FORCING DEPARTMENT. 317 



berland's Garden, at Sion House, which was, in 

 fact, totally unfit for horticultural purposes at the 

 end of seven years, in consequence of the dry rot. 

 There was, also, an extensive range in the Royal 

 Gardens, at Kensington, most substantially erected, 

 about 16 years ago, of which the greater portion 

 of the sashes and rafters is now in a decayed and 

 mouldering state. 



As regards the painting of metallic roofs, &c. it 

 has been asserted by several, that these roofs require 

 much more paint than wooden ones : unquestionably 

 the wrought iron bars will require it more frequently 

 than those constructed of other materials ; but their 

 dimension being also much smaller than that of wood 

 houses, the less portion of paint will be consumed 

 to cover them, as, undoubtedly, less time is required 

 to lay it on. The following abstract, from Messrs. 

 Jones's agreement, will be, also, a sufficient answer, 

 I presume, to the objection as to painting : " With 

 respect to keeping the houses in paint, the inside 

 of the copper bars would not require it at all in 

 any length of time, or number of years ; and, there- 

 fore, we engage to paint the outside, the frame-work, 

 &c. and the rims of the lights, every three or four 

 years, as it might be wished for, at not exceeding 

 two-thirds of the expense which would be necessary 

 for a range of wood houses of equal extent." 



The inside of the copper bars, in the Forcing- 

 Houses here, has not yet been painted, neither does 

 it appear to require it. In many of the compart- 

 ments, the bars are as bright and clean as when 

 first erected ; and the copper never being subject 



