84 ON THE MERITS OP IRON AND WOOE FOR ROOFS 



interior become in course of time "furred" up, from the incrusta- 

 tion formed from the depositions of the various larthy matters 

 held in solution by the water, which naturally causes an accumu- 

 lation of alkaline earths, &c, &c, -which in time closes up the 

 water way. I have thus freely expressed my opinion on the de- 

 merits of pipes of small calibre ; but it must not be thence in- 

 fered that I shall err on the other extreme, as that would be 

 attended with much sacrifice of fuel to the proprietor, and great 

 inconvenience to the gardener. For if boilers and pipes are used 

 capable of containing unnecessarily large quantities of water, 

 there will be a great waste of fuel before any heat is communi- 

 cated to the house, and, perhaps, a valuable crop of fruit or 

 plants may be destroyed through the gardener not having a 

 proper command of heat, in order to prepare against those alte- 

 rations in the weather so frequently sudden and unexpected in 

 this changeable and uncertain climate. 



I have found in the course of my experience and observations* 

 that more especially, in the months of October, November, and- 

 December, but with less frequency at all periods of the year, that 

 up to the hour of 12 o'clock at night, rain may fall in torrents 

 and the gardener may naturally conclude, that during the night, 

 no fires will be required, either for greenhouses or conservatories, 

 but how great must be his trouble and surprise to find in the 

 morning eight or perhaps ten degrees of frost. Now this trouble 

 and inconvenience I have frequently experienced ; therefore for 

 the benefit of all parties and the protection of plants, &c, I beg 

 to repeat here the opinion I have already given, that, for an ap- 

 paratus to answer all purposes, boilers with a medium size, with 

 water ways not less in any part of the boiler than three inches 

 and not more than four, will give the gardener a sufficient com- 

 mand of heat, and afford him an opportunity of protecting the 

 perishable property entrusted to his care, without subjecting him- 

 self to reproach, which is too frequently unjustly heaped upon hiin 

 for loss of property, through circumstances, over which he could 

 have no controul. For to limit a gardener to means, when much is 

 expected, can only be compared to setting a man to dig who has 

 neither legs nor arms. 



-o'- 



(To be continued. 



