HOT-HOUSE AT SCHOXBRUXX. 



279 



we should be in this respect so much behind our less wealthy neighbours. 

 We are by no means advocates for large hot-houses generally, but we 

 think that such a garden as Kew should contain one house at least equal 

 ,to that at Schonbrunn, of which Townson, a traveller of the last century, 

 observes that the hot-houses " are the most spacious that have yet been 

 constructed in Europe ; the trees of the tropics there develope their 

 branches at full hberty, and bear flowers and fruits/^ The annexed 

 sketch will give some idea of a part of this extensive stove, as it at 

 present exists. 



To cultivate Tropical plants in the first degree of excellence, reqmres 

 separate houses for different sections of plants ; and as we have shown, we 

 hope pretty cleaiiy, when treating of greenhouse plants, the utility of these 

 sub -divisions, we shall proceed to sketch out what we consider the best 

 sub-divisions for natives of the tropics, which ought to be as follows : — 



THE HUMID STOVE, THE DRY STOVE, THE ORCHIDE^ STOVE, THE AftU BA- 

 RIUM, THE PALM STOVE, THE TROPICAL FRUIT STOVE, THE SCITAMINE-5 

 OR REEDY PLANT STOVE, and THE CRYPTOGAMIC STOVE. 



The latter of these is quite indispensable where the cultivation of the 

 plants belonging to them are indulged in ; but as these can only be ex- 

 pected in establishments of the highest order, we shall be brief in our 

 observations on them, at least for the present, and proceed to describe 

 more fully the three first, as being by far more generally in use. 



