Febrnory 18, 1869. ) 



JODBNAL OP nOKTIOULTDRB A.ND COTTAQB GARD£N£B. 



12'J 



short time, that in some new and projeoted work we might have 

 the advantage of t)ie teachings of the 



Wall')- Level. — Tlie finest eye is easily deceived as to levels. 

 A friend lately acked ns how lunch the ground fell to the 

 farther end from us of some hundred yards, whilst in reality 

 the ground declined .*!() inches to where we stood. Much as we 

 would have liked to have saved the water which ran to waste, 

 it ia essential that from walks, roads, and lawns, surplus water 

 should freely and quickly pass, and if arrangements can he 

 made afterwards for using all such overflow, so much the hotter. 

 The heavy rains of Friday saved us much trouble ahout level- 

 ling in this respect, giving us at once the level for our work, 

 and the exact position for cesspools and drains. Many a walk 

 and road, etc., might have been made with less expense, and 

 have been more suitable for the assigned object, it, instead of 

 trusting to the eye, we had noticed how water stood and moved 

 in heavy continuous rains. The levelling-down of a high place 

 even would often render draining unnecessary, where there is 

 no objection to seeing the water pas') freely along the surface 

 to a proper outlet. As stated the other week, the water until 

 lately had passed along the surface more freely than it had 

 passed down through the soil. 



As we could do little work in the kitchen garden or in the 

 pleasure grounds, except fresh work, it may be as well to ad- 

 vert to some odds and ends that occupied our attention, as 

 merely mentioning them may be useful. 



lleat'utij Pipes in a trench beneath a grated floor. In orna- 

 mental houses this plan is frequently adopted, as thus there is 

 no trouble with doorways however numerous, and the heating 

 pipes are kept from general view. This is so far an advantage, 

 as in the pipes generally used there is httle of the beautiful 

 or the artistic. The disadvantage of the plan is that the heat 

 is not so quickly diffused over the house — a disadvantage of 

 some importance where only temporary fires in frost, &c., are 

 required, as a portion of the heat is absorbed by what con- 

 stitutes the sides of the cavity or trench. Wben fires are 

 almost constantly used this heat would accumulate, but then 

 it, too, would ultimately find its way to the atmosphere of the 

 house. Were we heating a house in this manner again, say by 

 pipes in a trench round the house under a grated pathway, we 

 would have open drains across from cavity to cavity, which 

 would cause the heated air to rise more freely, whilst the space 

 between the cavities for pipes would also be favourably in- 

 fluenced. Whatever the general disadvantage as to the free 

 radiation of heat, the placing the pipes in a walled-in cavity is 

 sometimes an advantage in an emergency, as happened with us 

 this winter in the only frosty weather we had. The pipes, 

 instead of being round, are deep and narrow, say about 

 2i inches wide outside measure, and 11 inches deep, and in- 

 stead of being placed flat they are fixed in an upright position. 

 From long use many of the sockets of the joints gave way, 

 and the water ran out almost as fast as we put it in. It was 

 of no use talking about a great outlay under the circumstances ; 

 but the walls at the sides of the trench came to our aid, for 

 with some slates beneath the joints, and bits of bricks and 

 tiles at the sides, we soon made the joints secure by encasing 

 them in Portland cement, which we believe will last as long as 

 the pipes. When a pipe threatens to leak we must repeat the 

 easily applied remedy. 



Iron-filing Joints. — The above-mentioned pipes would have 

 been more sound if more constantly heated. Boilers as well 

 as pipes wear out soonest when only used temporarily, or 

 for a few months in the year. These pipes have done good 

 service for many years, but they would have worn much better 

 but for a simple circnmstanoe. Tbe joints were filled with 

 rough yam as a bedding, and iron filings and ammonia in the 

 usual way ; but they had not only been filled very tightly, but 

 very full, so as to make a neat slope outside the flange, and 

 the expansion cracked numbers of the sockets. We once ob- 

 served a house where there was scarcely a sound joint from 

 this cause. Some other houses were heated in nearly the 

 same way at the same time, and we believe not a single joint 

 has cracked. In this latter case the joints were left unfilled for 

 a quarter of an inch or more. Where there is no great pres- 

 sure other plans may be adopted. The plan above referred to 

 does not leave such a nice-looking finish as bevelling off the 

 outside of the flange ; but our experience and observation 

 prove it to be the most serviceable of the two. 



Small air pipes for hot-water pipes. Something was gained 

 in heating when the pipes were placed, not level, but on a rise j 

 however slight from the end next the boiler. This necessitated i 

 an opening there to let out the air, as a body of air pressed [ 



tightly by a column of water becomes as impassable and impe- 

 netrable as a partition of granite. When the late Mr. Weeks, 

 sen., gave such an impetus to heating by hot water — makini; 

 one boiler heat many places on different levels, he used a small 

 tap, or merely a wooden peg fixed firmly in a small hole at the 

 highest point, by moving which the air escaped. We forget 

 now whether it was to him, to the present Mr. Weeks, Mr. 

