314 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 21, 1860. 
possible about the Grapes. To assist this the more, use a little 
fire heat during the day and plenty of air, and even leave air 
constantly at night, however small the openings. 
2nd. Grapes and Pines in one house. The pit here is essential, 
of course. The pit may have bottom heat by fermenting material 
alone, and will want more stirring and renewing. If the plants 
are to be planted out, or even grown in pots, plunged in tan, or 
leaves, it is preferable to have a heating medium below the bed. 
A tank or hot-water pipes would be best, though, as several times 
stated in this work, a strong flue would do very well. Whatever 
be the mode of heating, it would be of importance to be able 
to heat the pit without greatly heating the house when deemed 
desirable. I have had the management of Pines and Vines in one 
house under two circumstances,—when the Vines were planted 
outside but fixtures in the house, and when they could be taken 
out. In the first place, the houses were heated by flues front 
and back, but worked separately; the pit heated by tan alone. 
In such pits the second earliest fruiting Pines and younger ones 
were kept over the winter. By means of surface stirring and 
fresh additions of tan by means of a wide funnel, the bottom heat 
was kept to range from 70° to 80°. The top heat, so long as the 
Vines were at rest, ranged from 50° to 55°, generally about the 
first. When the Vines were pruned, they were untied from the 
rafters and tied close to the glass at the front of the house above 
the front flue. This flue was never used in winter unless in very 
severe weather. The back flue was worked to keep up the com¬ 
paratively low winter temperature for Pines. After standing in 
such a temperature and dryish for several months, they generally 
showed directly when moved into a temperature some 10° or 15° 
higher, and a moist atmosphere. If any should fruit in the cool 
house, they were moved directly. With such management fine 
crops of Grapes and Pines were obtained. If the front flue had 
been worked in winter, the Vines would have been apt to break 
irregularly, because not sufficiently rested. When Vines cannot 
be moved out, it would, therefore, be doubly important to have 
a heating medium below the bed, and means taken by slides or 
openings to let out that heat at will, so as to heat the atmosphere 
of the house without rising the heating medium in front of the 
house. 
All this trouble of regulating the atmospheric temperature of 
the house may be easily avoided, and the Pines get exactly what 
would suit them according to circumstances, by having the front 
of the house so constructed with moveable studs that the Vines 
could easily be taken outside, or, what is much better, by having 
a double front to the house, the inner to be used only in the 
autumn and whiter months. This will necessitate at least a 
temporary inner sill. The two may be some twelve or eighteen 
inches from each other. The inner moveable lights may be 
partly of boards. When Vines are taken out of a hothouse at 
once they are apt to suffer from the sudden change, and also from 
the wood being imperfectly ripened. They will also be liable to 
suffer from frost in winter, unless receiving protection; and when 
introduced at once to a hothouse, they are apt to break irregularly 
from coming from a low temperature at once into a high one. 
All these evils will be avoided by the double front. In an early 
house, for instance, the border outside could be kept dry after 
July or August. The heat then would soon ripen the wood after 
the fruit was 'cut. When the leaves begin to turn yellow, the Vines 
could be taken down and pruned, and then trained close to the 
front glass, and the temporary front put up behind them so as 
to separate them from the house and yet keep them under cover. 
The front lights left open would keep them cool. In winter, 
these lights when shut would give enough protection in severe 
weather, as some heat would radiate from the inner lights. When 
it is desirable to start the Vines, it may be done as gradually and 
nicely as if they had a house for themselves. Air being given by 
the outer lights, and heat admitted by partially sliding or open- 
ing. the inner lights. The Vines may also be damped and 
syringed, when the house, as a whole, may be kept pretty dry. 
When the Vines have pushed an inch or two, the inner front may 
be removed, and the Vines regulateci and tied up, choosing a dull 
day for the operation, and allowing the house to fall a few degrees 
at night for a week or so. 
After this the t reatment of Vines and Pines will agree until the 
first are ripe, wlieu more air will be necessary than would suit 
Pines just swelling, which would rather prefer a closer and 
moister atmosphere. With such contrivances, fine combined 
results may be obtained. When Vines are taken out altogether, 
it requires considerable practice and experience to manage them 
nicely. Two years last October, a clever hard-working man 
asked my opinion of Vines so taken out, by the wish of his 
employer, who wanted a good crop, and would have his way. 
