238 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 17, 1860. 
better for most things under this courso of treatment. They 
will now be wliat I must call sound asleep ; and, depend upon it, 
they will nap a long time indeed. All the growing becomes 
entirely stopped; and as for damp air, none is generated, or else 
it is soon locked up. But the plants must not be uncovered on ■ 
account of any temporary thaw. 
Again, at the end of a frost, when plants have been kept in dark¬ 
ness for a good while, much caution is necessary to inure them to 
the light. Gardeners and others who appreciate this principle use 
some caution in this respect as to plants received from distant 
nurserymen, and which are generally packed closely under a 
canopy of mats, excluding light. If these were to be placed in ' 
a sunny situation the moment they were unpacked, after being 
closed up in darkness for several days, they would be seriously 
injured, although they might not show it for a week or two. 
But how much worse would it be with vegetables, covered per¬ 
haps for weeks, if exposed the moment a thaw' comes ? And this 
would be more than a case of the sudden influence of light; the 
sudden thawing which I before alluded to has to be added. 
I have had plants remain covered for three days after a thaw 
commenced, and at the expiration of that time only half the litter j 
removed, the other half in three or four days more. 1 have had 
Endive this autumn, coveted with litter up to this time since the 
first night of the October frost before alluded to, not uncovered ; j 
but the covering is new straw, and not very thick. It is looking 
very well in defiance of the frost. 
This Endive is planted close at the foot of the walls nearly all 
round the garden, except the cold aspects, and it is extremely 
useful. It is so close, in fact, that it is beneath a projecting 
coping of nine inches. This is an old plan; and when I was 
serving my apprenticeship, my old master, an excellent gardener, 
used to practise it; but he did what I have not done, and I can 
scarcely say why I have not. He used to make us soil or earth 
it all, and well it answered. About the end of October, the 
plants having then good hearts, they were each gathered to¬ 
gether, every leaf in its place, after the manner of Celery, and 
then well packed up with soil. Finally, a little straw was put 
on them, and attended to. In hard frost I have seen the kitchen 
server digging them up like Potatoes, and although pitiful- 
looking outside, when their hearts were uupackcd they were 
excellent. 
I had last autumn some hundreds of Lettuces from a rather 
late sowing, and at the first frost in November a thin sprinkling 
of clean new straw was shaken over the beds, and there it re¬ 
mained until the end of February—never removed. I am not 
aware that I ever knew Lettuces better preserved. But then the 
straw was rather thin, and, being very hollow, the air could cir¬ 
culate freely, and they would have a moderate quantity of light. 
Let me advise all who regard the preservation of such things 
to avoid using the long litter from the stable-door. I have 
myself had vegetables spoiled by it. The ammonia, &c., washing 
out, does more harm than the frost would have done. Litter to 
cover with in the beginning of winter cannot be too fresh. 
Indeed, I find nothing equal to Wheat straw of the last harvest. 
R. Ereington. 
CONVERTING PART OF A GREENHOUSE 
INTO A STOVE. 
Would you oblige me by stating whether I could convert eight 
feet of an old greenhouse, twenty-four feet by twelve feet, into a 
stove, heated by a brick flue round the house, by a division, 
using a cross-flue at the division and two dampers, to prevent the 
greenhouse being warmed except at pleasure ?—A. E. 
[Your plan will answer very well, with moderate care in 
management. You might even take your flue and return it in the 
middle of the eight-feet space; and that would supply you with 
bottom heat, either by means of a chamber or covering all over with 
rough stones and clinkers, and then clean gravel and sand. For 
propagating purposes this would be advisable. You might, how¬ 
ever, make a small propagating-pit over the present flues, and 
use the centre for established plants.] 
STOCKING A GREENHOUSE. 
“ I AW an enthusiastic amateur, living at, perhaps, the worst 
suburb of London for successfully following my 'penchant; having 
to battle against smoke, confined atmosphere, and fog, which 
latter favours us more here than the aristocratic west, from the 
proximity to the Essex marshes. I want to fill my greenhouse with 
about a hundred more hardwooded plants ; but as the kinds which 
might reasonably be expected to succeed are limited in number, 
I request you will, with your usual courtesy and kindness, run 
your eye over the list herewith, of which I have a duplicate, and 
give me the numbers, as I fear it would take up too much room 
to print the names of those which are hardy and easily managed, 
and most worth growing; and separately, those not quite so 
handsome, but still hardy. You will see that I want a thousand 
strings of figures, so that if I exhaust the best kinds I may fall 
back on the second best. 
