326 



FRUIT-HOUSES. 



ence to the plans, the border b is well 

 chambered underneath. The rafters c, 

 over the border, are portable, and so con- 

 structed as to be removed when the wea- 

 ther is found to be sufficiently congenial. 

 While the lights are over the roof, the 

 front of the house at d is thrown open so 

 as to admit the warm atmosphere of the 

 house over the border ; the heat is also 

 admitted under the border at e. There is 

 also a vacuum all round the wall at /, to 

 allow the heated air to circulate round 

 the roots." 



a ground line ; b border ; c portable 

 rafters ; d opening in front wall ; e en- 

 trance under the chambered border ; / 

 vacuum round the wall ; g pathway ; h 

 pine-pit ; i i flue. 



At Trentham, there is a reason given 

 for concreting the surface of the border, 

 which is, the amount of rain which falls 

 there, combined also with extra humidity 

 below. At Welbeck, the same amount 

 of rain does not fall ; and if it did, a co- 

 vering of roof-tiles would correct the 

 evil. One of the advantages resulting 

 from a chambered border, in such cases, 

 is, that a little heat may be introduced 

 into it at the expense of the temperature 

 of the house, where flues only are used. 

 Would this not be better effected if hot- 

 water pipes, heated by the same fire, 

 were conducted through drain-tiles laid 

 under or amongst a sufficiency of drain- 

 ing material 1 



Heating vine borders. — The following 

 original plan of warming vine borders 

 has been employed by Mr Fleming at 

 Trentham, who, with most gardeners of 

 equal experience, is well aware of the 

 great importance of stimulating the roots 



Fig. 438. 



h 



of vines into growth as soon as, or rather 

 before, the buds are excited by early for- 

 cing. An account of this process is given 



in "The Gardeners' Chronicle," from 

 which our woodcuts are taken. Fig. 438, 

 transverse section ; 439, ground-plan ; 



Fig. 439. 



and 440, longitudinal section. " I pro- 

 pose," he says, " to carry the smoke from 



Fig. 440. 



the furnace a, round the border, as indi- 

 cated by arrows, to the wall at b, when it 

 will rise to a horizontal flue under the 

 coping, and pass along it to the chimney 

 over the boiler. The flue will be en- 

 closed in an arched chamber e, from 

 which will proceed perforated earthen 

 pipes, passing through the drainage of 

 the border, which will be formed in 

 ridges, as shown in longitudinal section. 

 These ridges will be composed of bones, 

 broken bricks, lime, stone, and pieces of 

 charcoal, to afford nourishment to the 

 roots, as well as to act as drainage. The 

 warm-air pipes will terminate inside the 

 front walls of the house at ffff, and 



