THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 295 



laid too thickly on the shelves ; and the extra expense of a few- 

 additional feet in length is not worth taking into consideration. 

 One twenty feet long by twelve feet wide would be large enough 

 for the fruit produced in an average-sized garden. The best form of 

 house is a span-roof, with the side walls about nine feet in heif^ht, 

 80 that four shelves, besides the layer on the floor, can be com- 

 fortably accommodated on each side ; and the apex of the roof 

 should be sufficiently high to carry oft' the rain-water quickly, to 

 prevent the possibility of any damp coming through the roof It is 

 desirable to keep the interior of the house thoroughly dry, and the 

 temperature as little susceptible to the influences of the changes 

 going on outside as possible. Hollow walls are the best to accom- 

 plish this end, and will more than repay the little extra outlay 

 incurred in building them. But if ordinary solid walls are preferred, 

 I should advise some uprights being fixed at a distance of about 

 three inches from the inner surface of the walls, and then either 

 boarded or lath and plastered. There will then be little fear of 

 damp, and walls so constructed will keep out more than treble the 

 amount of frost than an ordinary wall. The roof should also be 

 plastered, for slates are nearly as good conductors of heat and cold 

 as glass. With a covering of slates only, the temperature of the 

 fruit-room will fluctuate as much as that of an unheated glass-house 

 without air. It is simply impossible to keep fruit in a temperature 

 of that kind. 



Ventilation should be provided for by means of skylights in 

 the roof, which should be fixed so that they can be opened or shut 

 at pleasure, and regulated to g-ive little or much air, according to 

 the weather and the requirements of the fruit. Wooden shutters 

 should be made to fit the lights to assist in keeping the frost out. 

 It would also be well to fix an iron grating about a foot square in 

 the lower part of the door to enable a current of air to pass through 

 the house when it was thought necessary to do so ; especially when, 

 the fruit is fresh gathered and brought into tlie house, and is in full 

 sweat. This grating should also be provided with a wooden shutter. 

 I have had round holes about two inches iu diameter made in the 

 bottom part of the door and covered with perforated zinc ; this 

 does very well, but I prefer a square grating, and then the air can 

 be shut off" with but little trouble. The grating can be covered 

 with the zinc, if the house is used for keeping summer fruit in for 

 a short time. Eor the latter purpose alone a good frait-room is 

 invaluable, for it enables the cultivat )r to gather all frait which 

 loses its full flavour if allowed to remain until it is dead ripe before 

 it is gathered. Peaches, for instance, never have their full rich 

 flavour if they remain on the tree until dead ripe. I make a point 

 of gathering most of the soft fruits required for the dessert about a 

 couple of days before it is q^uite ripe, and place it in a cool airy 

 place until ready for the table. 



The walk down the centre of the house should be three feet 

 wide, and the remaining space on each side filled with shelves for 

 holding the fruit. The floor, as a matter of course, should be 

 boarded over, and then one lot of fruit can be placed upon it, with 



October. 



