ll»y 7, 187-i. 1 



JODRNAL OF HORTICCLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



3C7 



■windows, staircases, glazed garden straetnres, and 

 other bnildiuRS, besides fittings and vehicles, Ae. Not 

 only are directions given for making, but dimensions 

 and lists of expenses. We extract some of the con- 

 tents relative to greenhouses, which will enable or.r 

 readers to comprehend at once the contents of the 

 volume. 



" In erecting glass houses of any kind, considerable 

 importance attaches to the position assigned to it : if 

 the structure is a detached one it should be sheltered 

 from the northern winds with tall-growing trees, close 

 enough to break their force, but not so close that their 

 branches may drip on the glass, and it should also be 

 noar an abundant supply of water, independent of 

 what may be collected from the roof, a point especially 

 indispensable in hot forcing houses of every descrip- 

 tion. Lean-to houses should have a south-eastern 

 aspect whether for fruits or tloweriug plants, the morn- 

 ing sun being more strengthening and exhilirating 

 than at any other period of the day. Span-roof houses 

 should stand north and south, with the longer eleva- 

 tion towards the east and west. Conservatories at- 

 tached to the dwelling house may be regulated by the 

 position of the building or the fancy of the architect, 

 but should be transparent or of glass on all sides, since 

 plants grown in lean-to's can never be made hand- 

 some, seeing that they become weakly and distorted 

 by continual stretching towards the light. Plants 

 will not thrive without plenty of light, and must 

 receive its direct influence by being placed near the 

 glass, hence the extensive use of trellises of wood or 

 iron to which the trees are trained. Trellis-work is 

 not to be recommended, however, on the back walls 

 of lean-to's, for if the surface of the glass in the roof 

 is sufficiently covered with foliage there is Uttle to be 



Fi^'. 148. 



Fig. 147. 



gained by training on the back wall, except in 

 the ease of Figs, which are found to do better in 

 the shade. Wire is the fittest substance for 

 trellis-work, and can be procured ga,lvanised to 

 prevent rust. Lately great attention has been paid 

 to this necessary art, and there are numerous 

 manufactories supplying all the needful strainers, 

 holdfasts, etc., either for the internal portion of 

 glass houses or out-door espaliers. The interiors 

 of greenhouses are generally provided with a 

 stage in the centre and shelves round the sides, 

 on which the plants aro arranged. The angle of 

 the centre stage for a promiscuous collection of 

 plants should never exceed the angle of the root', 

 but should be a little flatter, so as to admit of 

 larger plants being placed on the upper shelves, 

 thus giving a larger and more effective appear- 

 ance from the inside. Three or four rows ara 

 sufficient, the upper shelves being about twice 

 the width of the others. The lowest should not 

 be less than 1'2 inches wide, and the riso about 

 8 or 9 inches. For small plants, propagating 

 houses, &a., of course the stages may be much 



nearer to each other. Proper ventUation is the most 

 important item in the management of hothouses ; 

 the builder has done his part when he has arranged 

 for thfl front and a portion of the roof sashes being 

 opened, but the gardener must use his judgment ns to 

 •when and under what conditions he reduces at any 

 time the interior temperature of the house to that of 

 the exterior, and this forms a most important portion 

 of his art. 



" As a guide, wo here caU the attention of our 

 readers to a class of house, amongst the most econo- 

 mical yet introduced, in which good construction, 

 arrangement,portability, and cheapness aro combined. 

 They are adapted to all kinds of gardens, and are so 

 constructed as to obtain the most reliable and com- 

 plete system of ventilation, while they can be re- 

 moved and refixed at the expiration of a tenancy 

 without disturbing a single pane of glass. These 

 houses are composed of lights of one uniform width 

 ■ — viz., 4 feet S inches, and are made any lengths 

 from 8 to IG feet ; all the roofs, sides, and enda being 



Fig. 154. 



