A lady wants to know whether there is any use in watering plants in windows with warm water. She thinks there is, but a neighboring florist tells her that is "all nonsense." He "waters fresh from the cold pump," and his plants are "good enough for anybody." So far as we know the florist is right, as far as good healthy plants are concerned; but if the idea be to hasten plants into a blooming condition, warm water will surely have an advantage over cold. Window plants are chiefly desired for winter flowering. And in houses devoted to forcing roses or other things, it would be a great advantage to use warm water if it could be conveniently had. The same lady says she finds great advantage in not filling the pots to within an inch of the surface, and then filling the space tightly with moss, so that it is rounded up under the plant over the surface of the pot. She says she knows when the plant wants water, by the color of the moss. This may do for an experienced plant grower; but the fear would be that some without experience would find the earth get dry before the change in the tint of the moss was observed, or that sometimes too much water would be given. The chance of seeing the soil itself is a great aid to the plant waterer.

Still, it will be that after the moss has been long enough on the pot to permit of the roots of the plant getting up from the earth and into it, that is, to have the roots permeate the moss, the plants would do very well. Roots do not want water so much as they need moist air, and they get the best opportunity for this when pushing through damp moss. The question of watering underlies most of the success in pot plant growth or any other kind of growth, and it cannot be too closely studied by those who love to grow flowers. Plants that rarely get dry are seldom healthy. Saucers of water under pot plants are excellent. This plan admits of letting the upper part of the pot become dryer than otherwise, and thus the soil is well aerated, while roots in the water will get all the moisture the plant needs. Indeed, if a plant has so many roots in a pot, that numbers will go through into the saucer, the plant would in many cases be all the better for receiving water in no other way.

The present season is one of the best for studying the working of systems for heating greenhouses. In a large number of cases that come under our observation from time to time, the cart is evidently before the horse. Inventors of new boilers or new methods of heating fix on one principle that cannot be controverted, and the apparatus so constructed gets no end of advocates. A few years ago, heating by means of many coils of pipe was very popular. The principle was that by dividing up the water into these numerous small sections, it could be more rapidly warmed. This was true, but friction, as an element against rapid circulation, was forgotten, and it was then discovered that a rapid circulation was of much more consequence than rapid warming.

Besides studying the best heating apparatus, the temperature of the greenhouse at this season should be maintained at about 500, allowing it to rise 10° or 150 under the full sun, and sinking 10° or so in the night. Though many of our practical brethren differ from us, men, for some of whose opinions we entertain the highest respect, we do not recommend a very great difference between night and day temperature; we think 10° ample allowance. It is following nature, no doubt; but we would rather strive to beat nature. She cannot make the specimens we do, nor flower them so beautifully or profusely, and in many other respects we think the practical gardener can much improve on her red-tape notions and old-fashioned courses.