FRUITS FOR MANSIONS. 



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ORCHARD HOUSES.— It may be remarked that, so far, 1 have catered for the best fruit 

 districts, so that a few words should be given for the Northern Counties and Scotland. It 

 is here that orchard house culture finds its greatest utility, as a crop of the finest fruit can 

 always be depended upon. In the South one prefers to have a house without artificial heat; 

 but in cooler climes it is as well to have some command of hot-water pipes, as a fall in 

 the temperature may prove fatal, if it occurs when the trees are in flower, and possibly 

 artificial heat may be also needed to finish the later Apples, Pears, and Peaches. 



We prefer a large bouse, say, 100ft. by 20ft., with ample side ventilation, and a 

 pitch of some 12ft. or 15ft. in the centre. The illustration gives an idea of the structure 



e trees should be in pots, as they are readily moved 



and its contents in September. Th 

 outside in summer to complete 

 the ripening of their woody 

 growth, and by October the 

 fruit is nearly gone, so that 

 this lofty house can be used 

 as a show structure for Chry- 

 santhemums. When the trees 

 are placed outside in a sunny 

 position on an ash bottom, 

 stable litter should be placed 

 over and around the pots, as 

 they will otherwise suffer from 

 exposure, and the syringe may 

 be freely used if the weather 

 be hot and dry. The trees 

 may be kept outside until 

 January, when the Chrysan- 

 themums are over. Peaches 

 and Nectarines should be kept 

 together, as they require more 

 syringing than the other fruits ; 

 and Pears, Apples, and Plums 

 can all be grown in. the same 

 house. The kinds should be 

 selected for beauty, ornament, 

 and flavour, and to ripen when 

 other outside fruits are not 

 plentiful, therefore e a 1 1 v 

 Apples, Pears, and Plums may 

 be omitted, but the whole 

 range of Peaches and Necta- 

 rines can be included. Illustrations are given of pot trees to show how fine the fruit can be 

 even after the tree has been in a pot for eight to ten years. Beyond the removable trees in pots, the 

 supports can becovered with choice cordon Pears, planted out, which, although on ecannot depend 

 upon them for a regular yield, will give a few extra tine examples, and prove ornamental. 



The beauty of fruit tree blossom has not received that attention it deserves, and 1 

 was struck' with the remark of a first-rate gardener when looking through a fine establishment 

 where a lot of worn-out trained, pyramidal, and bent trees were in evidence. "Why don't you 

 cut down all this rubbish and plant some useful trees ? " " Oh ! 1 can't do that, because 

 her ladyship comes every day to see them when in blossom, and says, ' Never mind, gardener, 

 they are so beautiful, that 1 am quite repaid by their blossom without the fruit to follow.' " 



AN ORCHARD HOUSE INTERIOR. 



rrown 



