Fig. 353. is a plan, and. fig. 354. a cross section, of a plant cabinet, in which the stage is placed along the sides and against one end. The stove for heating it is placed at a, from which hot water pipes proceed to the right and left under the side stages; the two shelves, b b and c c being for the purpose of concealing these pipes. The stove is concealed by the portion of the stage d, which is on casters, and draws out with the pots on it, to admit the operator to the stove. The hot-water pipes are seen in the section (fig. 354.) at e e. The smoke from the stove may be conducted away in a tube under one of the stages, and carried up the side of the house, as indicated at f. The water of the roof may be collected and conducted to a cistern under the stage by the pipe g, placed in the opposite angle to the smoke tube. Props for climbers may be placed as indicated at h h, etc.; and, during the severest weather in winter, matting may he made fast to the iron tie-rods (i i in fig. 354.) of the span roof. The exterior guttering is shown at k. It will he observed that artificial heat is by no means essential to a plant cabinet, and that in fact the examples which have been previously given are all intended to do without it.

Camellias and vines do not require artificial heat, unless it is intended to force the one into flower, and the other into bearing earlier than their natural time; and indeed, most of the half-hardy shrubs grown in conservatories and planted in the ground, only require protection from frost, and are better without fire-heat. The plants in pots, it is true, generally require artificial heat, but they can rarely be kept alive through the winter in a plant cabinet without more labour and expense than new ones can be bought for in spring; and the house-kept plants generally have a shabby etiolated appearance. Indeed, even nurserymen very rarely attempt to keep their old plants through the winter, and they preserve their stock by cuttings, which they keep in cold pits, as before described. For the benefit, however, of those who may wish to try to keep their plants through the winter, we will give a few details on the usual modes by which plant cabinets may be heated.