10 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 5, 1859. 
between the walls were air-tight, then the heat from the dung 
could scarcely escape through the outer wall. That, however, is 
not t'ne whole question to be considered. On the principle that 
everybody likes hri own hobby best, we have no fault to find with 
this pit; but if hot water were too expensive, we should be in¬ 
clined to turn the bricks of the inner wall into a small flue, and 
thus be independent of the changes in the weather. 
Supposing (hat the present arrangements are adopted, the first 
suggestion wo would make, is, that the dung should be thoroughly 
wrought and sweetened before being put in the bed. The second 
is, that, though sweet, the dung should not bo greatly rotten, or 
should be mixed fully half-and-half with tree leaves, to keep it open. 
The next suggestion would be, that instead of the 1st of February, 
it would be quite time enough to turn out the plants into such 
a pit by the middle of March, or the 1st of April. 
Recollect, that all you can have for bottom and top heat, except 
what the sun may give you, must come from the bed of dung. 
The more wasted, and, consequently, the closer the dung, the 
sooner will the heat be reduced : because, in the first place, there 
will bo nothing left to yield heat from further decomposition; 
nnd what little there may be becomes sluggish, because you 
have, by a covering of earth, &c., prevented the air getting at it, 
which, admitted in moderate quantity, would bo like sending the 
poker through a compact sleepy mass of smouldering coal, and a 
strong breeze admitted by the grate bars. If your fermenting 
material is fresher and drier, the heat will be more continuous ; 
because, by tiles or other means, you may easily contrive means 
to admit both moisture and air to your dung-bed, and thus obtain 
heat so long a3 there is anything to decompose. Without such a 
contrivance, you may have a strong heat in your bed ; the mass 
may be heated dry long before it is exhausted ; but if moisture 
and air cannot get to it, no heat will be yielded, just because 
moisture and air are as necessary to the decomposition of the 
material you use, as dry wood and air are necessary for rapid 
combustion. Having, then, no linings to depend upon, you 
must make the most of your dung-bed by judicious treatment; 
and you must not commence too early, or you may have your 
plants standing still in dull weather, at one of their most critical 
periods. With all due care, the bed in the centre may fail to give 
heat enough, just when you want it most, as you cannot get at it 
to do anything to it: and, therefore, if you propose planting on 
the 1st of February, we would advise securing regular linings, or 
having a chamber beneath the bed. In either case, we presume the 
same amount of dung would be more continuously employed to 
give heat when wanted. Other arrangements are all right; and 
so are they all, if you avoid planting early.] 
HEATING BY A FLUE. 
“ In a small propagating-liouse, ten feet by seven feet, would 
it be possible to have control oyer the heat which comes from a 
flue, by means of one or more dampers, or how can it done ? 
What dimensions ought the flue to be for so small a house ? ”— 
Paul Ricaut. 
[If only to be used at times, we would have a flue of two bricks 
on edge, covered with a nine-inch tile. If to be much used, and 
a continuous heat and rather strong is wanted, we would form 
the sides with three bricks on bed, and cover with a thin house- 
tile, and a brick over. This will take longer to heat; but it will 
retain the heat, give it out more regularly, and be more free from 
accidents. The best way to manage the heat of the flue, is to 
regulate the furnace. But in cases of nicety, we should like two 
dampers, one near the furnace to prevent the heat passing, when 
too much fire had been used ; and more especially the really useful 
one, before the flue goes into the chimney. When the smallest 
opening is left in this last damper, just to permit draught, and 
furnace and ash-pit doors are close, a very small amount of red 
embers will sustain a regular heat in the flue.] 
THE MAHALEB AS A STOCK FOR CHERRIES— 
CONCRETING A YINE-BORDER. 
“ The perfumed Cherry (Cerasits Mahalel), is it a fit stock 
for dwarf or bush Cherries ? According to theory, scientific 
principles, and general practice, the stock for the purpose of 
dwarfing a tree ought to be of closer, firmer texture than the 
graft, with narrow vessels, and manifold fibrous roots. In my 
experience I do not find the perfumed Cherry work so. With all 
deference to Mr. Rivers, its great advocate, I beg to ask for candid 
practical opinions upon the question. 
