1876] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



135 



COMMUNTCA TIONS. 



HEATING SMALL GREENHOUSES. 



BY H. LUMBARD, OAK PARK, CHICAGO, ILLS. 



I think there must be a great many readers of 

 your paper that heat their houses with furnace 

 heat that would be pleased to know how to heat 

 a small greenhouse by the same fire. 



I know that I should have been very much 

 pleased to be informed how the thing could 

 be accomplished last fiill. Now I know by prac- 

 tical experience, and if you think it will be of 

 use to any one you are at liberty to use it. 



My greenhouse, or perhaps it might be better 

 named pit, is a lean-to, adjoining the house, 

 about 12 feet square, facing south, about 3 feet 

 of it being under the piazza. The heating ar- 

 rangement is what I intend to refer to princi- 

 pally, as follows : 



cinths, Pansies, Cytjlamens, Camellias, Choroze- 

 mas, Abutilons, &c., all in perfect health, which 

 plants never have when heated by stove or fur- 

 nace heat. 



If you conclude to publish the above, you will 

 have to dress it up a little. If there is anything 

 that you cannot understand, and think it worth 

 a letter of inquiry, I will answer it. If I was to 

 wait till I had time to write in shape fit for pub- 

 lishing I am thinking my plan would never 

 reach you ; and if on reading the above scrawl, 

 you think that the best place for it is in the 

 basket under the table, I shall offer no objection. 



One thing I really forgot, which is essehtial to 

 the working of hot water — keep all the pipes 

 above the level of the bottom of the boiler. This 

 I learned by experience. I tried to have my re- 

 turn pipe lay on the floor of the basement, which 

 was about 18 inches below the bottom of the 

 boiler, but the water would not flow properly ; 

 did not work at all satisfactory until I changed 

 it to have all the water used a trifle higher 



/T-//V. P/PE S£TUP \tJITH 

 CLOSr BCNDS 



I procured a copper boiler, holding, perhaps, 2 

 gallons, made to fit a section of the fire-pot of 

 the furnace. From this I led the flow pipe 

 (1-inch gas pipe) to the ceiling of the basement, 

 thence to the greenhouse, about 20 feet from 

 the boilers, along the side to the front, where I 

 connected with a coil of IJ-inch gas pipe, which 

 passes four times across the front of the green- 

 house, then returns to the boiler with a 1-inch gas 

 pipe, to be heated and go over the same ground 

 again. It requires no care, about one-half pint of 

 water per week, and works perfectly ; and if flow- 

 ers could say anything they would say that it 

 suits them perfectly, too ; not having the gift of 

 speech they do the best they can by looking 

 their very prettiest. At the present writing I 

 have in bloom Auriculas, Azaleas, Eoses, Hya- 



than the bottom of the boiler. The expense 

 of the whole heating arrangement was about 

 twenty-five dollars. The boiler must be made to 

 fit the fire-pot of the furnace very close ; and I 

 think, probably, 2-inch pipe for the front pipe 

 would be better than 1}. This winter has been 

 a very mild one, but I have no fears but that with 

 a few mats for covering I shall be able to keep 

 frost out in a severe winter. If the pipe has to 

 be carried far before entering the greenhouse, it 

 will be necessary to cover it with a coating of 

 asbestos or sawdust, or some good non-conduct- 

 ing material, otherwise a considerable amount of 

 heat will be lost by radiation. With such a cov- 

 ering it can be carried quite a long distance 

 without much loss of heat. Probably two 4-inch 

 pipes across the front of greenhouse would be 



