362 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



January 14. 1904. 



riser and five IVi-inoli pipes under each 

 of the side benches. This house is some- 

 what more exposed than any of the oth- 

 ers and will require more pipes in con- 

 sequence. The piping specified should 

 maintain a temperature of 70 degrees 

 with five pounds pressure on the boiler 

 during severe weather, pro\rided the 

 sides of the houses are not more than 

 four feet high and are well constxucteil. 



L. C. C. 



THE READERS' CORNER. 



Coal Consumption. 



Ed. Review: — We notice in your paper 

 the item on the amount Bassett & Wash- 

 burn paid for coal last month. It is a 

 source of satisfaction to hear how much 

 coal others require to run their places. 

 We have often wondered if we were not 

 using more coal in proportion than our 

 brother florists. We would like to ask 

 through your valuable columns to hear 

 from others as to their coal bill for 

 December, giving the amount of glass 

 and how heated. 



We have 42,000 square feet of glass, 

 all lapped, well bedded in putty, size of 

 almost all our glass 16x18. Our outside 

 walls are in good condition and build- 

 ings generally in good shape. We have 

 two tubular boilers, one sixteen feet by 

 sixty inches, with forty-four 4-inch flues; 

 the other fourteen feet by forty inches 

 with 314-inch flues. We use the More- 

 head steam trap to return condensation. 

 Our boilers are on top of the ground. 

 We would like other opinions as to which 

 is best, to use the steam trap or to have 

 a tank for the condensation .and use a 

 pump. We bum slack coal at $1.75 per 

 ton. Our bill for December was a little 

 over $400 and for November $267. We 

 would be glad to hear from other's to see 

 if we are burning up more money than 

 our brothers in the trade. Also will 

 someone tell us if our system can be 

 improved? Gesler & Drury. 



Sports of Mrs. Lawson. 



Ed. Eeview: — Seeing in a recent Ke- 

 viEW where D. C. Noble, of Columbia 

 City, Ind., asks for the address of a gen- 

 tleman who has a light pink Lawson, 

 stating that he (Mr. Noble^ also has one 

 of the same color, I suppose these are 

 both sports from the Lawson. Some 

 time ago I saw in the paper where some- 

 body else has a white sport of the Law- 

 son. Now, if this is correct, the Lawson 

 must be a regular sporter, so to speak, as 

 I also have a sport from it, only different 

 in color. The sport I have is white, 

 flushed with delicate pink, shading away 

 to a slight scarlet. It is a much larger 

 flower than the Lawson alongside of it 

 and seems to be a good bloomer, as I 

 already have the second flower on it. 

 One is just closing up and me other just 

 opening. Both are on the Lawson, on 

 two difEerent branches. Three other 

 branches have the Lawson, also in full 

 bloom. GtJS. Obermeter. 



Heating Problems. 



Ed. Eeview : — The able paper of Wil- 

 liam Scott on heating is one that should 

 be read by all in the trade. Heat is the 

 life of our business and heating is a 

 subject to be often thought about and 

 discussed. I have seen many s,ystems 

 used, mostly fixed and arranged by in- 

 experienced men, but I must say with 



Mr. Scott that the best house that I have 

 ever worked in and that gave the best 

 satisfaction with the heating was one 

 installed by Hitchings over twenty-five 

 years ago. 



I think we will yet go back to the old 

 four-inch pipe with just one return to 

 each flow. By many experts we are told 

 to have three or four returns to each 

 flow. I have one house so arranged, but 

 I find that the lowest pipe is alwav-- 

 colder than the others, which shows that 

 the circulation is not right. 



If a perfectly level flow is ideal, why 

 not run it so? There will be practically 

 little or no water left in the pipes when 

 wishing to empty the system. If the 

 water presses back on the warm water 

 in the up-hill system it also presses back 

 on a rise of two inches, although to a 

 less extent. Why would it not be better 

 to have the flow perfectly level, or with 

 just two inches fall and return vpith two 

 inches fall? The pet cock could be 

 placed on the highest place above the 

 boiler. 



Before reading Mr. Scott's paper I 

 was thinking how I could install a good 

 heating system and if it would be a 



NOTE 



The Editor is pleased 

 when a Reader 

 presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated 

 in the REVIEW. As 

 experience is the best 

 teacher, so do we 

 learn fastest by an 

 exchan^re of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are brong'ht out 

 by discussion. 



