March 23, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



213 



1 am enabled to have a larger fire, and the fire heats the water 

 with greater ease than it wonld otherwise do, for it plays on 

 the boiler at once. Without my dead plate I oonld not have so 

 large a fire ; the boiler could not be heated so well, because 

 however much fire were put on, the body of it could not be 

 made to play on the front of the boiler as by my plan. This, 

 of course, will make no difference as to the amount of fuel 

 consumed, as when once the heat is obtained the draught can 

 be reduced by closing the damper, but it certainly brings the 

 heat up to the requisite degree much more quicidy— a great de- 

 sideratum, besides retaining the heat much longer. I consider 

 Jones's terminal saddle boiler a boon to gardeners ; certainly 

 I have found it so, though I do not say it is the best boiler, but 

 it can be set where many others could not. 



Another of my additions is a damper in front of the boiler, 

 besides the four side ones, as I hold that it is very essential 

 to keep the top of the boiler free from soot. The damper in 

 the flue is placed 6 feet from the back of the boiler, the frame 

 of the damper being securely set in brickwork to make it firm ; 

 and I find, after several experiments, that it acts better to have 

 it at that distance than nearer the boiler. Certainly I would 

 not be without this damper, though I have a slide in the ash- 

 pit door. My reason for having a damper in the flae is, that 

 on a frosty morning, after the fire has been raked clean and 

 stirred up (adding a little fuel) as soon as the fire is fairly burning 

 i gradually push the damper in, so as to concentrate the heat 

 about the boiler. When making up the fire for lasting all 

 night, I first of all secure the required heat, and when this 

 is done, I put on a few shovelfuls of fuel, shutting both the fire 

 and ash-pit doors, and, lastly, regulating the damper and the 

 slide according to the weather. 



The^lide in the ash-pit door is another useful adjunct to the 

 boiler. When fully open the space is 3 inches square, and when 

 I leave the fire at night I put double the quantity of draught 

 on the flue as compared to that at the slide. Thus, if I leave 

 3 inches of slide open, which I do on a severe night, I leave out 

 the damper in the flue 6 inches. Both the fire door and the 

 ash-pit door should fit as closely as possible, and the ash-pit 

 should be kept clear. I find that it is most convenient in the 

 morning, when the fire is started, to have a basket and put the 

 ■ashes in at once, and by that time one can see how the fire is 

 going on. When once the fire is thoroughly started, rather 

 than put the poker in to stir the live fire about, I would with 

 the poker gently prick the dust out from between the bars 

 underneath. 



The bars, being tubular, add to the heating power, and reduce 

 ■clinkering to the lowest point ; in fact, I might without ex- 

 aggeration say there are no clinkers. I would advise those 

 who have the old style of bars to make their ash-pit waterproof 

 by cement, and to keep regularly 1 or 2 inches of water in it, 

 "When a fire clinkers, half of the heat is lost. It is of the 

 utmost importance to keep the boiler clean outside and inside 

 by clearing soot away regularly, and running off a portion of 

 the water every week. Great care is needed to keep the side 

 flues of the boiler free from all obstruction, but this will soon 

 be found out by those who have to work a boiler of the de- 

 scription referred to. I make up the fire at 9.30 p.m., and 

 leave it without further attention till 6 o'clock nest morning ; 

 and though we have had a long continuance of severe frost, 

 I always find a good fire in the morning, and plenty of heat in 

 the pipes. 



The fuel used by me in winter is generally coal slack 

 and gas coke in equal proportions, as I believe I obtain a 

 stronger heat from this mixture than from coke alone, and a 

 fire quicker. In summer, when firing is but little required, I 

 use coke, the smoke from slack being objectionable, though I 

 •believe the fames from coke are more injurious to vegetation 

 than those from coal. 



I also attach great importance to having air taps at the 

 highest points of the different houses. I will only say that I 

 have had no less than six such air taps put in since I came 

 here, behoving it to be impossible to heat a long range of 

 houses on different levels without the aid of such taps. 



I now come to the quantity of fuel consumed in four months. 

