THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Januaey 1, 1861. 
193 
As tanks are mentioned I have presumed they will be placed 
in them. If there is no other means of heating the tanks, warm 
water should be placed in them at once, and should be pure and 
soft. The plants will thrive all the better if there is a very 
small outlet at one corner, and a small flow-in at the corner 
farthest from the outflow; but the inflow must be warmed pre¬ 
viously or directly afterwards. If there is not that convenience, 
a portion of water should be removed every day, and the place 
supplied with fresh heated water. From 80° to 85° would be 
none too much for the water. 
Where there are no tanks, from two to three strong roots will 
do well in pans about fifteen inches diameter and seven inches 
deep. These might have a convenience at one corner like an 
earthenware milkdish, so as to pour off from a pint to a quart of 
water every day, and supply its p’ace with as much warm water 
from 80° to 90° in exchange. In such houses as vineries such 
vessels might be set above the pipes, flues, or other heating 
medium. If there is no such convenience, the pans should be 
placed in the hottest end of a plant-stove. The plants would 
thrive well in a vinery under the above conditions so long as a 
moist atmosphere was kept up to insure growth, but whenever a 
drier atmosphere was necessary to ripen the Grapes the aquatics 
would not do quite so well. To give them the best chance the 
temperature can scarcely be too high, the atmosphere too moist, 
■or the weather too bright. As a criterion, then, I would say, 
Water averaging from 75° to 85° and often renewed, and an 
atmosphere near saturation-witli-moisture point, and a tempe¬ 
rature at night from 65° to 75°, and in the day from 70° to 85° 
and 90°. Ten degrees less of heat will permit of very fair results 
being attained, but the above we would deem necessary for 
having very fine large flowers. It is now some years, however, 
since we have grown these great beauties, and that chiefly in 
pans without tanks ; and if any of our able readers can point 
oat a mode by which they can be more easily grown to perfection, 
they will confer a favour upon many besides ourselves and “ A. Z.” 
When desirable to increase the stock all the smaller roots, or 
tuber-like roots, should be planted a little thicker in pans and 
grown by themselves. Some of the small ones may bloom, but 
not in general at all equal to a good, sound, fah’-sized root. 
These smaller roots may occupy a less conspicuous place. A 
little shading may bo required in the middle of very bright days. 
R. Fish. 
FRUIT TREES ON THEIR OWN ROOTS. 
Mu. Beaton asks in page 170, “ Would it not be a point of 
some advantage to have all the kinds of stone fruit on their own 
roots for orchard-house culture?” Allow me to give my ex¬ 
perience in answering this question to a certain extent. I happen 
to have here still growing and in a healthy, fruit-bearing state, 
although one of them has a hollow stem from old age, two 
Green Gage Plum trees planted by my grandfather about 1780. 
These are both on their own roots, as they put forth suckers, 
which I have preserved and planted out, and which are now 
bearing trees. Now, I also happen to have a Green Gage Plum 
tree grafted on the Sloe, now about fifteen years old, and I have 
felt some interest in comparing their fruit. I have found the 
fruit from the old trees generally finer than those on the Sloe- 
stock tree. A Washington Plum tree grafted on the Sloe is 
growing near this : it is not quite so vigorous as trees grafted on 
Plum stocks, but its fruit and leaves are equally large, but the 
fi ait on the younger trees raised from the suckers of the old 
trees exactly alike, as to size and quality ; and this accords with 
general experience, for the fruit of the Green Gage from old 
trees is always richer and larger than from young trees ; so, in 
this instance, the trees being on their own roots seem to have 
given no advantage. I have had some experience with Peaches 
aud Nectarines on their own roots in orchard-houses, and must 
candidly confess that I have as yet found no beneficial results ; for 
I have found that shoots from seedling Peaches budded on the 
Plum or Almond stock have given finer fruit than the parent tree, 
.and I have after some years of practice given up budding Peach 
frees on Peach stocks (stocks raised from Peach stones) because 
I found they were more liable to disease, and did not make such 
vigorous trees as those budded on Almond or Plum stocks. I 
have not yet tried Cherries, those of the Bigarreau tribe might 
be raised from layers. Some difficulties would be found in 
raising the Duke Cherries by the same process, owing to their 
rigid shoots. I am, however, inclined to doubt if any advantage 
would be gained by this mode of propagation, so as to have them 
on their own roots; for I have a large number of seedling 
Cherries raised from the Florence, and I find a certain pro¬ 
portion of them to give out gum and to do badly. If shoots are 
taken from these and grafted on common Cherry stocks, they at 
once form healthy trees. It is the samo also with other Cherries 
raised from the Duke and Morello tribes—some of these have 
from the first been of a weakly, scrubby habit. My remedy is to 
take off scions and have them grafted on the Mahaleb stock. I 
have then at once had healthy trees. In one or two instances, the 
parent trees have died from sheer weakliness of habit, succumbing 
to gum and canker, but my grafted trees have saved me the mor¬ 
tification of losing a seedling variety ; so that in these instances 
“ fruit trees on their own roots ” have given no advantages. 
