Mcintosh'' s Practical Gardener. 187 



not misinformed, and we believe we are not, contrary to an opinion given at 

 his request, to one of these noblemen, by.some official persons connected with 

 the Horticultural Society. It is gratifying to think that there should be so 

 much science, and such a power of conquering prejudice, in men so far re- 

 moved from ordinary life. We cannot but highly respect them on this 

 account; and whatever may be the result of their trials, they are certainly 

 entitled to the thanks of the horticultural world for having made an ex- 

 periment attended with so much expense, and the result of which will be 

 of so much importance. The more that we can manufacture out of the 

 bowels of the earth, the more we shall be able to make of its surface. The 

 less timber that is necessary, the more corn and fruit trees may be grown. 



Curvilinear Houses. In order that we may not become prejudiced, or 

 perhaps we should say, in order to counteract the tendency which we, in 

 common with every other human being, have to become prejudiced, we 

 shall quote all that Mr. M'Intosh has to say against curvilinear houses. 

 " Some few curvilinear houses have been erected in this country, but they 

 have chiefly been for the cultivation of flowering plants. Whether it be 

 that their expense in their first erection, their inconveniency, or the effect 

 that they produce as a garden structure, have operated as a drawback, is 

 not certain, but they are not rising much in repute. That their expense 

 in the first erection is considerably more than that of houses built upon the 

 more common principle, cannot be denied, inasmuch as a great part of the 

 materials, if of wood, is cut to waste, and their formation more difficult for 

 the tradesman to' execute; and, above all, if the sashes be made movable, 

 which should be the case with all houses, whether they be ventilated by the 

 sashes, or by means of ventilators properly constructed, and placed both in 

 the front parapet-wall and likewise near the top of the back one, they are, 

 in that case, incapable of being made rain-proof. For houses entirely con- 

 structed for cultivating flowering plants, they may, with less impropriety, be 

 made of fanciful shapes and curvilinear roofs; but for houses expressly built 

 for utility, they are not to be recommended. As they are constructed upon 

 the principle of admitting the greatest number of the rays of heat and light, 

 they also admit of the greatest portion of cold, particularly in windy weather, 

 by allowing it to pass more readily into the house between the laps of the 

 glass. Our own experience, in respect to two curvilinear houses for culti- 

 vating tropical plants, justifies us in joining to the testimony of others, in 

 stating them to be decidedly more difficult to keep to a proper temperature 

 than houses with sloping roofs, glazed upon the same principle, and of the 

 same dimensions ; indeed, so difficult was it to keep the required temperature 

 in the houses alluded to, notwithstanding there were two fires constantly 

 kept up, and the dimensions of the houses only 40 ft. long, by 11 wide, and 

 one of them only 10 ft. high, that we were under the necessity of covering 

 them with double mats during a great part of the winter of 1827. 



" The majority of practical gardeners prefer those with straight roofs, 

 and are content with the light and heat that they afford; and if we may 

 judge of their relative merits by the crops of fruit produced in both, we see 

 little reason to think that they will ever become general. Economy, com- 

 bined with utility, we have always considered as a most important consider- 

 ation in hot-house building, provided that they be so contrived that the 

 plants may derive the due advantages of light, air, heat, soil, and water, 

 these being the principal agents of vegetable life. The merits, therefore, of 

 hot-houses will be judged by the perfection with which those indispensable 

 agents are supplied, 



" In our opinion, curvilinear houses have no advantage over others for 

 the production of good fruit ; and, as a mere matter of taste, we see no 

 elegance in them that is not to be met with in well-constructed houses with 

 straight or sloping roofs, if judiciously arranged, either in ranges or detached. 

 In ranges (against walls) curvilinear houses have the appearance of being 



