310 SCIENCE OF GARDENING. PART IT. 



SECT. III. Permanent Horticultural Structures. 



1583. Buildings with glass roofs, or artificial habitations for plants, constitute by far the 

 most important part of garden-structures, whether we regard the expense of their first 

 erection, the skill required to manage them, or the interesting nature of their products. 



1584. Green-fimtses were known in this country in the seventeenth century. They were 

 then, and continued to be, in all probability, till the beginning of the 18th century, 

 mere chambers distinguished by more glass windows in front than were usual in dwelling- 

 rooms. Such was the green-house in the apothecaries' garden at Chelsea, mentioned by 

 Ray, in 1684, (Letters, p. 174.) as being heated by hot embers put in a hole in the floor ; 

 a practice still extant in some parts of Normandy, and to which, as is well known, the 

 curfew, or couvrefeu bell refers. The same general form of house with the addition of a 

 furnace or oven is given by Evelyn in the different editions of his Kalendarium. 



1585. The first (era of improvement may be dated 1717, when Switzer published a plan 

 for a forcing-house, suggested by the Duke of Rutland's graperies at Belvoir Castle. 

 Miller, Bradley, and others, now published designs, in which glass roofs were introduced ; 

 and between the middle and the end of the last century, Speechley and Abercrombie in 

 England, and Kyle and Nicol in Scotland, made various improvements in forcing- 

 houses, as to general form, internal arrangements, and mode of heating. The largest plant- 

 stoves were the joint productions of the late W. Alton, and Sir W. Chambers at Kew, 

 and the largest pineries were erected at Wellbeck by Speechley. 



1586. A second (era ofimqrrovement may be dated from the time when Dr. Anderson pub- 

 lished a treatise on his patent hot-house, and from the publication of Knight's papers in the 

 Horticultural Society's Transactions, both of which happened about 1809. Not that the 

 scheme of Dr. Anderson ever succeeded, or is at all Likely to answer to the extent ima- 

 gined by its inventor ; but the philosophical discussion connected with its description and 

 uses, excited the attention of some gardeners, as did the remarks of Knight on the proper 

 slope of glass roofs (Hort. Trans, vol. i.) ; and both contributed, there can be no doubt, 

 to produce the patent hot-houses of Stewart and Jorden, and other less known improve- 

 ments. These, though they may now be considered as reduced au merite historique, yet 

 were really beneficial in their day. Knight's improvements chiefly respected the angle 

 of the glass roof; a subject first taken up by Boerhaave about a century before, adopted 

 by Linnaeus (Amen. Acad. i. 44.), and subsequently enlarged on by Faccio in 1699, 

 Adanson (Families des Plantes, torn, i.) in 1763, Miller in 1768, Speechley in 1789, 

 John Williams of New York (Tr. Ag. Soc. New York, 2d edit.) in 1801, Knight 

 in 1806, and by some intermediate authors whom it is needless to name. 



1587. The last and most important cera is marked by the fortunate discovery of Sir 

 G. Mackenzie in 1815, " that the form of glass roofe best calculated for the admission of 

 the sun's rays is a hemispherical figure." This may be considered as the ultimatum in 

 regard to the principle and perfection of form ; and has already given rise to many 

 beautiful curvilinear structures, of which a series of plans are in course of publication 

 by Messrs. W. and D. Bailey, of Holborn, London, who have erected curvilinear houses 

 at the following places : 



Kama of the Proprietor*. Their Residence,. Mf Description of Boa*,. 



Vincent Stuckey, Esq. - -| SomereeVstore 1 '?*- } 1 {curvilinear roof, wm?cSrved ends 



Samuel Chirrers, Esq. - - Finchley, Middlesex 



P.H.S. - - -.' :$*""* Salop l{c urri iinearroof,witiS1wrbrickend 8 - 



and Grapery. 

 f, with sashes 



Charles H. Turner, Esq. - l**^^?^ "f } 1 



Came Uia House. 7 1 20 ft. long. 



Messrs. Loddiges - - - Hackney - - - 1 < Curvilinear roof, with curved ends, glazed J. 23 ft. wide. 



I back sashes .... - -j 18 ft, high. 



Peter Kendall, Esq. - Walthams**- - 1 fenTan^S^ 



Thomas Dickens, Esq. 



Green-house. / 40 ft. Ions 



William Henry Cooper, Esq. Rent's Park - 1 FUfflaS^CKSjtf \ } % g 



cast-iron pilasters and cornice - - - J 

 f Pine-stove and Grapery. ~) 33 ft. long. 



M P S. De Caters De Wolfe Antwerp - - 2 < Curvilinear roofs, with curved ends, and > 13 ft. wide. 



t placed at each side of a large orangery - J 16 ft. high. 



eft ughT 



