January 20. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
321 
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on the north, and the trees nearly reach the top, and 
must, when in foliage, and full of ripe fruit, and the 
frames set open, be a very ornamental, agreeable sight. 
The roof, also, is moveable by a similar contrivance. 
The question naturally arises, Are they worthy of 
adoption in gardeu3 generally ? I give it as my decided 
opinion, after a careful and dispassionate study of the 
subject, that, with some modification, they are. I am 
quite willing to allow that as a means of defence they 
are not. I would only use them as an elegant and 
useful division of a garden. The first, any one that 
has seen a Glass Wall will at once allow; and the useful¬ 
ness, I think, may bo equally made manifest. As a 
means of shelter from the cold north wind, a wall of 
glass will he equally as effectual as a wall of bricks, and 
certainly ten times handsomer. Then, the use as a 
fruit wall is more certain still; for every tyro in garden¬ 
ing knows that a fruit-tree under glass is more certain 
to produce fruit than one exposed to the atmosphere, 
even with temporary shelters when in blossom. Under 
the sheltering influence of this double row of upright 
glass the flowers will be sure to expand freely, ami the 
fruit set equally as freely, because the free current of 
air, rushing through the trees every mild day when full 
air is given, will cause the fruit to set. The ripening of 
the fruit is also certain to go on satisfactorily, and by 
having light on both sides the colour will be equally 
full on every side of each fruit; and, lastly, that im¬ 
portant point, the ripening of the wood, will, in such a 
structure, be certain to be accomplished better than 
against the common brick wall. Thus the three great 
points, of preservation of the blossom, maturing the 
fruit, and ripening the wood, is secured by such a Glass 
Wall as I saw at Badorgau. 
J examined the trees very minutely the first week in 
this year, and can bear testimony to the perfect state of 
the wood, the plentiful appearance of round, plump, 
and healthful blossom-buds, and the particularly clean, 
bright colour of the bark. 
At one end, Mr. Ewing had planted a Fig-tree, on 
which he said there had been a heavy crop the previous 
summer, and there was, when I looked at it, also a 
heavy crop of fruit about half-swelled, quite fresh and 
sound; whilst on a brick wall close to it the fruit on 
another Fig-tree of the same kind was completely de¬ 
stroyed by the frost. 
The only point I cannot prove is, what kind, if any, 
was the fruit on the Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, 
during the past season. Mr. Ewing—“and he is an 
honourable man ”—declared to me that the crop had 
been good, and the fruit excellent in quality; arid I 
believed him. Is there a man living who would not ? 
I have now stated, fairly and conscientiously, all that 
I consider the good points of the Glass Walls, as I saw 
them here. They are, undeniably, beautiful structures; 
they are useful, because the trees enclosed are certain to 
produce an abundant crop of fine well-ripened fruit; 
and another point, which I have not alluded to before, 
is that there are no hiding places for noxious vermin or 
insects, as in the old nail-lioled brick wall. 
The improvements, or modifications, I would suggest, 
consist in making the enclosed space wider, so as to 
allow space for a spectator, or the gardener, to walk 
between the two rows of trees. An iron trellis to walk 
on might vest upon bearers from the pillars that support 
the structure, and thus the pressure upon the soil would 
be avoided. I would, also, have means of giving air 
below the glass lights and above, by opening the roof 
only, thus avoiding the risk of breakage from sudden 
gusts of high w'inds blowing agaiust the open windows 
and the trees. (I have to notice another Peach-house in 
these gardens where this point is adopted,) Another 
improvement would be the introduction of divisions, 
glass of course, in the wall, one or more of which divi¬ 
sions might be heated with hot-water; and thus a 
succession of crops obtained. 
In another part of the gardens there is a noble Peach- 
house, which may be termed a glass-covered wall. It 
is three hundred feet long, six feet wide, and thirteen 
feet high. The glass front is perpendicular, and the 
narrow roof is glazed also, and forms a short span-roof, i 
one-half of which is made to open upwards. To bind J 
the front lights to the wall and the front glass, there 
are, at certain distances, some flat iron bars, through 
which holes are made to admit a long rod, to which rod 
there are attached cranks, worked by vertical and hori¬ 
zontal wheels. These are attached again to an upright, 
strong, iron rod, about four feet from the ground, where 
there is another horizontal wheel, and a kind of barrel 
with ribs, which fit into the teeth of the wheel. When 
air is given, by means of a windlass the ribs of this 
barrel hold the wheel fast in its place, and thus no 
ordinary wind can move the opened lights. This is j 
the house I alluded to as having the front lights fixed, 
air being given under them ; but Mr. Ewing says, the j 
top sashes, when open, cool the house quite enough, j 
because the heavy atmospheric air is pressed down I 
through the openings. The whole of this is made of j 
glass and iron, and cost about JM00. Standing at one 
end, and looking through this long avenue, as it were, 
of Peach-trees, this house has a surprisingly good 
appearance. 
There is, also, a greenhouse in the same garden, 
formed on every side with upright glass, aud a ridge- 
and-furrow roof. In this house I noticed numerous 
good specimens of tho usual greenhouse plants, such as 
Aphehxis, Boronias, JSriostcmom, Polygalas, and other 
New Holland shrubs. In a pit I saw some well-formed 
Heaths, which had been planted out in a bed of heath- 
mould in the same pit for three years, and had, in con¬ 
sequence, formed themselves into dense bushes, without 
the tedious process of tyeing-out, as practised by the 
metropolitan exhibitors. ’X'hey were taken up with 
balls, and potted during this last summer, and certainly 
had a healthy, dark green appearance when I saw them. 
The Vineries here have been planted about three or 
four years, and the Vines are remarkably strong and 
promising. The borders are protected in a most capital 
manner, being regularly thatched with straw—that is, a 
frame-work is formed leaning upon the front of the 
house, and resting upon a foundation,close to the walk, j 
This frame-work is then well thatched, aud the border, ; 
consequently, is rendered much more dry than if the | 
straw had been in actual contact with the soil. When ; 
I was there the ends were open, but when forcing com¬ 
mences, I understood these would be closed. Ishouldthink 1 
the distance from the thatch to the soil of the border 
next the house is about two feet. I suggested that j 
Mushrooms might be grown under this thatch, and was | 
informed that spawn had been put in for that purpose. 
Speaking of Mushrooms reminds me, that in the j 
Mushroom-house I observed what I took for a new ] 
vegetable, but soon found out it was nothing else but 
Turnip tops, blanched. I was assured they were very 
delicate eating, much more so than Sea-kale itself. This 
is worthy of general imitation. 
Badorgan is situated close to a creek of the sea ; and j 
in the pleasure-grounds I was much gratified to find i 
that fine tree, the Araucaria imbricata, is not at all i 
affected by the sea breezes. 1 saw about fifty of them, I 
averaging from eighteen to twenty feet high, well j 
formed, dark green, healthy, thriving trees. 
In the woods and plantations the Rhododendrons 
thrive well, and there are some very fine specimens of ! 
the best hybrid varieties. 
Silver Firs are the predominating evergreen forest j 
trees, and, like the Araucaria, seem to brave the sea 
breeze with impunity. 
