210 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



many plants for which the greenhouse is too 

 cold, and the stove too hot, an intermediate 

 house is desirable. 



The largest glass structure devoted exclu- 

 sively to plants is the Winter Garden at Kew, 

 the dimensions of which are: — -length, 628 feet; 

 width, 164 feet; height (inside), 60 feet. The 

 area covered by the whole structure is If acre. 

 Its total cost was about £43,000. The largest 

 or central portion was built in 1862, the south 

 wing in 1897, and the north wing in 1899. 

 This last, the Himalayan house, is represented 

 in the Plate. It was built by Messrs. Mac- 

 kenzie & Moncur, and its dimensions are: — 

 length, 116 feet; width, 64 feet; height (inside), 

 38 feet. The entrance porch is 12 feet by 8 

 feet. The base and pillars are brick, the frame 

 of the roof is rolled steel, the sashes being wood. 

 It is an excellent house both architecturally 

 and horticulturally. The inside is laid out in 

 beds, and the whole of the plants are planted 

 out, no pots or stages being used. This house 

 is also remarkable in that no artificial heat is 

 employed in it at any time of the year. 



The glass houses which are found necessary 

 in a garden establishment are sometimes col- 

 lected into a range, as it is called, that is to say, 

 several houses are grouped together in some 

 favourable position. A plan of such a range will 

 be found on page 211 (fig. 272). In certain cases, 

 and not uncommonly, such ranges of houses con- 

 sist of lean-to glass structures, built on the south 

 side of a wall, the necessary garden offices, such 

 as seed-room, fruit-room, mushroom-house, pot- 

 ting- sheds, and store-rooms generally being 

 constructed on the north side of the Mall. In 

 other cases the ranges are detached, so as to 

 gain various aspects for houses devoted to dif- 

 ferent purposes, and the offices are then grouped 

 in some convenient contiguous spot provided in 

 the original disposition of the ground. In all 

 good modern gardens the young gardeners' 

 apartments are separated from the offices, and 

 form a separate structure. 



It will thus be seen how easy it is to adapt a 

 range of glass-houses to meet the requirements 

 of any particular establishment. As a rule it 

 may be assumed that a number of small and com- 

 paratively low houses are of more utility than a 

 few larger ones. Indeed the only large houses, 

 except those which, like conservatories, are built 

 for display, are Vineries intended for main and 

 late crops, and here an increased length of rafter, 

 by giving more scope for the development of the 

 Vine, is certainly beneficial. For the culture of 

 Pines, early Grapes, Peaches, Figs, &c, amongst 



fruits, and ornamental plants of all kinds, 

 whether requiring a stove or greenhouse tem- 

 perature, small houses are decidedly preferable 

 to large Ones. 



The two ranges represented in the Plate 

 are examples of the most modern structures 

 for either a private garden or a nursery. The 

 advantages of having the whole connected by 

 means of a corridor, long lean-to, or even a large 

 conservatory, are now generally recognized. 



Wall-frames. — In the south of England wall- 

 fruits, such as Peaches and Nectarines, ripen per- 

 fectly well without the aid of glass in ordinary 

 seasons, the only protection required being that 

 against late spring frosts; but in the northern 

 parts of the kingdom more protection is requisite. 

 Accordingly a wall is sometimes covered with 

 glass, forming in fact a narrow house, which may 

 be termed a Wall-frame, Wall-case, or Fruit- 

 preserver; this serves to protect the blossoms, 

 and to assist in ripening the fruit. 



There are other ways in which wall-frames 

 may be constructed, but some of them are more 

 expensive than lean-to structures, of the char- 

 acter of which they more or less partake. 

 When such expense is to be incurred, we think 

 it would be well to incur still more, and have a 

 i command of heat sufficient at least to keep out 

 frost during the spring months. 



Horticultural buildings of every kind ought 

 to be carefully painted every three years, and 

 kept clean and in good repair. They are usually 

 painted a light stone colour, and only genuine 

 white -lead and linseed -oil paint of the best 

 quality should be used. 



Ill— Miscellaneous Structures. 



Fruit-room.. — The conditions necessary for 

 keeping fruit well are a dry atmosphere and a 

 cool steady temperature. To ensure these con- 

 I ditions as far as possible the room should be in 

 ' a dry airy situation, and its exterior exposed to 

 a free circulation of air; that it may have a cool 

 temperature, the floor should have a circulation 

 of air below it ; and there should be the means 

 of ventilation, but at the same time the doors 

 and windows ought to fit closely in case of 

 severe frost. 



The earth at small depths has a temperature 

 equal to the annual mean temperature of the 

 air, which in Britain is between 46° and 50°. 

 Now, if a room were built with double walls 

 and roof over a portion of ground at 50°, and if 

 the room were closely shut up when a thermo- 

 meter indicated the air inside to be as low as 



