200 



HEATING AS APPLIED IN HORTICULTURE. 



spoke in the highest terms of, are of cast- 

 iron, 8 inches deep, 6 inches wide at the 

 top, and 4 at the bottom. Very neat 

 wrought-iron covers, in 3-feet lengths, 

 are placed over them, which may be re- 

 moved at pleasure, as a drier or damper 

 atmosphere may be required. We would 

 suggest, as an improvement, to cast these 

 troughs with a groove, say one inch deep, 

 and a quarter of an inch wide, and to turn 

 down the edges of the wrought-iron covers 

 in form of a flange to nearly the same depth 

 as the groove. If the groove be filled 

 with water, and the covers thus prepared 

 and placed in the troughs, very little, if 

 any, moisture would escape through the 

 water-joint, as it may be termed. With 

 the alteration we have stated, we think 

 this mode of heating might be very ad- 

 vantageously employed for general pur- 

 poses. With the covers on, a complete 

 system of horizontal heating would be 

 attained, just as at present when pipes 

 are used, and in that condition heat would 

 be obtained without humidity; while, 

 when moisture was required, it is only 

 necessary to remove one or more of the 

 covers. 



Huyshes mode of tank-heating is very 

 similar to Rendle's, though it differs in 

 this particular, that the depth of water in 

 his tank is 18 inches, instead of 4, 6, or 8, 

 recommended by Rendle — for we find all 

 these depths given. The following is a 

 brief description of Mr Huyshe's stove, of 

 which the annexed diagram, fig. 258, is a 

 plan : — a is a conical boiler ; b b are 



Fig. 258. 



the tanks; c a lid to open, to examine the 

 state of the water, and to admit steam if 

 necessary — which, we think, will seldom 



be the case. As the tanks are discon- 

 nected, the hot water is admitted into 

 the one in the centre of the house by a 

 cast-iron pipe. The water having circu- 

 lated round this tank as shown by the 

 arrows, it passes, by means of another 

 iron pipe, along the back and one end of 

 the house to the front tank ; and after 

 circulating round it, is returned to the 

 boiler by another pipe under the flow-pipe 

 in the usual manner. To obviate show- 

 ing a section of the house where the pro- 

 per position of the pipes would appear, 

 they are here shown as being parallel to 

 each other. Over these pipes is placed 

 a stone shelf, for the reception of plants 

 in pots. As the top of the boiler is level 

 with the floor of the house, the pipe passes 

 under the back passage, and rises into 

 the first tank. These tanks are formed 

 of boarding 2^ inches thick, one of oak, 

 the other of elm, and supported on oak 

 blocks 3 inches thick, to preserve them 

 from decay, but more especially to pro- 

 mote a freer circulation of hot air through 

 the house. The boarding is placed length- 

 ways, and not across, which gives far 

 fewer joints, the bearers under them 

 being about 2 or 3 feet apart. The bot- 

 tom and sides are bolted together by iron 

 bars | of an inch thick, passed through 

 the wood, and screwed up tightly. Each 

 tank is divided by an elm board 1| inch 

 thick, and is covered with common roof- 

 ing slate of the sizes called princesses, 

 24 inches long, and 14 inches broad. 

 These slates were laid on just as they 

 were received, and the joints secured with 

 wetted clay. To render them more secure 

 against vapour, we would have jointed 

 them with the best cement, covering the 

 joints at least 3 inches broad. It is most 

 important, in all cases of tank-heating, to 

 exclude the entrance of steam into the 

 house, unless admitted by the operator. 

 Mr Huyshe finds that, after this volume 

 of water is once heated, fire applied about 

 six hours in the twenty-four is sufficient 

 to keep up the required temperature. 

 He also finds by observation that, if 

 the water is kept at 114° or 115°, the 

 house temperature will be 70° at night. 

 With regard to the loss of heat in tanks 

 of 18 inches in depth, Mr Huyshe asserts 

 that, by experiment, he finds only a loss 

 of 4° from the evening till eight o'clock 

 next morning, no fire being used during 



