521 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 26, 1861. 
the rain goes with the grain of the straw. Straw pulled out 
and the heads cut off before being threshed answers best. The 
annexed figure will give with explanation a good idea for making 
Fig. 31. 
them. A A, are two boards 3 inches broad and 7 feet long; 
B B, are two cross-pieces nailed on them. This forms the under 
side of the frame. Take now two more pieces the same size as 
A A, and nail these at the corners above the cross-pieces, and 
parallel or opposite to the first longitudinal pieces. You will 
thus have two pieces on each side, and in the open space bet ween 
them ; the loose cross-piece C, moves upwards or downwards 
as you like, and is fixed horizontally in any desired position by 
an iron pin passing through it, and similar holes opposite each 
other in the longitudinal pieces. The next thing is to fasten 
this frame as high as may he against the wall of a shed. The 
cross-piece c is to be pierced with other four holes, and through 
these stout cords are taken, just as long as the covers or mats 
are wanted to be, the ends hanging as low as the bottom of 
the frame, and the bulk after passing through the holes in the 
cross-piece c, tied with a running knot over the cross-piece B, 
are left as four bundles on the top to be drawn on as necessary. 
This frame is drawn as for a mat 6£ feet wide, the ends of the 
straw being kept flush, either with the outside or inside of the 
longitudinal pieces A A. In order to make the mats secure at 
the end, a stout hazel rod is fastened to the loose ends of the 
cord, each being drawn tight, so that the end is horizontal and 
square. Small handfuls of straw are laid across on the top of 
the rod, which again is supported by a couple of pins in the 
bottom cross-piece : these parcels of straw when tied firm to the 
rod, and these four ribs of stouter cord, will be from one-lialf to 
three-fourths of an inch in width to 1 inch. To do this expe¬ 
ditiously four pins or needles of wood are made 4 inches long 
and 1 inch wide at the wide end (see fig. 31), and a hole is 
made there, in which smaller cord after being wrapped round 
the stick is passed through the eye. These four needles being, 
therefore, at hand, and yet not in the way, and every fresh layer 
is fastened to the last, with a twist round the central cords, 
and a hard running-knot tie. As the work proceeds more 
centre cords are let down. The cross-piece enables the operator 
to keep all tight and square, and it of course is lowered as the 
mat is nearly finished. Many with straw at command may 
make such mats in bad weather. They are far superior to 
Russian mats. Mr. Fraser, at Luton Hoo, who first made them 
largely on the above plan, was very sanguine about them ; but 
neither he nor myself found them so lasting 
as we expected. On the whole I prefer 
straw covers made also of drawn straw 
when it can be got, or of reeds. We 
generally make them of elm wood because 
we can get it. Deal would be better, D D i>, 
are three longitudinal pieces 3| inches 
wide, inch thick, and feet long; 
D EE, &c., are six cross-pieces nailed on the 
longitudinal pieces, two inches wide and 
three-quarters of an inch thick. This is 
the skeleton. Turn the frame upside down 
and the cross-pieces are the bottom, lay in 
the straw regularly as deep as the thickness 
of the wood when hard pressed, fasten a 
similar piece of wood at each end opposite 
that on the lower side ; for the other four spaces rim a tar string 
above the straw, fastening it first by a tack to the side piece D, 
then to the middle piece, and then in the same way to the other 
side piece. We used to have cross-pieces of wood above the 
bottom cross-pieces, but it made the cover heavier, and the 
cross-pieces prevented the rain running off freely ; the strings are 
better every way. The two end pieces above as well as below 
are necessary to prevent the straw dropping out in dry weather, 
and they furnish a good hold when moving them. Some, though 
in almost constant use, will last several years, and then will 
generally only require fresh straw. Looking them over is a good 
job for labourers in bad weather, who manage to cut them to 
the right size very well. 
Better than these, however, are covers made entirely of good 
red deal, which, half an inch or three-quarters thick, with four 
cross-pieces and a ledge all round an inch deep, will enclose 
a good body of air above the glass, and keep out a great amount 
of cold. I have known some which cost 7s. each, in use for 
fifteen years. I forgot to Bay that the under side of the straw 
cover, with the cros3-pieces of wood, goes next the glass, and 
if fitted neatly they too will enclose a good body of air. To 
save the paint in taking off and putting on, a thin lath should 
be tacked to the side styles of the sashes. 
Shading will seldom be necessary in forcing, except in Cucum¬ 
ber and Melon-beds, when the weather is very changeable. 
Any thin material will do, such as tiffany, or bunting, or frigi 
domo, but must be used with caution or the plants will be 
weakened. It is better to give more air and lessen the artificial 
heat. In sudden extremes from dull weather to bright sunshine, 
a little water just slightly coloured white with whitening may 
be thrown with a syringe over the glass outside the houses that 
seem to suffer from the sudden transition; but before that, try 
what syringing the walls and floors inside with clear water 
will do. 
The soils wanted, will be chiefly fibry loam well aired but 
not much turned or broken previously. It is easy to lighten 
that with sand or lime rubbish, and enrich it with leaf mould, 
cowdung, or other manures. All these ought to be sweet, well 
aired, and well rotted, and rather dry for general purposes. 
The Water should be rain water, at least soft, or made so by 
exposure to the sun and adding a little soda. "Whenever used 
either for syringing or watering the soil, it should be as warm 
as the heat of the house. It is not good practice to heat the 
water by taking a portion from the heating apparatus, it is 
better to place water-pots in warm places, of the houses, to 
have the w r ater warm enough when wanted. R. Fish, 
(To le continued .) 
ALTERING THE MODE OF HEATING TO 
THE KIDDEAN SYSTEM. 
I think of adopting as far as I can Mr. Kidd’s plan in my small 
greenhouse, 15 feet by 8 feet, and have formed a hot-air chamber 
above the furnace, and enclosed in all about 7 feet in length 
and 3 feet in width. I have left out a brick 9 inches by 
2 inches for the cold air, and have at the further end of the 
bed a three-inch-square opening to warm the air of the house ; 
j but my chief aim is to heat the bed of sand, 4 inches thick, for 
j plunging pots of seeds and cuttings. What I want to inquire 
[ is, Whether the size of openings is as large as you would 
recommend ? and also, Should the sand be kept thoroughly 
moist at 80° ? Woidd you recommend a cold-air drain, or 
opening, in the brick wall forming the chamber inside the house ? 
By trying lighted tobacco-papers at the cold-air opening the 
smoke is as often driven out as in. How can this be obviated ? 
Eliza. 
[You deserve encouragement for your ingenuity. You have 
partly solved the question against working the system on the 
level. But having the flue for the greenhouse, we would not 
attempt an air-opening out of the hot chamber into the green¬ 
house at all, but confine the use of the hot-air chamber to the 
cutting-bed alone. As you will want flue heat for the green¬ 
house very seldom after the beginning of the propagating season, 
you had better save or economise the bottom heat as much as 
possible, so that a small fire for a couple of hours of an evening 
may serve for the next four and twenty, which will be about 
your general run if you have already obtained a bottom heat of 
80°. Then, when you want stronger fires for the greenhouse 
you will need a larger opening for the cold air on < lie outside; 
and to work that opening on the principle of a cottage oven in 
a cottage range to open, half open, or to close the oven door 
Fig. 32. 
E 
« 
E 
• 
E 
D 
g 1 
c 
1 
1 
1 
E j 
• 
i; 
