STOVE. In horticulture, a structure in which plants are cultivated that require a considerably higher temperature than the open air in Britain and similar cli mates. There are two or three kinds of stoves, but the principal are the dry stove and the damp stove. The dry stove is a structure, the atmosphere of which is heated to the temperature of from 55° to 60° during winter, in which are chiefly cultivated succulents ; such as the differ ent species of Ceretus, Germs, &aphelia, Eupliorbia, Mesembryalithemvm, and other succulents having similar habits. During winter these plants require very little water. and during summer they require intense heat, and abundance of air and water during fine weather. The damp stove, sometimes also called the bark stove, requires a temperature of be tween 60° and 70° during winter, with a proportionate increase during summer, accompanied, in both seasons, with a degree of atmospherical moisture. This moisture is produced partly by evapora tion from the bark bed in which the plants are plunged, but chiefly by water ing the floor of the house, and by ing the plants. During summer the plants in the bark-stove require all the light which an unclouded atmosphere is capable of producing, together with abundance of air, as in the dry stove. Both stoves are heated by smoke flues, or by hot water or steam, circulated in metallic or other tubes. The plants cul tivated in the moist stove are exclusively those of the tropics ; and those which require the highest degree of heat are chiefly Monocotyledonous plants, such as the Seitamine,ce, which include the ginger, plantain, banana, sugar cane, palms, Orehietacece ; and such Dicotyledonous plants as the bread fruit, the yam, man gosteen, and other East Indian plants. STRAW-HAT MANUFACTURE. In Italy the straw used for hats is made of rye, which is sown on poor land, very thick, and it therefore does not grow to above one half of its nsusl size. The rve straw used for braiding is cut near the ground when the grain is in the milk. It is tied up in small bundles, the heads cut off, and then it is dipped in boiling water, and put out to dry in the sun, taking care to take it in at night, and allowing no dew to get on it. When properly dried, it is cut into proper lengths, drawn between the fingers with a blunt knife edge along the inside, and is used either for fine or coarse bonnets, as is desired. The tool used for splitting straw is a piece of wood five inches long, with a series of sharp spurs near one end, with a wooden or metal spring over the spurs—or, rather, one side of them— which is pressed down upon the straw to keep it spread flat, while it is drawn over the spurs and split.
Straw is bleached by wetting it, and putting it into 'a tight box or barrel, with some sulphur placed on hot coals in an iron pot, placed on the bottom of it, so as to allow the straw to receive the free action of the sulphurous vapor. Two
ounces of bar sulphur will bleach a pound of straw. The straw must be kept from the sides of the box, by laying it on strips of wood running across the box or cask. It should not be taken out of the sulphur - box in less time than four hours. Old straw, Leghorn; or palm-leaf hats or nets, may be 'whitened in this way, if they are thoroughly washed with a brush or sponge in soap-suds, before smoking. i Straw must always be wet when it s braided, to prevent its breaking. The braidina. and platting of straw is accom plished', in this country, by a straw plat ting machine, which is capable of braid ing six plats. When the straw hats are dry; after being cleaned, they are sized with size made of clean parchment par ings boiled in water, and then hang out to dry ; and are afterwards pressed with clean damp cloths and hot irons, on blocks which fit them to the desired shape.
The mode of preparing the Tuscany or Italian straw is different from that made of rye, and is commenced by pulling the bearded wheat while the ear is in a soft milky state. The straw is spread out thinly upon the ground in fine hot weather, for three or four days, to dry the sap ; it is then tied up in bundles and stacked, for the purpose of enabling the heat of the mow to 'drive off any remain ing moisture. It is important to keep the ends of the straw air-tight, in order to retain thepith, and prevent its gummy particles f?om passing off by evapora tion.
After the straw has been exposed about a month, it is removed to a meadow and spread out, that the dew may act npon it, together with the sun and air, and promote the bleaching. The first pro cess of bleaching being complete, the lower joint and root is pulled from the straw, leaving the upper part fit for use, which is then sorted according to qualities ; and after being submitted to . the action of steam, for the purpose of extracting its color, and then to a fumi gation of sulphur, to complete the bleach ing, the straws are in a condition to be platted or woven into hats and bonnets, and are in that state imported in bundles, the dried ears of the wheat being still on the straw.
Straw may be bleached by a solution of chloride of lime. The straw, after being aired and softened by spreading it upon the grass for a night, is ready to be split, preparatory to dyeing. Blue is given by a boiling-hot solution of indigo in sul phuric acid, called Saxon blue, diluted to the desired shade ; yellow, by decoc-, tion of tnrmeric ; red, boiling hanks of coarse scarlet wool in a bath of weak' alum water, containing the straw ; or directly, by cochineal, salt of tin, and tartar. Brazil wood and archil are employed for dyeing straw.