224 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



DECliMBER 24, 1903. 



Bteam to be made, the water can be 

 heated a hundred degrees hotter than 

 steam. If tlie safety valve was set at 

 300 pounds it would, when the water was 

 that hot, blow off and reduce the pres- 

 sure. 1 have heard of a system of that 

 kind in a large rose growing establish- 

 ment in Pennsylvania which is entirely 

 satisfactory, but I have not seen it and 

 believe that for large ranges of glass. 

 •where hot water would be inconvenient, 

 steam would be more satisfactory, and 

 for large places steam is undoubtedly all 

 "we want. 



Kot many years ago a most estimable 

 and well meaning gentleman of Indiana 

 said in answer to an inquiry that "if 

 steam is used you must get the boiler 

 down low, some eight or nine feet below 

 the surface of the house. If hot water 

 is used then you could put the boiler on 

 the same level as the surface of the 

 house. ' ' How utterly wrong both propo- 

 sitions! The exact contrary in each case 

 is correct. The large steam heated estab- 

 lishments now put their boilers on a level 

 with the houses and you will never get the 

 best results from liot water circulation 

 till your heater is at least seven feet be- 

 low "the heating pipes in the house. 1 

 said at the outset of this paper that the 

 circulation of hot water is a natural law 

 and so it is. You can improve steam 

 systems or steam engines or cotton gins 

 or threshers or mowers, but you cannot 

 violate the law by which hot water cir- 

 culates. 



Now, as I have said what I believe is 

 wrong about these innovations in hot 

 water heating, it is about time I gave 

 my views on what I think is correct, and 

 I assure you, gentlemen, I have seen many 

 systems installed and operated, some al- 

 most perfection, some working fairly well 

 and some very badly. 



Use no pipes less than 2-inch. Some 

 years ago I reasoned that as a 4-inch 

 "pipe holds about sixteen times as much 

 water as a 1-inch that had one-fourth its 

 radiating surface, the advantage must 

 be with the 1-inch. Nothing of the sort. 

 What with friction and its too rapid 

 cooling, nothing less than a 2-inch should 

 ever be used in what we call the open 

 system, and that is what 999 out of 1,000 

 of all our hot water systems are. The 

 outlet and return pipe from and into the 

 boiler should be at least fifty per cent 

 of the capacity of the pipes in your heat- 

 ing system. To make this plainer, if you 

 had i"n the houses eight 2-inch flows, then 

 the flow from your boiler should not i 

 less than a 5-inch. Rise perpendicularly 

 if you can to the level of the flow pipes 

 in "the house ; from there rise to the end 

 of the house. Now here comes the most 

 important point. Experts on heating say 

 six inches in 100 feet. Why? It is 

 wrong and I don't fear contradiction. 

 If it was not that you wanted air to pass 

 to the further end and as occasion may 

 arise you want to draw off the water, 

 then a perfect level in the house would be 

 ideal, but two inches in 100 feet is all 

 that you should give as a rise. There are 

 automatic air valves made, but auto- 

 matic contrivances are fine when they 

 work and all wrong when they don't. 

 So I prefer to tap into the highest point 

 of the pipe or manifold a i^-inch lead or 

 zinc pipe and run it up a rafter six or 

 seven feet higher than the heating pipe. 

 If there is any air in the pipes it will be 

 at the highest point and always escape 

 ont of these small pipes. 



If the flow and return pipes are of 

 equal capacity it is well, but if that is not 



convenient, as in the case where you want 

 to use five, or seven, or nine pipes on a 

 side, then let the return pipes be in pre- 

 ponderance. Fall back to the boiler with 

 no more decline than you gave incline 

 to the flows. Keserve all the drop you 

 can till you get to the boiler. 



In the boiler shed erect a barrel or 

 small tank of twenty gallons capacity 

 and let it be a foot or so below the level 

 of the top of the air pipes at the farther 

 end of the house. Call that the feeding 

 cistern and several ways will suggest to 

 you how to keep it replenished and how 

 to tell when it is full. An inch pipe 

 leading from it and tapped into the bof- 

 toni of the boiler or on the returns near 

 the boiler will always keep your system 

 full. If you prefer to connect your boiler 

 with your water system and not bother 

 with the "feeding cistern" then instead 

 of those small air pipes at the farthest 

 and highest point, you will have to put 

 in pet cocks, which should be opened once 



NOTE 



The Editor is pleased 

 when a Beader 

 presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated 

 In the REVIEW. As 

 experience is the hest 

 teacher, so do we 

 learn fastest by an 

 ezchang'e of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are broug'ht ont 

 by discussion. 