“ A Yine-border, 18 feet by 15, sloping an inch in a foot—• 
Yines planted outside, but introduced into the house through the 
wall-plate—it is proposed to concrete this border, from half an 
inch to an inch thick, with gas concrete. Previous to doing so, it is 
suggested that there be five rows of draining tiles under the concrete, 
at equal distances across the bed—with an upright pipe in the 
centre, to pour into the draining tiles water to moisten it and to 
give air. Will this be any advantage ? What will be the effect ? 
Will it do away with the need of fermenting material when 
forcing, as that is our aim ?” —Excelsior. 
[The perfumed Cherry is much used for the dwarfing process 
on the continent, and also in many parts of England. We have 
not so much examined the texture, &e., as to speak confidently in 
that respect; but it is generally believed it answers the purpose 
supposed. We shall be glad to have the experience of our sub¬ 
scribers. Mr. Fish tar-concreted the surface of a border as you 
propose, and allowed it to remain on for three or four years ; and 
though there were no waterholes, yet, on removing the concrete, 
the soil below was moist enough, and thickly covered with roots. 
The Vines bore immense crops, good bunches but small leaves : 
and the wood, as he thought, getting weaker, induced him to 
remove the concrete. His object in putting it on was to keep the 
border from being soaked in early forcing, and also to entice the 
roots to the surface. He covered the concrete with fermenting 
material. With plenty of tiles in the border near the top, he has 
no doubt the border may be covered thus for years, as both 
moisture and air can have access; but he can see no benefit in the 
proposed plan, so far as avoiding covering the border with fer¬ 
menting matter in winter is concerned. When early forcing is 
attempted, there are just two ways in which that can be avoided 
—first, w hen the roots are so deep that the frost will not influence 
them ; and secondly, w r hen the Yines are planted inside the house, 
and part of the roots, at least, are thus in a suitable temperature. 
Suppose the border to bo thus concreted, it will be greatly heated 
in summer, and the roots will be enticed to the surface: but 
freely exposed, it will, in an equal degree, be equally cooled in 
winter. In fact, frost will penetrate far deeper than it would do 
on a loose, uncovered border; and if the Yines at the time were 
growing freely, the top roots would suffer. Under such circum¬ 
stances, we should prefer a tarpaulin covering, or asphalte or 
wooden covers. A small thickness of leaves put on early, and 
the covering placed over them, would keep all safe and secure, 
and provide against trampling the border, or being any mar-plot 
to the eye. A border even for early forcing, protected in the 
month of October, wants little more doing to it than just to pre¬ 
vent it, by a little covering, from getting colder. We do not see 
how concreting would be a substitute for protection—quite the 
reverse.] 
PRUNING A TEA-SCENTED ROSE. 
“ I have a Gloire de Dijon tea-scented Rose, which sent up 
one shoot about a yard long from the pot last season. I pruned . 
three or four inches off the top in November; and now, at every 
eye, it has sent out a flower-bud—eleven in all. When these i 
have bloomed, what would you recommend me to do P Cut it 
down, and let another shoot come up to be treated in the same 
way ? ”—A. 
[No. Let it grow on as it lists till the end of October, and 
then top the shoots again; but, meantime, do not let one shoot i 
take the lead as the one did last summer. Stop any shoot that is i 
aspiring to a leadership. When it is nine or ten inches high, and i 
at the proper time for pruning, thin out altogether every shoot | 
which is weak or below your own notion of what ought to carry i 
a good strong bloom.] 
FAILURE OF STAUNTONIA LATIFOLIA. 
“ Can you tell me the reason I cannot keep the Stauntonia Jl 
latifolia ? One was placed on the south wall of the house, two 
years ago in May: the leaves soon turned black, and the plant i 
died. Another plant was planted in the conservatory against the ' 
wall last autumn, and looked very well. It was coming into full 
bloom; but, about a fortnight ago, the leaves began to turn black, 
and the flowers fell off scentless, and the whole plant is withering t 
and dying. Our soil is gravelly, and we are about twelve miles 
from London.”—M. H. 