“ Please do not forget the drawbacks I have to contend with, 
and make the selection accordingly. The temperature of the 
greenhouse ranges in cold weather from 38° to 42°, but occasion¬ 
ally—in the late cold weather, for instance—has been down to 
35° twice, owing to absence from home during the day. 
“ I have many plants doing w r ell; among them are Acacia 
armata, lineata, Olecefolia and elegans, Cassia Jloribiinda, Correas, 
Azaleas, Chorozema corclata and Chandlerii, liossicea Holder- 
sonii i, Plumbago Capensis, Putaxia myrtifolia, Cytisus, Erios- 
temon, Hovea purpurea , &c. 
“ If you would likewise give the names of some Acacias easily 
procurable, with simple leaves, as the pinnated kinds lose their 
foliage, you would much oblige.”— J. M. . 
After pondering the matter over, I think it will serve your 
purpose and that of our general readers best, by throwing your 
list and some additions into separate groups, somewhat according 
to the management they will require. 
HAEDIEST GROUP UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. 
Abutilon striatum, venosum. 
Acacia grandis, elata, angulata, 
falcata, taxifolia, juniperina. 
Adamia versicolor. 
Andersonia sprengeloides. 
Beaufortia decussata, Dampieri, 
splendens. 
Bellardiera splendens. 
Brugmansia Knightii, suaveo- 
lens, lutea, atro-purpurea 
(these strong soft wooded 
plants). 
Cassia corymbosa. 
Coleonema rubra, tenuifolia. 
Convolvulus Canariensis, cneo- 
rum. 
Crotolaria argentea, and others. 
Diosma amoena, cordata, rubra, 
virgata. 
Daviesia latifolia, virgata. 
Diplacus puniceus, grandiflorus. 
Dryandra obtusa, prostrata. 
Escallonia macrantha. 
Fabiana imbricata (do on a wall) 
Fagelia bituminosa. 
Edwardsia Macnabiana, &c. 
Grevillea acuminata, &c. 
Genista Canariensis. 
Goodia latifolia, pubescens, &c. 
Habrothamnus fasciculatus, 
elegans (best up a pillar). 
Ilermannia alnifolia, incisifolia. 
Hibbertia Cunninghamii, gros- 
sularkefolia, Iteadii. 
Indigofera australis, decora, 
lotiodes. 
Jacksonia floribunda. 
Jasminum grandiflorum, Bid- 
willianum, gracile, dianthi- 
folia. 
Kennedya nigricans, Marryatta 1 , 
prostrata. 
Lachnsea purpurea, buxifolia. 
Lantana mutabilis, crocea. 
Lotus Jacobsens. 
Linum flavum, trigynum, snf- 
fruticosum. 
Magnolia fuscata, pumila. 
Mahernia incisa, grandifiora. 
Mandevilla suaveolens (climber, 
strong). 
Manglesia glabrata. 
Melaleuca lanceolata. 
Mirbelia Baxterii, grandifiora. 
Myrtus Backhousiana. 
Mitraria coccinea. 
Olea fragrans major. 
Othonna perfoliata. 
Passiflora racemose, coerulea, 
Colvillii. 
Pimelea decussata. 
Pittosporum angustifolium. 
Platycodons (hardy). 
Platylobium triangulare, Men- 
ziesii. 
Phyllocladus rhomboidalis. 
Pronaya elegans. 
Prostanthera violacea. 
Protea acuminata, argentea. 
Rhyncospermum jasminoides. 
Sprengelia incarnata. 
Swainsonia galegifolia, coro- 
nillscfolia. 
Tecoma jasminoides. 
Thea bohea, viridis. 
Tristania neriifolium. 
Yirgilia obeordata. 
Witheringia crassifolia. 
"Witsenia corymbosa. (More 
herbaceous than hardwooded.) 
These will be the most easily grown under your circumstances, 
and will suffer comparatively little from smoke or fog if the 
syringe is used pretty freely when the plants are growing, and 
care is taken to give most air in fine clear days, and to put on a 
little fire in foggy days in winter, even if the air should be sifted 
through thin muslin. Most, if not all of them, will grow in 
sandy loam and a little peat, and will find no fault with the 
temperature of your house. The next group is more select, and 
