22 ORCHARD-HOUSES. 



of fruit. It will be an advantage to have your 

 plants in bloom, when there is a chance of the 

 weather being warm enough to allow of ventila- 

 tion, and the assistance of bees, to fertilise the 

 flowers. The span-roofed house affording the 

 means of ventilation near the ground on both 

 sides, the whole length of the house is much 

 superior to the ugly glazed sheds, called lean-to 

 houses, generally built. If orchard-house trees 

 are in good health, and the weather be warm 

 when they are in bloom, and bees in abundance, 

 they will probably set three times the fruit they 

 can bring to perfection ; but as it is better to leave 

 nothing undone to insure success, we always fer- 

 tilise the flowers by touching them with a camel- 

 hair pencil, in the middle of a warm sunny day. 

 It takes but a very short time to go over every 

 plant in a large house. It is the opinion of many 

 besides Mr. Darwin, that not only is the pollen of 

 some varieties of a species stronger than others, 

 but that when applied to a different plant or 

 variety, it is more efficacious. In using a perfectly 

 dry camel-hair pencil, it will be found, that though 

 the farina of each bloom may be distributed, but 

 little can be carried away by the brush. Let us, 



