232 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[August, 



Greenhouse and House Gardening, 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



STEAM HEATING. 



BY JOSEPH E. MACOMBER, PORTSMOUTH, E. I. 



" Wm. H. B." asks some questions upon this 

 subject in a recent Monthly. I have just built 

 a greenliouse 108 x 26 feet and put in steam. 

 My experience in the use of steam previously 

 was that I had heated my house ten years with- 

 out a cent of repairs on the boiler; sectional 

 cast iron; perfect satisfaction. Previous to put- 

 ting in steam in my greenhouse, I visited a num- 

 ber so heated and I think I have got the best 

 plan I have seen. The essential difference is 

 that the four pipes one above the other have a 

 better chance to expand without injuring the one 

 next or below. 



Ordinarily the four pipes are put in 100 feet 

 long and at each end of the house in a 

 " header," thus : 



Now in practice, some of these pipes will be 

 very hot and others cold, when no pressure is 

 Carried. The consequence is that some will 

 scew out of the hooks, or gradually pull out of 

 the " header." 



In my house I do not put the header in the 

 corner of the house but turn with an elbow and 

 the header is six feet from the corner on the 

 end. This gives each pipe an opportunity to 

 expand independent of the other. 



My house is so piped that I can heat half very 

 warm and the other end little or none. "W.H.B." 

 is under a mistake to think water must boil to 

 make steam. I keep up a nice, gentle heat in 

 cold weather, with no pressure, and water not 

 boiling. 



At night I so set my damper that no further 

 attention is needed until morning. In relation 

 to heating a dwelling house by the greenhouse 

 fire, I would not do it. A dwelling house many 



times wants heat when none is wanted in the 

 greenhouse. A dismantled threshing machine 

 boiler would not be as safe and would require 

 great attention. 



This cut shows a manner of turning the cor- 

 ners. I have seen no house piped like mine. In 

 very cold weather I set the damper at night, so 

 as to have a small pressure of steam all night, 

 say five pounds, but seldom need any pressure. 



DENDROBIUM BICIBBUM. 



This is one of the handsomest of all the Den- 

 drobes and of easy culture. It does well potted 

 in peat and sphagnum moss, with a liberal quan- 

 tity of broken crocks and charcoal. It will do 

 either in pot, basket or on a block of wood. It 

 is very free to bloom and can be had in bloom 

 by midwinter with ease and without much trou- 

 ble or extra heat. It thrives well in an interme- 

 diate house, say from SO*" to 60° Farh. The 

 flowers are rosy purple (sometimes tinged with 

 lilac) and borne on long-stalked racemes, which 

 make them more valuable for cutting. Orchids 

 are getting in favor for loose flowers. This lasts 

 for six or eight weeks in perfection. Native of 

 North Australia on Mt. Adolphus. 



MAKOYA BELLA. 



BY ALEXANDER MESTON. 



Having purchased a young plant of this last 

 spring, I cut it down and after it started I shook 

 it out and re-potted, giving a liberal shift, using 

 a compost of rich, decomposed, turfy loam, leaf 

 mould and a sprinkling of coarse sand. It 

 started into vigorous growth, requiring a liberal 

 supply of water at the roots. Towards October 

 it showed signs of flowering. I then gradually 



