166 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
and Healy are very good, but are rather more expensive. They 
are made in two sizes ; the larger are charged 30s. the length of 
nine feet, and the smaller 26s., exclusive of fixing. Tanks of 
iron, slate, or even wood, may be employed where a command of 
atmospheric moisture is desired, and for bottom heat they are 
unsurpassed. On the subject of boilers we scarcely know how 
to advise. The whole of them appear to us excessively dear, and 
we have expectations of shortly causing an alteration which may 
possibly surprise some of those who at present are making for¬ 
tunes in the line. That form which is most economical of fuel 
must necessarily be the best, and this is the great objection to all 
the conical-shaped boilers. They do not burn freely without being 
fed with superior fuel, and much of their heat is lost by radiation 
from the sides; otherwise they are the cheapest, inasmuch as the 
expense of setting is saved; they are easily fixed or removed, and 
are cleanly in their operation. A great deal of the mystery with 
which dealers are anxious to surround themselves must shortly 
be removed, and their prices brought down to a more reasonable 
level; but of this we shall have occasion to speak more fully at 
a future period. 
We come now to the Management of the Greenhouse. 
With a mixed collection of plants, the spring treatment com¬ 
mences about the end of February. The majority of its occupants 
then require to be gone over, thoroughly examining the whole, 
repotting those which require it, and cleaning, pruning, and 
training the remaining portion. In performing the operation 
first mentioned, it is essential, first, that the pots into which they 
are to be placed should be perfectly clean, both inside and out; 
that the soil, let it consist of what it may, be thoroughly mixed, 
if of more than one kind, and broken up in a manner propor¬ 
tionate to the size of the pot; thus small pots require the soil to 
be well pulverized by rubbing in the hands, while for large ones 
it can scarcely be used too rough; except for the reception of very 
fine seeds, the earth should never be sifted, as the repeated ap¬ 
plication of water to a body of sifted soil compresses it into a 
solid mass, impervious to air, where the moisture stagnates, to 
the utter destruction of the roots. To guard against an evil of 
this nature, the best cultivators always provide a drainage by 
placing a number of potsherds at the bottom of the pots, and 
