258 
TIIE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Jantjaby 29, 1861. 
port the apex of the roof. The lower trellis is 4 feet from this, 
and helps to support the roof, there being no large rafters. A 
four feet space on each side of the centre walk is bricked off from 
the Peach-border for the roots of Grape Yines, which are trained 
round the central arches, and also horizontally along the lower 
part of the valley-side of the roof, the effect of which is exceed¬ 
ingly good when seen from the doorway. 
There is also a path between the lower trellis and the stone 
bench, which, with the shelves, afford much space for wintering 
bedding and other plants, of which a large number are required. 
This house would, of course, be equally suitable for fruit trees 
in pots. The drawing represents the end elevation.—G. E., 
Ford Alley. 
THE PRESENT WINTER AT DARLINGTON. 
Taken at the gardens of Ilenry Pease, M.P., Pierremont, near 
Darlington, commencing December l7t.h, 1860, up to the 31st. 
The thermometer being an excellent upright self-registering one, 
4 feet from the ground, on a proper stand in an open situation. 
Minimum. 
Deg. 
28 . 
Max. 
Deg. 
.... 32 
December 25... 
Minimum. 
Deg. 
.. —10 . 
Max. 
Deg. 
.... 9 
18 
21 
28 
,, 26... 
— 5 . 
.... 17 
19... 
17 . 
... 26 
» 27... 
2 . 
.... 36 
20 . 
19 . .. 
... 31 
” 28... 
17 . 
21 
14 . 
... 32 
" 29... 
... — 3 . 
„ 22... 
... 22-24 . 
.... 29 
30... 
16 . 
.... 33 
.. 23 
11 ... . 
... 30 
„ 31... 
30 . 
.... 35 
" 24... 
4 . 
... 18 
It commenced snowing here on the 17th, as above, at inter¬ 
vals up to the 22nd day, the snow being then to the depth of 
1 foot 3 inches : consequently, all undergrowths had a good 
protection. Yery different to that of the storm of 1837 and 
1838—at least in the south of Scotland—the cover of snow being 
slight on that occasion : nevertheless, it was destructive to many 
shrubs, yet it is doubtful that even the present storm with its 
good cover will prove much more disastrous so far as is yet 
apparent. The common Portugal Laurel has lost its leaves. The 
variegated Hollies are much injured. Aucubas are cut down to 
the surface—in short, all the evergreen tribe of shrubs are more 
or less injured. Again, the summer’s growth of the Peach tree 
on our walls is to all appearance destroyed. 
But should a list of casualties be of any service to you, I 
should have much pleasure in forwarding the same for your 
perusal. 
I beg to annex as follows my statement from January 1st, 
1861, to the 17th, taken at Elenfield Gardens, here, the seat of 
Alfred Hitching, Esq. 
Minimum. 
Maximum. 
Barometer. 
Deg. 
Deg. 
Morning. 
Evening. 
January 
1 
30 .... 
.. 32 . 
... 30 025 . 
..... 30 027 
2 
27 .... 
. 31 . 
... 30-034 . 
. 30-030 
3 . 
16 .... 
. 30 . 
... 29-954 . 
. 30-028 
4 
7 .... 
. 22 . 
... 29-924 . 
. 29 836 
5 
9 ... 
. 30 . 
... 29-826 . 
. 29-842 
6 
17 ... 
. 32 . 
... 29-883 . 
. 29-883 
7 
19 .... 
.. 25 . 
... 29-792 . 
.... 29-956 
8 
. — 5 ... 
. 19 . 
... 29-950 . 
. 29-956 
9 . 
. 11 ... 
. 27 . 
... 20 924 . 
. 29-924 
10 . 
. 17 .... 
. 26 . 
... 29924 . 
.29-980 
11 
14 ... 
. 38 . 
... 29-874 . 
. 29-869 
12 
35 ... 
. 40 . 
... 29-549 . 
. 29-563 
13 . 
. 27 ... 
. 30 . 
... .29-532 .... 
. 29-452 
14 
26 ... 
. 33 . 
... 29-452 .... 
. 29620 
15 . 
. 29 ... 
. 31 . 
... 29-932 .... 
. 29-984 
16 .. 
. 24 ... 
. 36 . 
.... 30-019 .... 
. 29-980 
17 ... 
. 32 ... 
. 37 . 
... 30-020 ... , 
. 30-026 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Jan. 1.—Slight snow until noon. Hazy afternoon. Wind N.E., S.E. 
2. —Morning doll, with frost. Wind N.E. ; evening N. 
3. —Sharp frost all day; frosty at night. Wind N. and N.W. 
4. —An intense frost all day. Wind W. and N.W. 
5. —A mizzling snow until noon ; dull evening. Wind N. and S.E. 
6. —Heavy fall of snow. Evening light, with N. wind. 
7. —Snow showers, with drift. Wind S.W. 
