GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



119 



depressing of which opens the whole, and 

 keeps them at any extent of ventilation — 

 or shuts them up entirely. The situation 

 being exposed, the back wall — as exem- 

 plified in the Crystal Palace — is carried as 

 high as the tops of the ridges, to break 

 the force of the wind. The roof is glazed 

 with Hartley's rough sheet-glass, 26 oz. to 

 the square foot, to prevent the sun's rays 

 from scorching the foliage within : the 

 front is glazed with transparent sheet 

 glass, 16 oz. to the square foot, so that 

 in walking along the terrace in front the 

 whole of the interior is seen through the 

 glass. The mode of glazing is upon the 

 groove principle, by which no putty is 

 exposed to the weather. The whole is 

 painted a soft stone colour externally, 

 and internally in blue, white, and yellow 

 lines ; and the back wall is also coloured 

 white, to increase the reflection of light. 

 Around the back, front, and ends, is placed 

 a neat cast-iron octagon grating footpath 

 1^ feet broad, kept 18 inches clear of the 

 building ; and similar footpaths connect 

 the back and front together, for the con- 

 venience of walking on when examining 

 the fruit, or carrying on the necessary 

 operations of culture. As the ground is 

 rather on the incline, the boiler is placed 

 at the west end, being the lowest part — the 

 4-inch hot-water cast-iron pipes running 

 in a single line along the inner sides of 

 the back, front, and end footpaths. This 

 single course of pipes is deemed sufficient 

 at present, as a very moderate degree of 

 temperature is kept up; but should a 

 higher temperature be hereafter desired, 

 provision is made for securing it by 

 having small perforated flanges, with a 

 screw-pipe within them, cast in their 

 upper sides, to which metallic radiators 

 can be attached. These radiators are in 

 the shape of neat vases, and can readily be 

 screwed on or removed from the flanges 

 when required. Dwarf and standard 

 fruit trees — consisting of peaches, necta- 

 rines, cherries, plums, apricots, and the 

 finer pears — are planted in rows across 

 the house, and under every second ridge ; 

 while the ground below is cropped with 

 the choicer kinds of culinary vegetables, 

 and the border between the footpath and 

 front and ends planted with verbenas, 

 salvias, scarlet geraniums, &c. — fuchsias 

 and other free-flowering plants being set 

 in groups through other parts of the inte- 



rior. Free-flowering creepers are planted 

 in the border in front, and trained to wires 

 attached to the tubular columns, as well 

 as to the under side of the valleys along 

 the roof. A suspended shelf for straw- 

 berries in pots is placed close under the 

 roof in front. Large specimens of plants 

 are grown in vases and in tubs, which, 

 when wintered within this structure, are 

 set out during summer to decorate the 

 terrace walk round the mansion. Cher- 

 ries, plums, and figs are kept in a 

 portable state, to be taken in to produce 

 their fruit, and removed afterwards to 

 the open borders. 



The estimated cost of this erection, 

 covering 1554 superficial feet, is £200. 



The temperature from solar influence 

 alone ranges from 8° to 10° above that 

 of the open air. In warm sunshine, 

 under the shade of the trees, it will rise 

 to from 20° to 40° higher than the 

 temperature in the shade out of doors. 



The most complete specimen of hot- 

 house architecture that this or any other 

 country can boast of, is the large palm- 

 stove in the Royal Botanic Gardens at 

 Kew, of which Plate XIV. will give a 

 perfect idea as regards its external 

 appearance. It is from the design of 

 Decimus Burton, Esq., an architect to 

 whom this country is much indebted 

 for the various specimens of his art 

 already displayed. Practical suggestions 

 were supplied by the amiable and talent- 

 ed director of the gardens, Sir William 

 Jackson Hooker, and the intelligent 

 curator, Mr Smith. We have seen this 

 house in various stages of its progress, 

 and often since it was finished, and think 

 the workmanship highly creditable to Mr 

 Turner, the builder — the more especially 

 as many of the scantlings are of great 

 weight, and of a size exceeding anything 

 of the kind hitherto executed, if we ex- 

 cept those of the Paxtonian glass palace. 



The length of this house is 362 feet 

 6 inches within, of which 137 feet 6 inches 

 is taken up with the central or higher 

 part, which is 100 feet in width, and 63 

 feet in height, exclusive of the lantern or 

 upper part, this being 6 feet high. The 

 ends or wings are each 112 feet 6 inches 

 in length, 50 feet wide, and 27 feet high, 

 also exclusive of the lantern. The foun- 

 dations are formed of concrete, upon 

 which large granite blocks are laid, into 



