GENERAL REMARKS. 103 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



Orchard-houses aro so useful for many purposes of garden- 

 ing, that we think they will soon become necessary appen- 

 dages to every complete garden. In our severe northern 

 climate, where winter holds undisputed sway for nearly six 

 months, it is very pleasant to have some comfortable place of 

 resort, both in the late autumn and early spring months, 

 when the out-door weather is chilly, rough, and disagreeable. 

 The orchard-house, when well constructed and of good pro- 

 portions, supplies this want. In autumn it may be partially 

 filled with late flowering plants ; such as chrysanthemums, 

 roses, &c., thus keeping up a display until severe weather sets 

 in. And in the spring much can be done in bringing forward 

 vegetables and bedding plants, without interfering at all with 

 the main objects of such a structure. When the trees can be 

 wintered in a shed or cellar, a real winter garden may be 

 produced by the introduction of the rare and not wiiolly 

 hardy evergreens, in pots, which however will not suffer in 

 such a place if tlie roots are protected with dry leaves ; and 

 when the fruit trees are introduced they can be removed to 

 ornament the lawn or flower garden in summer. Viewed in 

 all these aspects the orchard-house cannot fail to be a valuable 

 addition to every garden. 



The construction of orchard-houses has taken a wide 

 range. The first efforts of Mr. Rivers were mere hedges on 

 the sides, to break the wind, with glass roofs and boarded 

 ends. This style was soon found to be altogether too breezy 

 for tlie safety and certainty of the crop, and boards were sub- 

 stituted for the hedges. Their dimensions were yet small, and 

 the next advance was to make them larger; this resulted in 

 the introduction of tlie span roof, and from the original long, 

 low, narrow structures, by gradual steps, the result of expe- 

 rience and sound practical deductions, Mr. Rivers has erected 

 more lofty and commodious houses, 100 feet long and twenty- 

 four feet wide. 



