Fire Hot-Beds. — 73 



watering — may in a measure be overcome by placing shallow 

 pans upon the flue under the floor of bed, and keeping them 

 constantly supplied with water. 



The Michigan Agricultural College has recently built a fire 

 hot-bed which comprises some very meritorious features, and the 

 description given by C. S. Crandall in " Popular Gardening" 

 well deserves a place here. " Our fire hot-bed," says Mr. Crandall, 

 " was not alone a hot-bed, but combined a small forcing house 

 where we could work under the glass, and a tool room twelve 

 feet square. Depth ofexcavation, and position offurnace is indicated 

 in illustration. The hot-bed, six feet by sixty feet,was excavated full 

 width, one foot deep at the chimney end and three feet at the 



Length Section of Fire Hot-Bed. 



other, and was fitted with frame same as for an ordinary bed. 

 Then narrowing the trench to two and one-half feet, it was 

 continued twelve feet to the furnace, where it was lowered six 

 feet from the surface, and continued on this level for furnace 

 bottom and tool room floor. Seen from above, the excavation 

 would appear as in next figure. 



" The dotted line indicates the outline of forcing house portion. 

 This was 1 1 feet wide. The outer walls consist of pieces of two 

 by four-inch scantling set into the ground, boarded on both 

 sides, and the top capped with 2 by 6-inch scantling, on which 

 the rafters and sashes rest. These walls project above ground 

 about 18 inches, and are banked to the top on the outside with 

 earth. Upright pieces of scantling placed against the sides of the 



Tool Room 



. 12 X 12 FT 



—■- 



Hot Bed 6x60 ft. 



Vj 



Ground Plan of Fire Hot-Bed. 



trench served as supports for the rafters. Five sashes are used on 

 each side. The adjoining tool room wall formed one end, the 

 other was double-boarded down to the hot-bed frame, with which 

 it was connected. 