The Vines were everything as respected growth, strong and 
luxuriant, but telling by them appearance that they wanted a 
roasting indoors, instead of a resting and growing outside. My 
prognostications were but too correct—they scarcely produced a 
bunch the following season. A house disroofed for a similar pur¬ 
pose only escaped a similar result by having the sashes put on, 
air given almost constantly, though the quantity was small at night 
and in dull weather, and a dry, warm atmosphere kept up by fire 
heat until the leaves changed into yellow. 
3rd. To have Pines, Vines, and Peach trees established under 
one roof, similar precautions will be necessary to insure success. 
What has been said above of Vines and Pines will equally apply 
in the present case; but in addition we shall want a longitudinal 
division of wood and glass reaching from the back wall of the pit 
to the sashes, or rather to a longitudinal slight coping placed 
there to receive them, and means of giving abundance of air at 
back, either by Bhort sliding sashes or other means. This back 
division may be removed and applied to other purposes when the 
Peaches are swelling ; and all the three kinds of fruit will then 
appear to be growing not only under one roof but in similar 
circumstances. Some who thought more of show than flavour 
might continue this until a couple of weeks or so after the fruit 
was gathered. I would prefer as soon as the first fruit swelled to 
ripening, and especially if there were Pines in the pit just be¬ 
ginning to swell, to introduce the division and give abundance of 
air to the Peaches-—not letting them, however, be too cool, or 
that suddenly. What extra heat was required, as well as what 
back air the Pines needed, could be given by sliding or moving 
the sashes behind the Pines. When the Peaches are all gathered 
keep that department hotter and drier by diminishing air until the 
Peach wood was getting firmer, and then give more air. Sweep 
or take off leaves as they begin to change; and by the end of 
autumn the Peach trees may be cleaned, pruned, and trained. 
Now until it is desirable to start them we would keep this depart¬ 
ment to from 40° to 45°—never higher with artificial heat. This 
will enable you to make a greenhouse of it during the winter. 
The glass division will be sufficient to give this heat in common 
weather, or even with a few degrees of frost. If at all severe, 
slide the sashes a little, to let more heated air pass from the Pine 
department. When you wish to start the Peaches into bloom 
this regulating may be done to the greatest nicety : and until the 
fruit are swelling freely we would keep up the division. In fact, 
but for the look of the thing we would prefer it to remain almost 
constant. I have supposed that the heating is confined to the 
bed, and to the ends and front of the house, or nearly so, and that 
what extra the Peaches require is borrowed at first by openings 
in this back division. 
If “ An Old Subscribes ” would refer back to the end of the 
second volume, lie would see a diagram of a multum-in-parvo 
house heated by a tank, which would enable him clearly to see 
my meaning. That diagram was kindly reproduced some 
eighteen months ago, in Vol. XXI., page 226, No. 537. If he 
looks at that diagram, and supposes that the back part is appro¬ 
priated to Peach trees planted out, instead of greenhouse plants, 
he will observe that the arrangements proposed are otherwise 
almost identical. 
I have tried to be plain, at the expense of prosiness, and can 
only plead the apology that the subject is an engrossing one to 
very many of our supporters and readers. Others may succeed 
where I have tried and next to failed. With different compart¬ 
ments, much may be done, as respects variety, with plants in 
pots, and very successfully; but with permanent plants, so dif¬ 
ferent in their nature and character, I am not at all sanguine, 
except such conditions as those mentioned are attended to. If 
wrong, I shall be glad to be set right. R. Fish. 
HEATING BY ARNOTT’S STOVE AND BY GAS. 
Some years ago I sent you an account of my Arnott’s stoves, 
and the last winter has induced so many inquiries of “ how to 
keep the cold out,” that I think a few more remarks may be 
useful. 
I have a vinerv and greenhouse, each 18 feet by 15 feet, which 
have been for fifteen or twenty years heated by Arnott’s stoves. 
The stoves are 18 inches square, cost £4 each, and have a zinc 
pan 18 inches square and 3 deep on the top to hold water, which 
constantly evaporates, and prevents dryness of the atmosphere. 
