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proportion of our English grates, the consumption of these fuels is 

 difficult or impossible because the grates have only too often been 

 made with a false economy in view, and with an utter disregard of the 

 functions a grate should fulfil. Bearing in mind that a highly 

 heated surface of carbon is the best means of attaining ample 

 radiation in a room, the heat engendered by the fuel should, 

 by a judicious emplojnnent of firebrick, or other nonconducting 

 substance, be localised as much as possible. A brief consideration 

 of the ordinary firegrate shows that these conditions have not been 

 attended to, for instead of a preponderating employment of a non- 

 conducting substance, we find a large use of iron — iron back, iron 

 sides, iron grid, iron bars — in direct communication with the large 

 surfiice of iron of which the whole front of the fireplace is made. 

 By means of all this metal, heat is conveyed from the fire, and 

 then given up to the large volume of air continually passing up 

 the chimney. Xor are these the oidy drawbacks, for the fire is usually 

 set so far back that a considerable proportion of the walls of the 

 room never receive any of the radiant heat. A move in the 

 direction of improvement has been made by the introduction of 

 firebrick linings to the stoves, and by the use of polished steel 

 cheeks. At the present time considerable progress is being made 

 in the production of a more perfect grate. Three of the best fonus 

 of grate are the following : — 1. Crane's patent grate for the use of 

 anthracite and coke, an arrangement by wliich all the air passing 

 up the chimney is made first to go through the fire. 2. For the 

 partial diminution of the amount of smoke produced by bituminous 

 coal, a simple plan has been devised in which the fuel is fed into 

 the fire at the bottom. In this arrangement the smoke evolved, by 

 passing through the layer of burning coal, becomes sufficiently 

 heated to render its combustion at the surface more perfect. 

 3. Finally, there is the combination gas-and-coke grate, invented 

 by Dr. Siemens. In this, the fire is lighted by turning on 

 illuminating gas, which plays on a surface of coke ; this not only 

 rixdiates very well under such circumstances, but increases the 

 amount of heat evolved by reason of its own combustion. The 

 special arrangement of the solid bottom of the grate so as to cause 

 the air entering the fire to do so simply in front, and the appli- 

 cation of the " regenerative " system by employing the waste heat 

 from the back of the stove to heat the air thus entering, were 



