188 ‘ 1 -.] 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 
there are oiilv a fow aniioio . 
o»lllv»llon I tlio b„i on whi«l'L," 
aio about a foot in 
»IU. 1..™ 
I, “™ '«"S ”"'I 
dor, a good kind for houKo i 
' culture. * groonhouso 
C. gran<mor,,s is another beautiful night- 
bloou^ing kind, having largo crea.ny-whito 
flowers, of free habit, and is easily g.own. 
C Cordcroyanu,, a bright scariot, on up- 
right stems. ^ 
C. Gordomanus, a roso-colorod kind, of 
easy culture. 
C. crenatus, ereamy-white, good form, and 
lai*ge-no\v erni g. 
C. Falen, a splendid flower, crimson, shaded 
with violet and orange. 
Echinooactus, the Hedge-hog Cactus, is a 
large globular genus, thickly set with spines. 
Mostly natives of Mexico, they require plenty 
of sun when growing and plenty of water, 
but should be kept dry when at rest. 
Melocaetus communis, Turk’s-cap Cactus, a 
South American species, often seen in culti¬ 
vation. It has a large cylindrical portion on 
the top of the plant, when the flowers are 
produced, of a bright red color, like a fez 
cap; hence the name. A good window 
plant. 
Filocereus senilis.—This is known under 
the name of Old Man Cactus, from its up¬ 
right stem having a dense woolly head, 
looking like long white hair, flowing over 
the plant. As a curiosity for the window or 
greenhouse this is suitable. Keex) in a 
sunny window at all times. 
The genus EpiplujUum sliould not be for¬ 
gotten in forming a collection of plants. Its 
free-flowering habit and beautifully colored 
flowers make the various species worthy of a 
place in every collection. Full directions for 
their culture, etc., were given in a previous 
number of The American G-aeden. 
M. Milton. 
169 
HEATIir& SMALL PLANT-HOUSES. 
This subject is probably nearer to the 
leart of the amateur floriculturist than any 
)ther, and .the difficulty of constructing a 
iheap, easily managed and regulated heat- 
ng apparatus for small greenhouses or plant- 
'ooms, deters a great many from cultivating 
louse-plants, and thus making their rooms 
)right and cheerful during the winter 
uonths. Our esteemed friend. Dr. Edward 
Httoe, of Galena, Ill., has constructed and 
ised for several years an apparatus, which 
eems to answer its purpose better than 
.nything else we have ever seen, and it is 
?ith much pleasure that we give the follow- 
ng descriptions, which he kindly furnishes 
or the benefit of the readers of The Ameri- 
AN Garden. 
The heating apparatus proper consists of 
n ordinary oil lamp, marked 0 in omMllus- 
?ation; the chimney (C) is surrounded y t e 
oiler (B); a supplementary boiler (fa B), 
onneeted by three tubes with the mam 
oiler, is placed above this, in or er to 
tilize all the heat as far as is consistent 
'ith a due regard to the draft of the amp, 
'he boilers are connected with the mam 
sservoir by two tubes, the ixppoione or 
le overflow of the hot water, and t e °^or 
)r the return of the cooler portion, o e 
oiler. In this case a ten-gallon ° 
korns** Pi'i pose of a tank. Any common 
ko osono oil lamp may be used. A lamp 
1 olclmg one pmt and a half of oil was found 
sufflciout for boating a bay-window 8x12 
foot during cokl nights, when tlio flro in the 
s ove m the adjoining room was burning low. 
Our second illustration shows a vertical 
section of a propagating tank, heated by a 
lamp of similar construction. C represents 
the water-tauk, D the sand of the ijropagating 
bed, and E the cover of the tank. The tank 
used by the doctor is 9 -x 2 feet and twelve 
inches deep. The boilers may be of copper 
or tin, and can easily be made by any good 
tinsmith. 
