THE FORCING GARDEN. 



517 



fruit in all kinds of houses, while bad ones are less fortunate ; 

 and therefore they may as well lay the blame on the construct- 

 ion of the house, as on their own inattention and want of 

 skill. Nevertheless, it is allowed, that many houses are faulty, 

 but if those be partially successful, the success must neces- 

 I sarily be greater, were they to be constructed on a more ap- 

 ' proved principle. However, where there is a sufficient com- 

 mand of fire-heat, as well as a sufficient quantity of light and 

 air, whatever the form of the house may be, if the borders be 

 properly prepared, and the management good, the success will 

 entirely depend upon the experience and attention of the gar- 

 dener. 



SITUATION. 



" It is a matter of importance," as Nicol very justly ob- 

 serves, " that every hot-house should be placed, if not in a 

 sheltered situation, at least in a dry one, or in one that is 

 capable of being rendered so by draining. The aspect of all 

 forcing-houses should be as near to the meridian as possible, 

 though the deviation of an hour to the east or to the west is 

 not of much importance. Some insist that they should front 

 the east, and others that they should front to the west of 

 south, because some are advocates for the morning, and others 

 for the afternoon sun." If they stand within a few points of 

 south, it is matter of little consequence whether that inclina- 

 tion be to the west or east; it is, however, otherwise with 

 houses constructed for the cultivation of plants only. 



As the subject ot plant-houses will be fully considered in 

 the latter part of this work, we will confine ourselves at pre- 

 sent to those houses which are intended for the cultivation of 

 fruits ; and, in the first place, we must observe that, for that 

 purpose, the houses should front the south, and be completely 

 sheltered from the effects of winds, but still not so as to be 

 shaded by trees. Low and damp situations are, of all others, 

 the least calculated for such structures, and the generally 

 adopted site for them is in the kitchen-garden ; although, in 

 pome instances, the forcing structures, when upon an exten- 

 sive scale, as in the royal gardens at Kensington, are In an 



