Vol. X.— No. 35. 



AND IIOUTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



277 



necessary to give a quick and durable heat, is, I 

 think, of great vahie. 



T. G. Fesse.nden, Esq." 



The observaiions of Mr Paxton, gardener to the 

 Duke of Devonshire, noticed above, were as follows: 



" Question. How do you like hot water in 

 comparison to fire flues ?" 



" Answer. So far as my experience has led me 

 to draw any conclusion, I will answer your ques- 

 tion. When hot water was first noticed in tlie 

 horticidtural transactions, I was almost in raptures 

 with the idea, and as soon as possible I sat about 

 heating those two pits you now see with it, and 

 although it was thought the pipes then put in, (a 

 double return,) would be more than sufficient for 

 the purpose of heating the pits, independent of 

 two large cisterns full of hot water, to my aston- 

 ishment, on the approach of severe weather we 

 had considerable difficulty to keep out the frost ; 

 and iu the severe storm, two years since, our pine 

 plants were so much injured, that they nearly all 

 started prematurely into fruit in the spring. You 

 are aware that water evaporates into steam at 213 

 degrees Fah. and, consequently, the pipes cannot 

 be heated to a greater degree. The difficulty in 

 hot water is, that while iu a severe frosty night, 

 the external atmosphere is continually lowering, 

 you cannot keep increasing the hot water to coun- 

 teract its effects, without putting up nearly double 

 the quantity of pipes that would be necessary un- 

 der ordinary circumstances ; when, with a well 

 constructed flue, you could advance to any degree 

 that might be required. Our houses are so con- 

 trived that we have full command of the internal 

 air, without in the least distressing the flues iu the 

 most severe weather ; and my foreman has re- 

 peatedly told me, that the only fire requiring 

 attention more than once in the evening, is that 

 attached to the hot water pit. I have offered him 

 a man to assist him, but he has always refused, 

 saying, he had no cause to visit the fires more 

 than once in the evening, except in very severe 

 weather. There are flues in the garden, erected 

 before I came to Chatsworth,tliat almost burn one 

 end oftlie house while the other is nearly cold ; but 

 these I do not now use for early forcing, and there- 

 fore have not altered them. All the flues I have 

 built, give out heat in so uniform a manner, that 

 there is no difference between one end of the 

 house and the other; and by the plan of having 

 an open canal of water at the front of the fires, to 

 give out moisture according to the heat required, 

 not the greatest action of the flue can in the least 

 injure vegetation ; being a self actor, it evaporates 

 more or less as the decrease or increase of the 

 fire becomes necessary. And on entering the 

 house, after a severe frosty night, not the slightest 

 unpleasantness is perceptible. This canal is made 

 of block tin, and when properly painted will last 

 a great number of years." 



" Q. Do you mean then to discontinue hot 

 water for forcing?" 



" A. By no means ; I have some alterations at 

 present going on for improving it if possible; all 

 I want is for it to stand on its own merits, and for 

 all persons who give their opinions, to speak from 

 experience." 



We will close this article with a few brief re- 

 marks of our own. Blore or less heat is always 

 expended in and about a fireplace, during the 

 combustion of fuel. Of course it must be good 

 economy, as a general rule, to construct a fireplace 



within the ajiartment to be heated. A smoke 

 flue is often pervaded by flame, as well as by 

 smoke and hot air, for many feet from the fur- 

 nace, and may be considered as a continuation of 

 the fireplace, adding much to its power of healing. 

 A hot water pipe ]>laced on or in contact with a 

 flue, receives heat from the latter and distriliutes 

 it more equably, than could be done by the flue 

 alone. This arrangement, together with a reser- 

 voir somewhat larger than the boiler, to make up 

 in quantity what is wanted iu temperature, may 

 serve to equalize, or nearly so, the warmth of 

 botli ends of the house. 



The boiler, flue, pipes and reservoir, are receiv- 

 ers, carriers, distributors and depositories of heat, 

 and are all useful when judiciously employed. 



There are three things to be desired in heating 

 hot-houses, &c. A quick heat, which may be 

 gained from brick flues or steam pipes. A dura- 

 ble heat, fiu'uished by hot water pipes and reser- 

 voirs. And a moist heat, obtained, as mentioned 

 above bj' Mr Paxton, by " open canals," or by any 

 kind of open metallic vessels containing water and 

 placed in a warm situation, or by perforated steam 

 ])ipes and other modes now in use. 



Mr Lowell's method of combining a quick 

 with a durable heat, appears to us to be a great 

 improvement, which might be advantageously used 

 for many other purposes, besides heating horticul- 

 tural edifices. Its value has been ascertained by 

 the infallible test of experiment ; and we think it 

 will be embraced with avidity by European as 

 well as American horticulturists. 



