February 19, 1887. 
THE HARDENING WORLD. 
301 
valves placed so that this heat can be regulated to a 
maximum or minimum in either house. The best style 
of house with which I have ever had to deal has been 
those in which arrangements have been made that a 
hot-water tank should go along the whole length of 
one side of the warmer house. This liot-water tank 
may be arranged in various ways. Some use a good 
cemented tank in which the hot-w'ater pipes are simply 
laid near the bottom, and when the hot water is cir¬ 
culating through these pipes, it causes the water in the 
tank to become warm. Some, again, use wooden tanks, 
and others iron ones ; but whatever is used provision 
must be made to have a supply of water at hand to 
keep the tanks full. If either the cement or the 
wooden one should become dry, and the pipes are still 
kept heated, it will soon be all over with them as far 
as their holding power is concerned. Over this tank 
the best covering is blue slates. They allow the 
heat to come through them readily, and last as 
long as anything that can be used. On the top of 
these slates good substantial cases or frames should 
be made. 
The frames should be so arranged that the sashes or 
covering can be lifted up either from the front or path, 
and slung to the roof with a small brass chain or a 
piece of wire. This is to allow superabundant moisture 
to escape from the cutting case at any time it may be 
deemed necessary. These cases must be filled with 
cocoa-nut fibre refuse to the depth of 6 ins. or 12 ins. 
This answers the purpose of a plunging material, and 
retains the heat as well as any material that can be 
used. If these cases should be disposed to get too hot 
at any time, the stop valve must be regulated till the 
required heat is obtained. It is not at all times 
requisite to cover the whole length of this hot tank 
with cases, but if half the length is covered, the other 
half without cases may simply be covered with the 
fibre. This leaves a good space for plunging any kind 
of cuttings that do not require to be kept so very close, 
but still require a good bottom heat to cause them to 
root freely. The other side of the house should be for 
the accommodation of stock plants of any from which 
cuttings are desired, and also for the purpose of placing 
the pots containing rooted cuttings. The latter will 
here become firmer preparatory to their being potted 
off singly in the potting shed. 
The staging on this side of the house will do if it is 
erected as an ordinary greenhouse stage, provided it 
has a covering of cocoa-nut fibre refuse of sufficient 
thickness to retain a good amount of moisture, and so 
prevent the soil in the cutting pots from drying up too 
rapidly. The cooler house may be exactly on the same 
principle, with the exception of the large hot-water 
tank ; and this may be supplemented by the use of 
trough-pipes in place of ordinary pipes, that can be 
filled at will for moisture or otherwise, as the circum¬ 
stances of the case may require. 
Cleanliness is an essential to the well-being of a good 
propagating house, and all materials that are used in 
it should be free from rubbish of every description that 
may tend either to breed fungus or harbour vermin. 
This especially applies to the pots and crocks that are 
to be used, and also to the sand, which, if at all dirty, 
should be washed with a few changes of water, and 
then allowed to dry again before use. The plunging 
material should also be changed annually, and the 
house should have a good cleansing with lime-wash, 
well dashed into all crevices to destroy any germ of 
insect life that may be lurking there. 
If this house is at all troubled with insect pests, such 
as crickets, cockroaches, woodlice, &c., traps must be 
provided to catch them, for they will soon clear away 
the tender seedlings and cuttings, however careful they 
may otherwise be tended, and the result of your labour 
would then be lost. An equable temperature must be 
maintained for soft-wooded cuttings, both at bottom 
and top. The bottom-heat should range from 80° to 
85°, and the top-heat in the house 75° in the day, and 
not lower than 65° at night ; the more equal the heat 
can be kept, the better for the well-doing of the cuttings. 
Allowance must be made for sun-heat, and provision 
for shading the house ; this can be done with blinds 
for the whole of one side of the house, or in lengths, so 
that one part only requiring it may be shaded. Sheets 
of newspaper may be used to throw over the cases in 
the house, or over any cuttings or seedlings, when a 
sudden outburst of sunshine occurs. 