 5'rom September 9 th, 1870, to January 9 th, 1871, I burnt six 

 tons of slack and coke, the price of which delivered was 8s. id, 

 per ton. For the corresponding period of 1869-70, with a 

 double boiler — that is,|one boiler fiat above the other — I do not 

 know the exact name of the kind, but it ia square ; some call 

 it a Duteh-oven boiler — I consumed eight tons of fuel. So I 

 have saved two tons of fuel besides obtaining extra heat, not 

 io mention the iuereased comfort in working the boiler. The 



lowest temperatures which I have maintained in my houses this 

 winter, have been in the fernery, 55° ; in the early vinery, 40° ; 

 in the late vinery, 38° ; in the Melon pits used for keeping 

 bedding plants, 36°. I give the above readings as the lowest 

 there have been for the last month. I feel confident Jones's bcUer 

 is capable of doing more than I have yet required of it. The 

 conservatory being adjoining the house is heated from its own 

 boiler. 



In conclusion, I may remark that however good a boiler may 

 be, it will not be satisfactory if it be not large enough for the 

 work required. Also, that such a boiler cannot be kept going 

 without sufficient fuel. — Stephen Castle, Bent Hill Gardens, 

 Frestwich. 



CALCEOLARIA CULTURE. 



In August I commence propagating ; for this purpose I use 

 shallow boxes or trays 2 feet long, 18 inches wide, and 3 inches 

 deep, with twelve holes half an inch in diameter, bored through 

 the bottom. The soil I employ is a mixture of equal parts of 

 turf two or three years old, and well-decayed cow dung finely 

 chopped with the point of the spade, not riddled or sifted, the 

 whole well mixed, placed in the boxes, and pressed firm, 

 crocks and sphagnum moss being put into the box previously. 

 About half an inch of river sand is spread over the surface, 

 leaving a space of about half an inch from the surface of the 

 sand to the edge of the box for watering. The cuttings are 

 next inserted, and well closed with a small dibber kept for the 

 purpose of propagating ; they are then watered and placed in a 

 cold frame with ashes at the bottom. They are kept during 

 the day slightly shaded, and air is allowed to pass freely 

 through the frame, except at night. 



When the cuttings have struck and made about an inch of 

 growth, I stop them ; this stopping very soon produces three 

 or four side shoots, and as soon as they are perceptible, I re- 

 move the plants to the orchard house (span-roof), and place them 

 on a shelf in the centre of the house, at about 2 feet from the 

 glass. They require to be stopped again about Christmas. As 

 soon as March has set in, I again remove them to the cold 

 frame, and gradually harden them till the beginning of April, 

 when I take off the lights entirely, and expose the plants to 

 the weather night and day. It the plants are in the least 

 inclined to be leggy, I head them again, but never after the 

 middle of March. In the size of boxes mentioned, I put five 

 dozen cuttings for bedding out, or three dozen for pot culture. 

 I never stop them more than twice, and not after Christmas. 

 I use liquid manure to plants for both purposes. 



The kinds I grow are Amplexicaulis and Aurea fioribunda. 

 The latter is my favourite variety, it has so many good qua- 

 lities, and it is the best for pot work. 



The plants are bedded out from the boxes, and generally 

 take all the soil from the box with them. The turf should be 

 gritty, such as is obtained from road sides ; if it is not suffi- 

 ciently BO, river sand may be added. — John C. Lewis, Sudiury, 

 Derby. 



Weee's liiPEEiAi Potato. — In the article on Potatoes by 

 "D., Deal," Webb's Imperial, alias Dawe's Matchless, alias 

 Glory of England, are mentioned. I tried some once, in 1865 ; 

 my experience entirely coincides with that of "D., Deal," 

 excepting in the flavour, which I found excellent, it being so 

 considered by many friends who partook of them. I found one 

 decided disadvantage, their being very much blighted on being 

 dug up. The crop was enormous, the tubers immense, for the 

 most part, but nearly half rotten. My soil is chalk and rock, 

 with but little mould, though that is very rich. — A Sdbsckibeb 

 OE Twelve Yeaes. 



PEACHES IN THE NORTH. 

 A coekespondent, at page 163, says, " We have now a 

 smallish white Peach sent as a Noblesse (which it is not), that 

 is delicious." I am rather interested in Peaches doing well in 

 the north, and would like to ask Mr. McCnlloch if the Peach 

 noticed above is not the Malta ? also. What is the altitude of 

 the place where they are grown ? I have a few Peach trees 

 here on walls (the general altitude of the place is about 600 feet 

 above the sea-level) ; amongst others I have Acton Soot and 

 Malta. The Acton Soot I consider very valuable, as it just 

 ripens in time to prevent a blank between the house Peaches 

 and those grown outside ; while the Malta is the very latest, and 

 is of as good flavour as the Acton Scot. I had dishes of very 



