104 CORDON TRAINING. 



Liko other houses for artificial culture, there is there- 

 fore no rule as regards the dimensions of orchard-houses. 

 They may be small or large, cheap or expensive, according 

 to the wants and means of cultivators. But to secure the 

 best results they should be rather lofty and wide ; experience 

 liaving shown that very low houses, containing only a small 

 volume of air, heat up quickly, but cool down quite as rap- 

 idly. Hence, orcliard-houses, especially those without fire- 

 heat, should be wide and high, that the temperature may be 

 more equal. The volume of air contained in a large house, 

 warmed by taking advantage of closing it early in the latter 

 part of the day, requiring a longer time to cool down ; thus 

 maintaining a night temperature considerably higher than a 

 low and narrow house. It is from the experience acquired 

 by Mr. Rivers in working these structures that he has grad- 

 ually increased their size, until they have attained the dimen- 

 sions above named ; and his advice is now to build them in 

 something like the following proportions : — For a large house, 

 100 feet long by 24 feet wide, and 10 or 12 feet high in the 

 centre. For one of moderate dimensions, 50 feet long by 20 

 feet wide, and 10 feet high in the centre ; and smaller, 30 

 feet long by 16 feet wide, all span roofed. 



The interior arrangements may be a level floor, on which 

 the plants are arranged in rows, with two walks, if the house 

 is wide, or the walk may run through the centre, and be 

 sunk one or two feet, the mode in which the orchard-houses 

 erected on the Paxton patent are mostly constructed. The 

 orchard-house of G. G. Hubljard, Esq., of Cambridge, is a 

 lean-to house, about 110 feet long and 16 feet wide ; the 

 trees being arranged in a bed, which occupies all the space 

 except a walk three feet wide around it. This has answered 

 well, and the trees have borne good crops. 



For the information of all amateurs who would be glad to 

 know the detail of dimensions of the best orchard-houses, 

 we give the views of Mr. Rivers, whose experience is exten- 

 sive and reliable : — 



" My large houses are 20 feet wide, the sides 4| feet high, 



