HOT WATER AND STEAM. 171 



leled in the history of the world ; neither is the 

 spirit of competition greater among men of sci- 

 ence, than the will of the public is ready, not 

 only to afford their meed of praise, but in almost 

 all apparently practicable undertakings, for the 

 convenience and comfort of the public, gene- 

 rously have they responded with the means of 

 carrying those improvements into effect. 



Steam as regards hothouse forcing, has for 

 some years been attended with the most brilliant 

 results, especially as regards pine growing, but 

 this is doomed to give way to that which pro- 

 duced it, namely, hot water, which is now ad- 

 mitted by all whose opinion is worth receiving, 

 to be superior to all other modes of heating. 



At first I entertained doubts about the hot 

 water having the proper effect in assisting to 

 ripen fruit equal to the fire-heat of a flue, until 

 from study on the evaporations of artificial as 

 well as natural atmospheres, has led me to the 

 conclusion that hot water heating for every de- 

 partment of hothouse forcing, must be, with 

 proper management, attended with unqualified 

 success. 



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