isn.] 



AND EOBTIGULTURIST. 



105 



those who are willing to erect a more costly 

 structure can readily do so. I would give such 

 a house a span roof with a pitch of 30° and 

 rafters twelve feet long. The sides of the house 

 should be six feet high and the centre twelve 

 feet. The ground surface should be twenty feet 

 wide, outside measurement, and in length fifty 

 feet or more as desired. The sides can be formed 

 of locust or cedar posts, set not less than four 

 feet in the ground and four feet apart. The 

 centre can be sustained by a ridge pole of planks 

 or wall strip resting upon jjosts six feet apart. 

 The rafters can be simple joists four feet apart, 

 nailed on the ridge pole and on a plate 

 which is itself spiked into the tops of the side 

 posts. We thus have the finished skeleton of a 

 house. It must now be covered in some way 

 which will enable it to be conveniently stripped. 

 Tongued and grooved shutters, six by twelve feet, 

 with battens, can be laid upon the rafters and 

 kept in place by common hooks and staples. It 

 would be better i the tops of the rafters could 

 be ploughed out a little to carry off the water 

 which would fall between the shutters. The 

 roof being thus formed, the ends can be covered 

 in after the same manner in sections. On the 

 sides, every third space can be covered in with 

 a glass sash and the remainder with wooden 

 shutters, it being borne in mind that protection 

 from the excitement of light is a great aid to 

 protection from cold. A little salt hay or other 

 litter could cover the small space between the 

 shutters and the ground. Every fine, still day 

 ventilation will be needed, and this can be given 

 by a door in each end, guarding however 

 against sudden changes. Through the coldest 

 Winter a house of this kind will be found 

 a sufficient protection for all those Rhododen- 

 drons which so charmed every one by their 

 colors. In April, when danger from late frosts 

 is not to be apprehended, the house should be 

 completely stripped of all shutters and sash and 

 left a simple skeleton. The plants will thus be 

 fully exposed to the pleasant sun, and air, 

 and influences of Spring, and will acquire 

 strength for their subsequent blooming. Abovit 

 a month later, when the flower buds are fully 

 developed and show signs of bursting, the roof 

 should be covered with shades of lattice work. 

 The cheapest mode of making these shades is 

 with furring strips or shingling lathe joining a 

 frame four by six feet and plastering lath nailed 

 across an inch apart. Those who wish some- 

 thing nicer which can be painted, can have simi- 



lar strips sawed out at the mill and planed. 

 This partial shading prolongs the season of 

 bloom, allows the air and sifted sunlight to enter 

 freely, and protects equally against the burning 

 rays of a Summer sun, or the dashing torrents 

 of a Summer rain, either of which in the open air 

 Avill destroy the finest bloom in a single day. It is 

 better than a tent because it is not so close for 

 the observer, while it affords that subdued light 

 which in a tent develops flower tints so charm- 

 ingly. A covering of this kind during bloom 

 would greatly prolong- the season of even those 

 sorts which are entirely proof against the se- 

 verest cold. A day of intense heat or a pouring 

 rain cannot then destroy the pleasure for which 

 a whole year has been waiting. When the bloom 

 has passed, this shading should be removed and 

 the plant thrown open to the sun, wind and rain. 

 Without the sun, flower buds would not form 

 readily, and it is a great mistake to plant Rho- 

 dodendrons in the shade. If ivy or other fine 

 climbers have been planted inside the posts at 

 the side, they can now be twined around them, 

 and if sufficiently luxuriant can be carried 

 around the rafters or festooned from them. The 

 rich, glossy dark green foliage of the Rhododen- 

 drons will give pleasure during the Summer by 

 its contrast with other shrubs, and the covering 

 can be renewed again late in November, after a few 

 good frosts have matured the wood and hardened 

 the plants for their Winter's rest. 



This house may be varied to suit the taste of 

 the builder, bearing in mind the three essential 

 elements : — darkness, and protection for the 

 dormancy in Winter ; shade for the bloom in 

 Summer ; and open air and sun for the growth. 

 A house of this kind can be made available for 

 other plants. 



There are many who are fond of the Lau- 

 rustinus Portugal Laurel, Araucaria, Evergreen 

 Magnolias, Holly, and many other broad-leaved 

 evergreens, which are hardy in England but 

 tender here, ai.d who keep such in a greenhouse 

 or cellar, planting them out on the lawn every 

 year. The subterranean dampness of a cellar is 

 unnatural and the influence of a greenhouse 

 exciting. These evils and the frequent trans- 

 planting are adverse to the production of good 

 specimens. In a house of this character they 

 could be allowed to remain, could develop into 

 luxuriant and beautiful forms, would make a 

 delightful promenade for all the members of a 

 family, and charm all beholders by the beauty 

 of its bloom and the richness of its foliage. 