Striking cultivated Plums from cuttings of two-year-old 
shoots is new and very interesting; but if the “ Torrington,” 
mentioned by Mr. Beaton, is in Devonshire, the soft, moist 
climate of that county may have much to do with it. I have 
one patch of moist ground in which I have grown many 
thousands of Plums from cuttings, these were made one foot in 
length, two-year wood six inches, one-year wood six inches. 
The former being placed deeply in the ground. The sorts I pro¬ 
pagated thus were the Black Damask and Brompton Plums for 
stocks, and the Nectarine, Gisborne’s, and I think the Green 
Gage, out of curiosity. I found, however, that I gained no 
time by the latter experiment, commercially ; for a Green Gage 
Plum grafted on a strong stock suffered to grow one summer 
and then potted was a bearing tree the third year, and so for 
the last seven years I have not practised cultivation of Plums by 
cuttings. Moreover, I found that, except in this moist patch of 
deep vegetable soil, they would not take root. 
The method is, however, full of interest; for although I can 
make a fine dwarf Plum tree in one season by grafting, it will be 
interesting to the amateur to plant his cuttings in November, to 
prune them and train them for two or three years, and thus 
make his own trees ; but I do not think they will be more 
prolific or give better fruit than grafted trees. 
Mr. McKclvie’s method of making Plum cuttings entirely of 
two-year wood spurred in, is, I think, quite new; and it is 
probable that on this deviation from the usual mode of making 
cuttings hangs success, so that they may succeed in soil not 
usually favourable to their well doing. 
The two or three-year-old branch of a Burr Rent Apple will 
take root if planted; why should not some other kinds be tried ? 
All these essays keep alive in the amateur the true gardening 
spirit.-—T. R. 
CONSTRUCTION OF A YINERY WITH A 
FORCING-PIT. 
My grapery and forcing-house is 33 feet by 12 feet; back 
wall 12 feet high; front 4 feet high. A forcing-pit occupies 
the entire floor of house except a three-feet passage at back 
aud sides, and one-foot passage in front. The Yines bore 
capital Grapes, when I ate them some six years ago, but have 
been neglected in every particular since. As the glass and 
frames are all bad and must be renewed, I wish to fit up the 
house in the best manner. The roots of the Yines are outside: 
would you recommend me to make my house 14 feet or 15 feet 
wide and to bring them inside ? Is it necessary for the roof of 
a vinery to open, or will large ventilators in back wall do ? Is 
it necessary for the Yine3 after bearing to be exposed to the air 
and frost, or is this exploded treatment now-a-days. Could you 
also roughly estimate how much coals would heat such a house 
and pit in the year, fitted up with a tank under the pit, and in 
some of the improved modes directed by The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener ?—W. R. A. 
[Before we could give anything approaching explicitness in 
details, we would have required more explicitness of object. 
For instance: First, as to expense of heating such a house, 
33 feet by 12 feet, 12 feet at back, and 4 in front, that would 
not be much in ordinary circumstances where things were not 
wanted early. Keeping a temperature of 60° in May and in 
December are very different things, and then the seasons vary so 
much. I believe that this season I have burnt as much fuel 
from April to October as I have done in many seasons from 
November to March. The management, too, is to be considered. 
A careful stoker will do with much less fuel than a careless 
fellow whose sole idea is to make and keep a fire burning. 
2. We know not how your house is heated; but if to be done 
