Apparatus for heating Hot-houses. 293 



doors ; and, on the other hand, the temperature, in the same 

 proportion, can be as quickly raised in case of sudden frost, 

 or discovery of the neglect of the gardener. 



I beg to observe, that, from notes taken for a month to- 

 gether, by Mr. Palmer himself, on a Sikes's self-registering 

 thermometer, there did not appear, at any one time during 

 the night, a variation of more than 2|°, and very often not one 

 degree, although there were at times 7° of frost out of doors. 



This furnace will burn the hardest stone or Welsh coal. 

 I am, Sir, yours, &c. 



A. M. Perkins. 



London, 2 1 . Great Coram Street, 

 Brunswick Square, March 15. 1832. 



The gardening world are much indebted to Mr. Palmer for his liberality 

 and public spirit in risking the application of this new mode of heating, on 

 an extensive scale, in his hot-houses, at Parson's Green, near Fulham, 

 Middlesex. We have before noticed (p. 236.) that we examined these 

 hot-houses, talked with the gardener on the subject, and were much 

 satisfied with the plan. Mr. Perkins has since applied his mode of heating 

 to our small hot-house at Bayswater, and to a green-house connected with 

 it, with the most complete success. The great advantage of the mode, as 

 applied to hot-houses, is the economy in the first erection. Messrs. 

 Walker, who, as we before observed, are the manufacturers of Mr. Perkins's 

 apparatus, state that this, in most cases, will amount to one third of the 

 expense of heating by hot water, according to any of the common modes. 

 With respect to the power of the one inch tubes, it has been demonstrated, 

 by a mathematician and chemist of the very first authority, that as much 

 will be effected by one of Mr. Perkins's one-inch tubes, heated to 300°, as 

 by one of the three-inch tubes, employed in any of the ordinary modes of 

 heating by hot water, when heated to 180°. A second advantage of Mr. 

 Perkins's mode, for hot-houses, is the small space which the pipes occupy ; 

 and this, for houses which have not been built expressly for being heated 

 by hot water, is no small matter. A third advantage is, that the water 

 may be circulated, without regard to whether the tubes are below or above 

 the level of the fire-place. 



But, however favourable this plan may be for heating hot-houses, the 

 advantages for that class of structures are as nothing compared to those 

 which it offers for heating dwelling-houses, and all kinds of manufactories. 

 This will be understood at once, when it is stated, that the water may be 

 circulated, under ordinary circumstances of attention to the fire, at from 

 300° to 600°; and, with extraordinary strength of pipe, and application of fuel, 

 to a still higher degree. It is found that 400° will roast meat. The work- 

 men in the bank-note printing-office of Messrs. Perkins and Bacon have 

 dressed a beefsteak at the farther extremity of the pipe of hot water used 

 for heating the steel plates ; and Mr. Perkins is constructing for himself an 

 oven for roasting by water. It is easy to see, that, in a very short time, 

 this will lead to extraordinary and most beneficial changes in domestic 

 arrangements ; and that, if we could get rid of our prejudices in favour of 

 open fires, the smoky atmospheres of our great towns would be got 

 rid of at the same time. Water at 500°, or, at least, water at 300°, for 

 the purposes of cookery, and for heating reserve cisterns of cold water, 

 or masses of metal or masonry, for various domestic purposes ; including 



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