November 7, 1903. 
TUB GARDENING WORLD 
929 
ni? A FITTP Q ’ ILif D1T W | v I'i 'I OM For details of this competition and prize offered, pie 
IvJLALP£Lriv>3 1 I 1 Iv/lN. see page 931 Please post on Friday nijht. 
Hints on Stoking, Boilers and Stokeholes. 
The above subject is undoubtedly a very important one to 
all gardeners. It should be the ambition of every young gar¬ 
dener to become thoroughly efficient with this work as soon 
as possible. W hen head gardeners see that their men can be 
trusted with this work, it eventually relieves them from much 
anxiety. The .work of stoking is certainly an essential towards 
successful cultivation of either fruits or plants. In the first 
place, it is the duty of every gardener to see that all boilers 
and other heating arrangements, as well as stokeholes, are 
always kept in repair. Where any new boilers or pipes are 
put in, he should be most particular to see all the work com¬ 
pleted in a thorough practical working order. 
Whether on a large or small establishment, it is always best 
to have a reserve boiler, so as to have sufficient heat at command 
to enable us to copie with severe weather ; these boilers should 
always be fixed in such a manner as to work independently of 
each other, for by this method we have them for immediate 
use in case of accidents. The stokehole, in my opinion, should 
be nearest those houses where the most heat is required. It 
must be deep) enough to allow the boilers to be fixed on the 
lowest level, which is essential to a free circulation of heat, 
and should be large enough for a good supply of fuel to be 
stored therein, with a water-drain to keep the stokehole dry 
in case of heavy rains, etc. 
Each stokehole should be provided with an iron shovel, rake, 
and clinkering iron or poker for cleaning and feeding the fires, 
in addition to small hoes of various sizes, and flue-brush for 
cleaning out flues around the boilers or elsewhere. All utensils 
should be hung upon hooks or nails on the wall nearest the 
boiler. 
We have now so many good boilers that gardeners have before 
them a somewhat difficult task in selecting one which would be 
the most serviceable. As far as my experience goes, I believe 
the tubular boilers have a greater advantage over others by 
heating faster ; but, as a rule, they are not so serviceable as the 
Trentham saddle boiler, either of which, when fitted up by 
experienced men with all their modern improvements, can be 
well recommended as powerful and economical boilers which 
under good management will hold their own for durability. 
Every man whose duty it is to take his turn at stoking 
should be well informed as to the whereabouts of all valves, 
air taps, supply-water cistern, flues, etc., so that he may soon 
find out any defective part with the heating. The stoker should 
examine the temperature of each house as often as may be 
necessary. Of course he must be guided by the state of the 
weather, and take particular care to guard against the pipes 
becoming too hot, if the sun is at all likely to make its appear¬ 
ance ; he should endeavour to maintain an even temperature 
as far as possible. To do this it will be necessary to exercise 
the.most careful judgment with the dampers and pay strict 
attention to feeding and cleaning his fires. The fires should 
first of all be well cleaned and raked to the centre of the 
boiler. When supplying fresh fuel, put it on in small quan¬ 
tities as often as required ; more heat is got in this way, and 
the fires always burn brightly. Always keep the ash pit well 
cleaned out and the floors brushed up after cleaning or feed 
ing the fires. A good stoker will always see that the supply 
cistern is kept full of rain water, air taps regularly attended 
to, and valves connected with the boiler or pipes well oiled 
and made to turn easy by the hand. As regards fuel for the 
boilers, it depends a lot on which can be had the cheapest in 
the disliict. Coke and anthracite coal are the best kinds of 
fuel to bum. 
From my own experience, I prefer anthracite coal where one 
has a fairly good draught; it is by far the cleanest, and in 
many cases the cheapest fuel that can be had. It requires not 
more than one-half the attention of other fuel, as when once 
a fire is made up, it will easily last for 12 hours and five 
out a regular supply of heat. The less this coal is disturbed 
the better it will burn. One cleaning every morning, when the 
fire is at its lowest, will suffice, with an occasional rake under¬ 
neath the bars. 
