THE FORCING GARDEN. 



535 



comfort of those who have the attending of the fires, as well as 

 to prevent the fires from being affected by the wind or state of 

 tlie weather. 



Each furnace, if at any distance from the others, should be 

 furnished with an iron shovel and hoe, for the feeding of the 

 fire, as well as to clear the neck from any cinders or ashes that 

 may accumulate there, which, if not removed, would prevent the 

 free burning of the fuel. 



FUEL. 



Fuel of different kinds has been used for heating hot-houses, 

 but none are found to answer the purpose better than coal, or 

 coal and cinders mixed. Those coals which produce the least 

 smoke are to be preferred, and the smaller they are, the better. 

 Wood has been often used, where coals are expensive, but from 

 its combustible nature, it gives out its heat too rapidly, and 

 soon burns out. Turf has been used in some places, but is 

 also far inferior to coal. Cinders and turf are rather a better 

 fuel, and have also been tried. Charcoal and coke are often 

 recommended, and are of all other kinds of fuel the least 

 accompanied with smoke. 



Mr. Knight has recommended what he calls an economical 

 fuel, and which he describes in one of his numerous papers in 

 the Hort. Trans, as being composed " by making bricks of 

 clay and coal-dust, in the proportion of one-third of its bulk 

 of the former." With these, he says, he has been able to 

 keep up a regular and high temperature at little trouble or 

 expense, and calculates upon the ashes and burnt clay as being 

 a valuable manure. It is not uncommon to see the peasantry 

 in many places make balls in a somewhat similar manner, by 

 mixing coal-dust and mud or cow-dung together. The best 

 fuel, however, for this purpose, is the small of Newcastle coal, 

 and this will be found the cheapest in most cases ; however, 

 coal and cinders mixed make very steady and lasting fires, and 

 are most generally in use. 



STEAM, AS APPLIED IN THE HEATING OF FORCING-HOUSES. 



It is only very recently that any information has transpired 

 on the subject of steam, applied to the heating of hot-houses, 



