CONSTRUCTION OF HOT-HOUSES. 269 



SECT. I. 



ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOT-HOUSES, 



VARIOUS are the ideas entertained, and the devices 

 practised on this subject, and very far have some 

 late schemers misled the public ; who have held 

 out a shew of economy, and persuaded many to al- 

 ter well constructed hothouses to mere gim- 

 cracks ; with hot air flues, and cold air flues ; 

 improved furnaces that set the house on fire, by 

 way of keeping up a regular heat ! double rooflngs ; 

 inner roofings ; and much other nonsense, too te- 

 dious to enumerate. 



Very much, too much stress has been laid on the 

 construction of hot-houses ; and the failure of crops 

 has often unjustly been imputed to their defaults. 

 When matters go wrong, through the inatten- 

 tion and carelessness of servants, the blame must 

 be laid somewhere ; and it is as easy to lay it 

 to the construction of the house, as to the sign 

 of the Sun or the King's Arms. Still, it is grant- 

 ed that many houses are faulty, and might be 



