188 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January J, 3831. 
prevent damp and fungus. Salads, Cauliflower plants, &c., just 
received less attention. Most of these got, when necessary, a 
little protection without glass. On Monday night the stars got 
clear, and the lights were all shut close, and the tenderest things 
protected with mats or straw hurdles. Anticipating what was 
to come, a nice piece of Snow’s Broccoli, just beginning to form 
their heads, had the base of the plants all along the rows well 
covered up with litter, leaving the tops of the plants out. 
Tuesday morning gave us some 7° below the freezing-point, but 
nothing was injured. Tuesday afternoon gave every appearance 
of the frost continuing, and, therefore, the Broccoli had a little 
rough hay shaken over them along the rows. Celery had stubble 
shaken along the rows and spruce fir boughs laid over it; and 
all the cold pits were covered securely early in the afternoon. 
On Wednesday, all the plants in the houses were examined, 
watering only those that were dry, and not spilling a drop that 
could be avoided. These houses being also used for fruit, no 
more heat was given than was necessary to keep out frost. On 
the Monday and every other day previously when mild a little 
fire had been given to cause the air to circulate freely, and prevent 
the tendency of young cuttings to damp. The frost now seeming 
to set in, the houses were examined early in the morning, and 
no fire given if there was enough heat to keep all safe. The 
houses thus being cool during the day, little or no air was • 
necessary, unless the sun w : as very hot, which it has not been 
above a few hours during the week. We prefer in cold weather ; 
coolness during the day in preference to letting in too much cold ■ 
air. Strawberries in pots,,&c., were now protected. On Thursday, 
Eriday, and Saturday, we filled the ice-house, doing nothing in ! 
the garden but keeping all right, and wheeling manure, &c., the I 
ground being like flint. A couple of inches of snow helped us I 
much in the way of protection. Having ascertained that the ! 
plants in cold pits had a temperature of from 33° to 35°, they 
have never been uncovered nor had air since Wednesday. Being 
short of protecting material, I only wished the snow had come 
deeper. From Wednesday to Monday the thermometer has 
ranged from 6° to 16° below the freezing-point at night, when 
placed against a wall five feet from the ground, and much lower 
in the open ground. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, a 
little fresh litter was thrown over the pits and frames, or what was 
there broken and turned with the fork on the surface to keep it 
loose, and to compel the frost to begin its radiating of heat 
afresh. On Tuesday or Wednesday, I forget which, the boiler 
that heated the conservatory gave way, it was wrought iron and had 
done good work for about twenty years. My employer wished to 
have one from the same firm that put up the other one, and I 
found that though I sent specific directions, I had a man to look 
at it on Sunday, and I suppose I shall consider myself lucky if I 
get one in a week or a fortnight. If I had been nearer London 
I should soon have settled the matter. On examining the boiler 
I found I could put my fingers through it, so doing anything 
with that was out of the question. I might have made a furnace 
of it, and tried to get some heated air in the pipes instead of 
water; but the holes and the mode of setting the pipes told me 
I should fill the house with smoke. There w r as a short flue in 
the back wall; and taking out the iron opening for cleaning, we 
put a fire in the flue, leaving a small opening for draught. We 
found, however, that this would do little to keep out such a 
frost. I should at once have covered the house with tarpaulin, 
&c., but then I had nothing of the sort, and nothing except 
some pieces of thin Nottingham netting, except what were in 
use. I then recollected seeing an old iron stove that had 
been standing unused for a number of years. This was got 
hold of, but it had only a nozzle for smoke-pipe six inches 
long; but a pipe that would fit six feet long was found, and 
therefore we resolved to use it directly. The stove is paral¬ 
lelogram-square-shaped, 18 inches in the square, and 33 inches 
high. We placed the stove in the middle of the house, and 
so that by cutting a square of glass in the front we should get 
the end of the pipe a foot or eight inches beyond the glass. 
There was a double top to the stove. The first went inside, and 
all round and on the top. We covered this with sand to prevent 
the smoke coming out, and then placed the top on it, which 
laps over an inch. From being so long unused we found the 
smoke came out at the four joints up the four sides, and incon¬ 
siderately we daubed them up with putty, which stopped the 
smoke, but gave us a nasty smell in the house for a day after¬ 
wards. We did the joints afterwards with white lead, and since 
then a person would hardly know there was a stove in the 
bouse. I was aware that a long horizontal pipe from these 
stoves was objectionable; for we could not get it to draw well, 
until, by finding some old tin pipes and a short elbow we were 
able to give the pipe an elevated termination. Then it burned 
well, and enabled us to keep the house not lower than 35°. 
Next day we procured some plate-iron pipes, and, altering the 
position of the stove, we kept the six-foot cast-metal pipo about 
eighteen inches from the front of the house ; aifd then an upright 
pipe, hilly ten feet long inside the house, and going through a 
square of glass, rose about eighteen inches outside, and had a 
cowl to fit on these to prevent the rains falling in. These pipes 
are about three inches and a half in diameter. This morning 
the thermometer was 18° below the freezing-point, and the house 
was half a degree above freezing. To give an idea of the power 
of these stoves, and that Mr. Rivers has not said a word too 
much in their favour when placed inside the house, I may 
mention that the house is 55 feet long, 20 feet wide, half span ; 
centre ridge 20 feet from the ground ; back wall inside 12 feet, 
with ventilators in the wall; front wall 2 feet 9 inches ; glass 
front above nearly 10 feet; and that, with the exception of the 
wall at back and front and the doorways, the whole of the rest 
is iron and glass. I subjoin a section of the house showing 
where the pipe goes through the roof, and also of the stove. In 
the latter we have burned coal and coke. The opening for 
putting in the fuel is very small. A metal drawer acts as the 
ash-pit and fits pretty close, above which are small openings as 
ventilators. The weather being so severe we could not clean it 
out, except once in the forenoon or middle of the day ; allowing 
the fuel to burn out previously, and then pouring in a quart or 
two of water, and in half an hour or so afterwards picking out the 
clinkers with a wire and the hand. 
In using for such stoves fuel that would clinker at all, it 
would be a great improvement if they could be made with a 
swing grate, as described by Mr. Allen the other week; and 
then, by having a larger opening for the ash-pit, though made 
to fit close, the clinkers could be removed at once. Of course, 
if such stoves were used often fuel could also be used that would 
burn and leave no clinker. Whilst on my mind, I may also 
state that I and others would be obliged to Mr. Allen to give 
the address of his friend who designed and made the small 
boiler, and also the price, with everything suitable to fix it. I 
think the smallest retort boiler costs about two guineas, and the 
smallest tubular about the same. If there is room to give the 
sections, it will be seen that the small stove has no division like 
(hat shown page 120, nor a break like that shown page 121. 
With two such stoves I believe that such a barn of a house 
might be kept 3afe ; and though the trouble should be greater in 
attendance, the expense for fuel would be much less than for 
fuel either for flue or boiler. 
CHRISTMAS MID-DAT. 
A stinging night and no mistake. Thermometer last night 
down to 12°. Tried to throw some straw on roof of conser- 