We believe that the apparatus for heating by 

 hot water, constructed by S. G. Perkins, Esq. and 

 Col. T. H. Perkins, heretofore described in our 

 paper, are perfectly in accordance with the latest 

 English improvements in that branch of economy, 

 and think their enterprize and skill deserve high 

 commendation. Mr Lowell's apparatus, however, 

 appears to us to be an improvement on the greatest 

 advances of which we have seen any notices, in 

 Great Britain or the United States. 



CULTURE OF SILK. 



Mr Fessenden — I have seen the article in your 

 last paper, of an unknown correspondent, calling 

 on me to start associations of the State and Coun- 

 ties for the culture of silk, and offering assistance. 

 In regard to this business, I am willing to do all 

 that I can with safety, and have already proposed 

 my views to one of the committee of agriculture 

 in the House of Representatives. What seems to 

 be most wanting at present, to encourage our 

 farmers to raise silk, is that they should be sure of 

 some fixed price for the cocoons, if it were not 

 more than 25 cts. per lb. They would then go 

 on with confidence, and set out mulberry trees and 

 raise silk worms, knowing that if they could do no 

 better with the cocoons themselves, they could at 

 least ^ell them for that price. If the State Legis- 

 lature or some association, would encourage a 

 suitable person to give some standard price, for all 

 the cocoons that were raised in Massachusetts for 

 five years to come, there is no doubt but that an 

 abundance of them would be raised, at the end of 

 that time. The reeling is discouraging at first 

 and is attended with some expense and waste ; and 

 without some aid, as above mentioned, from Gov- 

 ernment or an association, I fear that few individ- 

 uals, if any, can be found to undertake it exten- 

 sively. My opinion is, that the Governor, or the 



agent of an association, should have power to 

 contract with some responsible person to purchase 

 all the cocoons, raised in this commonwealth, 

 which might be offered to him for sale, and reel 

 and manufacture them, or sell the raw silk at his 

 own risk ; and that a resjjonsible person might be 

 found to do this, for five years, at the rate of .f 1000 

 per year, I have no doubt. This certainly would 

 be a trifling sum for the State to appropriate to so 

 useful and important a business, esjiecially when 

 it is considered what vast sums have been spent iu 

 other countries, to bring forward and foster this 

 branch of domestic industry. I believe the manu- 

 fiictming will go on wilhout encouragement, but 

 that will not help the agricultural interest so much, 

 while it is confined to the foreign raw silk. 

 Dedham, March 5, 1832. J. H. COBB. 



GRAFTING FRUIT TREES. 



Mr Editor — I strongly suspect that it is not 

 generally known that a great variety of trees, even 

 the walnut or shag-bark, may be successfully graft- 

 ed. The best kinds of the the plum tree will suc- 

 ceed well OB the common plum stock. And 

 although the pear will grow grafted upon the 

 thorn, and the quince upon the pear, yet as a gen- 

 eral rule, we think that they will flourish best 

 upon their kindred stocks. The peach is an ex- 

 ception. It is the general practice in England, to 

 graft the peach upon the plum stock ; such ought 

 to be the practice here — good reasons may be as- 

 signed. The plum tree is more hardy than the 

 peach, will live twenty or thirty years, and is not 

 so liable to be destroyed by worms at the root. — 

 It is said that peach trees grafted upon plum stocks, 

 will flourish thirty years, and are not so easily 

 affected by our severe winters. If the latter re- 

 mark be correct, and for the other reasons assign- 

 ed, I advise all farmers disposed to cultivate this 

 delicious fruit, to insert the peach scion upon the 

 plum stock; some prefer buddiug — the experi- 

 ment, should it fail, would cost but little. Peach 

 trees ought not to be pruned at all, after the tree 

 is well formed, or suffered to grow very high. 

 Ashes round the roots are useful as manure, and 

 to guard against worms. In this country I believe 

 fruit trees generally are sujiposed to grow too high ; 

 tliey are more liable to be injured by severe and 

 cold winds. The tops should be bent down and 

 confined, or cut off, while the trees are young. 

 This, I understand, is the common practice in 

 the fruit gardens of England. 



WILLIAM CLAGGETT. 



Portsmouth, JV. H. March, 1832. 



BLACK CURRANT WINE. 



The first knowledge I had of the virtues of the' 

 black currant, was from a paper written by the 

 Rev. M. Cutler and read before the " American 

 Academy of Arts and Sciences," and by them pub- 

 lished in their first volume of " Memoirs," A. D. 

 1785. In that paper, ajellyorrob was recom- 

 mended for sore throat, &c. I thought that if the 

 currant possessed so many virtues, that the wine 

 might be useful. Accordingly I made it, on a 

 small scale, and found it exceeded my most san- 

 guine expectations. 



The shrub is as easily cultivated as any other 

 currant with which I am acquainted ; but the wine 

 is not so easily made as other currant wines, on 

 account of its pulp. 



The currants should be fully ripe and collected 



