HEATING COLD FRAMES BY HOT WATER, ETC. 151 



A letter was also read from the Ilingham Agricultural and 

 Horticultural Society, conveying the thanks of that Society' for a 

 similar invitation, and stating that an appointment would be 

 made at an early day, of which, the Society would be notified as 

 soon as made. 



Adjourned to Saturday, March 15, at half-past eleven o'clock. 



MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. 



Heating Cold Frames by Hot Water or Steam Pipes, and 



Growing Black Hamburg Grapes Under Glass 



that is Otherwise Used in Winter. 



By William D. Philbrick, Editor of the Massachusetts Ploughman, Boston. 



Five years ago I made my first experiments in growing dande- 

 lions in a frame heated by a circulation of hot water. 



The bed was one hundred and ninety-five feet long and twelve 

 feet wide, covered by one hundred and thirty sashes, and was 

 heated by one and a quarter inch water pipe, supported on 

 the inside of the plank frame four inches below the glass, which 

 was covered at night by straw mats in cold weather. This season 

 has been so mild that no mats have been required. 



The dandelion roots were transplanted from the field in Septem- 

 ber ; the glass was placed on the frame about the middle of 

 December, and the firing of the boiler was begun about Christmas. 



The dandelions were marketed in February, producing an 

 average of just a bushel to each sash, and were cleared off before 

 the crop from the cold frames came in. 



As fast as the dandelions were cleared off, the bed was sown 

 with radishes, with every third row Short Horn carrots ; the 

 radishes were sold in April ; the glass was then taken oflT to 

 another frame heated by manure for cucumbers, and the carrots 

 were marketed in June. The result was highly satisfactory. 



The next year I repeated the experiment, using, however, a 

 single one and a quarter inch steam pipe on the south side of the 

 bed twelve feet wide. The dandelions near the steam pipe were 

 somewhat drawn by the excessive heat of the pipe, but were not 

 much injured. Instead of carrots, I sowed parsley with the 

 radishes this time ; and it came to market in May and sold 



