145 
Febiuary  12,  1905.  JQUBNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Rood  Ashton:  “The  Wild  Garten.” 
A  view  from  the  garden. 
“Easily  Grown  Hardly  Perennials.” 
We  welcome  the  publication  of  a  cheap  book  devoted  to  hardy 
herbaceous  perennial  plants — even  if  it  is  not  faultless.  This 
work  may  be  useful  to  beginners  or  to  those  who  have  only  garden 
space  enough  for  border  plants,  and  who  would  like  to  know 
more  of  them  than  they  may  already  know.  The  book  certainly 
contains  much  interesting  information  about  the  habits  and 
u.se.s  of  the  plants,  besides  furnishing  an  explanation  of  the 
Latin  and  Greek  names  of  the  plants.  The  species  and  leading 
varieties  are  briefly  described,  upon  which  follow  notes  on 
culture  and  propagation.  The  book  is  arranged  alphabetically, 
and  common  or  English  names  are  furnished,  together  with  an 
index  to  these.  The  illustrations  are  numerous  and  fairly  good. 
The  author  of  this  work  is  Mr.  Geo.  H.  Vos,  B.A.,  and  Mr.  T.  W. 
Sanders,  F.L.S.,  editorially  supervised  the  proofs.  Me.ssrs. 
W.  H.  and  L.  CoHingridge,  Aldersgate  Street,  London,  publish 
the  book  at  the  price  of  5s. 
Snowclrift,  and  Pearl  White  are  each  good,  the  latter  suiting  us 
best  in  point  of  reliability  and  good  appearance.  No  finer 
scarlet  cou'ld  be  chosen  than  Improved  Double  Scarlet,  which 
is  a  real  crimson  scarlet. 
The‘  Duchess  Primula  seems  likely  to  give  the  characters  to  a 
new  type,  the  Duchess  type,  characterised  with  a  broad  orange- 
yellow  zone  around  the  eye.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  bestowed  an  Award  of  Merit  on  this 
variety  a  year  ago,  which  is  ciuite  an  exceptional  thing  in  the 
case  of  Primnlas.  At  Reading  they  have  an  exceptionally  fine 
batch  of  this  grand  novelt.v,  all  even,  strong,  and  clean.  By 
the  way,  there  was  “  star  Duchess,”  but  the  third  generation 
reverted  to  the  true  Duchess  form,  though  hopes  are  still 
entertained  of  getting  and  fixing  a  star  variety  of  the  Duchess. 
The  visitor  to  Reading  in  quest  of  Primulas  will  assuredly 
find  varieties  exactly  to  his  or  her  liking ;  there  are  gradations 
to  suit  all  tastes.  Mr.  Macdonald,  the  grower,  is  working  to  get 
a  good  magenta,  and  it  will  evidently  not  be  long  ere  purples, 
true  blues,  and  even  yellows  will  be  existing  in  reality.  Scarlet 
is  already  secured. 
The  New  Plant  Houses. 
be  packed.  To  the  back  of  this  conservatory  there  is 
a  retiring  room,  nicely  fitted  and  arranged,  and  giving 
access  to  closets,  with  hot  and  cold  water  taps  and 
other  conveniences. 
