November 1, 1864. j 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



355 



The first is a Strawberry-house (ftg. 1), 45i feet in length, 

 between 9 and 10 feet in width, inside measure, height to 

 apex 10 feet, height in front 3 feet. 1 and 2 are wooden 

 ventilators at back and front, hung by pivots in the centre. 

 The diagonal pieces of wood supporting the shelves are as 

 far apart as such supports for stages generally are, so that 

 there is ample room for getting at these seven shelves 

 easily from the inside of the house. It will be observed that 

 all these shelves are at an equal distance from the glass, and 

 that the slope of the glass is such as to give the greatest 



amount of the direct rays of the sun to the plants beneath 

 it during the early months of the year, when forced Straw- 

 berries are most in demand. We could well believe the 

 statement of the wonderful crops obtained in this house, 

 and from such plants in pots as we noticed ripening their 

 crowns. We have seen no other house so suitable for the 

 object, and can well imagine it would be free from the annoy- 

 ances and insects that are apt to seize on the Strawberry 

 when the plants are crowded into any and every open space 

 in any house where there is heat. All who have the am- 



Ground 



Liae. 



Fig. 2. 



bition to keep everything 

 and every structure to its 

 right use, will thank us for 

 this section of the Straw- 

 bsrry-house at Enville. 



The other house is the 

 principal Pine-stove, a 

 cross section of which on 

 the same scale as the pre- 

 ceding is given in fig. 2. 

 The length of this house 

 is 50 feet ; width inside, 

 17 feet; height to apex 

 from path, 10 feet ; height 

 in front above ground 

 level, nearly 3 feet. The 

 central path is sunk about 

 1 foot below the ground 

 level, the front path 3 feet. 

 There is a narrow bed at 

 back, a wider bed in the 

 middle, and a broad slate 

 shelf above the hot-water 

 pipes in front, forming a 

 most valuable position for 

 Dwarf Kidney Beans in 

 winter. The beds are 

 separately heated by hot 

 water in a chamber be- 

 neath them, the top of the 

 chamber being covered by 

 strong slate. In this and 

 other Pine-beds wood had 

 been used for covering the 

 chamber, with openings 

 to let up the heat; but 

 lg ' " when the plants were 



turned out, there was ever and anon the bother of a piece 

 of wood giving way and letting a part of the bed down. 



No doubt slate is much the best every way when the first 

 expense can be comfortably incurred. The plants in these 

 beds were all turned out into rough fibry soil, and showed 

 by their stubby sturdy habit and the dark green of their 

 foliage that they were receiving the treatment they required. 

 Whilst passing through, the beds were being watered with 

 rich manure water, nicely heated, that came from the open 

 boiler to which we have already adverted; and the rough 

 openness of the soil and perfect drainage would enable such 

 enriching water to be given oftener, not only with impunity 

 but with great advantage to the plants. 



In front of all these houses, again, were three ranges of 

 pits, each 170 feet in length — the first called the Melon 

 range ; the second used for propagating and keeping bedding 

 plants, &c. ; and a third, a low range without glass, formed 

 of brick ends and sides, and a four-inch wall from back to 

 front every 4 feet apart. This cross wall not only acts as a 

 support to any cloth covering that may be used, but divides 

 the whole length into so many separate divisions — a good 

 plan for keeping each sort of plant placed there separate 

 and distinct from its neighbour. On unrolling the frigi 

 domo cloth on the morning of our visit to let the bright sun 

 in, we found the whole of these open pits filled with Cloth 

 of Gold, Golden Chain, Alma, Earl of Stamford, Little David, 

 Pearl, and other Geraniums. The cuttings, having been 

 pricked out into nice sandy soil, were rooting nicely, and 

 would be raised and potted and kept in any place where 

 room could be had during the winter. The sight of these 

 pits without glass and with glass began to give us an idea 

 whence would come the more than 100,000 plants that last 

 season were used for planting in the pleasure grounds. 



After admiring some Calceolarias in the borders, as Prince 

 of Hesse (a fine deep crimson), Magnificent (a good brown), 

 Tom Thumb, and some others raised by Mr. Watson, of St. 

 Albans, we reached the south front of the middle wall of the 

 garden. This wall is fronted with a beautiful, upright case, 

 after the Trentham style, for Peaches, as only a part of the 

 east end is devoted to Cherries, looking as if they would 

 produce heavily. This case (see fig. 3) is altogether 360 feet 



