HOW TO DEY COFFEE. 
the fire at the other end was dra>vdng in all the damp 
wet air from the pulping-hoiise, and not the fans 
drawing in the. heated air from the store. Clerihew’s 
Patent never took. The modern system of building 
stores, so as to allow of a free ventilation of air 
throughout, by means of fixed open Venetian blinds, 
sloping downwards to prevent the drifting in of rain, 
is now in general use, it being considered better to 
have a thorough passage of air, even although it 
may be damp, than having no air at all, or the hot 
steamy atmosphere produced by Clerihew’s patent. 
Are there any of such extant or still in use i We 
have not heard of them for a long time. 
It is curious no improvement has ever been attempted 
on Clerihew’s original idea (if it was one). -An idea 
has just occurred to myself, which may be open to 
consideration, especially as it would involve no very 
great expense in adapting stores, as at present con- 
structed, to Suit it. It is this : — Lay down on the 
ground floor of the store, about six inches aj art, metal 
pipes, say six or eight inches in diameter : perhaps 
the ordinary galvanized spouting, well soldered up, 
would do. On the top of these pipes, which, if 
strong enough, might even serve as joints, lay the 
E late iron or wire netting. At one end of the store 
ave a furnace and large boiler from which the pipes 
would be constantly kept full of hot water ; the pipes 
would be plugged up, at the far end from the boiler. 
The heat arising from the hot water in the pipes 
would communicate itself to the plate iron or wire 
floor, which would speedily dry wet coflee spread out 
upon it, or even cure that in a more advanced stage. 
The store would not at ail require to be boxed up, 
or air-tight. Indeed I am not sure but a small de- 
tached cheap shed erected on this principle close to 
the pulping-house, into or upon which the w^et coffee 
could be thrown, would be a better plan than making 
any alterations in stores. Any sort of shed would 
do, so that it would be little expense ; the chief cost 
would be the pipes, boiler, and baiiding of the fur- 
nace, and chimney stalk. 
Here is an idea ! Can any one improre upon it? 
There can be no doubt as to the correctness of the 
principle, for, on passing along the passages of some 
of our public buildings m the old country, on a, cold 
winter evening, heated by hot air pipes or water, it 
has sometimes struck us, on passing over the per- 
forated escape air-holes, here is heat enongh to dry 
any amount of w’-et coffee. Now if such a vast amount of 
heat rushes up through an iron perforated ais -hole, of 
about one foot square, what wmuld it be if the whole floor 
was filled with them, or was made of perforated zinc ? 
