Fehraary 8, 1S77. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTIC0LTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



GLAZING WITHOUT PUTTY. 



BSERVING tliat inqnii-ies have been made 

 on this subject I submit my experience. I 

 do not approve of glazing sashes entu'ely 

 without putty, but I am firmly of opinion 

 that "top putty" is worse than useless. 

 Many years ago when the roofs of the houses 

 under my charge were undergoing the usual 

 routine of repainting, &c., it occurred to me 

 to have the putty entirely removed from 

 one length of lights — paioting the sashes 

 ■without it, the remaining portion of the bouse being re- 

 puttied, painting, of course, over the putty after it was set. 

 The lights which have not been puttied for nearly twenty 

 years are now in better condition, and there has been less 

 leakage from them than the others which have been 

 periodically repaired in the orthodox manner of patching 

 the putty and painting over it. Unless very special care 

 is taken the top putty on the roof of a vinery or forcing 

 house will shrink and in places become separated from 

 the wood. The crevices between the glass and the putty, 

 and the putty and the wood, may be so minute as scarcely 

 to be noticeable, yet they are sufEcient to admit the 

 water ; and when once the water penetrates beneath and 

 behind the putty it cannot easily evaporate and the wood 

 is almost continually wet, accelerating its decay, and the 

 .putty is also prematurely peeling off, rendering furtber, 

 and as I believe unnecessary, outlay incumbent in paying 

 for time and material in repairs and making the roof 

 watertight. I believe, therefore, that "top putty" is 

 injm-ious, but I think bottom putty valuable. 



Acting on my direct experience and on much observa- 

 tions in different places, and supported by the advice of 

 a very practical joiner and glazier, the last house erected 

 •under my charge was glazed as it was termed " without 

 putty," but in reality without " top " putty only, the 

 g;ia38 being firmly bedded in putty — thus putty was used 

 ■beneath the glass, bat not above it. Special care was 

 employed in placing the putty in the rebates of the 

 sashes, using it good, plenty of it, and placing it in re- 

 .gular layers — the last condition being very important. 

 The wood previous to applying the putty was well painted 

 twice. The glass was firmly — very firmly — pressed down 

 into its bed of putty, each square being secured in its 

 place by driving two small copper tacks into the sash- 

 bars at the lower comers of each square ; the " lap " of 

 the next square above, of course, keeping that portion 

 secure. When the glazing was completed throe good 

 coverings of paint were given the upper portion of tlie 

 sashes, painting also about an eighth of an inch on the 

 glass. When completed the first shower of rain was 

 anxiously waited for. In due time the shower came — a 

 " regular rainy day " — and although the roof was rather 

 flat not one drop of rain came through it. Further, 

 during the deluge which has been lately experienced the 

 roof has proved to be perfectly " watertight," while in 

 other houses glazed with top putty the water found its 

 way through in an unpleasant manner. I am quite cer- 



No. 828.-VOL. XXXn., New Sebizs. 



tain that the roof of a glass structure having no putty on 

 the outside can be kept in good condition with less cost 

 than can one where the top putty is used in glazing : 

 therefore by the non-use of the outside putty two savings 

 are effected — first, cost in the saving of material, and 

 after-cost in keeping in order in saving both material and 

 labour. But while I consider top putty worse than use- 

 less I lay special stress on the importance of good bottom 

 putty (and good workmanship) for embedding the glass. 

 There may be others who do not see the value of putty 

 at all, and they may have good reasons for abohshing 

 it ; but I can only record my actual experience. 



All sashes, for anything I know to the contrary, may 

 be glazed as I have suggested — I mean sashbars do not 

 need to be made specially for the carrying-out of the 

 plan. It is true that when top putty is not used the 

 rebates of the sashbars do not need to be so deep, but 

 that is a point of no real importance. I am not aware 

 that my experimental lights from which the putty had 

 been removed were ever observed by any visitor, so that 

 their appearance was not in any way singular. The 

 glass is quite as firm without top putty as with it, the 

 roof is more efficient, and the appearance is as good. 

 When the squares of glass are at all large— say 20 inches 

 by 12 — glazing is much more quickly done without top 

 putty than with it ; but with small squares and closely 

 arranged sashbars outside, putty cannot perhaps be so 

 advantageously abolished. 



As the result of my experience my plan for the future 

 will be (until a better mode is pointed out) to abolish the 

 use of outside putty entirely, but to use good bottom 

 putty liberally and well in the glazing of glass structures. 

 — Steward and Gardener. 



THE CULTIVATION OP THE RASPBERBT. 



" Practitioner " on page 07 has alluded to the culti- 

 vation of the useful and popular fruit, confining his 

 remarks to canes trained to stakes or trellises. _ I wish 

 to remind all whom it may concern that Raspberries may 

 be grown successfully without being trained at aU. In 

 the fruit fields of Kent, and also in other parts of the 

 country, many acres of land are devoted to Raspberry 

 cultivation, and excellent crops of fruit are obtained from 

 canes which neither have nor require any stakes or wires 

 to support them. 



When grown largely in open fields the canes are planted 

 thinly— that is, the rows are nearer 4 than 3 feet apart, 

 the "stools" in the rows being 18 inches distant trom 

 each other. The canes are planted singly, and are mostly 

 kept singly, though occasionally two and now and then 

 three are allowed to grow from each stool, provided they 

 are of a short-jointed character. The principal point 

 aimed at is the securing of stout sliort-jointed canes. 

 These are essentially fruitful, and are sulhciently strong 

 to be " self-supporting :" hence the adoption of the prac- 

 tice of planting thinly and preventing after-crowding. 

 The canes thus thinly planted in an unshaded place 

 seldom grow tall; they are pruned during the whiter, 



No. HsO.— Vol. LVII. Old Sekies. 



