8 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDENING. 



HOUSE, AREA, AND WINDOW 

 GARDENING. 



By William Thomson, 



PLAISTS m SOOMS (continued). 

 Double Windo'ws. — Tkese, if properly con- 

 structed, are a great toon to tlie in-door gardener, 

 A double window is a casing of wood, pro- 

 jecting six 

 inches or 

 more into tlie 

 room, going 

 over the top 

 of the win- 

 dow - frame, 

 and resting 

 on the floor. 

 In front of 

 this are hung 

 two folding 

 glazed doors, 

 the whole be- 

 ing fastened 

 hack to the 

 window- 

 frame. If 

 ledges of 

 wood are 

 nailed to the 

 inner sides of 

 the casing, 

 ehelyes can 

 be laid across 

 for rows of 

 pots to stand 

 upon ; and by 

 having plenty 

 of ledges (fil- 

 lets, as car- 

 penters call 

 them), "the shelves can be moved to different distances 

 apart, according to the requirements of the plants. 

 At the bottom of the casing there should be a movable 

 zinc tray, to catch any overflow after watering, and 

 thus prevent any damage to the carpet. The shelves 

 must be so arranged that the window can readily be 

 opened above and below as required when the weather 

 is suitable. When this is done, and the folding doors 

 are closed, the plants are enjoying fresh air without 

 draughts. They are also protected from the dust, 

 ■which is always flying about in rooms ; and they re- 

 quire to be watered or syringed much less frequently 

 when they are enclosed in this way. At the same 

 time enough air must be given to prevent mildew 

 arising from the atmosphere in which they are 



growing being too damp ; and if the weather is too 

 cold to allow of the window being opened, then one 

 or both of the folding doors must be occasionaliy 

 opened, and this should be done at times when there 

 is the least dust flying about. The best time will be 

 after the dust disturbed by the morning sweeping of 

 the carpets has well settled, and when there is the 

 least traffic about the room to stir it up again. Thus 

 it would be a good time to leave the doors open when 



you are going 

 for your af- 

 ternoon walk. 

 A modifica- 

 tion of the 

 double win- 

 dow just de- 

 scribed is 

 ■ shown (Fig. 

 22), in which 

 the enclosed 

 space only 

 goes up to 

 the middle 

 rail of the 

 window, that 

 is, only half- 

 way up. This 

 arrangement 

 has an ad- 

 vantage over 

 the double 

 window, 

 which goes 

 up to the top, 

 from the fa- 

 cility which 

 it affords of 

 ventilating 

 the room by 

 opening one 

 or more of 

 the upper sashes, which can be done without expos- 

 ing the plants to any cold air or draught. The 

 front of this case may consist of two doors hinged 

 at the sides, and fastening in the middle, or of one 

 large frame hinged along the top, and, therefore, 

 requiring to be lifted up when the plants require 

 attention. 



Where the double window is a very wide one, it 

 will be best to divide the front of it into three instead 

 of two doors, making the middle a sliding door, and 

 hinging the other two. It sometimes happens that 

 the window is in a recess, or at the end of a projec- 

 tion of brickwork built out beyond the general face 

 of the house. In such a case a glass partition, with 

 a door in it, converts this recess into a conservatory 



