December IT. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENED. 
159 
in equilibria, so that no other labour is required but to 
press or drag it forward. 
No. 2 is merely the iron cylinder of a garden roller 
fitted with two bins, the fronts of which, c c, slip out, 
to enable the earth or other load conveyed in them to be 
easily tilted out. This barrow has the advantage of not 
cutting into the walks or grass over which it is driven. 
The most promising suggestion for the improvement 
of fruit-culture, arising from the reduction of the price of 
glass, is that just made by Mr. Charles Ewing, gardener 
to 0. F. Meyrick, Esq., of Bodorgan, in Anglesea. His 
proposal is to train the fruit-trees in a hollow wall 
of glass, or, rather, between two such walls united 
by a coping, and this coping is of glass also. Pro¬ 
vision, of course, is made for ventilating, and extra care 
will be required in shading. Those who have walls of 
brick, we would recommend not to run hastily into the 
expense of erecting others according to Mr. Ewing’s 
plan, because they might, with less than half the ex¬ 
pense, have glazed shutters attached to their present 
walls, and we think that in early ripening of fruit, they 
would not equal walls so protected. Mr. Beaton, who 
saw Mr. Ewing’s model at the Horticultural Society’s 
Rooms, on the 2nd instant, writes to us as follows :— 
“ I have just seen the glass walls for which a patent is 
taken for the three kingdoms. It was stated that they 
could be put up, nine feet high, at fifty shillings per yard, 
which is cheaper than brick walls. There can be no ques¬ 
tion about their answering very well for many purposes 
about a garden, but I would as soon let a bull into a china 
shop as put them up for boundary walls, as some people talk 
about! The construction is quite simple, and there is no 
novelty in the application; but the idea is exceedingly good 
and well carried out. The glass wall, or walls, according 
to two models which were exhibited before the Horticultural 
Society to-day, are made, in one model, of upright sashes, 
moving right and left on rollers; and in the other model, the 
sashes, or what might be called glass doors, were fixed like 
and opened out just as would so many doors. The applica¬ 
tion of the principle involved in the upright iron columns 
which form the frame-work of these glass walls, was shown 
in Loudon's Gardeners' Magazine many years ago, and, as far 
as I recollect, by Mr. Mallet, of Dublin. But the best idea 
of them that I can give you from memory is this : suppose 
that the posts which carry the telegraphic wires were made 
fiat, with projections upon both edges, at nine inches or a 
foot apart, from the ground line to near the top, and one of 
the telegraph wires run along from one projection to 
another, the whole way up the post, when one side was 
finished it would look like a wire espalier in a kitchen- 
garden ; and when the projections on the other side of the 
posts were filled, you have a double espalier with only one 
row of posts. Well, you have only to suppose a set of sash- 
glazed-frames set up quite perpendicular on either side of 
this double espalier, and a little distance from it, and you 
have these glass walls in representation, and the trellis for 
the trees between them. I. understand that the two glass 
sides stand two feet apart; and in the models the top, or 
coping, part is shown like the roof of a house. The trees, 
or other plants, to be protected, are to be trained on the 
wires, so that we have two sets of trees in the spaoe between 
the glass; and if we want to make a south and a north 
aspect, when the wall runs east and west, there is a groove 
on each side of each post to receive sheet iron, or slates, or 
boards, which fall down between the two espaliers, making 
a south and north aspect. In short, Mr. Mallet’s slate or 
iron walls are here protected with Sir Joseph Paxton’s 
sliding sashes, and the walls may be taken away, or they 
may never be made, and still the trees, &c., are protected 
with glass. Altogether I was much pleased with this 
contrivance, and were it not for the misfortune of having 
them patented, I should have a great many suggestions to 
offer for the various uses to which they might be applied in 
every part of the garden, but in all my experience I never 
knew the patent laws to advance us one single step in 
gardening.” 
GARDENING GOSSIP. 
After thirty years service our able coadjutor, Mr. D. 
Beaton, has retired into private life, but we are sure 
our readers will be glad to hear that this does not 
involve his retirement from the pages of The Cottage 
Gardener. He will still bear rule over its Flower 
Garden department, and he has fixed his residence 
near London, that by easy access to the gardens and 
societies in and around the metropolis he may be the 
more able to enrich our pages. He has retired as all 
veteran gardeners ought to retire, still vigorous and 
capable of enjoying that independence which his own 
ability, industry, and integrity have won; and loaded 
with tokens of the high esteem in which he was held by 
his employers. We know the high opinion Mr. Beaton 
entertains of his successor, Mr. Davidson, and we 
mention this because no better demonstration could 
be afforded of the excellent feeling pervading all parties 
whilst the parting cup was preparing, that for the last 
six weeks of his remaining at Sbrubland Park, Mr. 
Davidson was there also. Mr. Beaton is now under 
his own vine, and as he has no family to provide for, 
aud does not purpose to speculate by engaging in any 
business, we trust that when he reaches to fourscore 
years and ten he will be able to repeat these words of 
another old cultivator—“ Labour has made me healthy, 
contentment has kept me independent, and the blessing 
of God has made me happy.” 
A correspondent, “ J. T. C.,” has obliged us with the 
following note:— 
“ The TAltcea Gemini for a, is now flowering at Claremont, 
the property of the King of Belgium, where it has continued 
to produce a succession of blooms during the last three 
months. The plant, although but fourteen inches in height, 
has produced a spike not less than fifteen feet high. (This 
plant has been cultivated at the Royal Gardens more than 
twenty years, but this is the first time of its flowering). The 
Littcea Geminiflora is a native of America; Order, Brome- 
liaeese (Amaryllids ?), and was introduced to this country in 
1810. The colour of the flower is a yellowish green. The 
soil best suiting it is stiff loam. Temperature, in summer, 
70° by day, and 05° by night; winter, 05° by day, and 00° 
by night. It should have a plentiful supply of water while 
producing flowers, hut at other times sparingly. Tbe Littiea 
is not worth cultivation, unless where a collection of Aloes is 
kept, but to them it is a very good addition. The foliage as 
well as the flower is very graceful, but its shyness in flower¬ 
ing renders it less desirable.” 
There are many movements aud changes taking place 
in FlorieuUural literature. We have long had a Mid- 
