157 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Becembee 18, 1860. 
cramped in a pot it gets a little sulky and keeps its leaves 
as tightly as possible to the plain simple blade. 
Gazania uniflora was a daft and dottled name from the 
beginning, because every one of the Gazanias is a uni¬ 
flora as well as the daft one. They all produce one 
flower at one time in one place, and that is the meaning 
of uniflora. Pavonia is just as far from the centre mark, 
and the rest of them are not nearer to it. There¬ 
fore, and for the sake of truth without bother, let all 
those who send us Gazania leaves send at the same time 
two or three joints off from the top of that shoot, and 
then a proper knowledge of Gazanias could decide all 
the kinds, except uniflora and splendens, without looking 
at them, but merely by passing them among the fingers. 
Recollect, also, that if your Gazania is a running or 
trailing plant, we must know if the flower is all plain 
ellow, or marked all round with a very pretty ring, 
ecause the best plantsman might be deceived in winter 
as to which was uniflora from splendens. 
Turn over another leaf and see what has occurred this 
last season or two down in Lincolnshire. There the 
Calystegia pubescens trained up against a nine-feet-high 
wall has reverted again to its natural turn of complete 
singleness ; and I have roots of this plant to see if there 
be any difference between it and the first which assumed 
the natural form. Here, then, the origin of one species, 
be it sepium or be it not, is arrived at by a very different 
route from that which my plant followed round the sides 
of the old tar-barrel. And the old question recurs again— 
Can we, or any of us, get this single form to take another 
turn of doubleness and come out in a form more in 
accordance with our ideas of a double Convolvulus than 
the Chinese pubescens ? Just confine a few roots of the 
single form of the plant to a No. 16-pot or pots, and try 
them on different aspects for a few seasons, and see what 
that will do. D. Beaton. 
HEATING A BOILER BY A LAMP. 
I HAVE a small greenhouse some 15 feet long by 51 feet wide, 
and I am sadly perplexed how to heat it on some principle that 
will be inexpensive, and at the same time entail a minimum 
amount of trouble. I have duly noticed all that has been written 
in The Cottage Gaedeneb, but none of the plans there detailed 
appear suited to my case. Hitherto I have used a small stove, 
but I am dissatisfied with it on many accounts. It is inefficient, 
and the dust and dirt it creates are a great nuisance. Within the 
last few days it has occurred to me, that to heat the house with 
hot water would be the most effectual plan, and entail less 
trouble in attendance than any other. I propose to effect this 
by means of a paraffin oil lamp (or some modification of one), 
which I would employ to heat a small sheet-iron boiler, of a form 
best adapted to economise and utilise the heat given out by 
the lamp. To this boiler I would affix a flow and return pipe, 
in connection with a tank extending round one or more sides of 
the house. I imagine a boiler of three or four quarts would be 
sufficiently large. I have no gas, otherwise it might be cheaper 
and more effectual. Be so good also, as to say what height from 
the floor the tank should be. The back and one end of the 
house are of brick.— An Amateue. 
[We are sorry to say that for such a house we have no faith 
in your proposed plan. We do not think it would be sufficient, 
economical, or attended with little trouble. To be sure, we do 
not know the size of the contemplated lamp, but if large you 
would require a chimney to go from it, and you will see a corre¬ 
spondent complains to-day of the soot. If the lamp would give 
you enough of heat by means of a mere tube from it, it certainly 
might be tried. Be assured, however, that though you may 
equalise the heat more, all your proposed arrangements of boilers 
and tanks will give you no more heat than what the burning of 
the wick and the oil will give out. We have known several such 
cases tried, and the owners were obliged at last to take to the 
stove or a small flue. We should like our readers to keep in mind, 
that whatever cleverness be shown in diffusing heat, we can get 
no more than a certain quantity from a certain quantity of fuel. 
