For the benefit of brother florists and those using hot water or steam, I submit the experience and workings of a new boiler I had made for my new place, covering 12,000 square feet of glass. The boiler gives the best of results, and am quite confident that it will save a vast amount of fuel to all using it. I have no patent upon it, and do not intend to offer it to the trade, but any person wishing one can have it made by any boiler-maker for his own use.

My boiler is made of boiler iron, with a crown sheet 1/2-inch thick, through which are punched and threaded 288 2-inch holes, in which are screwed 2-inch drop tubes made out of gas-pipe. The boiler is in two sections. Front section has 180 drop tubes, varying from 12 inches to 36 inches long. At back of these I have a water-back 6 inches thick and 36 inches high to crown sheet, in which are placed 15 4-inch flues, 6 inches long, then a space of 6 inches and another water-back, same thickness, but only 24 inches deep, with no flues. The fire and smoke pass through the 4-inch flues in the first water-back and against the smaller one, then descending below it, and passing in the second section of 108 drop tubes 24 inches long. In this section I have a door for admitting cold air, which ignites the carbon of soft coal or wood, and consumes the smoke, giving me a benefit of nearly half more heat from the fuel. To this door is attached a diaphragm to open and shut it. When more steam is needed it opens it and ignites the carbon as before-mentioned.

The size of boiler is 4 feet wide and 10 feet long. Its height from grate bars is 54 inches high; the grate surface Is 54 inches by 36 inches. A fire can be placed under the second section by putting in grate bars, thus giving a grate surface of nearly 30 square feet, or 40 horse power. The boiler needs no cleaning, and can be used with any kind of fuel. I have filled it with cold rain water, and in 10 minutes I had 12 pounds of steam, with only 8 small shovels of coal. In ordinary weather it will keep steam from 3 1/2 to 4 hours without any attention; using soft coal with hard coal it would last three times longer.

I commenced to fire October 12th, and until December 15th had used only one car of slack. Next year we will attach natural gas to it. I am using it at my city place, and think a great deal of it. When properly regulated by valves, it needs very little attention, running for weeks and months. If a break should occur, 1 have it so fixed that in one minute it can be removed, or coal fire built over burners. Some inventors say that drop tubes will rust very rapidly, because they are always full of water. Well, to those I wish to say that our water-works have the drop and horizontal tubes. However, the horizontal have been replaced, and the drop tubes are as good as when placed in many years ago; also our city fire engine drop tubes, and has them full of water 16 years, and are like new. The best protection to any kind of boiler is to have it full of water when not in use. Water and air cause rust, but a boiler full of water cannot have any air between the iron and water, consequently no rusting out. My boiler had been in use about 15 years before I bought it, and has always been full of water and has no rust, and is like new inside.

No coloring at all.

Youngstown, Ohio.