vi PREFACE 



These houses have been found invaluable ever 

 since. 



In 1903 nearly all the fruit out-of-doors was 

 destroyed by the severe spring frosts, while fruit 

 trees in the orchard houses yielded magnificent 

 and abundant crops. I venture to say, without 

 fear of contradiction, that orchard houses are 

 the most trustworthy structures to insure a 

 good crop of fruit every year. The protection 

 afforded by glass was at first thought sufficient 

 to keep out all frost, but as time went on, it 

 was deemed advisable to make assurance doubly 

 sure by using a little artificial heat in the event 

 of a severe frost. 



The disappointment to fruit-growers due to 

 the uncertainty of our climate, combined with 

 the satisfactory results achieved by the orchard- 

 house system, tend towards a wide adoption 

 of this already popular method of cultiva- 

 tion, and those who avail themselves of it will, 

 I feel sure, have little cause to regret the initial 

 outlay. 



For three generations the cultivation of fruit 

 trees in pots has been one of the leading features 

 of the firm of Thomas Rivers & Son. In their 

 nursery at Sawbridgeworth I have been em- 

 ployed as orchard-house foreman for the last 

 twenty-two years, so I may fairly claim to have 



