Ibich 20, 1866. 1 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



217 



garden. Should any of yonr readers try the above plan, I 

 feel sure they will not fall in siiccessfully cultivating the 

 Verbena.— H. C. 0. 



HEATING BY A FLUE, AND CHIMNEY 

 DISTANT. 



I HAVE a small span-roof greenhouse, 16 feet by 9 feet, and 

 10 feet high, which I intend heating with a flue. Opposite 

 and paraUel to the greenhouse, and distant from it about 

 9 yards, stands a brick summer-house. It stands about 2 feet 

 higher than the greenhouse. I intend puUing it down, and 

 putting two frames in its place. As I do not wish to be at the 

 trouble of building a chimney to the greenhouse, I have been 

 thinking it might be possible to use the summer-house chimney 

 for carrying away smoke from the greenhouse flue, and wish 

 yonr advice about the following. 



I intend building the fireplace outside the gi-eenhouse at the 

 door end, and at the back of the door close to the greenhouse ; 

 the flue to enter the greenhouse and run along the back, then 

 along the end, and back along the front to within a foot of the 

 doorway, and leave the house there. On leaving the house 

 I intend it to dip down about IS inches, and pass along under- 

 ground in an uphill direction about 9 yards. At the end of 

 the underground part I intend it to rise into an aboveground 

 flue, which wiU be about 14 feet long, under the two frames, 

 they being placed on the present site of the summer-house. 

 After the flue passes through the frames it wUl end in the 

 present summer-house chimney. My reason for having the 

 underground part is, the flue would require to cross the prin- 

 cipal walk of my ground. 



Query 1st, Would it be better to build the iire altogether 

 outside, or inside with the door to the outside of the house ? 



2nd, By the above plan do you think there would be a suffi- 

 cient draught of air to keep the fii'e going and heat the green- 

 house flue ? 



3rd, Would there be any heat after passing through the 

 ground, to be of use in a frame for raising plants from seeds 

 and cuttings ? — W. B. M. L. 



[There are two things against yom- proposed plan answering 

 weU. First, the proposed dip of your flue, 18 inches, after 

 going round your house, and then passing in a lower level, 

 though rising for 27 feet, until it gets above the ground again 

 for 14 feet, and then passes into the garden arbour-house 

 chimney. The dipping would be of less consequence if at once 

 you rose from the dip to the original or a higher level. It 

 would require a high chimney to secui'e a draught with such 

 a dip and the low level afterwards, as heated air, like heated 

 water, has a disinclination to descend. Then, again, yom- 

 27 feet of flue sunk beneath the ground wUl be apt to get 

 damp, as we see nothing of the flue being protected, and that 

 will impair the draught. Then, again, you will waste more 

 fuel than is necessary if, after making a flue some 40 feet long 

 for your house, you continue that flue some 27 feet out of 

 doors, and then 14 feet to heat two frames in the position of 

 the summer-house, and chiefly for the sake of the summer- 

 house chimney. Now, first, as a question of economics, we 

 would be content to heat the greenhouse as you propose with 

 the flue, and have a small chimney at the end to which the 

 flue returns ; and that need not frighten you, as an iron 

 pipe 7 inches wide and 7 feet long woiUd do, or three or four 

 hard-burned earthenware pipes, some to 7 inches in diameter 

 and from 2 to 2i feet long, as used for drainage purposes, 

 would make a chimney at once. After the flue had run more 

 than 40 feet there would be no danger of cracking. We think 

 this would be a much easier thing than building 27 feet of a 

 flue nndergroimd, in order that it might give out a little heat 

 to 14 feet further on, so as to get to a chimney. But 



2ndly, It is natui-al that we should like our own ideas best 

 if they can be at all carried out ; and we think you may do all 

 and more than you propose if the ground wiU pei-mit of your 

 sinking your furnace deep enough, so as to have the flues in 

 the house lower than the level of the path outside which you 

 must cross. We do not know the arrangement of your span- 

 roofed house 9 feet wide inside, but we think the best would 

 be to have the pathway down the centre ; and if you put your 

 flue or flues beneath the pathway, the top of the flue forming 

 the pathway in fact, then you might pass your outside walk 

 without dipping, and continue in the same or a rising level all 

 the way to the summer-house chimney ; and if you hked you 

 might cover the flue all the way from the outside pathway with I 



frames or pits, the greatest heat being found nearest to the 

 greenhouse. This would be a capital plan for keeping lots of 

 plants, and securing early vegetables, &c., and the flue would 

 act better than when exposed to all weathers for 27 feet. We 

 should like to know how you decide. We have said flue or 

 flues beneath the centre pathway of the greenhouse. If single, 

 it would require to be 14 or 15 inches wide, outside measure. 

