Those who love to study progress in floriculture would find themselves well repaid by a call on Roehrer Brothers, florists, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They own twelve acres of ground in the suburbs of this flourishing city, which they secured a few years ago for $12,000. It fronts on the old turnpike, which, before the days of steam, was the grand highway for wagons between Philadelphia and the West. They are market growers, and the first block of houses were built chiefly for advancing vegetables, and were heated by flues. As the demand for flowers grew, another block followed, heated by hot water; and since the advent of the great taste for cut flowers, another block has been erected which has been heated by steam. They afford a good opportunity to test the various systems. The steam-heated buildings were working to entire satisfaction. These cover 5,000 feet of ground surface, and are heated by a boiler made by a Reading firm, and guaranteed by the makers to keep the houses warm under a low external temperature, with no care of the fires between 9 in the evening and 5 in the morning. It hardly does this, however; but then we could hardly expect to leave even a hot-water furnace, or one with the old-fashioned flues, with so little attention in very severe weather.

The steam-heated houses have however a great advantage in a system of glazing in use by the owners, and tor which they have applied for a patent. In this plan the glass is simply placed on the sash bar, the panes edge to edge, and the whole held in place by a thin metal slip, galvanized, which, like a cap, completely covers the outer portion of the sash bar, on which it is screwed down and thus firmly holds the glass in place, while it wholly excludes moisture and prevents the escape of the warm internal air. Should a pane of glass get accidentally broken, the metal cap is unscrewed, the whole column of glass pushed up from the bottom, and another placed at the end. A screw or some similar contrivance prevents the long column of glass from slipping. Under the old systems of putting the panes of glass edge to edge, and the whole then puttied, breakage was the great objection. It was almost impossible to fit another in. It is much easier to fit in a new pane under this new plan than under any old method. But a great advantage of this system is that it takes away one of the great sources of broken glass - the freezing of water between the laps.

Under the old system of lapping glass, especially if the panes were wide or the glass of poor quality, the breakage from this cause is usually heavy in most establishments, especially if there is much jar from wind or other causes while the temperature is low. Another great advantage is that there is much less escape of heat than under lapped glass. The edges are not quite so close that one might not now and then draw a hair through; but it is very rare that wider spaces and a much greater loss of heat do not follow from the usual lapping plan. But the greatest advantage of all is the superior light which this system gives. Dust and slime soon collects under the ordinary greenhouse lap, and where this is the case there might as well be no glass. A quarter of inch lap in every six inches of sash is equal to three inches of blank surface - say four per cent, of actual waste. Some may think this of little account, but those who have had experience in growing winter flowers in a new house where the light was unobstructed will know how important every ray is to success.

In some cases the roughness of edge in a closely fitted pane might lead to a little drip sometimes; but if this should occur a little white lead in sliding up the glasses would probably be effectual.

The question of glazing greenhouses will yet be an important one. The steam heating subject has overridden this so far, but is scarcely of more consequence to complete success. The Horticultural Hall at New Orleans has been glazed on the Rendle Patent plan, which also provides for the glass being placed edge to edge, instead of being overlapped. Any suggestions in this direction will be welcomed by our readers.

In these houses rose culture is a great success. The plants are renewed every three years. Lettuce and radishes are grown between the roses, but are drawn out before the roses get far into growth. About January carnations and some other things are taken completely out and their places occupied by young bedding plants which are sold off in market in spring.