Good penmanship. Bpelliugr and gram- 

 mar, though desirable, are not neces- 

 sary. Write as you would talk when 

 doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU. 



good plan to have only one return to 

 each flow. Now, as Mr. Scott says it 

 is the best way, I will carry it out. 



Now another question arises: Will 

 four two-inch flows and four two-inch 

 returns give as much heat as four two- 

 inch flows and eight two-inch returns, us- 

 ing the same boiler and firing the same, 

 as the water in the lesser number of 

 pipes will be hotter and can be main- 

 tained at a higher temperature? Will 

 one foot of radiating surface at 150 de- 

 grees give off as much or more heat 

 than two feet at 75 degrees? What 1 

 am anxious to find out is if it is better 

 to have fewer pipes at a higher tempera- 

 ture or more pipes at a lower tempera- 

 ture in very severe weather, say 20 de- 

 grees below. In a house twenty feet 

 wide would it not be better to have some 

 of the flows and returns in the center? 



I hope this will bring out a number of 

 opinions and experiences. P. McG. 



A Word for Adonis. 



Ed. Review: — We want to put in a 

 word for Adonis. .Considering the late- 

 ness of the delivery of that varietv last 



spring, and a few other mishaps it evi- 

 dently had with the disseminators the 

 previous season in the field, we think it 

 has done very well, indeed. At any rate, 

 this is the impression we have of it now, 

 judging of the behavior of the plants we 

 have been able to save. 



Since housing the first batch of about 

 300 plants in August, and about 500 Sep- 

 tember 20, we have scarcely lost a half 

 dozen plants and, while the growth has 

 not been rank, it has been uniform and 

 healthy, and seems "fast" enough to 

 become a very profitable variety from 

 early struck cuttings, not later than the' 

 last of February. It easily surpasses 

 any scarlet on the market now, and we 

 look for a very decided improvement 

 next season. H. Webee & Sons. 



PRESSURE ON TWIN BOILERS. 



Will some one tell me how to arrange 

 two boilers for low pressure steam so 

 that they will work together harmoni- 

 ously. We have two boilers twinned 

 vrithout checks in the main returns. 

 Whenever one boiler is fired a little haru- 

 er than the other the water is driven 

 out of one and into the other. How 

 can a uniform line be kept? They are 

 on the same level. F. W. 



F. W. can remedy his difiSculty to 

 some extent by placing swinging check 

 valves in the yoke at the rear of each 

 of his boilers, which connect with tlie 

 main return. If the returns are hign 

 enough so the yoke on the return can 

 be placed on top of the shell of the boil- 

 ers the difiiculty can be remedied by rais- 

 ing the yoke to this height and placing 

 swing checks in it, as before stated, or 

 by tapping the boilers on top and feed- 

 ing the return water through pipes which 

 discharge insii-e the boilers on top of the 

 flues below the water line instead of 

 being connected with the blow off on the 

 underside or at the rear of the boilers. 

 In any case it is advisable to use a check 

 for each boiler. L. C. C. 



BEST SWEET PEAS. 



The committee of the National Sweet 

 Pea Society of England decided that an 

 audit of the varieties of sweet peas 

 staged at its exhibition to be held 

 in London on Jul.y 15 and 16 

 should be taken, with a view to 

 discover what varieties were the most 

 popular. It is rather surprising that 

 in the first prize collections no less 

 than seventy-one varieties were shown 

 among a total of 216 bunches, whereas 

 there were only ninety varieties in the 

 total of 991 bunches staged in the whole 

 competition. This points to the conclu- 

 sion so many seedsmen have arrived at, 

 that the varieties catalogued might be 

 very materially reduced, and that among 

 those in commerce there are a great 

 many that have long since been super- 

 seded. 



The following is the selection made as 

 the best of each color: Salopian, crim- 

 son ; Prince of Wales, rose and carmen ; 

 Lovely, pink; Jliss Willmott, orange 

 shades: Duchess of Sutherland, blush; 

 Lottie Eckford or Maid of Honor, pico- 

 tee edged; America, red stripes; Prin- 

 cess of Wales, purple and blue stripes; 

 Hon. Mrs. E. Kenyon, yellow and buff; 

 .Teannie Gordon or Triumph, bicolors; 

 Navy Blue, blue; Dorothy Tennant, 

 mauve: Duke of Westminster, violet and 

 purple: Black Knight, maroon and 



