502 



PRACTICE OF GARDENING. 



Part III. 



432 



Chap. VI. 

 Construction of the Culinary Forcing Structures and Hot-houses. 



2644. The general principles of design in forcing and hot-house structures have been already- 

 laid down (1591. to 1692.); and, therefore, the object, in this chapter, is to detail the 

 most approved practice in regard to the particular construction of such as belong to 

 the culinary and fruit gardens. These are the pinery, vinery, peach-house, cherry-house, 

 fig-house, cxdinary pits, frames, and mushroom-house^ 



Sect. I. Of the Construction of the Pinery. 



2645. The external form of a pinery varies less than that of any other description of 

 hot-house. The necessity, in glass structures, of placing all plants intended to thrive 

 near the glass, and a bed of bark or leaves for plunging pots, being most convenient, 

 when flat or gently sloping, have led, in almost all cases, to a low and rather flat roof, 

 nearly parallel to the bark-bed. This gave rise, many years ago, to the growing of 

 pines in pits, as practised by the Dutch, and generally on the continent, and as recently 

 adopted in this country by most commercial gardeners ; by Nicol, in giving designs 

 for this class of buildings ; and by Baldwin, one of the best pine-growers of the present 

 day. 



2646. The pinery of Nicol consists of three pits in a range ; one for crowns and 

 suckers, one for succession, and one for fruiting plants. The fruiting-pit to be placed 

 in the centre, and the other two, right and left ; forming a range of a hundred feet in 

 length ; which would give pine-apples enough for a large family. The fruiting-pit to 

 be forty feet long, and ten feet wide, over walls ; and each of the others to be thirty 

 feet long, and nine feet wide, also over walls. The breast- wall of the whole to be on a 

 line, and to be eighteen inches above ground. The back wall of the centre one to be 

 five feet, and of the others, to be four and a half feet higher than the front. The front 

 and end flues to be separated from the bark-bed by a three inch cavity, and the back 

 flues to be raised above its level. 



2647. The furnaces may either be placed in front, or at 

 the back, according to conveniency ; but the strength of the 

 heat should be first exhausted in front, and should return in 

 the back flues. The fruiting-pit would require two small 

 furnaces, in order to diffuse the heat generally, and keep up a 

 proper temperature in winter ; one to be placed at each hand ; 

 and either to play, first in front, and return in the back ; but 

 the flues to be above, and not alongside of one another ; as in 

 the latter way they would take up too much room. The under 

 one to be considered merely as an auxiliary flue, as it would 

 only be wanted occasionally. None of these flues need be 

 more than five or six inches wide, and nine or ten deep. Nor 

 need the furnaces be so large, by a third or fourth part, as 

 those for large forcing-houses ; because there should be proper 

 oil-cloth covers for the whole, as guards against severe wea- 

 ther, which would be a great saving of fuel. The depth of 

 the pits should be regulated so as that the average depth of the 

 bark-beds may be a yard below the level of the front flues ; 

 as to that level the bark will generally settle, although made as 

 high as their surfaces, when new stirred up. If leaves, or a 

 mixture of leaves with dung, are to be used instead of bark, 

 the pits will require to be a foot, or half a yard deeper. 



2648. Large pineries should be turned to other purposes, and 

 such erected as are described above. There cannot be a doubt 

 respecting the satisfaction that would follow, if to have good 

 fruit at an easy rate were the object. I have given designs for 

 no other kinds of new pineries these six years past, but such 

 as these ; with some variations respecting extent, however, in 

 order to suit different purses. 



2649. The pinery of Baldwin consists of two structures, the 

 succession-bed and fruiting-house. 



2650. The succession-beds or. frame (fg. 432. ), in which the 

 young plants are to remain both winter and summer, should 

 be constructed of timber, seven feet wide, and seven feet three 

 inches high at the back, the front being in the same proportion. 

 The method of preparing the bed is as follows : " Sink your 



