BUILDING AND HEATING SMALL CONSER- 

 VATORIES. 



'OW, that greater interest is 

 taken — mainly through the 

 efforts of the Fruit Growers' 

 Association — in improved hor- 

 ticulture in this province, many inqui- 

 ries may be expected similar to No. 

 917, in the March number of the Jour- 

 nal, page 118, respecting the construc- 

 tion and the fittings of small greenhouses 

 or conservatories attached to dwelling- 

 houses. 



The replies by Prof. L. R. Taft, 

 Michigan Agricultural College, to the 

 three questions in part 2, (a), (l>) and 

 (c) in Question No. 917, were not 

 satisfactory. He says, (a) " Four would 

 be ample and three would answer if 

 the coil is at least thirty feet long, pro- 

 vided the temperature does not fall 

 below 25 degrees." But with us the 

 temperature sometimes falls fifty de- 

 grees or more below that point. What 

 might the result be in that case? Some- 

 times, for several weeks, the tempera- 

 ture may seldom rise to 25 degrees. 

 (b) " Four or five lengths, three or four 

 feet long, should supply sufficient fire 

 surface." This 15 or 16 feet of 2-inch 

 pipe, if properly placed, would be ample 

 for four times the length of pipe men- 

 tioned, (c) " If properly arranged, the 

 pipes should work all right, as the entire 

 circuit will not be more than 50 or 60 

 feet." The working of pipes does not 

 depend on their length, but on the 

 height of the upper surface of the coil 

 above the point where the return pipe 

 enters the furnace. Mr. German did 

 not give this most important measure- 

 ment. 



Below, I submit a few pointers, which 

 intending builders of such additions to 

 their dwellings may do well to make a 

 note of 



(i) The building should be con- 

 structed of the best available material 

 (especially the glass), the workmanship 

 nrst-class in quality (not necessarily 

 ornamental), and the overseer of the 

 work should have had some practical 

 knowledge of the difficulties to be en- 

 countered in conservatory management. 



(2) There should be no glass at the 

 sides or ends of the building above the 

 level of the benches, and a wooden or 

 metal strip about 2 feet wide can be 

 placed (nearly level) advantageously at 

 the top of the roof next the house. 



(3) The roof should have a pitch of 

 45 degrees and a southern exposure. 



(4) The cheapest building is that 

 one, the cost of maintenance of which, 

 i.e., the yearly cost of fuel, repairs, in- 

 surance, etc , being capitalized, will be 

 the least sum. 



(5) Such buildings can be heated 

 cheaper, with less labor and attention 

 and more satisfactorily, with water, than 

 by any other means 



(6) The power of its heating ar- 

 rangement should be easily capable of 

 maintaining a temperature of not over 

 90° to 95° by day and not less than 45° 

 by night, even if the temperature of the 

 outer air should fall to 25° or 30° below 

 zero. 



(7) The measure of the heating 

 power is the quantity of water necessary 

 to maintain this temperature under all 

 possible variations of temperature of 

 the outer air. 



(8) It is found in practice that 20 

 gallons of water for each 1,000 cubic 

 feet of space is sufficient for this pur- 

 pose, and as 



(9) It requires 147 feet 3 inches 

 (nearly) of 2-inch pipe to contain 20 

 gallons of water, therefore, either of 



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