July 21, 1863. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOETICULTITRE ANB COTTAGE GAUDENEK. 



51 



ECONOMICAL AEEANGEMENT OP 



In these days of rigid economy, -when persons of ample 

 means delight to deal in the cheapest mai-ket, perhaps the 

 following plans and suggestions for the economical arrange- 

 ment oi' plant-houses upon a small scale, may not be with- 

 out interest to some of our amateur patrons ; and even 

 young gardeners and nurserymen may study them possibly 

 with profit to themselves. The plans have been prepared 

 not only with strict regard to economy of space — a matter 

 of considerable importance in small gardens — but also so 

 as to tui-n the whole of the materials to the gi-eatest advan- 

 tage, and that at, considering the permanence and durability 

 of the erections, a very moderate cost. In the construction 

 of horticultural as in aU other buildings, there is no economy 

 in "make-shifts;" the best materials and the best work- 

 manship will ulti- 

 mately be found the 

 most economical, and 

 those who save a 

 few pounds by what 

 is technically called 

 " scamping a job," 

 in the first erection, 

 wUl generally find 

 that they have been 

 penny wise and 

 pound foolish before 

 the end of the first 

 seven years. A range 

 of houses on this 

 plan has lately been 

 erected for a gentle- 

 man. The forcing- 

 house has yielded 

 abundance of Roses 

 and other forced 

 flowers, with splen- 

 did Cucumbers, and 

 at the present time 

 a vei^y fine crop of 

 Melons is coming for- 

 ward. These and the 

 Cucumbers are grown 

 in large pots plung- 

 ed in leaf mould 

 over the tani, and 

 the roots ai'e allow- 

 ed to grow in the 

 plunging materials. 

 Under the Melons, 

 &c., which are train- 

 ed within a foot of 

 the glass, plants for 

 flower garden pui'- 

 poses aie propagat- 

 ed, and a few stove 

 plants, as Gloxinias, 

 Achimenes, Garde- 

 nias, &c., are grown 

 underneath. For the 

 above purposes, or for 



the cultivation of a select collection of stove plants or Or- 

 chids, or even for the growth of the Pine Apple, perhaps no 

 better arrangement could be made, the command of heat, 

 both for the plunging-bed and the atmosphere, being of the 

 most efficient description. 



If the forcing-house was devoted to the cultivation of 

 Orchids, for which it is admirably adapted, we should build 

 the inner walls on each side of the pathway in rookwork, and 

 also place a mass of rookwork the whole width of the house 

 against the end wall, leaving niches to be filled with suit- 

 able material for the cultivation of some of the finer kinds 

 of Ferns, Mosses, and such Orchids as are likely to succeed 

 in such a situation. By merely opening a communication 

 on each side from the tank and heating-apparatus, the rock- 

 work might be supplied with any amount of moisture or 

 bottom heat ; and by simply placing a cistern of water above 

 the level of the rockwork and over the boder, silvery streams 

 of warm water may be made to trickle over the tortuous 



REFERENCE TO PLAN. 



A, Pathway. 



E, Bed for plants to stand upon, or be planted in. 



c. Hot-water pipes three-inch diameter in house, two-inch in pits. 



1), Hot-water tank for bottom heat, heated by two two-inch pipes, 



GHOUND PLAN OP HOUSr.R AND FITS. 



Cold Pit. 



Greenhouse. 



Cold Pit 



FORCING AND PLANT HOUSES, Ac. 



track of the rockwork, finally refreshing the feelings, and 

 ministering to the picturesque character of the scene, by 

 terminating in a miniature waterfall, the grateful rippling 

 of which will do much to cheat visitors into the belief that 

 the house is not so warm as the proper ciUtivation Of its 

 occupants renders it necessary that it should be. 



'• Oh ! but," remarks some adept in the art and myst(iry 

 of growing Orchids, "to do the various kinds justice, and 

 produce them in perfection, two houses are required." 

 Granted ; therefore, if you please, we wiU confine the Indian 

 kinds to the house we have been speaking of, and by con- 

 tinuing the same heating arrangements, we will convert the 

 oreenhouse into a house for the growth of those kinds which 

 are natives of Mexico and colder climates ; and thus, with 



one exception, we 

 SECTION OF FOBciNQ-uonsE. havc arrangements 



I as complete as the 



most fastidious could 

 desire, where light, 

 heat, and moisture 

 are at command, to 

 do aU that is i-e- 

 quired for the proper 

 cultivation of this 

 beautiful tribe of 

 plants. Indeed, in the 

 laconic language of 

 one of the best gar- 

 deners in the country, 

 these are " nice snug 

 houses," suitable for 

 plants of aU kinds j 

 and if Nature's jour- 

 neyman, the gar- 

 dener, only performs 

 his part properly, 

 success is certain. 



For the cultivation 

 of Vines in pots, 

 such houses would 

 be perfect; and one of 

 these houses, with the 

 side-pits to bring on 

 successional plants, 

 would produce Grapes- ■ 

 sufficient for a small ■ 

 family, and that for 

 several months in the 

 year. 



In the construc- 

 tion of this range of 

 houses the position 

 of the boiler is not 

 indicated, but we pro- 

 pose to fix it at the 

 north end of the forc- 

 ing - house, to heat 

 the tanks, house and 

 pits, independently 

 of each other, hav- 

 ing stop-cocks or valves to each set of pipes, so as to 

 work the whole or a part at the same time, as may be ne- 

 cessary. The greenhouse will be heated by continuing the 

 pipes from the forcing-house, placing stop-cocks where the 

 pipes enter the gi-eenhouse. The pipes for surface heat are 

 placed in a trough lined with cement, so that in case of 

 need, when a very moist heat is required, water may be 

 placed around the lower pipe to create moisture. The pipe 

 tor surface heat must be 3 inches in diameter, and those 

 i-unning through the tank for bottom heat 2 inches. For the 

 side pits two-inch pipes will be sufficient for ordinap' pur- 

 I.oses ; but if a stixjng heat is required, why then, three or 

 ibur-inch pipes will be required. 



The cold pits adjoining the gi-eenhouse wUl be found very 

 useful for the growth of Sngnouette, Violets, and Stocks 

 throu<^h the winter, and also for protectmg plants for the 

 flower garden, and in the heated pits Eoses and other flowers 

 may be forced.— (A., in Gardeners Magazine of Botany.) 



Warm Pit. 



S 



Hothouse. 



B 



Warm Pit. 



