410 



JOUEXAL OF HOETTCTJLTTTRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ NoTember 2i, lg63. 



can that be done except by mechanical means, kept in 

 motion by machinery? and how few, how very few of us, could 

 or would incur such an expense ? 



From the above remai-ks you wiU agree with me that 

 amateurs must look elsewhere for the great desiderata in 

 a garden boUer — namely, "simplicity and efficiency," or 

 should I say efficiency and simplicity ? for it is difficult to 

 decide which should be put first, both being of such import- 

 ance. I have reason to believe that the boQer the most 

 simple in construction wiU in the long run prove the most 

 efficient and decidedly the most economical ; such at least 

 has been the result of my own experience and the result of 

 my observations on the successes and failm-es of my neigh- 

 bours. Now I -n-iU only ventui-e to describe two kinds of 

 boilers which appear to me to be exactly what we aU require 



exceedino-ly simple in construction, efficient in action, and 



economicarin working. The first being the oldest shall be 

 described first : it consists simply of two flat oblong cast 

 iron boilers, 2 feet t> inches long, 2 feet wide, and only 

 3 inches outside depth, with a flange pipe on each end by 

 which they are connected with each other. 



Now the manner in which these are placed secured for 

 them the greatest possible heat, and the plainness of their 

 construction afforded the best chance of theii- being kept 

 free from soot. 



5 C 



. No. 1, fire-box. No. 2, the lower boiler connected with 

 No. 3 by a pipe wMch is not shown, the flange pipe at one 

 end of No. 2 being the feed, and the upper flange pipe of 

 No. 3 being the flow. 



The two boilers are set with their edges resting on fire- 

 brick walls, and the ends placed as shown in the engraving. 

 The heat from the fire passes by the flue 5, 5, 5, 5, under 

 and over both boilers imd round one end of each ; it also 

 passes tinder No. 4, which is a separate and independent 

 pan or tank having a sand-bed under it for propagating 

 purposes. 



No. 6 is the ash-pit, and No. 7 is a framed iron door, which 

 enables the man to rake out any soot which may accumulate ; 

 a damper at the top of the flue regulates the draught. Now 

 this has been working for years, and probably wUl outlast 

 many of the present generation of boilers. It certainly hag 

 not yet been beaten in efficiency, and has the merit of not 

 being particular about the quality of the fuel. 



The next is equally simple, but to my mind more efficient, 

 because it economises all the heat by surrounding it with a 

 jacket of water. It is constructed of two plain cylinders, 

 one inside the other with a space of about an inch wide for the 

 water between them. The feed-door is at the top; on the side 

 and at the bottom is a small door to withdraw the ashes. 

 The part above the feed-door may be made to form part of 

 the boiler, or it may be made available to heat a propagating 

 tank as before described. Now a boUer of this description 

 prefers coke, or coke and small coal mixed, but it has this 

 advantage that it does not require feeding so frequently, 

 and it is wonderful to see what a quantity of piping one of 



these little boilers will keep hot. In appearance it is not 

 unlike a cannon boiler set on end. I have seen one of these 

 boilers, 3 feet long and 1 foot diameter inside the cylinder, 

 heating 900 feet of piping. The especial advantage of this 

 boiler is, that as long as the flre is burning in any part of 

 the upright cylinder, it heats and causes the water to circu- 

 late, so that whether the fire is burning at the bottom or has 

 eaten its way towards the top of the fuel the boiler is in action, 

 and the intensity can be regulated by a damper which is 

 attached to its outlet-flue. These boOers also do not require 

 any brick -setting to fit them up, but I recommend them to 

 be enclosed in some rough covering to economise heat. 



I have no intention to recommend any particular boiler- 

 maker, in fact I shall decline to do so, because the proper 

 medium of such communications is through your advertising 

 colimins. — W. W. 



BLANCHING CELEEY. 



Seeing lately in your Journal some remarks on different 

 modes of blanching Celei-y, I am reminded of a plan I saw 

 in Oxfordshire in August last. It was simply placing a 

 common drain-pipe upright, and allowing the plant to grow 

 up through it. Sly friend, in whose garden I saw it, assured 

 me that he not only had his Celery blanched much better, 

 but also that it was ready for the table much earlier. That 

 the latter is the case I can aifirm from my own observation ; 

 for the plants I saw gi-owing in the pipes had already 

 grown above the tops of the pipes, while those treated in 

 the ordinary way were not half so high. — A Poor Man. 



A PLEA FOE THE AEBOEETUM. 



Of late years the importation of trees of foreign gi-owth 

 into this country has certainly been all in one channel — 

 ConifeKe. Assuredly the countries whence our many really 

 useful members of this family have been drawn possess 

 other species of forest trees new to this country ; and 

 much as I admire the class of plants now so popular, it is 

 certainly a pity that it should usurp the whole attention 

 of planters. 



I am old enough to remember when the term " Arboretum" 

 came prominently before us, and it was strongly urged on 

 gentlemen possessing the means, or where in public gardens 

 the situations were suitable, that planting all the newly- 

 introduced trees that foreign parts afforded should be com- 

 menced forthwith. Now, public attention seems to be con- 

 fined to the consideration of the Pinus tribe alone, and the 

 additions made in other respects to the arboretum during 

 the last twenty years or more have been very unimportant. 

 Assm-edly the case ought to have been different. 



Do the hilly regions of the western coasts of the American 

 Continent, both north and south, possess no other than 

 coniferous trees ? The vegetation of the accessible portions 

 of China, Japan, and Northern India is certainly not con- 

 fined to the evergreen species we have had from thence. 



I am far fi-om finding fault with the introductions that 

 have reached us, but what I wovild like to see is more 

 variety, and a wider depai'ture from the confined fashionable 

 path of the present day. Could not a move be made so as to 

 lead to a fresh influx of such fine ornamental trees as some 

 of our Evergreen Oaks, and our Magnolias, both evergreen 

 and deciduous ? Perhaps some other Acacia might be found 

 hai'dy. In fact, once draw public attention in that direction 

 and beautiful objects will be forthcoming. — H. L. T. 



STEPHANOTIS FLOEIBUNDA FEUITING. 



It would be interesting to know what culture is most 

 conducive to the fruiting of the above most fragrant stove 

 climber. The plant referred to by your correspondent, Mr. 

 Morris, of which he had charge when foreman here, failed 

 to fruit this season, although a much larger plaoat and in 

 more robust health. 



When living as gardener at Winch House, in Cheshire, 

 the roofs of two Orchid-houses were entirely covered with a 

 plant of this species, and, of course, it was subject to a great 



