January 9. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
299 
HEATING P.Y WASTE STEAM FROM BREWERY— 
NEW THERMOMETER. 
“ At the oast end of ray house is a stable ; it stands eleven 
feet back from the front of the house, and forms a recess 
with the house and garden wall, twenty-seven feet long, by 
eleven feet wide; in that recess I propose erecting a green¬ 
house. The reason why I trouble you is to ask your opinion 
as to the mode I intend heating it. To the east of the 
stable there is a brewery ; the steam-pipe used for heating 
the brewery makes its exit at the back of the brewery, 
about forty feet from where I intend building my green¬ 
house. The ground where the brewery stands is a good deal 
lower than the front of the house; and the place where the 
waste steam escapes is about three feet lower than the 
ground level of the proposed greenhouse. Would it an¬ 
swer to continue the steam-pipe in a conduit underground, 
to the greenhouse, and bring it out under the stage, and 
coil three or four times backward and forward, then take it 
out against the back wall ? The steam-pipe that comes out 
of the brewery is one-and-a-quarter inch lead-pipe; would 
pipe of the same size be sufficient to continue it to and 
through the greenhouse ? Should the pipe in the conduit be 
supported on pieces of wood, as wood is a worse conductor 
of heat than bricks or stone ? I shall feel obliged if you will 
give me your opinion of the above, with any improvement 
you can suggest. 
“ I see in 1 Chambers’Journal,’ for October 31st, that ‘ The 
Ivew Committee appointed by the British Association have 
done good service, for they have at last made a Thermometer, 
which is a standard, and not a toy, and which can he sold 
for -Is. Od.’ Pray can you inform me where they can be 
bought ? as most of the thermometers are little better than 
toys. I never had two but they varied considerably in 
certain parts of the scale.—A. D.” 
[We see nothing to prevent your proposed mode of heat¬ 
ing your greenhouse answering admirably. The house 
itself will be a great improvement in the position. We 
would have a large tap where the steam now escapes, so 
that it could be let off there, when not wanted for the house. 
There is one thing that rather confuses us. You speak of 
the steam-pipe that heats your brewery, and the place 
where the wort-steam escapes. Now, we can easily see how 
the first named pipe would heat your greenhouse, if always 
to be had when required; but could have no faith in the 
influence of the latter, at the distance of forty feet. Pre¬ 
suming the former is meant, after adding the tap, continue 
the leaden pipe until you get to the house, leaving a small 
hollow space all the way, with an opening at each end, and 
1 thus you will always be getting fresh heated air into the 
house when the tap is turned on. When the pipe reaches 
the house, you might connect it with iron pipes three times 
the size, or even of the same size as the leaden pipes, and 
surround them with a mass of stones, clinkers, <&c., which 
will both regulate and moderate the heat: the steam, in 
either case, escaping as you propose. Such a mode of heat¬ 
ing, with the heating almost always at command during 
winter, would enable you to give more air, and thus keep 
your plants moie healthy than they would be in a closer 
house, and with more difficulty and expense as to a heating 
medium. We believe much may be done with the waste 
heat that flies off from many of our manufactories. Without 
reflecting on others, it would be a greater pleasure to an¬ 
swer questions if all were luminously stated as in the present 
instance. We should hope that the Thermometers you 
allude to will bo advertised, for with such properties, and 
at such a price, the sale would not be limited.] 
HEATING A CUCUMBER-PIT. 
| “ Seeing you did not clearly understand the moaning of 
I what I called a double house, I have sent you a ground- 
plan of it, with the potting-shed, and a pit, as you will see 
by the plan, heated by the same boiler as the house. The 
fire has been constantly kept up for a fortnight, to get the 
heat up in the pit; but the thermometer does not rise 54-5° 
by day, and about 50° by night. The pipes in the pit are 
two-incli bore, dropping a little all round the pit. On the 
pipes I put about fifteen or eighteen inches of brick-bats, 
&c., then one layer of old turf, to prevent the earth from 
running down among the drainage. Should the pipes be so 
much as five-feet-and-a-half from the glass at the back of 
the pit? as it will have to heat through three-and-a-half 
feet of materials of all sorts. L want to put some Cucum¬ 
ber-plants in the pit forthwith ; must I wait for the heat to 
get up, or must it be altered in any way ?—A Young 
Beginner.” 
