CURVILINEAR ROOFS. 339 



ends. With Mr. LoiKlon,,wG should certainly prefer the 

 last mentioned. A considerable number of curvilinear 

 houses have been erected in the southern part of the 

 island particularly as repositories for orriamefital plants, 

 such as in the Royal Gardens at Kew, Loddiges' nur- 

 series at Hackney, the London Horticultural Society's 

 Garden, the Manchester Botanic Garden, the Duke of 

 Northumbland's, at Syon House, and in Tarious other 

 private gardens. 



As far as we are aware, no extensive experimental 

 investigation of the comparative- merits of curvilinear 

 houses has hitherto been made. A writer in the Grar- 

 deners Blagazhie (rol. ii.) states that he found it 

 necessary, during the'summer months, to shade his pine- 

 apples growing in such a house, from nine or ten o'clock 

 in the morning to three or four in the afternoon, in 

 order to prevent the- plants from assuming a rusty 

 tinge and unhealthy appearance. Another practical 

 gardener complains' (vol. v.) fhat ^' the circular roof 

 concentrated the swfn's rays so immoderately that the 

 tops of the grape-vines were scorched, €ven when the 

 doors and ventilators at the ba'ck were open.'' This, 

 he says, was always the case in summer; and in winter, 

 it was with, difficulty, and only with the assistance of 

 bast-mats, that he could keep out frost. With others, 

 however, the curvilinear form has given great satisfac- 

 tion. A considerable portion of the superior lightness 

 x)f the curvilinear housesis due tothe absence of rp^fters; 

 and as these may also be dispensed with in plain roofs, 

 the cfTect of these ought to be deducted in making a 

 comparison. Perhaps, when everything else is rightly 

 arranged, there is generally enough of light in common 

 houses. Scarcely any species of fruit, when cultivated 



