THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



OCTOBER, 1846. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I A Descriptive Account of the Curvilinear Graperies 

 of Horace Gray^ Esq., Neivton, accompanied with Engrav- 

 ings, illustrating the Mode of Construction, t^'c. By the 

 Editor. With the Entire Treatment and Management of 

 the Yines from the Form,atio7i of the Border to the present 

 time, during a period of five years. By J. W. Russel, Gar- 

 dener to Mr. Gray. 



The curvilinear system of constructing houses for plants 

 was the discovery of Sir George Mackenzie about the year 

 1815, and, at that time, attracted great attention. It was 

 considered the greatest improvement which had taken place 

 since the earliest erection of structures for plants. A long 

 paper was read before the London Horticultural Society by 

 Mr. Mackenzie, and appears in their Transactions, (Vol. IT, 

 p. 175). Immediately upon the introduction of this plan, 

 numerous beautiful buildings were erected, many of them of 

 iron, and the lightness of the roof — its greater power of ad- 

 mitting more light — as well as the cheapness of construction 

 when made of wood, at once recommended the curvilinear 

 house to the attention of amateur and professional cultiva- 

 tors in all parts of England. 



The original plan of Mr. Mackenzie, which forms the basis 

 of the curvilinear structure, was a semi-globe ; but this was 

 afterwards improved upon by Mr. Knight, who suggested the 

 parallelogram with spherical ends. Mr. Gray, in the erection 

 of his graperies, has further simplified and modified this form, 

 with a view to economy in construction, and adaptation to the 



VOL. xri. — NO. X. 48 



