THE FORCING GARDEN. 



521 



that we are really surprised, that tlie intelligent gentlenKin, 

 who has promulgated the above opinion, has not been practi- 

 cally convinced of the fallacy of his argument. It is advised 

 by him and by the most strenuous advocates of iron houses, to 

 paint them every year, with the view of counteracting the effects 

 of rust, and rendering them less powerful conductors of heat ; 

 now it is singular, that one-third of the sum will paint a hot- 

 house of any given number of superficial feet yearly, while a 

 wooden-house of the same surface, requires that operation at 

 least only once in two years, and if it should even be performed 

 only once in three or four years, little or no injury would ac- 

 crue to the timber ; while, during the whole of that time, we 

 are free from the ill effects of rust, expansion, contraction, and 

 all danger from the conducting powers of iron. 



There is no example of any iron-house having yet stood 

 thirty years, but we have seen many that have stood that time, 

 which have been built of timber, and, according to all moral 

 calculation, are likely to stand much longer. An instance of 

 this occurred in our own practice, while at Stratton Park, in a 

 vinery, which was built when that property belonged to the 

 Bedford family ; it had been long neglected, and not kept in 

 the slightest repair, nor probably ever painted from the time it 

 was built, till it was taken down, when it became, by pur- 

 chase, the property of the late Sir Francis Baring. This 

 vinery, however, stood for upwards of thirty years, and was 

 by the present proprietor taken down, about ten years ago, to 

 make way for a metallic one, which was constructed by one 

 of the most eminent metallic hot-house builders in the king- 

 dom ; the old sashes and rafters were thrown by as useless, 

 and remained for seven or eight years neglected. The rafters 

 and such pieces of the building as could be wrought up into 

 use, were taken, in consequence of the extreme good quality 

 of the timber ; and the sashes, not being so convertible into 

 general buildings, were left to perish, as of no use. In 1825, 

 some houses were erected for vines, and one of them was 

 covered with those identical sashes, which had now been made 

 about forty years. These sashes were in so good preservation, 

 that any repair was judged uiuiecessary, except for greater 

 strength. The corners were secured with plates of iron, to 



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