rdy ferns, and
tiresome plants that would put off flowering till too late, why, a cold
conservatory or greenhouse is the very place for them!

=Green-houses are altogether easier to manage than conservatories=, and
therefore are the best for amateurs. There cuttings may be struck, plants
repotted, fuchsias, geraniums, etc., stored, and tender annuals reared. A
=lean-to greenhouse= should face south preferably, and the door should be
placed at the warm end, that is, the west, so that when opened no biting
wind rushes in. When the summer comes, a temporary shading will be
necessary; twopennyworth of whitening and a little water mixed into a
paste will do this. About the middle of September it should be washed off,
if the rain has not already done so; for if it remains on too long the
plants will grow pale and lanky.

=ARTIFICIAL HEAT.= The Rippingille stove before referred to must be placed
at the coldest end, and only sufficient warmth should emanate from it just
to keep out the frost, unless it is intended to use it all day. It is well
to remember that =the colder the atmosphere outside, the cooler in
proportion must the interior be=. Even a hot-house is allowed by a good
gardener to go down to 60 deg. or even 55 deg. on a bitterly cold night, as a
great amount of fire-heat at such times is inimical to plant life, though
it will stand a tremendous amount of sun-power. Several mats or lengths of
woollen material, canvas, etc., stretched along outside will save expense,
and be a more natural way of preserving the plants.

=One great advantage that a greenhouse has= over a conservatory is this:
that any climbers can be planted out, whereas tubs have to be used where
the floor is tiled. =Cucumbers and tomatoes= do very well in a small
house, and an abundance of these is sure to please the housekeeper. Seeds
of the cucumber should be sown about the first week in March on a hot-bed;
if in small pots all the better, as their roots suffer less when
transferred to where they are to fruit. Do not let the shoots become
crowded, or insects and mildew will attack them. In the summer, "damp
down" pretty frequently and give plenty of air, avoiding anything like a
draught, however. "=Telegraph=," though not new, is a reliable cucumber of
good flavour and a first-rate cropper. =Tomato seed= should be sown about
the same time and the plants treated similarly, giving plenty of water but
no stimulant in the way of guano till they have set