FROGMORE. 29 



The range of houses do not run exactly east and west. Instead 

 of the houses facing the sun at noon, they do so at 11 a.m. By 

 this arrangement, a certain amount of sun-heat can be obtained 

 earlier and continued more steadily than would have been the 

 case had the houses been so placed as to receive the rays direct 

 when the sun was at the greatest altitude. The intensity of sun- 

 heat usually increases till '2 or even 3 p.m. ; but as this takes 

 place, the excessive intensity of the rays is moderated, in conse- 

 quence of their falling more and more obliquely on the glass. 

 The aspect of the houses being made to face 15° to the east 

 of the meridian, or to the sun at 1 1 a.m , is therefore worthy of 

 imitation. 



The crops of Grapes, lipe and coming forward in the Vineries, 

 were excellent. Of course the fruit in the earliest Vineries had 

 been cut. The vines are all planted inside, four feet apart ; 

 they are pruned on the spur system. In the late Vinery, 102 

 feet in length and 16 feet wide, the sorts planted are Black 

 Hamburgh and Black St. Peter's (Oldaker's). The latter were 

 green at the time, Sept. 7th ; but the vines showed an abundant 

 and regular crop, which is likely to continue fit for use till the 

 Grapes in the earliest vineries, and those in pots are fit to cut. 



A corridor between a Peach-house and an early Vinery is 

 allowed to partake of the heat of the latter, so that it is consider- 

 ably warmer than the adjoining Peach-house. Into this warm 

 place some branches of a Peach-tree planted in the Peach-house 

 had been introduced ; and it has been found that the fruit on 

 these branches ripen about a fortnight earlier than those on the 

 other part of the tree. This has been the case for several 

 years. According to this, a Peach-tree may be so circum- 

 stanced as to produce a succession of fruit. Instead of the 

 crop being in gathering for a fortnight at most, it r&ight be 

 prolonged to a month from the same tree. The branches alluded 

 to, as being in the higher temperature, bore but a small propor- 

 tion to those of the rest of the tree situated in the regular Peach- 

 house temperature. But it may be a question whether the health 

 of a tree would be materially affected by subjecting two equal, 

 or nearly equal, portions of it to temperatures considerably 

 different. 



The crops of forced Peaches and Nectarines had been very 



•fine. In the early Peach-house (fifty feet in length and sixteen 



feet wide), 1 30 dozens fruit were gathered this season from the 



four trees with which the house is occupied. These are planted 