A moist atmosphere must be maintained in the 
warmer house. This will at all times prevent spider, 
thrip, &c. from increasing, which, if allowed to get 
ahead, will soon make havoc amongst plants in a house. 
This part of the arrangement will have to be left 
entirely in the hands of the propagator, who will be 
generally guided by the class of plants he may be 
working, and also by the different periods of the year. 
This knowledge can only be obtained by practice, and 
to attempt to lay down any set rule for the guidance of 
novices, would be superfluous, and more often end in 
mishap than success. The novice, in attempting to 
take charge of a propagating house without having first 
had some experience under a practical man, will 
generally make many errors that cannot easily he 
rectified. He should never aspire to be at the 
top of the ladder at first, when his proper position 
should be the bottom. To have failed in his first 
attempt, or to be discouraged at the outset of his 
career, often leads to failures all through. Better, 
indeed, had he risen step by step, and so reached 
the top honourably, than, by trying to leap, to end in 
utter disgrace. 
A good propagating house that is intended to turn 
out much -work, should have a small shed erected at 
its entrance ; in fact, this should form part of the house. 
If this be provided, the soil and pots can be kept there, 
and will consequently be always at the same temperature 
as the house. In this shed the propagator can make 
his cuttings and insert them without continually 
running out into the cold so often experienced during 
the changeable weather of our spring months. — W. G. 
-—- 
Hardening ffoTES from 
Scotland. 
v* : 
Aberdeen: The Old Oak Tree.— During the 
past two months many men have been engaged digging 
out the trunk of the old Oak tree which has stood so 
long on the banks of the Dee. It had occupied this 
site since 1829, when it was found in the bed of the 
Dee after the memorable flood of that year. Being a 
gigantic piece of Oak, it has been considered by the 
inhabitants of Aberdeen a fit mark to commemorate 
the flood. It was surrounded by a paling, and, in 
addition to commemorating the flood, served as a 
retreat for a large number of birds. Ivy was planted 
round it, and each succeeding summer it was clothed 
with an abundance of beautiful green leaves. Altera¬ 
tions about to take place have necessitated its removal 
to the Duthie Public Park. With great difficulty it 
was got on to a lorry, and after being securely tied with 
ropes, ten horses were attached, and followed by a 
large number of spectators, the tree was dragged 
along the Riverside Road to the Duthie Park. It 
will be placed on the west side of the rockery, where 
the venerable relic will once more raise its head 
to remind Aberdonians of the “great spate of 1829.” 
The dimensions of the tree are 30 ft. in length, 29 ft. 
in circumference, and weighs about ten tons. 
-- 
The Am ateurs’ Garden. 
Our Frame-making. —Methinks I hear the prac¬ 
tical gardener—from the fact of his vocation connect¬ 
ing him with extensive hothouses and palatial con¬ 
servatories fitted with heating appliances arranged in 
the best possible manner for the cultivation and 
preservation of luxurious and costly plants—exclaim¬ 
ing, “What nonsense to write on such trivial matters ! ” 
But I would remind him that such minute things as 
these are the only subjects the aspiring amateur has to 
relate. They are the favourite strings on which he 
harps, and constitute his hobby, more especially when 
the sole aim and ambition is to outrival his neigh¬ 
bours ; at least, so it is in our case. There are four 
villas contiguous to our own, and these, or rather the 
strips of garden ground and their appurtenances, are 
known as the “Surprise Packets,” an appellation con¬ 
veying its own meaning. Each one struggles to outvie 
by some new innovation. While agreeing with the old 
adage, “Self praise is no recommendation,” I deviate 
from its truth reverentially when I say that since our 
occupation of “Surprise Packet No. 5,” “all its lovely 
companions have faded and gone,” their competitive 
attempts eclipsed, and, to speak in sporting parlance, 
“knocked out of time.” 
