208 Co7istruction of Fountains for Gardens. 



liable to ignite. We consider it, therefore, to be an extremely 

 dangerous fluid to employ as a medium for conveying heat. 

 We recollect, some years ago, an attempt was made to boil 

 sugar by heated oil ; when an alai'ming explosion took place, 

 that was noticed, at the time, in all the newspapers. Were it 

 not for this danger, oil would, no doubt, answer admirably, 

 both for boiling sugar and heating bakers' ovens ; because it 

 will convey, in an open vessel, from 300° to 400° or upwards 

 of heat. 



Mr. Holmes informs us that he has only, as yet, heated 

 one small oven in this manner, which answered perfectly. It 

 was not in operation on the day when we calkd to see it; but 

 Mr. Holmes is now constructing an apparatus on a much 

 larger scale, which, when completed and in action, we shall 

 examine, and report on to our readers. 



A safer fluid for conveying a high degree of heat in tubes 

 not hermetically sealed is muriate of lime, now most success- 

 fully applied, by Dr. Ure, for boiling sugar. We had an 

 opportunity lately of examining the whole of this process, 

 which was most lucidly explained to us by Dr. Ure ; and we 

 are satisfied that all the bakers' ovens in London might be 

 heated on the same principle as the sugar-boiler which we 

 saw, with immense advantages both to the bakers and to the 

 public. We do not, however, think it applicable to the heat- 

 ing of hot-houses under ordinary circumstances, which is a 

 sufficient reason for the brevity of our remarks. We have 

 shown, in our Fncyclopcedia of Cottage Architecture^ how 

 much has been done by Mr. Hicks in the construction of 

 ovens, and in the production of an excellent and cheap bread ; 

 and also how much reformation is wanted in the formation of 

 the common ovens of the bakers. 



Art. XL On the Construction of Fountains for Gardens. 

 By the Conductor. 



Water, Switzer observes, is " the very life and soul of a 

 garden," whether it be the ground plot of a suburban cot- 

 tage, or the embellished lawn of an extensive villa. Two 

 centuries ago, when picturesque beauty and botanical interest 

 were^little attended to in the gardens of Europe, fountains and 

 architectural decorations were sought after as the grand 

 sources of interest; and one garden was distinguished from 

 another by the expense which had been incurred in its 

 waterworks, and in its mural and sculptural appendages. For 