Good penmanship, apelltng and gram- 

 mar, though desir.lble. are not neces- 

 sary. Write as you would talk when 

 doing your beat. 



we SHALL BE QLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU. 



in twenty-four hours to let out the air. 

 The latter system I have and it works to 

 perfection, but there is always danger of 

 the fireman forgetting the air cocks. 



I am aware that there are many twists 

 and turns that have to be overcome in 

 putting in a system and to go into that 

 would fill a small book, and I have orJv 

 tried to give my views of the broad and 

 fundamental principles of hot water heat- 

 ing. Keep your boiler down low. Ee- 

 serve your drop in the return pipe till 

 you get to the boiler. Don't expect a 

 2-inch to feed two 2-inch; it takes " 

 3 -inch to do that. Keep your pipes al- 

 most level in the house and don 't use any 

 pipes less than a 2-inch and you can't 

 make much of a mistake. Always put in a 

 boiler that is twenty-five per cent more 

 powerful than your need and enough radi- 

 ating surface for the most extreme 

 weather and then on the ordinary winter 

 weather you are saving much fuel. 



Pakkersburg, W. Va. — J. W. Dudley 

 & Son report a big sale for holly this 



season. 



EiCHMOND, Va. — M. A. Whitty has a 

 pink sport of Enchantress, the shade 

 seen in the center of that variety, some- 

 thing akin to Nelson. It is much lighter 

 and more pleasing than Lawson. 



THE LATE E. G. ASMUS. 



Ernst O. AsmuSj the well-known rose 

 grower, died at his home at West Hobo- 

 ken, N. J., on Thursday, December 17. 

 The funeral services were held at Trinity 

 Church, Hobokcn, Sunday afternoon, in- 

 toiinent being at New Durham. 



Thus is the final chapter told in the 

 career of one of the strongest men in 

 American floriculture, for few there are 

 among the craft who, from such small 

 licginnings, by the sheer force of a clear 

 head, indefatigable industry and consum- 

 mate honesty, have accomplished so much 

 in a mere material way or become so 

 firmly seated in the regard of those with 

 whom they have had business or personal 

 iclations. Mr. Asmus may well be upheld 

 to the younger generation as an example 

 of that quiet, undemt»nsirative, earnest, 

 energetic, conservative element which is 

 the mainstay of the business world. 



Born at Hamburg. Germany, November 

 27, 1844, the family came to America 

 when the boy was 8 years old and locat- 

 ed near New York, in the vicinity which 

 for half a century has been the scene of 

 the uninterrupted development of this 

 strong character. The father was a car- 

 penter, but the whole family soon became 

 engaged in the flower business at West 

 Hoboken, where the initiative was taken 

 by Ernst, then in his twelfth year. The 

 first greenhouse was a lean-to ; then 

 they rented a place of three houses in 

 fair shape for those days, but hardly 

 recognizable a.s greenhouses if set beside 

 the new plant recently built at Closter. 

 For a time Eudolph Asmus, an uncle of 

 E. G., was -svith them, but soon the busi- 

 ness was in three separate hands. In 

 1880 Mr. Asmus bought out Peter 

 Scliu]ip, a veteran, at West Hoboken, and 

 here the real development of his busi- 

 ness l>egan. 



In early years Mr. Asmus grew pot 

 plants; later he was known as an ex- 

 tensive bulb forcer, but of late his en- 

 ergies have been cliiefly devoted to grow- 

 ing roses for the New York market. 

 Carnations and valley have also been 

 handled. He was a prime mover in the 

 affairs of the New York Cut Flower Com- 

 pany and it was in its market that his 

 stock has found its outlet. But perhaps 

 Mr. Asmus will be best remembered 

 through the length and breadth of the 

 land as the disseminator and sponsor for 

 the Liberty rose. Mme. Testout and 

 President Carnot found their way to the 

 American trade through his hands. Mr. 

 Asmus was a member of the S. A. F., the 

 American Eose Society and New York 

 Florists' Club. The business will be 

 continued by the sons, who for some 

 time have had an active part in it and 

 have already demonstrated' that they 

 have inherited many of their father's 

 sterling traits. 



Toledo, 0. — Keller Bros, are repairing 

 one of the greenhouses at Walbridge 

 park and there are two other houses 

 which must shortly be remodeled. 



Washington, Pa. — Warrick Bros., of 

 498 Locust avenue, have completed their 

 new greenhouses for the growing of let- 

 tuce in a commercial way. The houses 

 are five in number, each 15x120 feet, with 

 a potting shed and boiler house on the 

 east end, 12x70 feet. In addition to 

 growing lettuce they will also grow cu- 

 cumbers, parsley, cauliflower and egg 

 plants for market. 