We recollect an enthusiastic employer sendmg home a Joyce’s 
store and a bag of prepared fuel, and telling Ins gardener that 
that stove was large enough to heat a good-sized greenhouse, 
and how he looked when told if made redhot it would not do it ; 
and what would the plants near it say to that, with no chimney 
or anything of the sort. We confess, however, we should have 
more faith in a stove with a chimney than with the lamp, 
if there was not some mismanagement with the stove. A little 
water judiciously used ought to have prevented the dust and the 
dirt. The lamp even if used carefully would also have its own 
discomforts. If a stove inside, however, were a discomfort, one 
might be made to be fed outside. A small furnace and boiler, 
like that engraved last week, and recommended by Mr. Allen, 
would do nicely if tanks were required. But in such a narrow 
house, were most heating mediums to be seen, would rather be 
in the way. Could a small furnace be made any where outside, 
that and a small flue below the floor, if the floor waB not 
furnished or made with round earthenware pipes above it, would 
be the best plan. The iron stove inside would, however, be the 
most economical but not the safest. See what is said on flues 
and stoves in the current volume.] 
WINTERING VINES IN A LATE VINERY. 
I have a lean-to greenhouse (south-west aspect), 20 feet long 
by 14 feet wide, heated by a brick flue along the front and both 
ends, three bricks on edge, covered with a tile and exposed 
for radiation two sides and top. I am anxious to grow Grapes, 
and have had five Black Hamburgh Vines, three years old, planted 
outside two years since, being now five years old. I have not 
attempted to fruit them yet. I propose to train (hem on the 
spur-system. Last year they were pruned to within a foot of 
the front light up the rafter, and this autumn I have cut another 
foot higher. In your last Number you condemn the practice 
of turning Vines out of doors in winter from a late vinery : hence 
my difficulty, as I have been led by a gardener who recommended 
me to do so. Wishing to make the most of my greenhouse, I 
grow Primulas, Camellias, &c., in winter. Finding my Vines 
began to break early last February, I was advised to turn them out 
to keep them back, which I did, fixing them under a board along 
the front, and they remained out, but quite dry, until the third 
week in April, as I did not wish to force them at all. Would 
it be as well to let the Vines remain inside and take their chance 
in early or late growth? But, if early, should I not have to 
keep up fire heat, which I should like to dispense with after 
March ? The border is well drained and good compost, yet 
every lateral made this year has been mildewed—for weeks some 
have cankered off. I painted the flue with sulphur slightly, 
painted the Vines with Gishurst Compound, and ventilated well; 
but had no fire lighted from April to the middle of September. 
Now they are cut they are a nice cinnamon colour and clean, the 
buds seem quite sound. 
Can you help me so that I can grow Grapes and my flowers 
too—flowers both winter and summer? I was on the point or 
turning them out again but for your article aforesaid. I am 
afraid 45° minimum heat, winter and spring, will bring the Vines 
too forward to fruit and do well next season.—T. 
[Your letter shows us that there is no general rule but admits 
of many exceptions ; these exceptions in special circumstances, 
instead of contradicting, merely proving the rule. Thus we 
would lay it down as a general rule, that in houses devoted to 
Vines alone there is no necessity for taking the Vines out of 
the house; and in this rule and in these circumstances we would 
include all Vines that commenced their growth from December 
to the end of March. We would make an exception in the case 
of Vines that commenced growing in September, October, or 
even the first week in November. Taking these out, or by any 
other means keeping them cool and at rest after the wood was 
ripened, would be all in their favour. They would break more 
strong and regular in consequence. 
We will, if possible, be more particular in our statements ; 
because the simple inquiry “ Why take Vines out of the house ?” 
seems to have alarmed some half a dozen of amateurs, who have 
always been in the habit of taking them out of doors before 
commencing growing them. Now in all cases, with the exception 
alluded to, all Vines grown in a vinery for their own sake will 
be better and safer kept in than taken out of the house. Even 
there the wood may be ripened or rested at will, according as the 
suu is admitted or excluded. 
We now take a step farther, and say that none of these Vines 
will be injured or unduly excited if plants are kept in the vineries 
