October 2, 1878. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICDLTUBE 4ND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



255 



wherever wanted. The rafters of the roof of 

 these back sheds are elongated and brought 

 fine at the ends, so as to project over front 

 wall, and act as a coping covered with glass, to 

 protect from frost the trees trained on the wall 

 — this is, I believe, an entirely novel idea for 

 attaining that end, and certainly a cheap and 

 efUcacious one. The back sheds may bo built 

 of any width desired, and covered in con- 

 tinuation from the wall at the back with either 

 slate or glass. I much prefer the latter, especi- 

 ally if the expense of fluted glass i^ not ob- 

 jected to, as this is warm in winter and cool in 

 summer; even for fruit-rooms, the covering of 

 glass with a north aspect brings the fruit for- 

 ward but Uttle earlier than a dark room, and 

 certainly improves its flavour. The other sheds 

 with the advantage of being able to utilise the 

 hot-water pipes en passatit, are most useful for 

 protecting cuttings. Strawberries in pots, extra 

 fruit trees, etc., till they are wanted on the 

 front tracks ; they are also pleasant and light to 

 work in. The rods which extend from the face 

 of overhanging coping to front of truck-yard, 

 are very light, only made for holding moveable 

 common bird-netting, which is stretched to 

 meet at the front of this yard, an upright fence 

 of galvanised wire bird-proof netting 4 feet 

 high, so as to range with the houses. Thus 

 the whole is closed-iu from birds, and a lock on 

 the Ught folding-doors at each end, which are 

 also covered with galvanised-wire net, keeps 

 out all intruders. These doors are not shown 

 in the drawing, only the openings, to prevent 

 confusion. The rafters of front houses at each 

 end of the wall are extended to meet the pro- 

 jecting coping, and the corner space fiUed-in 

 with npright glass, which shuts out draughts. 

 The cold north winds, instead of eddying over 

 the top of the wall on to the trees, are shot off 

 by the angle of back roof and projecting coping 

 — no brick coping will be required for the wall, 

 only the wooden sill on which the rafters are 

 fastened, and the space between these will give 

 ample ventilation to the back houses at the 

 top, where it is required. There is a .3i-feet 

 walk between the trucks and the wall, one of 

 4 feet between the two rows of trucks, both in 

 and out of the houses. The squares in which 

 the fruit-tree pots are set in the trucks are all 

 moveable, and may be replaced with squares of 

 fret-work, should it be desirable to keep the 

 whole entirely for flowers. A small turn-table 

 may be placed at the front of folding doors in 

 the centre of the entrance path which runs at 

 right angles to the house, so that if it is desired 

 to change the position of any of the trucks, 

 they can bo turned and run down the centre of 

 this path through the wire doors, these being 

 for that purpose made the same size as the 

 folding-doors of the bouses. This turn-table 

 with a lid to open in its side between the rows 

 of trucks may form the cover of a sunk tank to 

 receive the rain water from both the front and 

 back hoQses, each truck full of trees or flowers 

 as they require syringing or watering, may thus 

 be brought over the tank instead of the water 

 having to be carried to them, and an immense 

 amount of labour and time saved thereby. 

 Where this forms the only fruit garden, I pre- 

 fer the back wall covered with choice Pear 

 trees, which in this climate will well repay the 

 care bestowed which they so seldom really get ; 

 the trees on the trucks do not shade tljem in 

 the least ; the trucks will always grow a super- 

 abundance of Peaches and Nectarines, etc., so 

 long as they will last, in proportion to the size 

 of the garden required for a family. 



N.B. — Where conservatories for flowers are 

 bnilt at one or both ends of the front of a 

 dwelling-house, with a terrace or level space 

 between, on which to run ornamental flower 



