518 



JOURNAL OF HORTICDLTDRE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



( DM«mbor 30, 1869. 



partly owing to the Vines growing in a liigh temperature pre- 

 vious!}-, and in dull weather, and in an atmosphere saturated 

 with moisture, the leaves thus becoming thin, and less able to 

 bear a sudden change and the full force of the suu's beams. 

 But allowing the result might be partly owing to this, we are 

 inclined to think it was chiefly owing to giving too much of the 

 cutting east wind to keep down the temperature, and more 

 especially if there was the meeting cf a strong heat from the 

 heating apparatus with the more natural heat from the sun. 

 No rule in such a case will be equal to an observant eye. 

 Whenever under such circumstances there is a likelihood of a 

 bright sun, the apparatus for heating should be allowed to be- 

 come cooled, and then the sun may shine freely, with only a 

 little ventilation at the highest part of the house, and the air 

 admitted is thus warmed and moistened before reaching the 

 plants. It is well to have cold, dry, fresh air heated and 

 moistened before admission, but that is as yet comparatively 

 seldom done; and the next best plan is to give air early under 

 eneh circumstances as those referred to, and very little will do 

 if the sun heat and fire heat do not meet, for a rise of 10' or 

 15° from sun heat with air on, is a very different affair from 

 a rife of half that amount of heat from fire heat alone. 



With regard to details as to temperature, supposing you 

 begin, as respects a vinery, at iri", raise it gradually to CO", but 

 never above with artificial heat until all the buds have broken 

 and commenced growing, when the average night temperature 

 might rise to 05 . For a short time, when the Vines are in 

 bloom, the heat may rise to 70' or nearly so ; and when all set 

 the night temperature may range to an average of (J5° for all 

 the hardier Vines ; Muscats may have a little more. Now, 

 daring the day, even in dull weather, the house averaging from 

 60° to Go' at night may rise at midday to 70° or a little more ; 

 but as the Vines advance, and if the fires were low, and a little 

 air early given, and thus the heat rose very gradually, we would 

 sooner let it mount to 80°, 8.5°, and 90°, and even higher, 

 from sun heat, before we would lower it by admitting at once 

 a great quantity of cold, dry, frosty air. We have thought 

 over the matter quietly before penning these ill-connected re- 

 marks, as we would like to be useful if we can, but all utility 

 is best accomplished by united action, and you will much help 

 if you would kindly state if our surmises as to your case are at 

 all correct. 



In conclusion, we may mention two similar facts that came 

 under our own observation. A house of beautiful Cucumbers 

 was heated, as one of a number of houses, from one boiler. 

 In a bright sunny day in the beginning of April, with a cold, 

 piercing east wind, hardly any air had been given, the valve of 

 the water pipes had not been touched, and on opening the door 

 the temperature from hot water and hot sun was enough to 

 make one go out, as it was past one o'clock. Without giving 

 time for thought, top and front ventilators were thrown open 

 to a considerable extent, and in, of course, rushed the dry, 

 parched air, and in ten minutes the house was considerably 

 cooled, but fully two-thirds of the foliage — all the fine, large 

 leaves, were scorched and shrivelled up as if a blast from a 

 furnace had passed over them. 



In a similar case, about midday, the head gardener having 

 just returned from a journey, saw at once the plants were dis- 

 tressed, put his head in at the door, felt, and pretty well burned 

 his hind on feeling the pipes, turned the valve to stop the cir- 

 culation, sent one lad to flood the floors and passages with 

 water, sprinkled the beds and under sides of the leaves with 

 water at 80°, and, having no shading handy, syringed the out- 

 sides of the roof with whitened water, and just increased the air 

 by a little at the top. By evening the plants were all right, 

 showing no trace of the ordeal they had passed through. The 

 circumstances, as respects hot-water heat, and sun heat, and 

 cold, dry external air, were so much alike that we have not a 

 doubt that the reeulta would have been identical in the two 

 cases if a similar practice had been adopted. In either case, 

 if, as the sun began to gain power, the hot-water pipes were 

 gradually cooling, and a small portion of air had been given 

 early at the apex of the roof, the temperature gradually rising 

 from sun heat would have been beneficial rather than injuri- 

 ous, and with damped paths and evaporating basins under such 

 circumstances we would rather have let the thermometer rise 

 to 90°, or higher, before we would have freely admitted a cold, 

 dry, frosty air. In early forcing, the leaves of some Vines will 

 be apt to suffer, when, after a week or a fortnight of dull misty 

 weather, we are favoured with even one day of bright sun. A 

 Blight shading for a little will generally obviate all inconvenience. 