 If double, each 9 inches wide at least, outside measure. Now 

 to the questions. 



1, Have the fireplace outside the house by all means, the 

 outside flush with the end wall of the house. The furnace- 

 bars may therefore be inside the house, and should he 18 inches 

 at least beneath the bottom of the flue. 



2, We think the xmprotected (except by earth) covering of the 

 flue out of doors, would promote dampness and arrest draught. 



3, The heat outside the house for raising cuttings, seedlings, 

 would be most effectual in frames placed as near to the green- 

 house as possible. Would it not be possible to have a small 

 pit outside your greenhouse, the side wall of your greeiihouse 

 forming the back of the pit, and turn your flue into that ?] 



FUMIGATING — SYRINGING "\\^TH HOT 

 SEWAGE— LAPSTONE KIDNEY POTATO. 



I WILL answer "A Beginner" by stating that I never 

 syringe my orchard-house trees from the time the blossoms 

 first peep from the buds till the fruit is set, a diy aiiy atmo- 

 sphere being necessary for the dispersion of the pollen. 



My orchard-house adjoins another house filled with a mis- 

 cellaneous collection of plants, and the latter I watch nan'owly 

 at this time of year in order to detect the first sign of green fly. 

 About a fortnight ago I observed this insect on some Calceo- 

 larias, and, to take measures against it, I merely waited for the 

 glass to become coated with snow, according to Mr. Fish's ex- 

 cellent hint, for I knew by the appearance of the sky that I 

 should not have to wait very long. In the eighth volume of the 

 Old Series of this Jom-nal I gave the accompanying illustra- 

 tion of the contrivance which I use in fumigating a single 

 plant in a large pot, and I have the original 

 by me now. It is made of hoops joined to 

 uprights, and is covered with some old 

 moreen curtains so as to confine the smoke. 

 I have always found it excellent for the 

 purpose of fumigating a single bush tree, or 

 a limited number of small plants. 



The mode of operating is very simple and 

 very effectual. When we receive a loaf of 

 sugar from the grocer, with a wrapper of 

 blue paper coarser than common, I seize it, 

 and cut it into strips about 10 inches 

 broad. I then place on the fire the hquid- 

 manure saucepan containing about two 

 quarts of water, a quarter of a pound of coarse shag tobacco, and 

 one ounce of saltpetre, and boO the ingredients for half an 

 hour. I next strain the liquid from the tobacco, retui'n the 

 former into the saucepan along with the strips of paper, which 

 are loosely rolled up, and allow the hquid to become agaiit 

 heated and to thoroughly saturate the paper. I then place the 

 pot on one side till its contents become cold, imroU and 

 thoroughly dry the paper, and what liquid remains in the pot 

 uuabsorbed by the paper may be added to six times its bulk of 

 water, and be employed for syringing. 



The paper thus treated becomes like touch-paper, and is 

 used to form self-acting cigars for fumigating. To fumigate a 

 house say 20 feet long by 14 feet wide, six cigars would be re- 

 quired. I form them thus : I divide three ounces of tobacco 

 into half ounces, cut six pieces of the prepared paper, each 

 about 8 inches long, spread the tobacco equally over their sur- 

 faces, roll up loosely, and merely fasten the end of the paper 

 at the bottom with a pin to prevent its uncoiling. Now if the 

 roof of the house to be fumigated is covered with snow, or if 

 not, at evening or on a dull day, place six small empty flower- 

 pots equidistant on the floor of the house, and let each of them 

 be furnished with a cigar ; then apply a lighted match to the 

 latter, and the tobacco will be gradually consumed through the 

 smouldering of the touch-paper. The operator who dislikes 

 the fumes may immediately make his or her exit, and return 

 next morning to find the insepts all dead, which is exactly what 

 I did. 



I fumigated the orchard-house at the same time as the 

 plant-house, to prevent the insects finding their way from the 



