Present State of Garden Architecture. 393 



face of glass greatly: but, in ordinary instances, how commonly 

 you see a shelf of strawberry pots right up in the corner, close 

 to the glass ; and the reason generally assigned for their occupy- 

 ing this awkward locality is, that the light, and especially the 

 free air when the lights are opened, may induce them to set 

 their fruits, which long experience has proved they will not do 

 lower down. No wonder. There are no such quarters lower 

 down; for the arid heat and drenching steam, as they issue 

 " entire " from their source, no matter whether that be pipes 

 or -flues, are sufficient to injure the extremely delicate texture of 

 the anther and stigma, without which fully and freely developed 

 fruit cannot possibly come. And when fruit does set in the upper- 

 shelf atmosphere, it is not the outer air that effects it (certainly 

 not the exposing delicate blossoms, accustomed to the shade and 

 shelter of the glass for twenty hours out of the twenty-four, to 

 the full sun and the winter wind for a few hours in a fine day) : 

 no ; but the moist and dry warm air, being better mixed as it 

 ascends higher, forms a climate of a very different character from 

 that which is found below; and it is in this sweet soft air of 

 artificial spring, that blossoms, unruffled by the breeze, expand 

 their rosy petals and impregnate fruits. The sun heat, too, re- 

 ceived through the glass in the lower part of the house, adds 

 wonderfully to the temperature of the top corner, and acts the 

 more intensely, on account of the accelerated motion it acquires 

 as it ascendsj in the same way that the contrary element, frost, 

 is felt so severely when accompanied by a brisk air ; and though 

 I may be told that strawberry plants and French-bean plants 

 answer admirably on these top corner shelves, and cost little or 

 nothing, since the house must be heated and otherwise treated 

 the same, whether the shelf were there or not, yet this is by no 

 means a sufficient compensation for the loss of so much vine 

 trellis. 



Now, in cases where such houses are already erected, I 

 should, as a matter of course, occupy every inch of space under 

 the glass, and, therefore, must have a top shelf, like my neigh- 

 bours, and occupy it with plants for fruit or vegetables, if ne- 

 cessary : but I should feel sorry to see a vine trellis shortened a 

 yard to gain a row of strawberry pots in the house, and there- 

 fore I would advise any one who has the means and the good 

 will to build a gai'den and hot-houses, to have, if possible, small 

 houses entirely devoted to the production of one species of fruit, 

 as vineries for grapes, and strawberry houses for that desirable 

 fruit; and I can assure them that such, if properly managed, 

 will pay the cost of exclusive culture handsomely. I speak from 

 experience, for I have tried both a good deal, and I have seen 

 both tried very extensively. 



Alton Towers, May 20. 1842. 



