114 



BUILDINGS FOR HORTICULTURAL PURPOSES. 



the boilei', in which case the circulation takes 

 place in the boiler; a partition, such as is 

 shown (Fig. 27,) facilitates the circulation 

 greatly, though it would act without any par- 

 tition, but the circulation would not be so 



Fig. 27. 



direct and complete. The adoption of a tank 

 for bottom heat does not render the usual ones 

 a bit less necessary for the regulation of the 

 atmosphere of the house. In the manage- 

 ment of these pipes, there is a choice of allow- 

 ing the pipes to go through the tank and 

 heating the tank water by those means, or the 

 water may be fairly discharged into the tank 

 from the pipes, and after circulating in the 

 tank, going out again through the returning 

 pipes : in this case, the tank would be thus — 



Fig. 28. 



(Fig. 28.) Although only one pipe is repre- 

 sented, it can be doubled and trebled ^yithout 

 affecting the main plan, and the saving of 

 tan in the pit will be a considerable object, 

 especially in localities that require it to be 

 drawn any distance, for the cartage is fre- 

 quently a good deal more costly than the 

 material itself. We should always set our 

 faces against any of the complicated systems 

 for headng houses. The more all operations 

 can be simplified the better, and changes are 



Fig. 29. 



always bad, if the plan in operation answers 

 the purpose at all well. The construction of 

 ordinary plant preservers, admits of great 

 variety, because there may be every degree 

 of heat and coolness ; from the brick-built pit 



that is without any means of heating, to the 

 necessary heat for stove plants, and there is 

 scarcely any description of erection upon 

 which there is so much money wasted ; and 

 this expenditure is often the result of collusion 

 between interested persons. Builders too often 

 induce those who can influence masters to 

 have very useless things built, and it has been 

 greatly encouraged by the garden newspapers, 

 recommending one ridiculous contrivance after 

 another, much to the disadvantage of the 

 gardeners who have the management of the 

 concerns, and who no sooner get used to the 

 things they have, than they are called upon 

 to adopt something else no better — perhaps no 

 worse, but nevertheless not a little expensive. 

 A range of pits three feet high at the back, 

 and fifteen or eighteen inches high in front, 

 six feet from back to front — the glass and 

 wood work of such a pit would be little ex- 

 pense, for the glass ought to be small, and the 

 whole might be comprised in a shilling a foot, 

 or three pounds every ten feet of length ; 

 ranges of pits of this description (Fig. 29,) 

 will preserve heaths and hard wooded plants, 

 with good covering, against frost, without any 

 artificial heat, and they are the most useful 

 of all the subsidiary buildings in a garden. 

 If it be desirable, or necessary to preserve 

 the surplus of stove plants, a single row of 

 iron pipe, back and front, heated from any 

 boiler, will answer the piirpose; and if to 

 preserve orchideous plants, the only addi- 

 tional precaution required, will be to provide 

 the moist atmosphere ; but a pit of this kind, 

 without much moisture, will be excellent as a 

 resting place for those not intended to grow 

 for a while. Camellias do well in such pits, 

 without any fire heat, and only require to be 

 closed and covered during the hardest frosts. 

 Several ranges of such pits adapted to the 

 plants they are to hold, may be erected in an 

 appropriate place in front of each other; as, 

 however, some require only cucumbers, and 

 cannot obtain stable dung, one of the pits 

 should be heated upon the tank system, like 

 that already proposed for heating the centre 

 pit of a stove : the construction in this case 

 must be the same, and it will be well to carry 

 out the plan of the hollow or Mse bottom for 

 the circulation of air, for that will always be 

 found an acquisition where it can be done 

 conveniently. It is only necessary to obtain 

 additional height for the room taken up by 



