December 28, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
561 
Grapes ; excellent new bothies, and a splendid club and reading room 
erected by Lord Burton for the residents on the estate. But something 
plainer than all these arrested particular attention—namely, some simple 
structures in which ice is kept all the year round. In compliance with 
our request Mr. W. Bennett, the head gardener, has favoured us with the 
annexed plans and specifications, which cannot fail to be of service to 
those of our readers who desire to provide efficient ice stores at moderate 
cost. 
“[Some few yearsjago,” writes Mr. Bennett, “ the Duke of St. Albans, 
e 
Fig. 78.—Side elevation. 
when visiting here, kindly invited me to pay a visit to Bestwood to see 
His Grace’s gardener there, Mr. Edmonds, and a very pleasant and in¬ 
structive day I spent. Among other things taken a note of was a very 
economical and, according to Mr. Edmonds’ report of it at the time, a 
most satisfactory way of keeping ice, and such I have proved it. I under¬ 
stood Mr. Edmonds to say he had seen it at some other place. I now 
enclose you a rough sketch, showing the smaller of the two houses we 
have here. They are made close to the ice pond, so that the ice can be 
broken and thrown directly in. This small house lasts all the summer 
months, the larger being reserved for autumn use. 
“ The sides are composed of 6 by lj-inch common white deal boards 
Fig. 79.—Section through a, b. 
nailed to railway sleepers bought from the railway. They are creosoted 
and last well in the ground, in which they are placed 3 feet deep and 
3 apart; purlins are 7 inches by 3, deal; wallplates, 4 inches by 3 ; prin¬ 
cipal beams, of which there are four to tie the building together, 4 inches 
by 4 ; jafters, 3 inches by 2, 14 inches apart. 
“ The roof is thatch of a good thickness to keep the place cool. All 
the space between the principal beams and the roof is left open, so the 
air has a free passage right through. This, I think, is the secret of success. 
If you consult section c, d (fig. 82), you will see the house represented 
full of ice ; the bottom has a layer < f faggots for drainage, and a foot of 
sawdust is put round the outsides of the building as the ice is put in. 
The ice is broken up fine outside on a brick platform. The ice is com¬ 
pletely covered with the sawdust. I may add we have two large expen¬ 
sive structures of an egg-shape built in the ground ; these we never use 
now. They used to take a week to fill ; with the same ice we can fill the 
present ones in three days, besides saving horse hire.’’ 
[In filling the houses moveable boards are placed round at the distance 
from the sides indicated in the section, and the space filled with sawdust; 
then as the ice rises to the level of the top of the boards these are simply 
drawn upwards, 8o continuing till the work is completed.] 
GARDENERS’ GAIT. 
There is a circus in our neighbouring town which is constantly 
producing fresh wonderful feats of men and animals to attract sightseers. 
But I can produce as rare and interesting a sight for your readers, I 
think, as any which are to be found there. What is it ? A gardener 
who runs at his work ! Walk up 1 Front and reserved seats free to all 
gardeners ! Runs, habitually runs, not because he is cold, not because 
anyone is looking on, but simply from zeal. Such a nimble hearty run 
to and from his work, and to fetch fresh tools, that it would puzzle many 
to catch him. 
I began to take an interest in, and to watch gardeners before I was 
old enough to work myself, and now I can do hard work no longer, but I 
never saw anything like it before. 
A neighbouring farmer, who has had much experience in the employ¬ 
ment of labour in the colonies as well as in England, saw it unperceived, 
and wondered much. “ I can’t undersland it,’’ he said ; “but,” with a 
shake of the head, “ I don’t think it will last.” But it has lasted. Come 
and see. 
As a sickly child I was accustomed to sit on a handle of the wheel¬ 
barrow, and watch at his work the dear old man from whom I think I 
got a great deal of my love of gardening. And when he said to his 
subordinate, “ Jim, just pop and fetch a besom,” I used to look at Jim as 
he “ popped,” and wonder how that little short word, so expressive 
of alertness and energy, could be applied to the deliberate and shambling 
gait of Jim, the under gardener. 
And I can remember another good old gardener, a model of neatness 
in his work, to whom I should be pleased to offer one of my most com¬ 
fortable reeerved seats—for he does not know to this day that I have seen 
him come to a flower bed just before eight in the morning with a b irrowful 
of tools, spread them all out for the master’s eye to see, just scratch the 
ground, and then go home to breakfa>t. Capital hands, both of them ; 
much better educated, much better gardeners, but, with intelligent super¬ 
vision, give me the running man. How can his assistant idle, when the 
superior comes back to his work like a hunted deer, and takes his tools 
and goes ahead, as if a flood was coming, and working for bare life? A 
man like that may be ignorant, but he is so zealous that he must learn ; 
he cannot help it. If he clearly understands what is to be done, it will be 
done, if possible, without a thought of himself or his own dignity. 
His employer was away from home ; the Strawberries had to be sold; 
he could not get his price at the shops, so he cried them in the streets, and 
hawked them from door to door—and got it. 
He has his faults, but, with supervision, the zeal covers them all. 
Under gardeners, this is the spirit in which to get on. Go at your 
work with zeal. Run at it. Go at your book work and your bodily 
