42 



JOURNAL OF HOKTXCOLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



t January 15, 1867. 



smooth, and the latticework is close enough to allow of a person 

 walking over it in safety, the woodwork occupying about one- 

 half of the area. On this floor, to which access is gained by a 

 door, green or wet Hops are often laid quite a foot thick, and 

 the moisture they contain is driven off in about ten or twelve 

 hours, seldom more than the latter, as such kilns are kept 

 going night and day, and two loadings in the twenty-four hours 

 are expected. Allowing a little for loss of time in putting on 

 and taking off the Hops, ten hours may be said to be required 

 in drying a mass quite a foot deep by means of the fire kept on 

 below, the heat passing np through the coarse hair-cloth and 

 through the mass of Hops lying upon it. 



One of the modes of .applying lire heat to dry the Hops is 

 by means of what is called the cockle system, being simply 

 a cast-iron box of about a cubic yard in capacity, which is 

 turned bottom upwards inside the heating chamber, and has 

 the fire underneath it. There is in one side of the box a very 

 small hole for the escape of the smoke, which afterwards tra- 

 verses a flue passing round the chamber, and finally enters a 

 chimney. There are dampers at proper places to check the 

 fire burning too briskly. The heated metal, the fire being in- 

 side, or rather underneath the box, gives off the heat that dries 

 the Hops, and cold air is admitted from the outside, and passes 

 over the top of the cockle. This mode, as will be seen, resem- 

 bles in a great measure the Pulmaise system, and I need hardly 

 remark that any kind of fuel is available for such a heating 

 contrivance ; it has, however, all but gone out of use for Hop- 

 drying, few kilns being now erected on this principle, and in 

 most of the older ones open fires have been introduced. In 

 their case the fireplace is raised a little in the middle of the 

 heating chamber, and merely consists of bars a foot or so from 

 the ground with a little brickwork surrounding them, and for 

 about a foot higher. Directly oyer the fire, and about halfway 

 between it and the drying iloor, an iron plate, about i feet 

 square, is bung by a chain to the kiln fioor ; this, receiving the 

 upward current of heat, spreads it all around, and at the same 

 time prevents any danger of the centre of the floor taking fire. 

 Coke, charcoal, and Welsh coals are burnt — not common coal 

 or wood, as the smoke from either would be objectionable. 



The heated air from the fireplace in passing through the 

 mass of wet Hops dries them by degrees from the bottom to 

 the top ; and to encourage a stronger upward current of hot 

 air various means have been adopted. With this view open- 

 ings in the outer wall at the bottom are general, sliding shutters 

 being provided to close them when required. A few years ago 

 a patent was taken out for a plan in which a number of cast- 

 iron pipes were carried iu a slanting direction from the bottom 

 of the outer wall to the top of the fire. The pipes lying in this 

 position, and their ends being open, it was considered that the 

 heat acting on the upper ends of the pipes would cause the air 

 which these contained to ascend, and that its place would be taken 

 by air from the outside, entering by the lower end. This plan 

 had many advocates for a time, and the principle was highly 

 spoken of as affording a certainty of a greater volume of heated 

 air being driven upwards than by the means previously in use ; 

 but these advantages seem to have been more imaginary than 

 re.al, for during the last year or two the plan has in many 

 cases been abandoned, and the simple method of allowing an 

 open fire to collect its own air to heat and send forth in the 

 best manner it can has been again resorted to as the most 

 simple and effective means of drying Hops. Ceiling's patent, 

 as the invention alluded to is called, has, therefore, fallen to a 

 considerable extent into disuse. — J. Ron-son. 

 (To be contiaued.) 



ADMITTING AIR TO TINES. 



In a recent communication I made a few remarks, founded 

 on experience, on the formation of Vine borders. I will now 

 advert to a subject which is of as much importance in connec- 

 tion with Vine-growing, and that is ventilation. It has been 

 ably discussed iu The Journal of Horticulture already, but 

 the more it is brought into prominence the more will its im- 

 portance be appreciated, by young gardeners especially. 



As soon as Vines commence growing iu the spring they make 

 rapid progress, and require unwearied attention until the Grapes 

 are perfectly ripened and perfect in flavour. If the latter are 

 not both there must be somctling wroug, and no cultivator 

 ought to be satisfied until he arrive at some definite conclusion 

 as to the reason of it. If the evil is in the borders no amount 

 of attention to ventilation can remedy that ; but if the borders 



are not in fault, perhaps the ventilation may have something 

 to do with it. To be successful in anything requires a great 

 amount of patience and careful attention to the most minute 

 particulars ; but more especially is this the case in gardening. 

