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VENTILATING OF FORCING-HOUSES. 
VENTILATING OF FORCING-HOUSES. 
Proper ventilation is of the first importance in a forcing-house, for much depends 
upon the means adopted for this purpose in forcing any kind of fruit : indeed, without 
thorough ventilation and some method by which it may be graduated to any degree re- 
quired, the gardener may use every other effort for the successful growth of fruit in vain ; 
for no attention to the proper soil — to heating — and watering, &c., however complete, will 
succeed to a degree of perfect satisfaction, unless the house is properly ventilated. 
Considering this as a fixed principle, we would observe with regard to summer vineries. 
Pine-houses, &c., where flat sloping lights sliding on the rafters are used, that the present 
and old fashioned method of sliding the lights up and down, is, perhaps, the best system 
for affording proper ventilation ; but for early and late vineries, cucumber and melon 
houses, where the ridge and furrow principle is employed, the ventilation is more com- 
plicated and should be fully considered. For this purpose we subjoin four figures ( to a 
scale of of an inch to a foot,) illustrative of the ventilation of a vinery, which, preserving 
the same principle, may be varied and applied to any other description of forcing-houses. 
Fig. 1. is a section of the front waU in which a is the'front 
ventilator ; h the archway through which the vine roots pass 
out to the front border ; c, the front lights ; d, the heating 
pipes supported by cast-iron standards every 8 or 10 feet 
apart, and batted with lead into a solid stone. The sloping 
front border and inside bed, are represented at e, e. Here 
the ventilators in front are on the same level as the front 
pipes, so that the cold air may diffuse the heated air from 
the pipes through the house. This figure shows a section of 
the footings, crown of the arch, coping and plating, &c. 
The ground level and general surface is represented at/, /, 
Fig. 2. is an elevation of a portion of the front, which 
shows the arches, ventilators, and a part of the upright 
lights in front. The vines are planted opposite the centre of 
each arch, in the middle between the ventilators, so that no 
direct cold air can be blown against the stems. These ven- 
tilators are hinged on the upper edge, and kept open by an 
iron stay. When a thorough draught is desired to cool the 
house suddenly, then the upright lights which are balanced 
on the pivot and socket principle, maybe opened in addition 
to the ventilators, but for all ordinary occasions the venti- 
lators alone will be sufficient. 
