SUBSOIL AND DRAINAGE. 



13 



a large extent of foliage, and become vigorous plants as 

 compared with those confined to a short rafter ; and the 

 roof presents an angle of about 35° to the sun — a very 

 suitable one for a vinery ; while the length of the rafter 

 will be about 19 feet. If the roof is constructed of 

 sashes and rafters, the sashes should be 6 feet wide, so 

 as to afford space enough for training one vine-rod up 

 under each rafter, and one in the centre of each sash : 

 if all of astragals, as is sometimes the case, the rods 

 may be regulated as to distance from each other at 

 pleasure. The wires to which the vines are tied should 

 not be nearer the glass than 16 inches, and should run 

 at right angles with the rafters. When they are too 

 close to the glass, as is often the case, the leaves come 

 in contact with it, when they get killed by being, as 

 some say, scorched, but in reality frozen. These wires 

 should be within 10 or 12 inches of each other. There 

 is no pathway so suitable, either for a vinery or peach- 

 house, as iron-grating. In a house of the dimensions 

 I have here indicated, and where grapes are to be 

 ripe in April, there should not be less than 300 feet of 

 4 -inch pipe for surface or atmospheric heat, in addi- 

 tion to which there should be a steaming-tray, which 

 gives off fully as much heat itself as one row of pipe. 

 The front and ends of the house should rest either on 

 pillars or arches, so as to give the roots free access to 

 the outside as well as inside border. 



SUBSOIL AND DRAINAGE. 



Where the entire border is heated by hot-water pipes 

 covered with Caithness pavement, as shown in fig. 1, 

 any excess of water that may fall on the border will 

 descend through the joints of the pavement to the 



