AUGCST, 1912.] 



143 



conical form, so early as 1840, and the 

 tubular, an improvement on the conical, 

 introduced not long subsequently by 

 Weeks, of Chelsea. More than forty 

 years ago the veteran, Henry Cannell, 

 invented 



THE SECTIONAL BOILER, 



and the Trentham, so usual in large 

 establishments, was an even earlier 

 introduction, With our perfected screw- 

 down valves, we can scarcely compre- 

 hend the difficulties the early heating 

 engineers experienced. It was not un- 

 usual to have a boiler for each structure, 

 and an early attempt at heating more 

 than one consisted in leading the heated 

 to an elevated tank with metal plugs, 

 which were withdrawn to allow the 

 water to circulate through the apparatus 

 in the various houses. 



The main principles of circulation 

 were soon discovered, though it was 

 long before the arrangement of pipes 

 was sufficiently simplified. It seems 

 amazing now to think that, quite a short 

 while ago (1829-30), the question was 

 seriously discussed whether iron or 

 earthenware is the better material for 

 the conveyance of the hot water ! 



THE ADVENT OP THE LAWN MOWER 

 marks a definite stage of advance. 

 Until about 1831 all grass had to be cub 

 by means of a scythe, or some other hard- 

 worked instrument ; but at that time an 

 adaptation of Budding's machine for 

 removing the inequalities of cloth came 

 into use. The principle of all lawn 

 mowers is the same as that of the ori- 

 ginal one, but many improvements have 

 been made in the carrying out of the 

 idea. 



STRINGES AND GARDEN ENGINES 

 have been in use for very many years ; 

 but it was not until Reid invented the 

 ball-valve that the type of syringe 

 appeared which is now universally used. 

 This method is adopted to garden engines 

 of all kinds, and has been employed for 

 nearly a century. Vermorel's " Eclair " 

 sprayer is another great improvement, 

 and so ingenious and satisfactory are 

 now most of the sprayers in use that it 



would seem almost impossible to make 

 further advances in this direction. 



FUMIGATING METHODS, 



again, have undergone tremendous 

 changes during the present century. 

 The old way was to sit by an iron fumi- 

 gating pan, feeding the fire with strong- 

 smelling tobacco paper, until the build- 

 ing was sufficiently disinfected. At the 

 present day it is only necessary to 

 arrange the vaporising equipment, 

 apply a lighted match to the fuse, and 

 walk out, knowing that the deadly nico- 

 tine will do its work untended. In the 

 direction of 



PRUNING INSTRUMENTS, 



the advance made has not beea quite so 

 striking. A century ago there were 

 secateurs, averruncators, tree-pruners, 

 and flower and fruit gatherers, and 

 these were quite as common as garden 

 shears, forks, and spades. Of course, 

 the secateurs and French branch-pruners 

 of the present day are superior to the 

 old type. In these, as in most imple- 

 ments, the advance has been in the 

 direction of greater lightness, combined 

 with equal or, perhaps, greater strength. 



If we compare the clumsy methods the 

 early 



TRANSPLANTERS 

 employed, one of which was to prepare 

 the tree to be lifted, and leaving it till a 

 hard frost had rendered the ball of soil 

 hard and unbreakable with the systems 

 which have been in use now for a num- 

 ber of years, the advance will be seen to 

 be very great. The first great step in 

 advance was that by which Sir Henry 

 Stewart studded his park with large 

 trees, the machine used being composed 

 of two wheels and a long pole, what is 

 now termed a janker. It is first illus- 

 trated and described in Menteath's 

 Planter's Guide (1824). A little later, 

 McNab, of Edinburgh, invented a system 

 of raising the trees or shrubs. Then, 

 about fifty years ago, Charles Kelly in 

 Cheshire, successfully, but at great 

 expense, moved large trees up an inclined 

 plane, and lowered them into position 

 in the same way. I am not sure whether 



