ORC 



[585] 



ORC 



tomne. Nov., Beurre Bosc, Thompson's, 

 Doyenne Gris, Urbaniste. Dec., Hacon's 

 Incomparable, Triomphe de Jodoigne. 

 Jan., Beurre Langelier, Knight's Monarch. 

 Feb., Inconnue Van MODS, Susette de 

 Bavay,Duchesse de Mars. March, Beurre 

 Bretonneau. April, Fortunee Parmen- 

 tier, Bergamottee d'Esperen. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. This is the name 

 applied by Mr. Rivers, nurseryman, Saw- 

 bridgeworth, to cheap glazed structures, 

 in which he grows hardy fruits in pots, 

 and planted in the borders. 



We have found ^hat such a green- 

 house, without any heating apparatus, is 

 most useful, not only for growing Grapes, 

 Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, but 

 early Peas, Radishes, Strawberries, Let- 

 tuces, small Salading, and Potatoes. 

 Such a structure is the following, de- 

 scribed by Mr. Pavers, in his highly use- 

 ful work, " The Orchard House." 



We will suppose that an orchard house 

 thirty feet long is required. A ground 

 plan, thirty feetlong and twelve feet wide, 

 must be marked out, ten posts or studs 

 of good yellow deal, four inches by three, 

 and nine feet in length, or if larch poles, 

 sixteen inches in girth, can be procured, 

 they are quite equal in durability ; these 

 latter must be cut in two, and the flat 

 sides placed outwards; these posts, or 

 studs, whether larch or deal, must be 

 fixed two feet in the ground firmly, and 

 the ground ends must be charred two 

 feet four inches from the bottom, which 

 adds much to their durability : it will 

 thus be seen that this, the back line of 

 studs, will stand seven feet in height 

 clear from the surface. For the front 

 wall, ten studs, four feet long, must be 

 inserted in the ground one and a half 

 feet, so that they stand two feet six inches 

 clear from the surface ; on these studs, 

 hoth at front and back, must be nailed a 

 plate four inches by two and a half, on 

 which the rafters are to rest; the studs 

 are thus far arranged in two lines. Now, 

 then, for the rafters : these must be four- 

 teen feet long, and four inches by two in 

 thickness, placed with the narrow sur- 

 face upwards, to spare the trouble of 

 " ploughing," to make the rebate for the 

 glass, which is great labour and waste of 

 material. On the upper side of each 

 rafter, exactly in the centre, must be 

 nailed a slip of half-inch board, three- 

 quarters of an inch wide ; this will leave 

 half an inch and one-eighth on each side 



for the glass to rest on not too much 

 when the width of the glass is given. 

 We have thus the rafters so far prepared 

 for glazing, but not yet fitted on the 

 plates at top and bottom : they must 

 never be morticed, but let in at top by 

 cutting out a piece, and sloped off at 

 bottom. 



To receive the glass at the top of the 

 rafters, a piece of three-quarterinch deal 

 board, six inches wide, must be nailed 

 along the top to the end of each rafter, 

 so as to be even with the surface, and in 

 this should be a groove to receive the 

 upper end of each piece of glass ; at the 

 bottom, a piece of board, one inch thick 

 and six inches wide, must be let in for 

 the glass to rest on, and to carry off the 

 water. We have thus so far a sloping- 

 roof, seven feet three inches (with the 

 plate) high at back, and two Ifeet nine 

 inches high in front; but the glass is not 

 yet in. The most economical glass is 

 sixteen-ounce British sheet, which can be 

 bought at 2d. or 3d. per foot, and the 

 best size twenty inches by twelve ; put- 

 tying the laps, as it prevents breakage by 

 frost; placing it cross-wise, so that the 

 rafters must be about twenty inches asun- 

 der. On and outside the back studs, half- 

 inch boards must be nailed, well seasoned, 

 so that they do not shrink too much ; 

 these must be painted white. In the 

 back wall, sliding shutters, two feet six 

 inches by one foot, in grooves, must be 

 fixed, for complete ventilation ; two close 

 to the roof, and two about eighteen inches 

 from it. 



The front must have, also, half-inch 

 boards nailed on outside the studs ; one 

 of them, the upper one, to be on hinges, 

 so as to let down the whole length of the 

 house ; these, when all open in hot wea- 

 ther, ventilate thoroughly. To add to 

 this (and it is all required in summer), 

 the boards will shrink and let in air : a 

 fierce sunlight is thus admitted by the 

 large glass, and abundance of air, in 

 which all fruit-trees thrive to admiration. 

 So much for the timber and glass ; but 

 when one sees that to walk along the 

 centre of the building, which is about 

 four feet nine inches in height, a per- 

 son must be of very diminutive stature, 

 the inquiry arises, How is head-room 

 to be made? How simple is the an- 

 swer ! Make a trench two feet six inches 

 wide, and two feet deep, in the centre of 

 the ground plan ; this will leave a border 