The plants in our conservatory having failed to 
make a move, owing to old Sol’s attempts to cast his 
cheering rays over them being frustrated by the over¬ 
hanging houses, it was unanimously agreed to start a 
frame at the foot of the garden ; there to bestow our 
favourites, where they would get full benefit of the sun 
the whole day. No doubt some of the feminine con¬ 
tributors to The Gardening World, who delight in 
the manufacture of any articles for the embellishment of 
their homes and gardens, are as proficient in the art of 
carpentering as a lady of my acquaintance, who wields 
the saw and manipulates the plane with great dexterity. 
To such an one, perhaps, these simple remarks will be 
of assistance. First, v r e obtained a good strong window 
sash, about a yard square. This had sash-bars run¬ 
ning either way ; these had to be removed, and re¬ 
adjusted in proper form. They were insufficient in 
length, but by scarving (joining together) the super¬ 
fluous bars the difficulty was surmounted. It was 
rather a tedious task—perhaps it w T ould have been 
better to have made a new one ; but it answered the 
purpose. 
The glazing of the sash was the next consideration. 
Some 9 ft. of glass and a couple of pounds of putty 
soon found this accomplished, and the light ready to 
be fitted to the frame (or vice versa). A discarded egg- 
box—but make up your mind for plenty of planing— 
some 5 ft. in length, consisting of eleven boards 
averaging 8 ins. or 9 ins. in breadth, by careful mani¬ 
pulation sufficed for that purpose, with the addition of 
four pieces of 3-in. quartering (one at each corner) to 
which to nail the four sides, and a slight piece of 
boarding about 6 ins. broad on either side at top of the 
frame to keep the light in its place. With a good 
coating of paint inside and out for preserving the wood, 
both frame and light are complete. A coat of boiled 
whiting and size before painting will be beneficial in 
filling up any little interstices, and not absorb so 
much paint. 
To this receptacle we first intend conveying such 
things as we want to start growing; Pelargoniums, 
Heliotrope, Calceolarias. Fuchsia fulgens, Spiraea, and 
some Nicotiana affinis in pots—which we think 
wonderful to have saved through the inclement season— 
will be the first occupants. We shall remove these in 
a month’s time, and hasten on seeds in boxes, such as 
Sweet Peas, Coreopsis, Convolvulus, Nasturtiums, 
another batch of Nicotiana affinis for autumn flower¬ 
ing, Indian Corn, and Canary Creeper for planting out 
in the borders. Our frame clear of these, our ambition 
finally soars—and it is no idle phantasm—to cutting 
Cucumbers of our own growing. It may be late in the 
season ere we arrive at this climax, but, barring 
accidents, this is the contents of the programme of 
“ Surprise Packet No. 5 .”—Albert George Hull, Forest 
Gate, Essex. 
Seed Sowing. —If the seed lists have not already 
been made up, and the seeds sent in, no delay should 
occur in having them done immediately. The earliest 
opportunity for sowing them, where practicable, should 
be seized by the amateur, who, even with his limited 
appliances at command, can do much to hasten the 
flowering and fruiting of flowers and fruits, and the 
raising of useful vegetables. 
By the aid of a small hot-bed, seeds of Tomatos, 
Cucumbers, Vegetable Marrows, &c., can be germinated 
and grown on in readiness for planting out when the 
proper season arrives. As soon as they are up, remove 
them to a more airy structure, having, if possible, a 
little artificial heat to keep them growing slowly. All 
should be potted off singly, and receive an occasional 
shift as the pots become filled with roots. By treating 
them thus early, they have a long season before them 
for the production, and, where desirable, as in the case 
of Tomatos, the ripening of the fruit. Cauliflowers, 
early Cabbages, Leeks, Lettuce, Endive, Spinach, and 
such things can be forwarded, by the aid of a frame, 
without any artificial heat whatever. Seeds of many 
useful flowering annual or perennial plants can also be 
forwarded with advantage. Single Dahlias and Lobelias 
would germinate best on a hot-bed ; but many fine 
things, such as Hollyhocks, Delphiniums, and Chinese 
Dianthus, may be grown and flowered the first season 
without artificial heat. Many annuals flower better and 
earlier by being raised in a frame, including Centaurea 
cyanus, C. moschata, C. suaveolens, Helichrysums, and 
other everlastings.— F. 