[If we understand you aright now , it is not the pits of the 
houses beneath which you seem to have no pipes ; but the 
small pit in front of the potting-shed that you are trying to 
heat for Cucumbers. We dislike two-inch-bore-pipes, as the 
water does not circulate freely ; and so far as we can make 
it out, the pipes are quite near enough the sides. You 
would require four, at least, of such pipes, if not six, to 
heat such a place properly for Cucumbers in winter. See 
wlmt has been said to another person, to-day, about seeing 
that the return pipe to the boiler was higher than the top of 
the boiler. Then it matters not how far the pipes were from 
the surface, provided the space between the pipes and the 
soil was filled with good conducting material, such as brick¬ 
bats, stones, &c.; it would only be longer in getting heated; 
but then it would retain heat longer. It is of no use plant¬ 
ing Cucumbers, unless, even in cold weather, you can com¬ 
mand a heat approaching 70°. Wo would enlarge more; 
but there have been several cases quite analagous that re¬ 
ceived full replies. If this is not sufficient, send us an end 
section of the boilers and pit. Be kind enough always to 
refer to the page and number. You say, “ in your last num¬ 
ber," and wo have been obliged to refer back and back to 
p. 119; and thus we lose time.] 
POULTRY. 
CHARACTERISTICS OF HAMBURGHS. 
“ I am induced to address to you the following remarks, 
from reading the * points of excellence in the various breeds 
of Hamburghs,’ contained in your number of December 
5th, at p. 1711. My first remark is on the assertion that 
the more accurate spangling often seen in the hen-tailed 
cock does not compensate for the defect in his plumage. 
I possess both, and am decidedly of a contrary opinion; 
but without taking my pen to defend the ‘ Ilennies ’ at 
length, as might very easily be done, I will wait the final 
decision of the fancy, when the ‘Hennies’ are sure to carry 
off the palm. 
“Your correspondent commits himself very much more of 
want of knowledge in describing the Silver-spangled variety. 
It is absolutely necessary, that ‘instead of black prepon¬ 
derating in the tail,’ the tail must be white, in both cock and 
hen, with only strong tips of Mack at the end of every 
feather; any running at all of black amongst the feathers 
is an eyesore, and depreciates the value of the bird. I 
admit the difficulty of getting first class birds of this (in 
fact, of any other) variety. 1 make these statements with 
more confidence, seeing this (Yorkshire) is the home of 
the Gold and Silver-Spangled, and Silver-Pencilled Ham¬ 
burghs being kept in great numbers in this district. The 
Grey-backed and Grey-tailed birds are at once consigned 
to the pot. The Hen-tailed birds of this variety are very 
scarce; but a friend of mine has got two or three of 
great merit.—F airplay.’’ 
[“Fairplay” objects to our estimate of “Hamburgh 
characteristics,” on two points. Of these, the first refers to 
the hen-tailed cocks, so emphatically condemned at the last 
Birmingham meeting, where they obtained neither prize, 
nor commendation. “Fairplay ” prefers them; we do not; 
but our reasons for this have been so frequently before our 
readers, and the general impression against the Ilennies 
is so strong, that we need say no more. But we are also 
charged with a want of knowledge in describing the tail of 
the Silver-spangled cock. It is, however, uncertain, from 
his communication, whether “Fairplay's” comments apply 
to the sickle as well as to the hen-tailed birds. If the latter 
only be alluded to, the black-tipped white tail would, no 
doubt, be essential; but with these we are not concerned, 
and have said nothing respecting them. Presuming, how 
ever, that his remarks arc intended to include the sickle¬ 
tailed birds, a few words must be said in explanation of our 
statement. 
Wo are perfectly ready to assent to the opinion, that the 
