502 
THE COTTAGE GARDEN Eli. 
March 30. 
time ; but yet, in country places, these hotbeds often 
give just the suitable preparation for the kitchen and 
member, that to keep a temperature of from 
05° to 70° in cold weather costs no little 
amount of fuel, though I readily grant, that 
for a place of the size detailed above, there 
is less real waste of fuel by such an applica¬ 
tion of flues as could be secured by any mode 
of hot-water without flues. Any one who is 
doubtful of this has only to put his hand on 
the chimney where a hot-water apparatus is 
at work in a cold day, and to do the same 
where a similar heat is maintained by a flue 
of some fifty feet in length. 
3. The only difficulty f evor experienced 
in growing Cucumbers and Melons by flues, 
with nothing like such a nice evaporating-pan 
as the above, arose from deleterious gases 
finding their way through the joints of the 
flue, especially when all sorts of rubbish were 
used for fuel. 1 have had boxes of Cucumbers 
in full bearing in March, and looking splendid 
at ten o'clock at night, that in the morning 
had nothing green about them but the fruit. 
The flues were rather old and ricketty, and 
an explosion had done all the mischief, 
though there was scarcely the smallest crack 
perceptible. To guard against such a con¬ 
tingency, I would strongly advise twelve feet 
of the flue nearest the furnace—as much more 
as might be resolved upon—to be built with 
brick on bed, instead of brick on edge. It 
is true, that such a fine would not be so 
easily heated, and, therefore, would not be 
suitable for a greenhouse, where, in general, 
sudden heats are chiefly wanted to meet sudden 
frosts, but strong continuous heats are wanted 
for such plants as the Cucumber if forced at all early, 
and, therefore, though the thick flue does not heat so 
quickly, it retains the heat longer, and nothing is, 
therelore, eventually lost, while a more uniform tem¬ 
perature is maintained, and danger from explosion of 
gases reduced to a minimum. 
4. Supposing, then, that it is resolved upon to have 
such a pit, is the one indicated suitable in size? Taking 
it at five feet in the clear, 1 presume the front-wall is 
intended to bo about three feet nine inches, and tire 
back-wall close upon hve-and-a-half feet. Now, allowing 
fifteen inches of soil, though Melons would enjov three 
more, and fifteen inches from the soil to the rafters, 
which would make, with six inches more for slate ami 
rubble drainage, three feet in all, there would be re¬ 
quired at least two feet more for chamber, so that, at the 
least, the front-wall would require to be four feet nine 
inches, or five feet, and the back-wall six-and-a-half 
feet in height, or six feet would do, if Cucumbers were 
wanted only towards the end of April, and Melons 
in .June and duly. 11 wo did not go oven higher 
than six-and-a-half foot, the reason would chiefly 
be for the saving of brick. The chamber could not 
well bo less than two feet in depth, and if per¬ 
fection was desired, one-and-a halt feet more would 
be better still, as then the heat would bo more 
softened, and loaded with vapour before entering the 
house. I once had to do with a splendid, most expen¬ 
sively-built Cucumber-house ; the produce of which I 
have never seen surpassed—but more than double the 
width of the one under consideration. It was heated 
chiefly by flues in a chamber, and others that gave 
suiface-heat, the chief peculiarities were two. First, 
the chamber was so large that a person could walk 
along it stooping. The second was, that a boiler was 
placed over the furnace always supplied from a cistern 
This boiler had a pipe attached to its 
flower-garden, and, therefore, the produce costs little 
but the labour; but let all heaters of pits by flic re¬ 
covered in by a layer 
and, lastly, soil i. 
of slates, then 
and ball-cock. 
A. hot air chamber 
“ crocks,” &c., h., 
n. and c. flues, ‘‘ flow and return.” 
n. pan of galvanised iron full of water, 
n. opening for cold air near the ground, which after being 
heated and moistened passes into the. pit above the soil, 
by a series of drain-pipes, r., then up, and finally out at 
tilted sash g. 
k. series ot drain tiles to admit cold outer air on favourable 
occasions. 
f’it to be five feet wide in the clear ; length twenty-four feet; 
flues and pan running the whole length. What will be the 
most desirable height and dimensions of hot-air chamber ? 
and pit ? 
top, three or four inches in diameter, and some four feet 
in length, from which, in proportion to the heat of the 
lire, steam was discharged into the chamber, and then 
there were plug-holes for letting this mild vapour into 
the atmosphere ot the house at will. 1 know of several 
imitations, but in no case was the success so uniform, 
and that chiefly owdng to false economy in having a 
chamber not the third of the depth, and, therelore, the 
heat and the steam were apt to burn and scald tender 
plants. I hero would not be quite so much danger in 
the present caso owing to the pan of water; but a 
moderate depth of chamber would admit of the flues 
being examined without interfering with the covering. 
In fact, without this pun ot water, the slate covering 
would have required to be some twelve or eighteen 
inches, at least, from the flues, to prevent the risk of 
its cracking and breaking. The moisture would greatly 
prevent that. If covered with flag-stone, there would 
not bo the same danger if placed near the Hue. 
5. The mode of giving air at e is much to he ap¬ 
proved ol; also at f, though of less importance there, 
as, when the weather is fine enough to demand abund¬ 
ance, the sashes could be tilted there without any 
disadvantage. The advantage of the openings at k is, 
that the air of the house may be renovated without 
greatly cooling it. Opeuings, similar to f, should be 
placed close to the back wall opposite, and then, though 
the opening at E wore stopped, the air in the house, 
after getting cooled, would pass more easily through the 
chamber again to be heated and moistened. Plugs 
should be furnished for e', as, if the place is to be 
heated economically the oponings must not be liberally 
used in severe weathor. The openings f, front and 
back, should be in the centre of each light; and these, 
too, should be furnished with plugs to shut in the heat 
in the chamber when desirable. For instance, if you find 
the heat ot the soil not quite so warm as you would 