The uses to which such an apparatus may 
be applied are not confined to plant-houses 
only. By connecting the boiler with a suit- 
CROSS-SECriON OF PROPAGATING BENCH. 
able set of pipes it might servo an excellent 
purpose for heating an incubator, and for 
keepiing frost out of cellars during extreme 
cold it seems adinmably adapted. The great 
advantage of this contrivance over ordinary 
oil-stoves, in addition to its economy and 
simplicity, is that the lamp boiler may be 
so partitioned off from the plant-room that 
all danger from smoke and gases may be 
avoided. 
PKEPAEING FOE WINTEE FLOWEES. 
With the waning summer heat and the ap¬ 
proach of autumnal frosts comes the work of 
preparation of the winter flowering plants ; 
for if good bloom and healthy leaves are 
wanted, the plants must be properly prepared 
for the purpose. Stove heat in a room where 
flowers are kept, especially when constantly 
maintained at a high degree, is one of the 
greatest hindrances to winter flowering. 
The finest plants I saw last winter were 
placed in pots and window boxes, in a bay-win¬ 
dow on the south side of a house. The curtain 
dropped from the top to the floor; there were 
no blinds, the emdains were constantly down 
in the day-time and raised at night; a flood 
of light reached the plants from all the 
sashes, which were often opened in mild 
weather from the top, while the room was 
heated by sunlight or an occasional wood 
fire-in the small, open fire-place.; but in mild 
weather the room was kept comfortable fer 
sewing and reading by heat from adjoining 
rooms. 
It will bo seen that the conditions were 
perfect for abundance of sunlight from the 
windows and change of air through the win¬ 
dows and (ire-place. Any one who can pro¬ 
vide the above conditions may have summer 
thrift in winter plants. In regard to prepar¬ 
ing the few plants needed for such a display 
I will give a method which, with me, gives 
good success. 
Pclunias slipped now will make thrifty 
young plants to pot for fall and winter bloom, 
especially the double white, pink, and crim¬ 
son ; these, with the fringed, make a good 
assortment. 
The Scarlet and Lady Washington Geraniums, 
slipped in common earth now, will produce 
fine bloom in early spring, while the old 
plants, if lifted early, will recover in season 
to bloom during winter. 
Heliotropes lifted, cut back, and the slips 
rooted in sand or earth, • wilt bloom all 
winter. A knife run deeply around a plant 
some time before lifting will prevent its 
wilting too much, and will often obviate the 
necessity of cutting it back. 
Carnations cut back will recover to bloom 
in midwinter and spring, while the slips set 
this spring in the open ground or plunged in 
pots will be full of vigor, and bloom in early 
fall and winter. 
Callus, divided and set in the open gi'ound 
in spring, will first die down, but afterward 
make a vigorous growth, and when taken up 
and potted again in the fall will recover and 
bloom in early winter, and if kept cool for a 
while in a light cellar, may be retarded till 
Easter. 
Hoses carefully tended in pots in summer 
in the open ground, cut back and kept at rest 
during early winter, bloom in the spring. 
Hasturtium, Ivies, and other plants for 
hanging baskets and vases should be well 
started early in the fall, so as to produce a 
good effect as soon as placed in the house for 
winter decoration. 
The plants mentioned are common, within 
the reach of all, and when well managed give 
great satisfaction in perfume, bloom, and 
color, all winter. My experience is that a 
mass of roots in healthy condition, in a 
rather scant amount of earth, if properly 
watered gives the best bloom. The soil I 
use is compost from my hot-beds; this is rich 
in decayed animal manure, well mixed with 
the original soil by several years of use. 
The nearest approach to it in a manufactured 
soil, so to say, if such compost could not be 
obtained, would be rotted sods or leaf-mold 
mixed with some naturally rich soil; and a 
small proportion of commercial fertilizer 
such as is sold in the stores as plant food; 
prepare it by mixing as long as possible 
before using. 
W. H. Bull. 
WATEEING PLANTS. 
Plants may be watered at any horn- of the 
day, except when the sun is shining on the 
pot, or has just left it; for the earth gets 
hot when the sun shines on it, and then, if 
cold water is poured on it, it will cool off too 
rapidly. The best time for watering flowers 
in summer is the evening, and in winter 
noon is best. Bain water or brook water is 
always preferable to well water. 
