219 



DESCEIPTION OF A PROPAdATINa CASE. 



The accompanying outlines are intended 

 to illustrate my experience in conuectioa 

 ■witli the use of what is called the Wal- 

 tonian case. I would state, at the outset, 

 that I am quite unacquainted with the 

 actual Waltonian case ; indeed, I never 

 saw one ; but all my knowledge has been 

 gained from your description in your excel- 

 lent publication, and my own experiments. 

 Necessity and experience induced me to 

 make many alterations, which I am disposed 

 to think are improvements, and it is because 

 of this, that I have deferred till now 

 making any communication on the subject. 

 Being in a country town, and having a 

 small garden, I Avas led to take great in- 

 terest in the cultivation of flowers ; but I 

 soon found that I could not do much with- 

 out a forcing apparatus. I had a smsiU 

 greenhouse, but being badly contrived, and 

 having no means of heating it, I found it 

 impossible to succeed with that alone. In 

 this difficulty, I met with that number of 

 the Flokal World in which you give a 

 description of the Waltoniau case, and the 

 mode of its operation. I saw at once that 

 this was just the thing I wanted, and as the 

 contrivance had already occurred to me, I 

 was induced at once to try and carry out 

 the plan. The difficulty I was now in was 

 my great distance from London, and the 

 not being able to expend quite so much as 

 I found a case would cost, and, 

 beside this, some alterations sug- 

 gested themselves to my mind, 

 which I was anxious to make. 

 I resolved, therefore, to set to 

 work in my own way. The 

 woodwork of the frame seemed 

 to me too heavy. The back, 

 being of wood and not of glass, 

 was cumbersome, and when in 

 use, and placed near the win- 

 dow, obstructed the light. The 

 tray being placed within the 

 frame, whatever steam evapo- 

 rated and condensed on the glass, 

 must run down between the tray and the 

 glass frame and be lost; added to this, the 

 frame could never be made air-tight. There 

 being but two lids, there would of necessity 

 be some difficulty in regulating the amount 

 of air to be admitted. These and some 

 other alterations having been presented to 

 my mind, I thought I would take your de- 

 scription and try, by some means, to con- 

 stnict a Waltonian case for myself With 

 this view 1 drew an outline, and went to 



an ordinary tinman, a working man, and 

 got him to make the tray and frame of 

 zinc. I next got the glass cut to the size 

 by a glazier, and I then set to work myself 

 and fixed the glass in the frame, which was 

 rather a nice operation ; then painted the 

 whole inside and out, three or four times ; 

 and liaving constructed the wooden stand 

 myself, and fixed the lamp in its proper 

 place, 1 set the whole to work, and I assure 

 you it was with intense pleasure that in a 

 feiv days I saw some geranium and other 

 seeds popping their heads above the soil. 

 This is the simple history of my Waltonian 

 case, which astonished the country folks, 

 and has also surprised many living in the 

 neighbourhood of London. I have had 

 some difficulty with the lamp, which I 

 have altered several times, but I am now 

 bold to say, that I think I have brought it 

 nearly to perfection. Indeed, I can do 

 almost anything with it. The entire cost 

 of my case lias been but 25s. 



I will not trouble you further, but pro- 

 ceed at once to give you a description 

 of the particular stinicture of the whole 

 machine. 



The Fkame, Fig. 1, thirty-four inches 

 long, seventeen inches wide, seventeen 

 inches high at back, and ten inches at 

 front. The whole is zinc and glass. The 

 zinc frame-work is the same as the com- 



:\ 



mon hand-lights, being of zinc plate, bent 



as in Fig. a ; mitred at the 



angles and soldered. The 1 1 



lower edge of the ~ 

 rj frame which lies upon — 

 JL_ the tray is bent out as \ 



'"^ Fig. B, and a strong 

 Fig. a. piece of iron wire ^^°' ^' 



covered with zinc is at 

 the mouth, and serves to strengthen it and 

 keep the wliole in shape, until the glass is 



