364 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULmRE AND COTTAGE GARDENED. 



[ May 19, 1863. 



THE BEST BOILER FOE HEATING 

 HORTICULTURAL STRUCTURES. 



Fob several years past I have had the care and management 

 of sundry kinds of boilers, and I have no hesitation in saying 

 that the upright tubular boilers are the most powerful and 

 effective. It is a well-known fact that hot water will flow much 

 faster in a vertical tube than in one laid horizontally ; and al- 

 though this is the case, mo6t of the upright tubular boilers have 

 horizontal firebars, and only one communication between them 

 and the boiler. I think this plan defective. I think there ought 

 to be as many communications as possible, and this should be 

 direct ; for 1 am quite certain there is in a red hot furnace a most 

 intense heat upon the tubes over the fire, and the faster the 

 water can circulate out of them the better. 



Twelve monthB ago last March my employer had the vineries 

 and conservatory refitted with new boiler and piping. All the 

 Vines were taken out of one house and replanted. Mr. T. C. 

 Clarke supplied the heating apparatus and piping. It was 

 suggested to have a £20 saddle boiler, but a9 Mr. Clarke stated 

 that his No. 1 boiler would be sufficient, the cost of which would 

 only be ten guineas, I thought we could not do better than have 

 it ; but certainly, when I saw it being put in, I fearad it 

 would be scarcely large enough to heat one house instead of 

 four. We have three vineries about 65 feet long by 16 wide, 

 and seven rows of pipes in each, houses- then we have a con- 

 servatory to which the mains from the boiler are connected, 

 about 30 feet from the vineries, which is about 55 feet long. 

 I suppose altogether there will be from 600 to 700 feet of piping, 

 and I feel certain, if it was required, in the course of an hour I 

 could get the water to nearly a boiling heat throughout all 

 the pipes. 



I have now had this boiler at work better than twelve months, 

 and I have no hesitation in saying that it is the easiest boiler to 

 manage I ever had to do with. The two great improvements 

 effected in the construction of this boiler are the water-jacket 

 furnace, which is of great Btrength, and a simple ingenious 

 invention, placed over the top of the boiler to keep in the heat. 

 This is effected by means of two slides fitted on each side of the 

 plate, called the deflecting flue-plate, which can be opened or 

 shut at pleasure. When closed the heat is kept in close contact 

 with the boiler. In most of the other constructions I have had 

 to do with the damper has been placed some distance from the 

 boiler ; consequently, muoh of the heat passes into the flue, 

 whereas, if it were cut ofi? close to the boiler, it would be kept at 

 the boiler. 



I also consider this boiler the most economical one I ever had. 

 A gentleman stated the other day, who has one the same size as 

 mine, that he had a range of houses, about 70 feet in length by 

 15 wide, consisting of a stove, one vinery, and two greenhouses, 

 that two tons of common gas coke had lasted him since Christmas. 

 This at 6*. 8d. per ton would only be 13s. id. for the whole 

 winter. Common gas coke suits these boilers beat ; but they 

 will almost burn anything. 



There is another excellence in these boilers — they never get 

 choked up with soot. There are two small soot-doors in front 

 for cleaning the flues out occasionally ; but they do not require 

 it more than once in two or three months. I should recommend 

 No. 2 boiler for this reason — it holds more fuel than No. 1. 

 It has been lately fixed up in this neighbourhood, and is heating 

 1200 feet. Mr. Perrings, the head gardener, states that it does 

 jtB work very satisfactorily ; and I believe he is a good judge. 

 He is one of the oldest members in the Horticultural Sooiety, 

 and one of the growers of the finest Crapes- in the oountry. — 

 R. Cabmylie, Gardener to J. Robinson, JSsq., Toxteth Park, 



THE DISEASES OF THE LARCH. 



TOIZE ESSAY, BY JOHN MOBBISON, CONEY PABK NTJBSEBY, 

 STIRLING, IN THE " TRANSACTIONS OE THE HIGHLAND AND 

 AGBICULTTTBAL SOCIETY OE SCOTLAND." 



The failure of the Larch in this country cannot but be viewed 

 as a serious matter, and deserves the attention of all who are in 

 any way interested in growing the tree or using the timber. 

