Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/616

 om COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE. may be built with fire-brick, and there should be a ventilator in the ash-pit door for regulating the draught of air through the fire. The dispenser may be of -n-rought iron, or of an iron frame filled in with large slates. The orifice at the summit of the kiln may be either protected by an iron plate, or by a tiled cover with sides of lufler-boarding. Other details have been given in the course of the description. 1269. Remarks. Various improvements have been attempted in malt-kilns of late years, and patents have been taken out for particular modes of construction ; but of none of these liave we been able to hear a favourable account. The most probable source of improvement appears to us to be the adoption of the circular form, and of the mode of heating by brick or iron flues, distributed through the dunge, in the manner practised by Mr. Read in his hop-kiln, to be hereafter described. IVIr. Read, who has examined numerous malt-kilns in all parts of the country with a view to their improvement, informs us that he considers the plan adopted in his hop-kiln a.s equally applicable to a malt-kiln ; but that he has found the proprietors of malt-kilns so strongly prejudiced in favour of existing forms, that he has never had an opportunity of trying the experi- ment. Design IV. — A Hop-oast, or Kiln for drying Hops. 1270. The Variation), from other Kilns formerli/ required in a Kiln for drying Hops will be exhibited in the following plans and sections, which have been obligingly sent us by our contributor, Mr. Varden. These figures from 1136 to 1148, Mr. Varden informs us, exhibit part of a range of building consisting of a repetition of similar parts situated at Farnham. The packing-house, fuel store, &c., are under the same roof. The six oasts are capable of drying at one time on the first haircloths, twenty-five bags of hops ; each bag containing fi-om sixteen to twenty bushels. These generally require twelve hours' drying before they are fit to be packed, unless they have previously been spread upon the upper haircloth, which is not often the case, except when there is a great quantity to be dried oflTin a short time. " The Design sent is that which I under- stand is generally considered to be the best. Some hop-growers, a short time ago, fitted up their kilns with a succession of drawers one above the other, having hair bottoms ; but the extra-labour of these is found to be so great, that they intend removing them, and adopting the method about to be detailed. Fig. 1 1 36 is a plan of the oast floor. 1136 ////'/>yy/>yy'^'^yyz-yy'^yy'yyy/:y^Ay4'^^^ f n'.^-n jjj ^'A V./y'/M.,'M VW'A'.^'//>VM V'"-'A:y/7 V/^'.>»»^yy:^ Bj-^^/^^ ■^ VM.'/M. The external walls are of 1 4-inch stonework, the internal ones are brick ; that against the passage a is 9 inches, and the two partitions, h b, are 4 inches and a half thick. 'i"he building is 58 feet 4 inches by 14 feet in the clear, and contains six oasts or kilns, c. 1137 Fig. 11. "i? is a plan of the first hair, or floor for the haircloth, showing the timbers, &e. The joists are 3 inches and a half by 3 inches ; the arris girder 5 inches by 5 inches, 1138