140 * More About Heating Green-Houses. 



was, in a very short time, estimated at its proper value by practical 

 men. Modifications of the above method have, from time to time, 

 been introduced, but " wouldn't take." 



Heating by heated air, collected in a chamber round the furnace, 

 called by Mr. Beaton " Kid's System," the main features of which are, 

 a very secure fireplace^ a damper in the chimney, an opening from the 

 chamber into the air-flue which goes into the house, and means for 

 admitting the external air into the chamber at pleasure, will, I have no 

 doubt answer admirably for small houses. But where much is to be 

 done, nothing that I have yet seen equals hot water. 



The simplest form of heating with which I am acquainted, is with 

 brick stoves, as done by Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, England. 

 The best example of this method that I have yet met with, is at Messrs. 

 Lanes', Berkhampstead, England, where a house some eighty or ninety 

 feet long is heated, and pretty well forced, too, with a brick stove 

 placed at one end. But I would add, the formation of the house is 

 well adapted for this method of heating. For merely keeping out frost, 

 a brick stove, with an evaporating pan, answers every purpose, equal to 

 the most expensive system. Mr. Strong says, " with our most popular 

 boilers the smoke flue continues to be quite hot when the direct draft is 

 on." True, but unless a little town of hot-houses is to be heated from 

 one boiler, it is quite unnecessary to kee]^ on full di^aft after a fire once 

 gets burnt clear. The damper over the furnace should then be nearly 

 shut, and a very small hole in the ash-pit door is sufficient to keep up 

 perfect combustion ; that is, where an apparatus is correctly put up. 



At one place we had three boilers at work ; one, the common sad- 

 dle, another, a saddle with tubular fire-bars, and one a conical. Of the 

 three, all things considered, we preferred the common saddle-back. I 

 may state, as showing how unnecessary it is to allow a large quantity 

 of heat to escape up the chimney, that we had a cork stopping a hole 

 in the chimney, about three feet above the damper, for one entire 

 winter ; and although we had in work forcing house, green-house, and 

 pits, the end of the cork was scarcely charred. 



In so far as covering the boiler etc., it is usually placed somewhere 

 w^here th« heat is needed. If covered with brick, the heat absoi^bed 

 must be given out again, no matter how slowly ; if covered with a steel 

 plate, it would be soon hot, and just as soon cold. It would seem that 

 a man of long practical experience can succeed with either method, but 

 for the amateur, matters need simplifying, and perhaps the simplest form 

 is the flue ; but a very great deal may be done with an ordinary stove. 



Baltimore, Maryland. N. F. F. 



