' ■ 



.V 



G 



* 



As to tlie length of thefe houfes, that muft be pro- 

 portioned to the number of plants they are to contain, 

 or the fancy of the owner; but their depth fhould 

 never be greater than their height in the clear, which 

 in fmalU or middling houfes, may be fixteen or 

 eighteen feet, but for large ones, trom twenty to 

 twenty-four feet, is a good proportion 5 for if the 

 Grecn-houfe is long, and too narrow, it will have a 

 bad appt^arance both within and without, nor will it 

 contain fo many plants, if proper room be allovred 

 for pafTing- in front, and on the backfide of the ftands 

 on which the plants are placed i and on the other hand, 

 if the depth of the Green-houfe is more than twenty- 

 four feet, there mull be more rows of plants placed 

 to fill the houfe, than can with conveniency be reached 

 in watering and cleaning •, nor are houfes of too great 

 depth fo proper for keeping of plants, as thofe of 



moderate fize. 



The windows in front fliould extend from about one 

 foot and a half above the pavement, to within the 

 fame diftance of the cieling, which will admit of a 

 cornice round the building, over the heads of the 

 windows. As it is neceifary to have thefe windows fo 

 long, it will be impofTible to make them in proportion 

 as to their breadth ; for if in the largeft buildings the 

 fafhes are rnore than feven, orleven feet" and' a half 

 broad, they will be fo heavy and troubleforrie'tb move 

 up and down, as to render it very difficult for one 

 perfon to perform j befides, their weight will occafion 

 their foon decaying. - There is alfo another incon- 

 venience in having the windows too broad, which is 

 that of fixing proper fhutters to them, in fuch a 

 manner as that they hiay fall back clofe to the piers, 

 fo as not to be incommodious, or when open to ob- 

 ftruft any part of the rays of light from reaching the 

 plants. The piers between thefe windows fliould be 

 as narrow as pofTible to fupport the building,' for which 

 f'rearon I lliould chufe to have them of ftone^ 'or 'of 

 ■.iliard well-burnt bricks ; for if they are built with fine 

 rubbed bricks, thofe are generally fo foft, that the 

 i' piers will require to be made thicker, and the building 

 i will be lefs ftrong, efpecially if there are any rooms 

 i. over the Green-houfe ; which is what I would always 

 advife,' as being of great ufe to keep the frbft out in 

 very hard winters. Ifthefepiers are made offtone^'I 

 f would ^.dvife them to be two feet and a half in dia- 



V 



/met^r, worked as columns cylindrical, \vhereby the 

 : rays of the fun will not be taken off, or obftrudled 

 , by the corners of the piers, which it would be^if they 

 V were fquareV Hut if they are built with bricks,' it will 

 : be proper to malce them three feet in front, "bther- 

 - wife they will be too weak to 'fuppoTff the "building ; 



thefe 1 \yould alfo advifeto be floped off toward the 



infide to admit the fun. 



i 



f.' 



*t 



■-^r> 2;i rrv^-** 



I ^ i. t ■^^' 





I 





.r 



> - 



Y 



---♦ 



k . 



" At the i)ack of the Green-houfe there may be erefted 

 :;. a*h6vife for tools, andfor many other purpofes,'^"which 

 .•will be extremely ufefu], and will alfo prevent the froft 



from entering the houTe on tlie backfide^ fo that" flie 

 *'wall between thefe need not be m6¥e than twdlDricks 

 -and a half in thicknefs; whereas were it quite expofed 

 . behind, it fhould be at leaft three bricks, or three and 

 'la halt in thicknefs j" and by^ this contrivance, if you 

 i are willing to make ahandfofrie building,' *and to have 

 ti noble rooni over the Green-houfe, ydii^may make 

 '.the room over the tool-houfe,'ShTcarry up the ftair- 

 .cafe in the back, fo as notio be feen in the Green- 

 '^^ufe, and hereby yblf may have a room twenty-five 

 *of thirty feet in width, and of a proportionable length-, 

 •and under this ftair-cafe there fhould be a private door 

 '|nto thegreen-houfe, at which the gardener "may enter 

 'in hard frofly weather, when it will not be fafe to open 

 •any of the glaffes in the front. The floor of the Green- 

 -houfe, ^ which fhould be laid either with Bremen 



fquares, Purbeck ftone, or broad tiles, according to 

 .the fancy of the owner^ muft be raifed two feet above 



the furface of the ground' whereon the houfe h placed, 



^hich in dry' ground will be fufficient ; but if the fi- 



tuation is mbr 



ari^^ fpringy,^ and thereby" fubje£l to 



Jamps, it fh6uld be raifed at leaft three feet above the 

 furface 5 and if the whole is arched with low brick 



G R 



arches under the floor, it v/ill h- of o;rear fervic 



in 



■ ; 



preventing the damps rifing in v.'inter, \:hKh irc otiai 

 very hurtful to the plants, efpeciiilly la ^rcat tiidv.s. 