 A quarter of an hour's inattention in the early months of the 

 year will do more mischief than can he remedied iu the course 

 of the season. It is in the early months of the year that the 

 gardener must be watchful, and especially so in regard to Vines. 

 Judicious ventilation is of the utmost importance to them. 



When vineries are of the lean-to description it is seldom 

 that there is any means of ventilation provided in the back 

 wall of the house. Now 1 think this is a mistake. In wet 

 weather the lights cannot be drawn down, and the front sashes 

 must be opened instead; but if means of ventilation had been 

 provided in the back wall it would have been better to have 

 afforded a little air there. I have gone into a vinery in a dull 

 drizzly day, and it was easy to perceive by the closeness of the 

 atmosphere that none of the ventilators were open. The lights 

 had been drawn up on account of the rain, and the person iu 

 charge did not think it of consequence to open the front sashes. 

 Now, if ventilation had been provided in the back wall, and the 

 ventilators had been opened a little in dull weather, it would 

 have kept the atmosphere pure without materially lowering the 

 temperature. In a house 30 feet long, four spaces 18 inches 

 long and 6 inches wide would be sulficient, with a board in 

 each to hang on centres, and all to open at once with a rod and 

 lever. If a fine wire netting be fixed over the outside it will 

 prevent the ingress of all insects, check the force of cold cur- 

 rents of air, and still admit enough in dull weather. 



I have often experienced the benefit of opening the venti- 

 lators a little very early in the morning. I like to take advan- 

 tage of that period of the day to thin the Grapes before the 

 sun rises high and becomes troublesome. I put on a little air 

 before commencing operations, at the highest point of the 

 house generally, by drawing down every alternate light about 

 2 or 3 inches, and by this means the atmosphere is insensibly 

 changed, and no oppressiveness is felt, which certainly is the 

 case when no air is admitted. As the sun rises the thermo- 

 meter will also rise rapidly, and more air must be admitted ; 

 but a watch must be kept for the cold cutting winds which are 

 so prevalent in the spnng mouths, for the berries are some- 

 times injured by cold draughts, especially in their young state, 

 while the foliage is apparently unaffected. 



There is also much to be gained by judiciously husbanding 

 the sun heat, especially by shutting up early iu the afternoon. 

 I think it well, also, to have the hot-water j)ipes or flue at 

 nearly a uniform heat, excepting, indeed, in very severe weather, 

 when the temperature of the house must not be too low. I 

 would rather see in a cold frosty night the temperature 5° lower 

 than usual, than the pipes overheated to raise it to the required 

 point. In many cases enough pipes are not put in at first ; 

 and for the sake of an extra first expense an ultimate loss is 

 incurred, more fuel is wanted, and the plants are liable to be 

 injured by the fumes from overheated pipes. In a house 

 IG feet wide there ought to be six rows of four-inch pipes — 

 that is, if the Vines are to be forced early, as half of that 

 heating surface would keep the frost out if the Vines are only 

 intended to start naturally, without the aid of heat artificially 

 supplied. 



I may also allude to a circumstance connected with some 

 young Vines planted here in the spring of 1864. It happened 

 that with some of the sorts to be planted I was unacquainted, 

 and if on bearing they were found to be unsuitable they were 

 to be removed. Some of the others were not intended to be 

 permanent ; so that by planting a permanent Vine between 

 those which were not to remain I could in the second sea- 

 son train a young rod up from each tide of the permanent 

 Vines, to be ready to take their places in the autumn of 1865, 

 when the first crop was cut. I found that where two rods were 

 trained up in that way the main or central rod was stronger 

 than in the case of the Vines which had only one rod, and I 

 believe it had as many roots as any two of them. If I had the 

 opportunity I would like to plant a vinery, say with room for 

 nine Vines 3 feet apart, in this way — 



2 1 2 2 1 '2 2 1 2 

 1 representing the permanent Vines not to be cropped the first 

 season ; 2, those to be cropped heavily in the second season 

 and then to be destroyed, while two young shoots must be 

 trained up from each of the permanent Vines to supply their 

 places. Thus there would be six Vines to bear a crop the 

 second season after planting, each of which would carry from 