The  houses  are  heated  by  two  Cornish  boilers,  2ft 
or  2^ft  wide,  and  8ft  or  9ft  long.  The  .stokehole  is 
within  tAventy  paces  of  the  houses,  and  the  (iin  main 
passes  from  the  boilers  through  a  bricked  tunnel,  high 
and  wide  enough  to  allow  a  man  to  pass  along  in  order 
to  examine  the  pipe,  which  is  made  a  rule'  every  Satur¬ 
day  morning.  There  is  a  manhole  just  outside  the 
nearest  plant  house.  The  doors  of  the  furnaces  are  of 
the  swing-on-hinge  pattern,  and  have  to  be  opened  by 
the  hand,  for  Avhich  a  cloth  is  necessary  in  order  to 
turn  the  hot  handle.  One  prefers  the  sliding  doors, 
which  can  be  slid  eithei'  way  b}^  means  of  the  cornei' 
of  a  shovel.  There  are  no  bottom  doors  to  tlu' 
furnaces.  The  damper  is  worked  by  a  chain  over  a 
pulley,  but  seemed  to  be  Avorked  Avithout  being  .seen 
by  the  stoker,  Avhich  is  not  an  advantage.  The  self¬ 
acting  safety-valve,  for  the  escape  of  steam  from  the 
boilers,  is  a  good  addition.  The  two  boilers  are  worked 
alternately,  and  the  valves  of  the  idle  one  are  shut 
off,  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  and  in  case  these  were 
not  again  turned  on  Avhen  the  fire  Avas  relighted,  the 
steam  would  escape  through  these  .safety-valves  over  each 
boiler  till  attention  Avas  called.  The  meams  for  hoist¬ 
ing  up  the  ashes  and  clinkei's  by  means  of  a  pulley, 
and  running  the  buckets  out  along  a  iron  rail  to  the 
outside,  is  a  time  saver,  and  Avorth  noting.  Outside 
there  is  a  chamber  for  the  making  of  acetyline  gas, 
Avhich  supplies  light  to  various  parts  of  the  new  houses. 
A  AA'indmill  out  in  the  grounds  forces  water  from  a 
AAcll  to  supply  the  houses  in  case  the  rainfall  is  insufficient  to 
keep  the  tanks  at  the  necessary  level. — Wandering  Willie. 
The  recently  erected  plant  structures,  of  which  I  have 
already  written  (page  144),  are  tivelve  in  number,  span-i’oofed 
in  shape,  60ft  long  and  14ft  wide,  and  9ft  to  10ft  high. 
They  are  stout  and  Avell  finished  houses,  the  Avork  of 
Duncan  Tucker,  the  horticultural  builder  of  South 
Tottenham,  London.  There  are  ventilators  at  the  top 
on  either  side,  and  side  ventilators  slightly  below  the 
level  of  the  plant  stages.  Three  rows  of  4in  piping 
run  through  the  centre  of  each  house,  being  at  one 
side  of  the  path.  In  the  middle  of  each  structure 
there  are  huge  tanks  under  the  stages  for  the  rain 
water  Avhich  is  conveyed  from  the  roof,  and  this  pro- 
A'ision  should  be  a  feature  of  eA'eiy  erection  for  plants. 
The  valves  of  the  hot-Avater  pipes  are  each  fitted  with 
a  gauge,  Avhich  i.s  like  a  thermometer  in  shape,  having 
an  enamelled  face,  and  is  marked  off  into  degrees.  As 
the  valve  is  screAved,  an  indicator  is  Avorked  on  the  face 
of  the  gauge,  and  the  operator  can  estimate  exactly 
the  degrees  to  Avhich  his  valve  is  opened  or  shut. 
Another  feature  Avhich  may  be  termed  neAv  Avas  seen 
in  the  device  for  running  plant  trays  on  Avheels,  fitted 
to  little  iron  ledges  on  the  edges  of  both  stages  doAvn 
the  centre  of  the  house.  An  iron  ledge,  lin  broad, 
could  easily  be  fitted  to  the  stages  of  many  plant- 
houses  in  great  commercial  establishments,  and  Avith 
Avheels  placed  on  the  plant  trays  (Avheels  like  those  of 
a  tramcar),  the  work  of  mOA'ing  large  batches  of  plants 
from  one  part  of  the  house  could  be  expeditiously  and 
very  easily  effected. 
The  houses  run  at  right  angles  to  a  corridor,  and 
one  can  Avalk  from  one  into  the  other  AAvithout  onoe 
re(iuiring  to  leaA’e  their  shelter.  Tlie  central  hou.se 
takes  the  form  of  a  pavilion  or  conservatory,  and  has 
large  double  doors,  .so  that  a  van  can  be  backed  right 
into  the  house  Avhen  consignments  of  plants  are  to 
