16G JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



raer to maintain a humid atmosphere, and, of course, water 

 (preferably soft) is freely supplied to the plants themselves during 

 the seasons they need it. The houses are fully exposed on all 

 sides. Any shelter, as of overhanging trees should, if possible, 

 be avoided. For the bulk of Alpines no such particularity need 

 perhaps be considered ; but for the small minority of choice and 

 less easily grown kinds such consideration has consequence. 



Although in nature, in their high, cool mountain homes, 

 Alpine plants generally thrive in fall sun, in the English garden 

 at least some need shade and more like it. The house, there- 

 fore, needs shading during any month between April and October 

 inclusive during which the plants may remain in it and the roof 

 is not wholly removed. The shading is well and quickly effected 

 by clouding the lights with the usual wash mixed with size. 



For some plants, e.g. Eamondias and a few of the choicest 

 Saxifrages, shade is essential even in nature. Such shade may 

 be given in the Alpine house, without appreciably excluding air, by 

 leaving on the clouded lights on only one side, facing west (upon 

 which the hot afternoon sun faces), and for this reason my houses 

 are made to run from north to south ; and, at least in such 

 exceptionally hot seasons as we have just passed through, a 

 stretched canvas shading may be advisedly substituted for the 

 lights on both sides. 



Economy and movability are the specific advantages of the 

 structures which I have just described. They can readily be 

 made to stand by their own weight, and are thus " tenants' fix- 

 tures," removable on expiration of lease. But, such considera- 

 tions apart, it will evidently be better to substitute for wood, 

 brick or stone in the ends and sides of the house. Greater 

 strength and permanence are not the only advantages thus gained, 

 though they are the most obvious ones. The substitution of 

 brick for wood will secure a more equably cool temperature, and 

 will better enable the tasteful furnishing of the ends of the build- 

 ing with either creepers or small permanent rockeries. Those 

 who would desire to save themselves trouble rather than cost 

 will doubtless prefer to order such houses from a builder, and 

 though the current catalogues of horticultural builders do not, I 

 think, yet figure any structure quite completely suitable to the 

 purpose, they figure many which are so nearly so that they 

 would need but little adaptation. 



