644 



ORE 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



ORE 



chalk, or any other materials which can be best procured, 

 which will drain off the moisture from the gravel, and pre- 

 vent it from becoming poachy in wet weather; but as it may 

 be difficult in some places to procure a sufficient quan- 

 tity of these materials to lay in the bottom of the walks, 

 there may be a bed of heath or furze, whichever can be 

 procured at the least expense, laid under the gravel to keep 

 it dry; and if either of these be used green, they will lie a 

 long time, as they will be covered from the air, and thefce 

 will prevent the gravel from getting down into the clay, and 

 will always keep the gravel dry. In making of gravel- 

 walks, there must be great regard had to the level of the 

 ground, so as to lay the walks with easy descents towards 

 the low parts of the ground, that the wet may be drained off 

 easily; for if this be omitted, the water will remain upon the 

 walks a considerable time after long rains, which will render 

 them unfit for use, especially where the ground is naturally 

 wet or strong: but where the ground is level, and there are 

 no declivities to carry off the wet, it will be proper to have 

 sink-stones laid by the sides of the walks, at convenient dis- 

 tances, to let off the wet, and where the ground is naturally 

 dry, the water will soon soak away : the drains of the sink- 

 stones may be contrived so as to convey the water into sess- 

 pools, from which the accumulated water will gradually dis- 

 appear in a short time; but in wet land there should be 

 under-ground drains to convey the wet off, either into ponds, 

 ditches, or the nearest place to receive it; for where this 

 is not provided for, the walks will never be so handsome or 

 useful. The month of March is the properest time for laying 

 gravel ; it is not prudent to perform it sooner, or to lay 

 walks in any of the winter months: some persons indeed turn 

 up gravel-walks in ridges in December, in order to kill the 

 weeds; but this is very wrong, for besides that it deprives 

 them of the benefit of them all the winter, it does not answer 

 the end for which it is done, but rather the contrary; for 

 though it does kill the weeds for the present, yet it adds a 

 fertility to them, and ensures their future increase. If con- 

 stantly rolling the ground after the rains and frost will not 

 effectually kill the weeds and moss, turn the walks in March, 

 and lay them down at the same time. In order to destroy 

 worms, which spoil the beauty of both gravel and grass 

 walks, some have recommended the watering them well with 

 water in which walnut-tree leaves have been steeped, and 

 made very bitter, especially those places most annoyed with 

 them ; but if in the first laying of the walks there is a good bed 

 of lime-rubbish laid in the bottom, it is the most effectual 

 method to keep out the worms, for they will never come near 

 lime. See vol. II. p. 786. 



Greek Valerian. See Polemonittm. 



Greenhouse and Conservatory. These are buildings erect- 

 ed on the best principles for protecting and preserving such 

 sorts of plants as are too tender to live in the open air. The 

 greenhouse was originally a room in a garden, not far from 

 the house, facing the south, and having large windows from 

 top to bottom, built for the reception of Oranges, Myrtles, 

 and a few other plants which were brought from temperate 

 climates. This building had no flues, or contrivances of any 

 sort far increasing the natural heat, but the air of the room 

 was warmed merely by the sun. A great variety of curious 

 exotic plants having been introduced into the English gar- 

 dens, soon after the middle, and towards the end, of the last 

 century, Hues were added to the greenhouse, and many other 

 improvements and contrivances adopted into its structure. 

 As to the length of the Greenhouse, says Mr. Miller, it must 

 be proportioned to the number of plants it is to contain, or 

 the fancy of the owner; but the depth should never be 



greater than the height in the clear, which in small or mid- 

 dling houses may be sixteen or eighteen feet, but in large 

 ones from twenty to twenty-four feet is a good proportion ; 

 for if the greenhouse be long and too narrow, it will have a 

 bad appearance from both within and without, nor will it 

 contain so many plants, if proper room be allowed for pass- 

 ing in front and at the back of the stands on which the 

 plants are placed; and, on the other hand, if the depth of the 

 greenhouse be more than twenty-four feet, there must be 

 more rows of plants placed to fill the house, than can with 

 convenience be reached in watering and cleaning; nor are 

 houses of too great depth so proper for keeping of plants as 

 those of moderate size. The windows in front should extend 

 from about one foot and a half above the pavement, to within 

 the same distance of the ceiling, which will admit of a cor- 

 nice round the building over the heads of the windows. As 

 it is necessary to have these windows so long, it will be im- 

 possible to make them in proportion as to their breadth, for 

 if the sashes be more than seven or seven feet and a half 

 broad, they will be troublesome to move up and down, and 

 their weight will cause them to decay very quickly. The 

 piers between the windows should be as narrow as is con- 

 sistent with their necessary strength to support the building, 

 for which reason stone is preferable, or hard well-burnt 

 bricks. If these piers be made of stone, they Should be two 

 feet and a half in diameter, worked as, columns, cylindrical, 

 whereby the rays of the sun will not be obstructed so much 

 as if they were square; but if they be built of bricks, it will 

 be proper to make them three feet in front, and they may be 

 sloped off towards the inside to admit the sun. If a house 

 foor tools, &c. be erected at the back of the greenhouse, the 

 back wall need not be more than two bricks and a half in 

 thickness ; but if not, it must be three bricks or three bricks 

 and a half thick to keep out the frost. The floors of the 

 greenhouse may be laid with Bremen squares, Purbeck stone, 

 or broad tiles, and must be raised two feet above the ground, 

 where the soil is dry ; but if the situation be moist and 

 springy, the floor should be raised at least three feet above 

 the surface, and if the whole be arched with low brick 

 arches under the floor, it will tend to prevent the damps 

 from rising in winter. These damps are often very hurtful 

 to the plants, especially in great thaws, when the air is often 

 too cold to be admitted into the house to remove the damps. 

 Under the floor, about one foot from the front, a flue one 

 foot in width, and two feet in depth, may be carried the 

 whole length of the house, which may be returned against 

 the back wall, and carried up in proper funnels adjoining to 

 the hot-house, three times over each oilier, by which the 

 smoke may pass off. The fire-place may be at one end of 

 the house, and the door at which the fuel is put in, as well as 

 the ashes-grate, may be contrived to open into the tool-house, 

 so that it may be quite hid from sight, ami kept dry. The 

 fuel also may be laid in the same shed, and thus will always 

 be ready for use. The wall on the back part of the house 

 should be either laid o-ver with stucco, or plastered with 

 mortar, and white-washed, to keep out the frost, which will 

 penetrate through the walls, especially when it is attended 

 with a strong wind. To prevent frost from penetrating 

 through the roof, reeds, heath, or furze, should be laid be- 

 tween the ceiling and the tiles; and care taken in framing 

 the joints, that the weight may not lie upon the ceiling ; for 

 they should be laid a foot thick at least, as smooth as possible, 

 ami fastened down well with laths, and then covered over 

 with a coat of lime and hair; which will keep out the air, and 

 also prevent mice and other vermin from entering, which, if 

 left uncovered, they would certainly do. In the Greenhouse 



