CHAPTER XII. 



FIRE HOT-BEDS 



AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION. 

 " Nothing is denied to well-directed labor." 



HE cognizance of the weak points in the common 

 manure hot-bed has led progressive people to 

 try wood and coal heat in beds otherwise 

 similarly constructed. The heat is generated in 

 a simple furnace at the lower end of the bed, 

 and distributed by an ordinary flue beneath the 

 bed, running its entire length, and ending in a 

 chimney at the opposite end. To promote the 

 equal distribution of heat under the soil, the flue at a little 

 distance from the furnace may be divided in two or three 



Fire Hot-Beds. 



parallel branches or pipes, uniting again before they enter the 

 chimney. 



For reasons of better utilization of the heat, and convenience 



of management, it is preferable to make these beds intermediate 



between hot-bed and common greenhouse. For many years I 



have had such beds under my observation, and found that they 



(62) 



