Woodward's Graperies and Horticultural Buildings

by George E. Woodward; F. W. Woodward

THE COLD PIT.

Many who have not the advantage of a green-house, wish to preserve over the winter their half-hardy plants which have ornamented their garden during the summer. These are generally consigned to the cellar to dry up and be forgotten. In the darkness they loose their leaves, and when in spring they are again brought to light many are dried up and dead. Properly constructed cold pits offer superior advantages for the protection of many plants of a half-hardy nature, and indeed some that are usually considered tender here find a congenial location. Such a pit should be permanent in its character, and located in a spot easy of access to the house, that it may receive proper attention during the winter. A convenient size, and one sufficient for an ordinary garden would be ten feet long by five wide, varied somewhat from these dimensions to suit size of glass in sashes. The pit should be excavated four feet and a half below the surface, and a hollow wall of brick built up to one foot above the surface. Six inches in depth of coarse gravel should be placed in the bottom on which the pots containing the plants rest. Shelves may be also placed around the sides for the smaller plants. The wall above the ground should be "banked up" to within three inches of the top and sodded.

Fig. 3.—Cold Pit.

Double sashes we have found give great protection and save attention in covering the pit. The bars of these sashes are "rabbited" on both sides and double glazed, thus enclosing a stratum of air affording a good non-conductor of heat from within, or cold from without the pit. The plants when first put in the pit will require to be watered and the sashes opened during the day, until cold weather. But little water is required during winter, as the plants are in a state of rest, and partial dryness at the roots is of advantage. In very severe weather straw mats would be required, but the double glass would keep out 10 to 15 degrees of frost. Some ventilation must be given on mild days when the sun is bright to carry off the dampness, but in dull cold weather all should be kept closed up. Camellias and Azaleas do admirably in such quarters, and can be brought into the dwelling and flowered at any time during the winter. Many plants grow with surprising luxuriance after remaining dormant in such quarters all winter. As the season advances in the spring ventilation must be given during the day, closing the sashes at night until the weather becomes mild when they may be gradually removed altogether.

PROPAGATING HOUSES.

Cheap and effective propagating and plant houses, for Nurserymen, have become of late years a necessity from the great increase of the trade in flowering plants for the decoration of our gardens and green-houses, and the very extensive demand for the new and superior varieties of the native grape. Peter Henderson, Esq., of Jersey City, long known as an extensive and successful propagator, in an article written for the Horticulturist, thus speaks of his house and management:

"After many years of extensive practice, I have arrived at the conclusion that cuttings of almost every plant cultivated by the florist or nurseryman will readily and uniformly root, if the proper conditions of temperature and moisture are given them. It matters little or nothing how the cutting is made, or what may be the color or texture of the sand or soil in which it is planted; these have little or nothing to do with the formation of roots. But an absolute condition of invariable success is uniformity of temperature and moisture. To attain this uniformity, the structure of the house is of vital importance; and it is owing to the erroneous construction of buildings for this purpose that so many have to deplore their want of success. I will briefly describe the construction of the propagating pit we have in use, and the manner of operations, which will best explain my views on the matter. The pit, which faces north, is 65 feet in length by 8 in width, and 3 feet high at back by 1 in front, the pathway being dug out to give head-room in walking. The front bench is 3 feet wide, walk 2 feet, and back bench 3 feet. All along the front bench run two wooden gutters 9 inches wide by 3 inches deep, the water in which is heated by a small conical boiler connected by two pieces of leaden pipe to the gutters. Three inches above the water in the gutters is placed the slate or flagging, (resting on cross slats of wood,) on which is two inches of sand. By regular firing we keep a temperature in the sand from 55 to 75°; and as the pit has no other means of heating, except that given out by the sand in the bench, the atmosphere of the house at night is only from 40° to 50°, or 25 degrees less than the "bottom heat." In the daytime, (in order as much as possible to keep up this disparity between the "top" and "bottom" heat,) a little air is given, and shading the glass resorted to, to enable us to keep the temperature of the house down. And here let me remark, that when propagation is attempted in green-houses used for growing plants, (such houses facing south or southeast,) the place usually used for the cuttings is the front table; and it being injurious to the plants to shade the whole house, that part over the cuttings alone is shaded; the consequence is, that the sun, acting on the glass, runs the temperature of the house up, perhaps, to 80°, or above that of the bottom heat, the cuttings wilt, and the process of rooting is delayed, if not entirely defeated. All gardeners know the difficulty of rooting cuttings as warm weather comes on. When the thermometer marks 80° in the shade fires are laid aside; and if the rooting of cuttings is attempted, the sand or soil in which they are planted will be 10 or 15 degrees lower than the atmosphere, or the opposite of the condition required for success.

The advantage possessed by the gutter or tank, as a means of bottom heat, over smoke flues or pipes, is in its giving a uniform moisture, cuttings scarcely ever requiring water after being first put in, and then only to settle the sand about them. Still, when this convenience is not to be had, very good success may be attained by closing in the flue or pipes, regularity in watering, and a rigid adherence to these degrees of temperature.

The propagating pit above described is used for the propagation of all kinds of plants grown by florists, such as Camellias, Dahlias, Roses, Verbenas, Fuchsias, Grape Vines, etc. The time required in rooting cuttings of soft or young wood is from seven to ten days. Last season, during the month of February, we took three crops of cuttings from it, numbering in the aggregate forty thousand plants, without a loss of more than one per cent. In fact, by this system we are now so confident of success, that only the number of cuttings are put in corresponding with the number of plants wanted, every cutting put in becoming a plant.