CONSERVATORY. 



47 



insects, collect dust, and, as they are difficult to clean, 

 contract an untidy appearance in a very short time. 

 The coloring of the wood or iron-work should be light, 

 but not glaring; a shade of whito is generally the most 

 suitable, as it brings out the green of the foliage, and 

 interferes little with the tints of the flowers. A foun- 

 tain, or a group of statuary, is a desirable addition to 

 the conservatory, as also a piece of rockwork for the 

 growth of ferns and succulent plants. The heating of 

 the internal air is, in ordinary circumstances, best ac- 

 complished by hot- water pipes, which, for the con- 

 venience of the walks, must be placed below the floor, 

 with iron gratings above them, to permit the immission 

 of the heat. There is one important advantage in 

 employing a hot-water circulation for raising and reg- 

 ulating the temperature, — viz., that the furnace by 

 which the heat is supplied does not necessarily require 

 to be close to the house, though undoubtedly it is the 

 more effective the nearer it is. The boiler may be 

 placed at the distance of more than a hundred feet 

 without any material disadvantage, provided the pipes 

 are laid under ground in a dry and double-cased drain, 

 to prevent the escape of heat from the water in its 

 passage to the house. The external appearance of the 

 conservatory, and its effect on the group of buildings 

 composing the mansion-house, require careful and ma- 

 ture consideration. There may be various positions 

 which would suit it perfectly as a receptacle for plants, 

 but in which any of the ordinary forms of glazed houses 

 would have an injurious effect on the structure to which 

 they might be appended. There is a certain amount of 

 incongruity between almost all the forms alluded to and 

 the architecture of our modern houses. Architects have 



