360 SCIENCE IN SHORT CHAPTERS. 



air under the canvas being cooler than that in front would 

 enter from below, while the warmer air would be pushed 

 upwards and outwards to the front. 



Although such conservatories may be erected, as already 

 stated, by artisans or other tenants of small houses, I do 

 not advocate dependence on this; but, on the contrary, 

 regard them as more properly constituting landlord's 

 fixtures, and recommend their erection by owners of small 

 house property in London and other large towns. A work- 

 man who will pay a trifle extra for such a garden, is likely 

 to be a better and more permanent tenant than one who is 

 content with the slovenly squall or of ordinary back premises. 



I base this opinion on some experience of holding small 

 houses in the outskirts of Birmingham (Talbot Street, 

 Winson Green.) These have small gardens, while most of 

 those around have none. They are held by weekly tenure, 

 and, during eighteen years, I have not lost a week's rent 

 from voids; the men who would otherwise shift their dwell- 

 ing when they change workshops, prefer to remain and 

 walk some distance rather than lose their little garden 

 crops; and when obliged to leave, have usually found me 

 another tenant, a friend who has paid them a small tenant- 

 right premium for what is left in the garden, or for the 

 privilege of getting a house with such a garden. 



A small garden is one of the best rivals to the fascina- 

 tions of the tap-room; the strongest argument in favor of 

 my canvas conservatories, and that which I reserve as the 

 last, is that they are likely to become the poor man's 

 drawing-room, where he may spend his summer evenings, 

 smoke his pipe, contemplate his growing plants, and show 

 them in rivalry to his friends, rather than slink away from 

 an unattractive home to seek the sensual excitements that 

 ruin so many of our industrious fellow-countrymen. 



As above stated, I have not been able practically to test 

 the filtering capabilities of the canvas, owing to my residence 

 out of town, but since the above was written, i.e., on last 

 Wednesday evening, I visited the Houses of Parliament, 

 where, as I had been told, the ventilation arrangements 

 include some devices for filteriag the air by cotton, wool or 

 otherwise. 



