330 



THE ORCHIDE^ HOUSE. 



elevation of glass two feet six inches high, making the front five feet in 

 height, 



" In front of the house is a small pit, i, used for half-hardy plants. 

 The water is conveyed into the cisterns by leaden pipes from a reservoir, 

 and is let on or taken off at pleasure, by turning off taps fixed at each 

 end. For the purpose of readily giving humidity to the house, perforated 

 pipes are passed along it, which when turned on, throw water on the 

 floor, or over the back chamber.'* 



This house has many advantages ; but we would suggest that the 

 greenhouse species of Orchideae, as well as the hardy exotic, and even 

 native species, should be kept in the pit in front, and which could be 

 readily heated at one end by forming ventilators in the front wall of the 

 house, through which a sufficiency of heat would find its waf to answer 

 every purpose of preserving what may be denominated greenhouse species. 

 The North American and other hardy sorts would require no other 

 artificial heat than that of the protection afforded by the glass covering 

 dm'ing winter, and sufficient shading during summer. By this arrange- 

 ment the whole natural order would be brought together, and be more 

 conveniently attended to than if scattered about in different parts of the 

 garden. 



Amongst other vast improvements and alterations going on at Chats- 

 worth, a new Orchideous House has been erected, upon the metaUic curvi- 

 linear principle — a circumstance we are rather surprised at, as the humidity 

 usually kept up in houses of this kind will have a great tendency to create 

 rust, and a consequent injury to the plants, from the condensed vapour 

 falling back on them. We have no doubt, however, that Mr. Paxton has 

 taken all necessary precautions to render this house as fit for the purpose 

 as possible. 



The span-roofed form of house, however, appears to us to present 

 many very important advantages, and it would appear that some of the 

 best cultivators of the day are of a similar opinion. The magnificent 

 house of the Messrs. Loddiges, at Hackney, and that of the Messrs. Rollin- 

 son, at Tooting, are upon this principle ; and that of Mr. Knight, in the 

 King's Road, Chelsea, differs from them only in having a wall run up the 

 centre, constituting as it were two houses set back to back, having a 

 communication between them. 



The house of Messrs. Loddiges is in length one hundred and forty feet, 

 breadth eighteen feet, and ten feet high in the centre. An immense pit, 

 filled up to nearly the height of three feet above the ground level, occupies 

 the centre of the house, and extends towards each end, leaving sufficient 