8. —Very intense hoar frost during the day. Wind S. and S.W. 
9. —Dense hoar frost; evening overcast. Wind S.W. 
10. —Overcast and frosty throughout. Wind S.W. 
11. —A partial thaw all day. Wind S. 
12. —A fresh breeze until noon. Wind shifting. 
13. —Hazy all day. Wind shifting. 
14. —Overcast all day. 
15. —Cold and cloudy all day. 
16. —Slight mizzling showers. A partial thaw. 
17. —Thaw all day. Wind W., N., and S. 
It will be observed that on the morning of the eighth day the 
thermometer registered 5° below zero, and on Christmas-day 10 
below zero, and the following morning 5° below zero; again, on 
the 29th, 3° below zero.— Robekt Wilson, Gardener. 
POLMAISE HEATING. 
I snouLD be most willing to wait, as Mr. Beaton recommends, 
until the inventor of the new system of heating thinks proper to 
make himself not only known to the public, but also to state 
whether the description given is correct; but after carefully read¬ 
ing the very minute report, I think I am justified in stating that 
the plan is a good one, and may safely be carried out by any one 
wanting a healthy atmo.phere either for greenhouse or hothouse 
purposes. I have had two such stoves at work between 1848 
and 1859, they were built after the recommendation of the late 
D. B. Meek, the champion of Polmaise heating; but as one of 
your contributors (Mr. Bobson) wrote opposing such system, 
and so many have advocated hot water in opposition, I have 
contented myself till now in being a looker-on. 
Mr. Beaton’s letter is evidently one to which we may expect a 
follower before long, and though this is not a “ child of liis 
own,” he is willing in his enthusiastic manner to adopt it, as he 
does in other cases, when he thinks anything, either new or old, 
good and deserving public attention. 
Mr. Beaton is, very properly, averse to anonymous writers: I, 
therefore, state I put up two stoves at Howard House, Whit¬ 
church, Herefordshire,which are nowin existence,though I have 
-left-the -house after a residence of twenty-one years. The fires 
were frequently in for a month together, and never required 
making up after six or seven o’clock in the evening till six 
o’clock in the morning. I was always a great advocate for a 
large furnace, and did not find it consumed more coal, as it 
could be economised by a proper damper and ash-pit door. I 
have no experience in heating a larger building than my own 
span-roof 30 feet by 16 feet, 10 feet of which were glazed off as 
a hothouse, aud only such heat allowed for the 20-feet green¬ 
house to exclude frost. Owing to the sudden descent of the 
ground the furnace was 7 feet or 8 feet below the floor of the 
greenhouse, which added, as I thought, great advantages to the 
working; for this circulation of hot air is precisely the same as 
takes place with hot water—the greater the elevation of the low- 
pipe, the better and the greater the descent to the boiler, the more 
rapid circulation takes place. 
I am desirous to hasten my remarks on this subject before 
the great unknown tells us his tale and his two years’ experience. 
On the subject of economy of fuel, I can onlv say I used cinders, 
and small coal mixed; and though I sent nine miles into the 
Forest of Dean, each fire only costs Is. 6d. a-week. The at¬ 
mosphere was always most healthy. I built a tank over two 
feet of the flue, and always had warm water. I tried the iron 
plate, but being only three-quarters of an inch thick it cracked. 
I afterwards built a brick arch, which I greatly prefer. The 
furnace was on a four-inch-thick forest stone, supported on four 
brick pillars three bricks high, a nine-inch drain came from the 
floor of the greenhouse under the flagstone. The same sized 
drain conveyed the warm air into the greenhouse, previously 
heating the ten-feet hothouse. I should recommend Sylvester’s 
doors without hinges or fastenings, as they can be regulated to a 
nicety. About four inches from the furnace I built a wall 
enclosing it and the return-flue, the damper being placed just as 
the flue left the chamber. The liot-air chamber was raised two 
bricks above the furnace, and covered over with flat house-tiles 
supported on iron bars. The circulation was most rapid. 
Tobacco lighted and placed at the month of the cold-air drain 
bad to travel 20 feet at least, yet was almost instantly perceptible 
at the hot-air opening. This stove was built inside the house, 
and the flue could be cleaned by taking out a brick with a ring 
attached. The Cucumber-house bad the stove built outside ; 
and as I had to go down four steps to the furnace, aud being 
too much on a level with the house, I never found the circu¬ 
lation so good. 
Several other writers have formerly stated how well Polmaise 
had answered with them; for instances, Mr. Craddock, of 
Coventry, and Mr. Barham, of Hastings. 
I do not think long cold-air drains necessary, as the cold 
will naturally draw to a warm-air opening, and descend any 
channel opened to it. Mr. Meek’s stove was built very like 
what is now known as Rivers’ brick-Arnott-stove, and, having 
built one in the centre of my dwelling-house, I can testify to 
