238 



HORTICULTURE. 



Fruit- 



Gulden. 



PLATE 

 CCCX. 



jargonelle pear-troe is planted ; the branches are train- 

 ed to both sides of the wall, and the fruit of course 

 ripens at different times. 



235. The contrivance for watering or washing the 

 foliage of the wall-trees in this garden deserves par- 

 ticular notice. Water is supplied to the garden from a 

 reservoir situated on an eminence a considerable height 

 above the garden walls. Around the whole garden, 

 four inches below the surface of the ground, a groove 

 between two and three inches deep lias been formed in 

 the walls, to receive a three-quarter-inch pipe for con- 

 ducting the water. About 50 feet distant from each 

 other are apertures through the wall, two feet and a 

 half high and ten inches wide, in which a cock is placed, 

 so constructed, that on turning the handle to either 

 side of the wall, the water issues from that side. It 

 has a screw on each side, to which is attached at plea- 

 sure a leathern pipe, with a brass cock and director, 

 roses pierced with holes of different sizes being fitted to 

 the latter. 13y this contrivance all the trees, both out- 

 side and inside the wall, can be most effectually water- 

 ed and washed in a very short space of time, and with 

 very little trouble. One man may go over the whole 

 in two hours. At the same time, the borders, and 

 even a considerable part of the quarters, can be water- 

 ed with the greatest ease when required. The conve- 

 niency and utility of this contrivance must at once be 

 perceived by every practical horticulturist. The same 

 plan of introducing water is adopted in a garden which 

 Mr Hay planned and executed for Lord Viscount Dun- 

 can at Lundie House near Dundee ; and after the ex- 

 perience of several years it has been greatly approved 

 of. The water at Lundie is conveyed to the garden 

 from a considerable height, and is thrown from the 

 point of the director with great force and to a good dis- 

 tance. A sketch of the cock, pipe and director, is 

 given in Plate CCCX. Fig. 6 ; a the cock ; b b the 

 leathern pipe; c the director. 



236. In the middle of the north wall of the garden 

 is the great range of hot-houses, consisting of seven, a 

 central one, and three on each side. The entire suite 

 extends from east to west 181 feet. The elevation of 

 this fine range is seen in Plate CCCX. Fig. 2. The 

 houses differing considerably in breadth, the eye is not 

 offended with monotonous uniformity; and the addi- 

 tion of a central door, with a diamond-trellis arch, 

 ornamented with tender and showy climbing plants, 

 is a great improvement in point of appearance. The 

 ground plan of these houses is given at Fig. 1. of 

 the same Plate. The middle division A, with those 

 on the right and left of it, B and C, are peach houses. 

 On the back wall are placed trellises, to which the 

 principal peach-trees are trained. Small trees are al- 

 so trained on low sloping trellises in the front, over 

 the flues. The farthest east division D, is what is 

 called a Double Peach-house ; peach trees being trained 

 on the back wall as in the other houses, and likewise in 

 front on a wire trellis on the roof of the house, reach- 

 ing upwards as far as the first or under snsh only. The 

 trees on the front part of the house may be forced be- 

 fore those on the back wall. To accomplish this, the 

 upper sashes of the Louse are kept off, thus admitting 

 air freely to the trees on the back wall ; while mean- 

 time the front trees are inclosed within the first two re- 

 turns of the flues, by means of moveable shutters made 

 for the purpose, one of them being placed on hinges, 

 and used as a door. Hence the name of Double Peach - 

 house. The partition remains only until the fruit be 

 set; at which time it is removed, and the roof- sashes 

 put on. By these means the fruit season in this house 



is protracted a considerable time, perhaps a month or 

 more. Fig. 5. in Plate CCCX. is a section of this 

 double peach-house. 



The other three divisions of the range, E, F, G, are 

 grape-houses. The back walls are all covered with 

 trellises. A vine is planted in the middle, and trained 

 on the trellis at the top of the house, where in general 

 there is plenty of light in the early time of forcing. The 

 lower part of the trellis is covered with fig-trees, which, 

 as already mentioned, 213. have been found to suc- 

 ceed very well in such situations. Fig. 3. Plate CCCX. 

 is a section of division F. 



In all the houses of this suite, air is given by moving 

 the'upper sashes by means of weights and pulleys placed 

 in a cavity in the back wall, as seen at a a a, in the 

 sections, Figs. 3, 4, and 5. 



Into each of the hot-houses is introduced a three- 

 quarter-inch pipe, coming from an inch one, which 

 passes along the back of the walls. The cocks are of 

 the same kind as those in the walls already described ; 

 and the directors, when screwed upon them, water the 

 houses with very little trouble, and are exceedingly use- 

 ful in keeping under the red spider, and other insects. 



237. On the north side of this range, opposite to the 

 middle hot-house, is a mushroom-house, constructed on 

 Oldacre's plan, (to be afterwards described). It has a 

 large and a small pit, with four shelves on the back 

 wall, and three shelves on each of the two ends, all of 

 which may be used for the purpose of raising mush- 

 rooms, either at the same time, or in succession. The 

 large pit is partly filled with earth, and kitchen vege- 

 tables are kept in it in time of severe frost. Sea cale 

 can also occasionally be forced in this pit. Fig. 4. 

 Plate CCCX. is the section of the mushroom-house, and 

 also of the middle peach house, the ground plan of the 

 mushroom-house being at H, and of the peach-house 

 at A. 



238. On the east side of the garden is situated the 

 melon ground. The garden wall is extended on the 

 north of it to the length of 152 feet, of the same height 

 as the other walls, and flued like the rest of the wall 

 having a south aspect. The pine-stoves are situated 

 here. The ground on which they stand falls consider- 

 ably from north to south. The furnaces are placed on 

 the south side of the stoves; and, on the same side, 

 there is a narrow nursing pit, four feet broad, the whole 

 length of the house. This pit may, at pleasure, be divi- 

 ded, at the furnaces, into three divisions, D, D, D. The 

 glass-roof of the pit covers the top of the furnaces, and 

 from thence heated air is introduced, by means of aper- 

 tures with dampers, into either pit as it may be want- 

 ed. Heated air can also be admitted from the stove to 

 the small pit, by means of openings in cast iron doors, 

 which can be shut when required. When still more of 

 the warm air is wished to be communicated from the stove 

 to the small pit, the doors are made to lift out altoge- 

 ther, and as the front flue of the stove passes these 

 doors, the heated air has free access to rush in ; or it 

 can be admitted from the vacuities between the flue and 

 front wall. As the tan in the small pit is of no great 

 body, and cannot long maintain its heat, the front of the 

 pit is built of brick, with pillars and holes similar to a 

 pigeon house ; and there is an inclosed space in front of 

 it, to receive a lining of warm dung, when the heat is 

 wished to be increased. This lining is covered over 

 with flooring, which forms part of the walk, tends to 

 prevent the dissipation of the heat, and gives the whole 

 a neat and clean appearance. 



The spaces over the top of the furnaces can at plea- 

 sure be converted into distinct or separate forcing 



Fruit- 



PLATE 

 CCCXI. 



