PLANTS, WITH GLASS ROOFS. 189 



in being more lofty and architectural, and in having the plants grow- 

 ing in a bed of soil which forms the floor of the house. As the plants 

 in a conservatory are generally kept growing through the winter, a 

 power of heating is required greater than that of the orangery ; and 

 when it is joined to a dwelling-house, and is to be frequently walked 

 in by the inmates, greater than that of a greenhouse. The tempera- 

 ture during the night should not be under 45, nor need it be raised 

 higher during bright sunshine than 55 or 60. The forms, and other 

 particulars relative to the construction and adaptation of conservato- 

 ries, have already been given in the ' Suburban Architect and Land- 

 scape Gardener.' 



Botanic stoves are of various kinds ; but with respect to tem- 

 perature and moisture they may be reduced to the dry stove, the 

 damp stove, and the intermediate or bark stove. The first requires 

 abundance of light and a power of heating from zero to 60 in the 

 winter season, and is chiefly used for growing succulents ; the second 

 requires less intensity of light, but a power of heating equal to 80 in 

 the winter season above the external air ; for although such will 

 seldom be required, yet it is better to have too much than too little 

 heating power. In the damp stove there must also be a power of 

 saturating the atmosphere with moisture at all seasons ; as it is chiefly 

 used for growing orchidaceous plants and ferns. The intermediate 

 or common botanic stove requires the same power of heating as 

 the last, but more light and much more space, as it is used for 

 growing the trees and shrubs of tropical climates. These are com- 

 monly kept in pots, and very frequently plunged in a bark-bed, whence 

 this kind of house, before the use of damp-stoves, was called the bark- 

 stove, to distinguish it from the dry-stove. 



The pine stove used to be a low structure, and with a bark or other 

 bed in which the pots were plunged, and differing little from a large 

 pit, excepting that it was generally arranged so as to admit of 

 growing crops of grapes as well as pines. The glass roof was gene- 

 rally placed at some angle between 25 and 35, and the power of 

 heating should be equal to 70 during winter. Now, however, any 

 good span roof or lean-to house is used for pines. In growing the suc- 

 cession plants, it is best to keep their tops within a foot or eighteen 

 inches of the glass. But they are often fruited at a distance of one, or 

 even two yards from it. The clear glass of the present day prevents 

 them drawing. It is also common now to plant out the fruiting pines 

 in a bed of soil, so that more head-room is needed. A power of com- 

 municating atmospheric moisture should be at command as in the 

 common botanic stove. 



Forcing-houses are chiefly employed for bringing forward early 

 crops of grapes, peaches, cherries, or other fruits, and for producing 

 early culinary vegetables of different kinds, or flowers. The power of 

 heating varies with the season of forcing, and the kind of fruit to be 

 forced ; but it should not be less than 70, with a command of atmo- 

 spheric moisture. Sometimes the trees are trained on trellises one or 

 two feet within the glass; and sometimes they are partly trained 