 when the air is often too cok! to be adnifttcd in 10 the 

 houfe, to take off the dan^ps. Under the floor, I'.bouc 

 one foot from the front, I v/dald advife a Ivjc'of ciic; 

 , foot in v/idth, and tvvo f-ct deep, to be carried the 

 whole length of tlie houfe, v;!iich may be returned 

 againft the back wall, and carried up in" prop-r fjn- 

 nels adjoining to the tooi-houfe, three unv:s ever each 

 other, by which the fmoke may pd's olf. T1:C fire- 

 place may be contrived at one end of the houlc, and 

 ithe door at which the fuel is put in, as allb ihe aih- 

 grate, may be contrived to open into the tobl-houfe, 

 fo that it may be quite hid from the figlit, and be in 

 the dry, and the fuel may be laid in the fame Ihed, 

 whereby it will always be ready for ufe. 

 I fuppofe many people will be furprifed to fee me di- 

 rect the making of flues under a Green-houfe, which 

 has been difufed fo long, and by mofl people thought 

 of ill confequence, as indeed they have often provedy 

 when under the diredion of unflcilful managers, who 

 have though t it neceifary, w henever the weather was cold 

 to make fires therein ^ but however injurious flues may 

 ■'have been under fuch management, yet when fldlfuUy 

 *' looked after they will be found of very great fervice ; 

 . '^for though perhaps it may happen, that there v/ill be 

 '-' no neceffity to make any fires in them for tv/o or three 

 ''years together, as when the winters prove mild there 

 will not, yet in very hard winters they will be ex- 

 tremely ufeful to keep out the frofl, which cannot be 

 efFeded any other way, but" with great troyble and 



-difficulty.; •; •_ '-■ '' „ -'^ 



Withinfide of the windows, in front of th6 Gfeen- 



'- houfe, you fhould have good ftrpng fhutters, -ivhich 



'.'ihould be made with hinges to fold back, that they 



' may fall back quite clofe to the piers, that the rays 



"■"of the fun may not be obftrufted thereby. Thefe 



• fhutters need not be above an inch and a half thick, 



- or little more when wrought, which if made to join 



clofe, will be fuflicient to keep out our common froft ; 



"and when the v;eather is fo cold as to endanger the 



freezing in the houfe, it is but making a fire in the 



bveh, which will effeftually prevent it ; and without 



this1:dnveniency it will be very troublefoine, as I have 



often feen, where perfons have been obhged to nail 



•-• 



-J* 



r ' • 



■ m^ts before their windows, or to fluff the hollow fpace 



i 





- between the fhutters, and the glafswjth Straw, which, 

 -* whefi done, is commonly fufFered to remain till the 

 frofl goesVway; which if it fhould continue very long, 

 •the keeping the Green-houfe clofely Ihut up, will 

 ''prove Very injurious' to^the plants; and as it fre-' 

 ^uentFy happens, that we have an. hour or two.of the 

 * fun-lhine in the^middle of the 3ay, in continued frofls, 

 ;- which is or great tervice to plants, when they can en- 

 .'joy the rays theredrth'rbugh the^glafTes, fo when there 

 -is nothing more to do than to open the'fliutters, which 

 '/ifi'ay be'iperformed in a very fhort time, and as foon 

 * ' ihut affain when the fun is clouded, the plants may 

 ■ have the benefit thereof whenever it appears ; whereas, 

 V^ where there is fo much trouble to uncover, and as 

 r *inuch to cover^agaih, it wouldtake'up the wKole Vime 

 Pln^Cfhcovenng and fhutting'thaTfup, and thereby the 

 advantage of the fun's influence] would be loft. Be- 

 fides, where there is fo much trouble required to keep 

 out the froft, if will be a great chance if it be not 



ii»- 



i 



I ''neglefted by the gardener; for if he be not as fond 

 \ of preserving his plants, anct as much in love with 



I 



\ 



them as his mafter, this labour will be thought too 

 'great by him r and if he'taTces'the'pains to cover the 



glaffes up" whh mats,"&*c." he will not care to take 

 "them^away again until the Weather alters, {o that the 

 -]^lants will be fhut up clofe during the whole con-^ 



tinitance of the froft. ■ < -^\'-''' 



f 



There are fome people who commonly make ufe of 

 pots filled with charcoal to fet in their Green-houfe in 

 very fcvere YrbTlsj'-but this is very dangei-ous td'the 

 perfons who attend thefe fires, and I have fom'etirheS 

 known they* have been almcfl fufix^cated therfiwithi 

 «hd at the fahietime they are very injurious to the 



^ 6 K . * plants; 



;- ! 