Young gardeners would benefit much by taking a great and 
deep interest in stoking and the management of boilers, so 
as to become a good stoker, which is an important item in the 
training of young gardeners who wish to attain the responsi¬ 
bility of a head gardener. 
Stoking is looked upon as the simplest of a gardener’s duties 
by many men ; by others the duty week brings a hatred of its 
work, but in my estimation it requires both perseverance and 
practical experience combined with intelligence, which are 
three essentials to become a good stoker. J. E. Doxoghue. 
Bard on Hill Gardens, Weetwood, Leeds. 
Double Primulas. 
Now that the gardeners, both amateur and professional, are 
looking to the houses to supply them with cut flowers for the 
autumn and winter months, one cannot help but be struck by 
the beauty, purity, and extreme usefulness of the old double 
white Primula. YVe have a batch of some 60 plants now in 
bloom, and expect to be cutting from them right through the 
winter months. The long stems, throwing the flowers well 
above the foliage, make them very suitable for cut-flower de¬ 
corations and for pot work. Well-grown plants are always in 
demand, while their merits are far more striking when used 
in wreath-making. It is with a view to assist the readers of 
The Gardening World ,in the cultivation of this useful plant 
that I write this. 
The chief difficulty is generally found in striking the cuttings, 
and I have not found many gardeners who could successfully do 
this ; but if the following rules are carefully carried out the 
difficulty will be overcome, and success is bound to attend the 
would-be grower : — 
The cuttings are best struck as early in the year as possible 
after the plants have done flowering, as better and larger plants 
are obtained, and the results generally more satisfactory for 
the autumn and winner use. The end of February or the be¬ 
ginning of March is a very good time to strike them. Proceed 
by cleaning off all the dead and dying leaves from the old plant, 
until nearly an inch of bare stem remains between the soil and 
the lower leaves. Next take a pot one size larger than the 
plant is growing in, and insert the plant, pot and all, into the 
empty pot. Then proceed with cocoanut fibre to top-dress the 
plant until the bared stems are nicely covered, and the young 
wood has a chance to root. The larger pot gives opportunity, if 
necessary, to build the fibre into a nice cone, thus giving the 
young plants more freedom for root action. Place the plants 
in an open position in a slightly-heated frame, and keep close. 
Take care to turn off the heat on fine days, and slightly shade 
them from bright sunshine. 
In about three weeks, if the fibre has been kept moist, the 
young roots will appear. Air should now be given on every 
possible occasion judiciously, so that the plants may not be¬ 
come drawn. When the roots have run well into the fibre they 
may. be potted off, using a compost of equal parts loam and leaf 
soil, with a good sprinkling of silver sand. Place in a good 
position, and keep close for a few days. Afterwards give air 
freely as the weather permits, and pot on as required. The 
very small plants can be kept in 60’s, and are very useful for 
small vases, besides making fine specimens the following year 
if potted on. H. J. Pittmax. 
Malmaison Carnations. 
The exact proportions of the various ingredients used to pre¬ 
pare a suitable compost for this very popular Carnation must 
vajy according to the loam at hand. If this is of medium tex¬ 
ture, containing a fair amount of fibre, I would advise to mix 
with three parts of the same one part good leaf soil composed 
of Oak leaves, one of peat, and one of burnt refuse, sand, and 
finely-broken crocks, with a little soot. On the other hand, 
should the loam be heavy and less fibrous, use more peat and 
leaf soil, and add some pounded charcoal. I much prefer, for 
their final potting, to use some g-in. bones on top of the crocks 
in preference to any patent manure mixed with the soil, as I 
believe it to be more beneficial in this way, as it helps to feed 
at a more critical time, when the buds are swelling. 
To get good, strong, healthy plants before winter, it is ad¬ 
visable to begin layering not later than the second or third 
week in July, and always select good, healthy growths. Any 
good open gritty soil will answer the purpose for layering, such 
as comes from the potting-bench. Mixed with some finely-sifted 
old mortar rubble and plenty of sand, it will form all ideal 
compost for layering. Use some close frames, raising the soil 
to within a few inches from the glass, to give them a little 
