222 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 8. 
ratus, a model of which was shown at the Exhibition, 
and it is giving us perfect satisfaction in every respect. 
| The house altogether is a cheap one; the dimensions are 
! thirty feet by twelve feet. We have a walk through the 
centre, and a bed at back and front; one for the growth of 
cucumbers, and the other for pines. The bottom-lieat is 
supplied by stout zinc tanks, two feet wide and three inches 
deep, passing under the beds, and the house can be filled 
with vapour from them, if required, by means of ventilators 
I on each side of the walk. For top heat we have three- 
j inch How and return pipes, passing along the front of the 
! house over the hue which is carried inside close to the 
front wall. The pipes are supplied from a large zinc feeder, 
which stands at the end of the walk, and is connected with 
the how and return pipe by one-inch lead pipes ; this throws 
off much heat at the coldest end of the house, and supplies 
us with warm water. The how and return pipes, from the 
boiler to the tanks and pipes, are one-inch lead pipes, and by 
means of stop-taps we can heat all or only one at once, 
although they are on different levels. The boiler is very 
small and cast with four arms.” 
Finding that the plan was successful, we next 
obtained from Mr. Pannell the following details :— 
“ I will first explain to you its capabilities, namely, to give 
a moist or dry bottom-heat. If a moist heat, as for pines, 
cucumbers, <fcc., then, when required , to give a dry top-heat 
to absorb the superabundant moisture in dull winter 
weather; but when solar heat can be had, then to turn the 
top-heat into the tank underneath. For growing melons, to 
give a di - y bottom-heat, and top-heat also, and if a little 
moist bottom-heat is required, to be able to give it. To 
heat churches, or any other buildings, baths, &c. in the 
most economical manner. The apparatus consists of a 
retort boiler, two feet high and five inches diameter, with 
two flow and two return pipes, a circular boiler, in which the 
retort is enclosed, fourteen inches in diameter at bottom and 
twelve inches at top, with space left for the flow and return 
pipes of the retort to go through, which, when set, is filled 
between with brick, but the space is but three inches wide, 
so that it is soon stopped. The space for the water in the 
circular boiler is two inches, and it has also two flow and 
two return pipes ; also a flue running round the outside for 
fire draft three inches. Then, I have a plate over the top 
with a boiler cast in, nine inches by six and three inches 
deep, with a flow and return in that, so that when the 
fire is lighted the retort boiler is completely enveloped 
in fire, the inside of the circular boiler also, and a fire- 
draft round the outside also; then, the fire in ascending 
to the flue strikes against the plate boiler and heats it, so 
1 that I think I have economised the fire in almost every 
j conceivable way. I have a supply hole in my plate to back 
! the fire up with at night; and when I want to generate 
steam, I have a tin boiler made to fit the hole, by which I 
, can generate steam to fill the house quickly. I have, also, 
a hot air chamber round my brickwork, and by having a 
cold air drain in at bottom, cause a continual flow of pure 
rarified air to be brought into the house, which, I think, 
j makes my apparatus complete. The price for the apparatus 
complete, and superintending fixing, is £8 8s., a third-class 
fare by rail from and to London, and my refreshment, &c., 
i where I go. I will undertake to provide cast-iron pipes, of 
any size required, as cheap, and I think cheaper, than can 
j be had anywhere in London, as I have it all cast at a 
1 furnace in Derbyshire where the iron is made." 
\ “ I herewith enclose you a sketch, or I may say a vertical 
i section, of my heating-apparatus, with a referential explana¬ 
tion. A is a retort boiler, two feet high, set in the centre of 
a circular boiler, B B, which has an opening to allow the 
two flow and two return pipes to pass through ; g g are two 
flow, and h h are two return pipes to the circular boiler, 
B B, which is the same height as the retort, and is fixed so 
that the fire acts quite round the inside, and nearly all 
| up the outside, as shown by the arrows; at F is the fire¬ 
place and bars ; L L L L are two inlets and two outlets into 
a hot-air chamber, 0 O , which conveys a constant stream of 
warmed air into any part of the house required. C is a 
boiler, cast in a plate two feet wide and two feet six inches 
long, and is laid over the fire-flue, which is shown by the 
arrows aud. m, by which, the fire passing along the flue, the 
water is heated, and carried either to the pipes, or tank, as 
required; w is a circular cover, fitted to a feeding hole in 
the plate, for the convenience of making up the fire at night, 
which can be left for ten or twelve hours; d d, and e e, 
are parts of the flue communicating with m. The apparatus 
can be applied so as to give a moist bottom and top heat, or 
a moist bottom and dry top heat, or a dry heat altogether if 
required. In fact, I think I may truly say it fully answers 
the appellation I gave it, namely, The Artificial Climate 
Producer. It can be regulated by stop cocks, and applied to 
any hot-water pipes, or tanks, now in operation, if required.” 
PEACH FORCING. 
About the middle of January is an excellent time to 
begin Peach Forcing, and if all goes well, first-rate fruit 
| may be expected a little before Midsummer; they will 
both possess more flavour, colour, and size, than those 
from earlier attempts. To have them in May—and 
they are seldom produced earlier of any quality—forcing 
must begin in the early part of December. 
The first process is to put the house in order. It not 
unfrequently happens that some defect has occurred in 
the trees; something that requires re-arrangement; 
perhaps a fresh tree to be planted. When such is the 
case the old soil must, as far as possible, be excavated ; 
and this, where other trees grow near, is a somewhat 
nice operation. There are many fine kinds adapted 
for in-door work, and amongst the rest, the Royal 
George is always in high esteem; for it is not only good, 
but large, and of a very hardy constitution. We would, 
however, strongly recommend the old Bellegarde or 
Galande as, in our opinion, the one best Peach in the 
kingdom; in flavour decidedly superior, and scarcely 
second to any other in size; whilst it will produce a 
smaller proportion of “ crabs,” or tasteless fruit, than 
most others. 
The old and worn-out soil must be removed, then, to 
the very drainage, and all soil extricated from the roots 
of the adjoining trees that their roots will permit; and, 
indeed, it is necessary to take some liberties in this 
respect to steal a march on them; an opportunity is 
thus afforded of renewing or refreshing the established 
trees. The drainage, of course, will be examined, and, 
if anyways deranged, set right; for no success can be 
hoped for with the Peach and Nectarine if the bottom 
be stagnated: the utmost freedom for the escape of 
moisture is requisite both in the soil and subsoil. We 
have known a house cast most of its fruit annually 
through stagnation of soil alone. A depth of thirty inches 
may be allowed in-doors, and nearly three parts of the 
compost should be a sound loam, such as the nursery¬ 
men about the Metropolis approve of for general potting 
purposes, and known by the name of Norwood loam. 
Not that we would have everybody go to Norwood; it 
is merely pointed to as an example. Neither should it 
be understood that this celebrated Norwood loam is the 
very best in all England; for it is probable that, let a 
person be situated in almost any part of the kingdom, 
