April 24. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
61 
write, but I certainly should be glad to save others from 
the expense and annoyance that I experienced four years 
ago. I erected a small greenhouse, twelve feet by nine 
feet. Glazed pipes were recommended to me, which I 
thought, at the time, would look neat, and be economical. 
I gave them a trial, but never felt satisfied with them, and 
never went to bed comfortable when I had a little extra 
heat to put on. It was not long before my doubts were 
fully realised. I examined the pipes one evening, which 
was my regular practice, when I found that one piece of 
pipe had cracked, and llown in all directions (the pipes are 
in eighteen-inch lengths), one piece had splintered off as 
large as my hand, fortunately I caught it in time before the 
smoke had escaped, 1 immediately put out the fire, and 
nbxt day had a hrick-fiue substituted, two bricks on edge for 
each side, and five inches wide, covered with bricks crosswise, 
which has answered much better than the pipes could have 
done, even if there was no danger of them cracking. My 
flue runs front, end, and back of the house, and thi’oughout 
the late severe frost the thermometer has ranged from 38° 
to 44°, although the fire was generally made up at ten or 
half-past for the night. One ton of slack, value 7s., and 
two or three barrow-loads of cinders, have furnished me with 
sufficient fuel throughout the past winter. It was said that 
the pipes are very soon heated, which is very true; but they 
are also very soon cold. And I am quite certain that a brick- 
flue, such as I have described, will, in a very frosty night, 
have from four to six degrees in its favour, with the same 
amount of fuel.— Jno. Noble, Boston Spa. 
JOYCE'S STOVE FOR A GREENHOUSE.— 
REMOVING THE WOOD FROM THE ROSE-BUD 
IN BUDDING. 
“ I have a small greenhouse, say twelve feet by nine feet, 
and not wishing to go to the expense of a hot-water appa- 
tus, I procured one of Joyce’s Patent Stoves, which I saw 
amongst your advertisements. Thus, for the outlay of 
about twenty-one shillings, I was enabled to sustain a uni¬ 
form temperature of 45°; and taking into consideration the 
severity of the past winter, I think it in fairness to the 
patentee that I should make the statement—that in its 
adoption it is perfectly safe, and in no way have I found 
any injury resulting, as was told me would be the case to 
the plants, and which I noticed in a number of your journal 
had so ill succeeded, that your cori’espondent lost all his 
plants. My plants are a general assortment, such as 
Geraniums, Fuchsias, Heaths, Verbenas, <fcc., all of which 
have sustained a vigorous growth, and I have been free from 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
GARDENING. 
APPLYING GUANO TO POTATOES.—FORCED 
STRAWBERRIES NOT BLOOMING. 
“ Mr. Errington said in The Cottage Gardener, some 
time ago, that he used Guano for the growth of his Potatoes. 
Will you say the best way of applying it; and how much 
for half-au-acre ? I thought of sowing it on them before 
earthing them up. 
“ Can you tell me the reason of Strawberry plants not 
flowering ? I had what looked to be a very good lot of strong 
plants potted early last summer, and kept in a cold frame 
until January, and not one in ten are blooming. Instead of 
one good crown they have three or four slender ones. They 
are Keene's Seedlings. —W.” 
[Mr. Errington begs to apologise to this enquirer for 
mislaying his inquiry. The mode of using Guano in Cheshire 
is to apply it first as the Potatoes are about springing 
from the ground, covering the Guano immediately with 
soil. About 3 lbs. to 4 lbs. to the rood, which is about eight 
yards square, is the practice there. 
It is impossible to say what ails your Strawberries with¬ 
out seeing them.] 
the attack of Green Fly, which was so troublesome the 
previous winter. There is certainly one drawback to such a 
j mode of heating, and that is the expense of fuel, which 
averaged with me, when in full operation, about sixpence per 
twenty-four hours. 
“ Should I be asking too much if,—in the operation of 
Bose-budding, when having selected and slipped off a Rose- 
I bud for insertion,—it is indispensable to remove the small 
| portion of woody fibre from the bark, or rather strip it off? 
I As in many instances, last year, in separating the wood 
| from the bark, I fancy I must have also drawn out the eye 
of the bud, as I was perfectly satisfied no failure would 
arise from either my mode of insertion or binding up, and 
yet I had many failures where I did not expect them.— 
H. W . Miall, Spring Hill Lodge, Southampton.” 
[We are much indebted for receiving such a favourable 
account of Joyce’s Stove. It does not quite tally with our 
j own experience the first year it was introduced ; but, doubt¬ 
less, it has been improved since then. We have, personally, 
an objection to stoves of any kind in a house; but we do 
not, wish others to be of the same opinion as ourselves ; and 
it is perfectly right that every patentee and manufacturer 
should at the very least have justice. The severity of the 
winter, and your experience, especially when duly subscribed, 
speak much in favour of the stove used. 
Most budders like to get rid of the wood, with the ex¬ 
ception of the little knob that forms the base of the bud; 
and in getting out the wood, if at all hard, very likely the 
base of the bud goes with it, and there is little chance of 
the bud taking. Many believe that if the wood is left canker 
or gum is apt to follow. Our practice would be this : where 
buds are plentiful, we would prefer using those where the 
wood parted freely; but in a good/kind, and where we had 
few buds, we would sooner insert the wood that remained 
than run the risk of losing the bud by extracting the base 
of the bud along with the wood. We have seldom foundany 
disadvantage remaining from a small portion of the w r ood 
being left. If the weather has been damp, and the shoots 
are in good order, and are kept fresh, the wood will generally 
come out clear from the middle of July to the middle of 
August, leaving a mere round knob at the base of the bud, 
and these are, certainly, to be preferred when the wood is 
left, as it more resembles a graft.] 
VENTILATING A STOVE. 
“ I have a small lean-to stove, principally for Orchids, 
twelve feet long, nine leet wide, and ten feet in height, with 
a recess behind of six feet wide, ten feet high, which is not 
separate from the rest, but has no glass covering, there 
being a room over; there is glass in front, and from under 
the wall-plate spring cold frames. I use hot water, and a flue 
running in front and one side, with a chimney in the corner 
of the recess. There are two sliding ventilators in front, 
opening opposite the pipes and flue, and which are always 
open, and through which I sometimes think heat escapes 
into the cold frames in front. 
“ Now I think there is sometimes a stagnation of air, and 
I want your advice about putting an Arnott’s Ventilator, or 
any other contrivance, in the chimney near the ceiling; 
there is a damper in the chimney.—A Subscriber, Dublin.” 
[If there are merely openings into the cold pit in front, 
and that is kept shut, it is likely there will be stagnation in 
the atmosphere; a few ventilators near the ceiling would 
remedy the evil. The ventilators in the chimney would also 
be useful in severe weather, provided you can escape from 
back drafts of smoke. There is no danger of stagnation when 
the sun shines. In dull, cold weather, when you might be 
averse to burn freely, to enable you to give air, a free circu¬ 
lation would be promoted among your plants were you to 
make a division between the glass department and the 
space behind, and leave four six-inch openings at the top 
and at the bottom. The heated air would find an exit at 
the top and the place behind ; and then the heat from the 
flues, &c., would draw fresh cooler air from the bottom. 
We are not, however, quite sure that we understand you.] 
