54*= 



JOSMMIW HOBTlCtJLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ T)txxiabtt ii6,ieee. 



j'Jotii'corfeBioibiaeBtis for tlieil- interesting tmd valu- 

 niiisa'tibns." rmny,'in eo«clnsion, state that I nta 



ablfe^coHmmiiisatlbTm.' i may 

 anxious to obtain as many of the Cyclamen family as possible 

 in order to ascertain what constitute their real differences, 

 any one, therefore, having any of the species to spare will 

 confer a favour by sending them to me. — G. Abbek. 

 jill 7co;ii oi ;;';£ Lhiov ;,.'! v y-sn 3ii;^i s.'jo.-iioij ^j-.uta v.-'jH 

 a lol 9(J -raai ii ,yr. b 3f;o if-i vino aqml Ti^ .tatUiioff sl'Jmfoi 



Vj b^bo'imy ■•■'. "-■■' ■■■■■■:: ■ -■-.!■■: - .,.-. .1, ;- ,: :,-(i,r.ti •„■■■ 



JaiiJ nij.jA WINTER CUCUMBER-HOUSE.; -..; ;: 

 ''W^tifeomcs cvft-/ man to adTance his own intel-e-ii in ■ a 

 proper way, and also to lend a hand to his neighbours if neces- 

 fary, and especially to such of them as are of his own calling. 

 It Sometimes happens that rendering assistance to one is in- 

 jurious to another; but gardeners have a right to study their 

 own interests, and to make known the disadvantages under 

 which they labour in some places, and often through the mis- 

 calcnjations of othersj 

 •jS'jU .-istror; u;3 9fiJ oi osIb wid ,]fi9muijsai :. 

 ,,•.(•. r.fft v,,^ -.,({ti!'5w ia-n fig« onft 00 ^r!" 



•I -A 



-..7 i;.-,i firv/ r ' 



It frequently happens, and especially in small places, that 

 when a gentleman has a glass house to put uji, perhaps a green- 

 house, or a forcing-house, he speaks to his gardener about it, 

 or it may be that it is at the suggestion of the gardener that he 

 wishes to build the bouse. However, a horticultural builder is 

 sent for to sec what, can be done and to specify his terms. He 

 speaks to the gentleman about the affair, and explains every- 

 thing in his own way : the gentleman, perhaps, does not know 

 what sort of a house is absolutely indispensable for his pur- 

 pose, does not take the trouble to consult his gardener about 

 it, but will take for granted evervthing the builder fays about 



the requirements of the house, and being perfectly satisfied SB 

 to the exptnse, he orders the builder to erect the house is 

 soon as possible, perhaps ataspeciiied time. Almost before the 

 gardener knows what they are about the hon^e is half built ; 

 he does not approve of it, it is deficient in many things that 

 are necessary to insure success, but ail there is left for liim to 

 do, is to trj' and make the best of a badly-adupted house, and 

 one tlrat the employer expects a spoedj' return from. 



For instance : I will take it to be a winter C'ucumber-bonse, 

 a lean-to with the roof at about an angle of ai', a walk 2 feet 

 wide at the back, a bed Ti feet wide, no tank to prodaco vapojir, 

 not suflicient hot-water pipes to heat the liouse, a .hea.Vy, 

 clumsy, wooden trellis to tie the plants to, and sufficient to' 

 prevent these from ever enjoying the full rays of the sim. 

 With such a house a gardener can never phase himself nor 

 satisfy his master. I have seen more than one of the above 

 description, or very ncaily so. The annoyance arising from 

 such u result could easily be avoided at the beginning, by con- 

 sulting the gardener and allowing him. a little of hie own. way 

 to draw a plan of a house that would suit. He might then 

 show the plan to his employer and explain it. and if approved 

 of, or if there should be any alterations required they could 

 be easily done, then submit it to the builder and make the best 

 aiTangement with him. It is possible that the bouse would 

 cost a trifle more than that which the bniider might propose ; 

 but that would be only a penny lost and eventually a pound 

 gained, besides the pleasixre that a gardener would derive fi-om 

 being successful with a house of his own choice. • . ' 



As I am writing this it has occurred to lue, that if tho'cJiiatev. 

 spondents of this Joiunal would oblige by giving ns nrore 

 generally the dimensions of certain houses, T\hcre they describe 

 the fruit as being good and of tii-st-rate quahty, it would give 

 others more confidence to undertake the coiistiuction ofj 

 perhaps, a similar house, or houses. To suit the thought, 1" 

 send a drawing of a winter Cucumber-house that was erected 

 atHolkbam, the seat of the Earl of Leicester, four years ago ; 

 it answered veiy well. I have endeavoured as well as I can 

 recollect, to show how the walls are built. In the centre is a 

 hollow chamber, as shown in the transvcisc stction of the 

 house ; a little above the ground line, a .\, are holes where the air 

 passes in, and it goes down the chamber and ci mes in contact 

 with the lower pipe, so as to become of the same temperature as 

 the house before reaching the plants. The giound idan shows 

 liow the walls are tied. The space between the two outside lines 

 and the two inside lines represents the hollow chamber, the 

 cross lines represent llie bricks that unite the two sides to- 

 gether, il, d Eepresent two dijors, the inner d being a door 

 and a glass partition, so tliat any one going in could close the 

 outer door before opening the otherv. tJaereby excluding all cold 

 draughts, which are very injurious. Thefeare three four-inch 

 pipes all round the hon.'C, two under each bed, and flow and 

 return pipes in the chamber under the centre walk. The 

 pipes are represented in their respective places by half-circles ; 

 h, beds; Ir. walks; /, tanks; s, stejis, going down to the side 

 walks ; c, chamber for the flow and return pipes ; i i, are two 

 iron stays to support the centre of the roof. At the top, air 

 can be given, as shown, by the lids wliieb rise up and down at 

 pleasure by the aid of a lever; also, the air-holes in the sides 

 can be closed by a shde-board. — M. O'Doxxkli.. 



A ,yiJ^]L-^A]^I) .UNDER GLASS AND COIL 



;TVI'./';^-Ariii.ib'fi!'PLANTiNG. 



Is No. 23.5, a correspondent has described his method of 

 growing Vines planted in the area of his house, leaving the 

 roof dear. As I understood him, he does not tiain his Vines 

 to upright rods or stakes, but cultivates tliem as bushes. The 

 method of planting Vines in the border of a house and train- 

 ing them to stakes, as is done in the gardens of the .^outh of 

 France, iB first given in the eighth edition of the " Orchard- 

 House.'' I had then well ascertained its feasibility by plant- 

 ing a few Vines in one of my houses, and then the idea slum- 

 bered. Last spring, on learning from one of my friends the 

 great delight his vineyard under glass bad given li'.m, I lievottd 

 a span-roofed house, 20 feet long and 14 feet wide, to this pur- 

 pose, and from the jTogress the Vines have made, and the 

 perfect way in which all kinds of Grapes, including I be Frontig- 

 nans, ripened their fruit, I ]irophesy that houses planted after 

 this method will one day be very popular. 



I dinded my house thus — in the centre I made my path, 

 30 inches wide, leaving a border on each side 5 feet inches 