 Gray, Mr. Ormson, or to some one elso wo are indebted for th6 

 far bimplor, better, and ever-acting plan for preventing all 

 accumulations of oir— namely, the fiaing a small pipe, as a gas 

 )iipe, at the highest point of the hot- water pipes, with the open 

 end at a higher level than the feeding cistern, and, if deemed 

 advisable, outside the house or pit so heated. These pipes are 

 generally of the same soft material as is generally used for 

 bringing the gas to the gas-burners in rooms. For this purpose 

 nothing could answer better when all tbe pipe is comeatable 

 and aboveground so as to be seen ; and hardly any other pre- 

 caution is necessary, except turning tbe open end of the pipe 

 downwards, to prevent the entrance of dust, and keeping some 

 kinds of bees and flies from making their nests in such open- 

 ings. In all cases of bottom heat, however, where there is a 

 bed of any sort above the bottom pipes, and an air pipe ia 

 needed, it would be advisable to have a pipe of strong iron 

 rising as high, at any rate, as to be above the surface of the 

 bed, whether the bed is fixed or of moveable fermenting mate- 

 rial. In two ranges of pits thus bottom-heated, the pipes for 

 a few days were losing water — so much so as to stop the ciron- 

 lation, unless water was added every few hours. We satisfied 

 ourselves that the boiler was all right. The air pipes were 

 cursorily examined and supposed to be right, and we were in 

 dread that we might have lo empty tbe pits to find the leakage. 

 When digging down to a bottom-heating pipe we found the 

 soft-metal air pipe corroded, and the water oozing from it, 

 which was a pleasant discovery, as a. firm wooden peg made it 

 all right in the meantime, until we fix a stronger pipe. Even 

 this soft pipe has lasted some years ; but we would prefer 

 stronger material when such a pipe is to be covered up. We 

 had tried this air pipe by suckmg, &o., and tliought it v?as 

 sound, and but for cleariug the pit out and reaching the highest 

 point of the bottom-heating pipes, we should not have found 

 out how so easily to apply a remedy to the evil. We once knew 

 a place pulled to pieces, when quite as simple a matter as this 

 looked to would have saved all the labour and annoyance. 

 Many a hot-water apparatus acts imperfectly because air accu- 

 mulates at the highest point. When pipes are not on a level, 

 the tendency to air thus accumulating will be in proportion to 

 the warm water drawn off from the pipes and boiler, as the 

 addition of cold water carries air with it and before it. A very 

 small hole would allow the air to escape. 



Priipaijatinrj hij Cuttings. — This has oooupied a portion ol 

 our time, as cuttings rooted now will soon become strong plants. 

 For all plants that frost would injure, and which, therefore, 

 are kept under protection, the cuttings wiU succeed best now, 

 witli less or more of the assistance of a hotbed, so as to yield a 

 bottom heat of from 75' to 8.5', and a top heat of from 55° to 

 cy or 70'. The end of this month and the middle of March 

 will generally be early enough for window gardeners to com- 

 mence propagating their Verbenas, Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, 

 &o. We are well aware that some of the beautiful plant cases 

 advertised are very suitable for the purpose contemplated, as 

 well as forming an elegant piece of furniture. In the largest oi 

 these Ferns, &c., can be grown as well in a sitting-room almost 

 as in a plant stove, as the plants receive a considerable amount 

 of hght, and are protected by the case from the dry air of the 

 room, especially when rendered still more unwholesome by the 

 blaze of numerous Ughts, whether candles, lamps, or gas. We 

 approve of these cases being heated by lamp, gas burner, or 

 otherwise, but many for whom we write cannot well go to the 

 expense of such cases, and yet are very anxious to enjoy all 

 the pleasure of increasing the number of their pets, and 

 doing everything for them themselves. To them the useful is 

 more appropriate than the beautiful in design. For them 

 nothing is more suitable than a stout wooden box, either with 

 feet to stand upon or to be set on a table close to the window, 

 the box to be deep enough to permit of :;.( inches at the bottom 

 being made waterproof, a plate of iron, zinc, or tin fixed across 

 u inches from the bottom, and to permit of small pots or pang 

 being placed inside, and some 4 or 5 inches left above them 

 for an atmosphere. A small funnel at one end, and a tap or ■ 

 plug at the other, will permit of warm water being poured in, 

 and cold water withdrawn, and after fairly setting the Uttle 

 case going, it will rarely be necessary to remove more than 



