201 
other was 60 feet. It was in No. 2 that, as stated above, John Smith 
first arranged the tis of the collection of Tropical Ferns. 
In 1843, 
o. 2 was doubled and made into a span house. 
OPER 1845, No. 3 was eititely taken down, and a new span-roofed house 
erected in its place. It joined on to No. 2, which was kept 2 a some- 
what lower temperature, but opened into it through a partit 
Es 
shelves. No. 2 was used as a stove for rare palms ici large tropical 
No. 3 was at first occupied by the Woburn collection of orchids 
presented by Her Majesty the Queen; for this purpose it proved 
eventually unsuited. The orchids were gradually replaced by Aroideæ 
and ferns. Ultimately the latter obtained possession of the whole 
house. According to John Smith (Records, p. 334), *the centre of the 
house was a raised sloping rockery, amongst which the plants were 
severely damaged by the hail storm of August 3rd; 1,152 panes of 
glass in it were broken. It was piti put snos a —_ state 
of repair, but the collections received considerable 
In 1887 the west end of the toute was set emma a few feet; the 
eed was partly re-arranged and the broad path through the transept 
was made 
The humid conditions necessary for the cultivation of tropical ferns 
are unfortunately not conducive to the preservation of the structures in 
which they are grown when they are built of wood. In it there- 
fore again became necessary to renew the east wing of No. a 
n order to secure greater durability it was decided to use iron e 
principal framework, and wood only for the lights. The top i eutilation 
was provided for by means of a lantern instead of by the older and 
more clumsy method of sliding sashes. At the same time the use of 
which are now known to be mist The resulting improvement in 
the growth of the plants, especially di eec of Adiantum was very 
marked, and in 1892 a portion of the west wing was re-glazed with 
equally satisfactory results. 
The temperate ferns are now collected in a house (No. IIT.), which 
was ves built on the system of mixed iron and wood construction. It 
he erected in 1892 to take the A pea of a decayed and obsolete structure 
o small greenhouses united together, Nos. 4 and 5 of 
Dr. Lindley’s report. The former (the northern wing) was darsi in 
1803, and in 1840 contained New Holland and Cape plants; the latter, 
which was “ remodelled” in 1825, was filled with succulents. 
The reconstructed No. III. is a span-roofed house 60 feet long, 23 
feet wide, and 13 feet high. It contains a broad central and two side 
stages, Mes paths on d sides 
p 
Is peer on the sith side of No. II. It is 50 feet long by 14 
feet es with a central path and two cases running the full length of 
the hous 
U aiii c 
