matter would make it 
sweet enough for a common hotbed. In that case, if a 
bottomed-box is used, the heat will be more uniform 
and lasting; and if the cutting-pots are placed inside 
among the fermenting matter, without any bottom to 
the box, they will get all the advantage of the nourish¬ 
ing gases, and the moist, genial atmosphere, which causes 
the cutting to absorb nearly as much as it transpires. 
Our correspondent may be perfectly assured that the 
generality of bedding-plants will, as respects their 
cuttings, do as well planted out in such boxes as his, as 
if they were placed round the sides of pots. But had 
I hundreds and thousands of such things to secure at 
this season, I should certainly go to a little trouble to 
give the cuttings the benefit of the sweet exhalations 
from decomposing matter, and iu that case, the bottom¬ 
ing of the boxes would be unnecessary. The having all 
such things in small pots, and being obliged to move 
them individually, does, certainly, take a little time; 
but a clever lad soon smacks them into riddles and 
trays, and little more time is lost than being obliged to 
get some one to help to move the two-feet square box, 
with its pots, or soil, as well as cuttings. Something 
is gained when one man can perform an operation as 
well as two or more, as assistance to move this and that 
often takes up much time. Over a prepared bed of 
dung, built so as to give a genial lasting heat, and on 
which a common two or three-light box is placed, it is 
usual to place on several inches of suitable soil, 
and plant the cuttings in it in rows. In other cases, 
where we wish more atmospheric heat and moisture, the 
fermentiug matter is about half-prepared, and has a 
surfacing of hot leaves, or other sweetened material, and 
in that the cutting-pots are plunged when the heat has 
risen. For ease in moving and hardening-off when struck, 
boxes are frequently used of all sizes and divisions, a 
common one being about three feet long, six inches 
wide, aud three or four inches deep. Each of these is 
easily moved and carried by a man, or lad, and thus the 
plants may be easily hardened off’. Alter much ex¬ 
perience with hot-water as a heating medium, I always 
prefer having a little sweet dung and leaves exhaling into 
the atmosphere of a propagating place when procurable, 
and suitable for the particular plants. The best of all 
for spring propagating, bedding, and other soft-wooded 
plants, I should consider to be a sweet hotbed for 
setting the cuttings in, and a hot-water pipe to give 
sufficient atmospheric temperature, and prevent too 
much moisture in it in dull weather. For a few 
cuttings, however, and with but little fermenting 
material, as the only artificial heating power, these 
small, close-bottomed boxes, I believe, will be extremely 
useful. 
ROUND PIECES OF WOOD IN THE CENTRE OF 
HOT-WATER PIPES. 
The third idea of our young correspondent, is the 
fixing of round pieces of wood, two inches in diameter, 
in the centre of four-inch hot-water pipes, thereby di¬ 
minishing the necessary quantity of water for filling 
them, and preserving the whole heating surface of the 
pipes. The pieces of wood to be kept in the centre of 
the pipe by three projecting nails in each piece of wood. 
With every desire to do justice to the ingenuity and 
thoughtfulness of our correspondent, and to elicit the 
opinion of others competent to decide, 1 do not think 
that this idea is likely to be practically useful, and for 
these reasons:— 
First, it is desirable to have the means of suddenly 
heating greenhouses to meet sudden frosts, and for this 
purpose, pipes containing a minimum of water, with a 
maximum of radiating surface, are the best, as it is 
seldom that continuous firing is wanted for any length 
of time. To meet this case, small pipes are often used, 
or large, fiat pipes, with a space for water a little more 
than an inch. The only objection against such pipes, 
is the extra power of friction against the sides in the 
narrow or small pipes, which impedes so far the circu¬ 
lation, that friction would be equally objectionable in 
large pipes with a column of wood down their centre. 
Supposing that a round pipe, with this central column 
of wood, would cost less than a series of two inch pipes, 
or a broad pipe, with one-inch hollow, and presently a 
similar radiating surface, there would be less danger of 
casualties from stoppages. I once used a piece of wood 
for similar purpose; but before a twelvemonth it was 
coated with mud, bits of leaves, &c., and formed a nest 
for various sorts of sediment, which, with the decaying 
and fraying out of the wood, threatened to stop circula¬ 
tion altogether. 
In forcing-houses and plant-stoves it would not be 
desirable to lessen the quantity of water, as the heating 
apparatus is more generally employed, and the bulk of 
water acts as a reservoir of heat in the house when 
the fires have become low or are quite extinguished. 
Though, therefore, the quickly heating of a greenhouse 
be generally desirable, the retaining of heat in the 
heating medium is also desirable in forcing-houses, and 
those structures where a high temperature is generally 
maintained. R. Fish. 
POIVREA COCCINEA. 
(The Scarlet Poivrea.) 
This is a fine stove climber, named in honour of N. 
Poivre, a French amateur. It is, perhaps, better known 
by its ancient name, Gombretum purpureum, manifestly 
a wrong name to a plant producing scarlet flowers. I 
occasionally, during my journeys, meet with fine spe¬ 
cimens of it, but it is by no means common. 
The finest I ever met with was in the gardens at 
Alderly Park, in Cheshire, the seat of Lord Stanley. It 
covered several rafters, and when in bloom was truly a 
gorgeous sight, worth going a pilgrimage to see. I have 
had one or two good plants under my care, but nothing 
near so fine as the one at Alderly. I am rather surprised 
that so good and fine a plant should be so little grown. 
I suppose it is because it is somewhat difficult to pro- 