 As already stated, however, the chief securities from such in- 



jured foliage are a comparatively lower temperature at night 

 than by day, proportioning the vapour in the enclosed atmo- 

 sphere to the artificial temperature, preventing lire heat and 

 sun heat from acting much together, and in bright sunny 

 weather, with a keen, cold atmosphere without, giving a little 

 air early as soon as the sun begins to raise the thermometer in 

 the house, and then, in preference to giving much more air, 

 allowing the sun to raise the temperature from 10° to 20° gra- 

 dually above the night average, and letting it fall as gradoally. 

 — K. F.] 



PIPE FLUES. 



The able writer of " Doings of the Last Week" has 

 asked for information respecting small pipe flues, or rather 

 the smallest size which can be used for the purpose, and sub- 

 sequently another inquiry from Yorkshire on the same subject 

 has re-opened the question. As the latter has reference to 

 building, or rather heating a forcing pit -lo feet long, no apology 

 is wanted to enter still further into the subject of flue-heating. 

 In reply to " R. F.," I may say that I have known a short 

 length of Cinch pipe used advantageously for some years aB 

 a flue, but it was an iron pipe, and the trouble of cleaning it 

 often was such as te cause much regret that it was not larger ; 

 but, like many things of the kind, it was put in as a makeshift, 

 and remained for many years, occasioning much grnmbUng 

 every time it had to be cleaned. There may, however, be 

 places where a flue of such small diameter may answer better 

 than the above, and these are where only coke and wood are 

 burned. Coals create so much soot that a flue soon becomes 

 choked up, so that I would certainly not recommend a small 

 one ; and even for a pit where the volume of air to be heated is 

 small, and the space the flue occupies is otherwise valuable, 

 I would certainly not recommend that any flue pipe should be 

 leas than inches in diameter inside, and more if the house 

 to be heated is of greater cubic content. Where coals are 

 cheap, as I imagine they are where " C. A. B." resides, a flue 

 of this description will, I am persuaded, be a formidable rival 

 to the much-vaunted hot-water apparatus. 



As I have before stated, I would advise that only the straight 

 portion of the flue should be of pipes, and the turnings and 

 entrance of brickwork, with some suitable cover that could be 

 taken off, so as to allow the pipes to be cleaned out when neces- 

 sary. In small pipes or flues it is a good plan to have a 

 copper wire in the flue, in order that a string and some sweep- 

 ing material may be attached to the wire for cleaning out. In 

 a larger pipe this is not so necessary. A bunch of Holly, fol- 

 lowed by one of straw, is not an unusual sweeping brush ; and 

 it very often happens that the position of such flues prevents 

 long-handled tools being applied, so that the wire left in the 

 flue is of great service at cleaning-out time. 



I have before said that it is better not to disturb the joints 

 of cement pipes, and that brickwork, with covers, forms the 

 corners and end pieces to the flues of the two houses I have so 

 heated ; but for " B. F.'s " information I may add that the 

 flue to each house dips about a foot at the doorway, without 

 appearing to suffer much in consequence, the dip being gradual 

 and easy. The two houses, however, being together, the fireplaces 

 are in the usual way just behind the partition, and the flues 

 starting low cross the pathway at the partition door with their 

 tops on a level with the pavement, and, rising easily and turn- 

 ing to the front, unite with the pipes, and proceed along the 

 front, where a corresponding dip to meet the end door is made. 

 Then, after a similar turn and rise, the front flue enters the 

 hack pipe flue, which proceeds to where it started from, and 

 then into an upright chimney. There being only one dip at 

 the end door, and that of about a foot, we have never felt 

 inconvenience from it in any way. True, like all flues there 

 is an unpleasant smell when a fire is first lighted after the flue 

 has been out of use for a long time ; but so far as I could 

 judge, the smell arose more from the brickwork than the cement 

 pipesi and when once warmed it all goes off. In districts, 

 therefore, where coal is plentiful and cheap, I am of opinion 

 that the flue is still a powerful opponent to hot water, and 

 especially in small structures or solitary ones. To your corre- 

 spondent " C. A. B." I would therefore say. Inquire in your 

 neighbourhood where good Portland cement pipes of not less 

 than '.I or lo inches in diameter are to be had, obtain one, and 

 trv it over an Arnott stove, or something of that kind, that 

 will subject it to as great a heat as it is likely ever to encounter, 

 aud if satisfactory, erect a flue accordingly, or perhaps a smaUer 

 pipe as a trial one would be better, as it would be heated more. 



