1851 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
301 
road companies and a reply, and the health of the Pre¬ 
sident elect. 
Thus has closed this annual festival of the agricultur¬ 
ists of Great Britain. The attendance this year was 
much larger than usual, owing, in some measure, to the 
favorable location but more to the Great Exhibition, 
which has brought here so many foreigners, many of 
whom were present to-day. The show ground was very 
full to-day, and it was not easy to examine the stock, 
owing to the crowds pressing around the stalls. To¬ 
morrow, the shilling day, there will be such a rush as 
we have at our shows, undoubtedly. My engagements at 
the Crystal Palace will prevent my attendance. 
This Exhibition shows, that whatever may be the ef¬ 
fect of the present free-trade system in this country, the 
breeding of stock is certainly making commendable ad¬ 
vances. Never before, it is admitted by all here, has 
there been such an exhibition, for its character as well 
as numbers, and I cannot doubt that the raising of stock 
here pays well. 
I am greatly indebted to attentions received during 
the show, from the President of the Society, Mr. Hud¬ 
son, Sec’y., Mr. Shaw, editor Mark Lane Express, Mr. 
Fisher Hobbs, Mr. Dennison, Mr. Mechi, Mr. G. Dale 
Trotter, Mr. Jonas Webb, and others to whom, in be¬ 
half of our Society, I desire to tender cordial thanks. 
Yours truly. B. P. Johnson. 
Inrtirtrtfantl ttpnrtfimtt. 
CONDUCTED BY J. J. THOMAS, MACEDON, N. Y. 
Cold Grape-Houses. 
Twenty or thirty years ago, large importations were 
made of foreign varieties of the grape, and extensive 
vineyards planted by some enterprising individuals. But* 
after trying nearly every variety, they were nearly all 
found quite unsuited to open-air culture, and raising 
grapes out of doors is now mostly pursued with the 
American sorts. But the superior delicacy, flavor, and 
sweetness of some of the foreign grapes have saved them 
from rejection, and of late years cold graperies having 
been found admirably suited to their successful culture, 
they are becoming very common. Fire heat being entire¬ 
ly dispensed with, the cost of maintaining these graperies 
is small. In order to fit them for general use, the build¬ 
ings themselves should be constructed in as cheap a 
manner as possible, as this happily has been attained in 
a remarkable degree. 
The cheapest mode of construction, of the many plans 
presented of late years in horticultural journals, or re¬ 
duced to practice, is substantially the following: The 
walls consist merely of posts set into the ground, and 
covered with common rough board siding. This may be 
whitewashed or painted. The cost of the glass-covering 
is greatly lessened by the use of fixed sashes , made in 
the simplest manner, the necessary ventilation being ef¬ 
fected by means of small board shutters, a a , (Fig. 1,) 
opening outwards on hinges, placed at intervals along 
the back and front walls. Fig. 2 represents a portion 
of the glass roof— b b are the rafters ; c c are cross bars 
made of strips of inch board about two and a half inches 
wide, set on edge, and narrowed at the rafter and let in¬ 
to it sufficiently to be on a level with its top. These 
cross pieces support long slender bars parallel with the 
rafters, and formed on the top in the shape of a com¬ 
mon sash bar, and receive the panes of glass. 
It will be at once perceived that the construction of 
long frames of sash, made to slide up and down the roof, 
which constitute a large item in the expense of glass 
structures, is entirely obviated. 
The vine border is to be made on the outside of the 
front, and the vines brought within and trained along 
the under side of the rafters, within seven or eight inches 
of the roof. 
The main features of this plan of building were pub¬ 
lished last winter in the Horticulturist, as adopted by T. 
Rivers of Sawbridgeworth, England, although it is not 
entirely new in this country. 
-- 
The American Pomologist. 
This valuable and splendid new work,—a large quarto 
with colored plates.—is edited by Dr. W. D. Brinckle, 
and published by A. Hoffy, of Philadelphia. It is to 
be devoted entirely to American Fruits, and in this par¬ 
ticular occupies distinct ground from any other existing 
publication. Each number is to contain ten colored 
engravings, exhibiting the fruit, shoots and leaves of 
each variety. The attempt has been very successfully 
made by A. Hoffy, the artist, to represent the specimens 
in what may be termed their ordinary every-day colors, 
and not, as is too often the case, marked with more of 
the brilliancy of paint than of the skill of the artist. 
Those who are aware of the high reputation of Dr. 
Brinckle as a pomologist, will need no assurance of the 
ability with which the work will be conducted; and 
another proof of the zeal and disinterestedness he has 
long shown in the improvement of fruit culture, is fur¬ 
nished by the fact that he assumes this task without any 
pecuniary reward. 
The first number contains figures of the Brandywine 