 Larch has become almost indispensable for certain purposes, and 

 we have no proper substitute for it. Bb rapidity of growth, and 

 the durability of its timber, gave it considerable commercial 

 importance, and any curtailment of the neoeBsary supply would 

 not only be generally felt to be a great inconvenience* but, in a 



money point of view, a heavy, loss. It was supposed by some 

 that the Deodar (Cedrus deodara), would in a few years become 

 the rival of the Larch, the Deodar being also of quick growth, 

 and its wood of excellent quality; but the effects of 1860-1 

 winter's Bevere frost upon this plant will be an obstacle to its. 

 introduction into the market for many years to come. In these 

 circumstances, I consider it to be the duty of every person, 

 having a practical knowledge of the habits of the Larch, or who 

 has watched the progress of the disease from its first appearance 

 in the young plants, to state his views for the information of 

 those men immediately concerned in the cultivation of the tree. 

 And I beg respectfully to submit the following statement as the 

 result of actual experience and observation, not being aware that 

 any one has taken the same view of the case while treating of 

 this subject. 



In reference to the soil most suitable for the growth of the 

 Larch, there is considerable difference of opinion. Although a 

 good medium loam with a dry bottom is that best fitted to bring 

 the timber to perfection, yet for the first twenty or thirty years 

 the trees appear to thrive equally well on strong loam or poor 

 gravelly land. After attaining that age, the result appears to tell 

 more in favour of the loam ; and I believe the finest specimens 

 of the Larch in the north of Scotland are to be found growing on 

 | the edge- of a moss or bog. Nevertheless, in almost every variety 

 of soil we hear of the disease lurking. 



If we examine the effect of situation in connection with soil, 

 although it is found that in some localities a southern or western 

 exposure is most agreeable, in other places the trees do well in an 

 eastern or northern situation ; so that there seems good reason 

 for believing that soil and situation have comparatively little, if 

 indeed anything, to do with the prevalent failure of the Larch. 



To what, then, is the disease attributable? In tracing the 

 history of the Larch from its introduction into this country in 

 the beginning of last century, we may safely conclude that as 

 much care and attention would be bestowed on its cultivation as 

 is now given to that of our more recent and expensive introduc- 

 tions of the Coniferse, and under such management no symptoms 

 of decay appear to have manifested themselves ; but when the 

 quality of the timber became known and appreciated, immediately 

 greater breadths of land were planted, and in very many cases, 

 I am afraid, without suitable preparation or care, either as 

 regards proper selection of seed, draining, or thinning ; and to 

 tBis heedless system of cultivation there can be no doubt the 

 commencement of the disease belongs. 



The Larch thrives on the mountains of the Tyrol, &c, at an 

 elevation of from 3000 to 6000 feet above the level of the sea, 

 and, therefore, it may well be considered sufficiently hardy and 

 suitable for our climate. Although growing in such a high 

 region, the trees mature their seeds much better than in this 

 country ; and admitting that all seeds from the Continent are 

 not got from such elevations, yet throughout they have a warmer 

 and longer summer, while the variable character of our summer 

 and autumn weather does not permit their perfect development. 

 Imported seed is more firm and plump, and generally grows two 

 to one as compared with home-saved. We cannot expect a 

 strong healthy plant from-ahalf-filled half-ripened seed. Although 

 such may germinate, it can only produce a sickly tree, and this 

 in turn brings forth' its kind. We know well that a Larch in 

 an unhealthy state produces double the quantity of cones that a 

 vigorous tree does, and therefore it becomes a most important 

 question, Do the seed-collectors reject this unsound seed, or do 

 they gather indiscriminately ? Being in conversation a short 

 time ago with a well-known Scotch Fir and Larch seed-colleotor 

 in the north of Scotland, I inquired whether it was the general 

 practice for dealers to gather seed from trees which were evi- 

 dently in an unhealthy condition. He stated that suoh might 

 be the case on the part of some seed-collectors, but his own in- 

 variable rule was to take seed only from mature and vigorous 

 plantations ; and he had no doubt whatever that what was 

 gathered from weakly trees produced none but feeble and diseased 

 plants. This statement confirms my own previous conviction, 

 and coming from a gentleman of extensive experience, shows 

 that the disease is largely propagated by inferior seed ; and until, 

 a system of selection obtains, and collectors superintend person- 

 ally the gathering of their seed, in place of buying the cones at 

 so muoh per bushel or peck, we can never hope to eradicate the 

 evil and regenerate the stoek. 



I have no hesitation in Baying that but for a, few of our nur- 

 serymen, who have been in the. habit of importing a quantity of 

 foreign seed annually, and by suoh means infusing,, as it were. 





