THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 20. 
230 
A season rolled on, or rather flew, in those days, 
with me ; for, to steal an idea from a popular song:— 
“ I remember, I remember, 
How my childhood fleeted by.” 
As seasons returned, we used to rummage out all our 
glasses in the early summer for general propagating 
purposes ; and I can well remember the prejudice then 
against those green, bull’s-eyed, thick-headed things, 
which, doubtless, ought to have been called “ cloches.” 
Had such been the case, I am not assured that they 
would not have assumed a priority as to use. 
Well, to pass over these small matters, it was not 
long before our “ Brummagem ” men, and others, 
began to dream of innovation. Metallic frames were 
produced, and from that moment, although the men 
who produced the earliest metallic frames were, as our 
friend, Mr. Beaton, cutely observes, “great sinners,” 
yet, from that moment, I say, the old, unbearable, uu- J 
manageable, uneconomical “ lead laps,” received a 
mortal wound. Of course, we had more forms than one | 
of these glasses; but the earliest, if I mistake not, had 
fixed tops,—in other words, were in one piece. Before 1 
a long period passed, we had moveable tops. This was 
a step in advance; the first idea, and, indeed, the only 
one hitherto developed, as far as I am aware of, for 
affording ventilation without lifting up the whole glass; 
a practice quite at variance with common sense and 
economy, to say nothing of trouble. To pass on ; since 
a band-glass, or cloche, or striking-glass, or what you 
will, is but an epitome of a glass-house; what would 
be thought of houses to be ventilated at the base of the 
roof-angle only? In houses, of all forms, whether 
lean-toos, spans, or ridge and-furrow, we hear constantly 
of ventilation, or, rather, escape, at the highest level; 
which, indeed, through the accumulation of heat, be¬ 
comes a complete reservoir. 
Now, how is it that we cannot apply this principle to 
the hand-glass, the “ striking ” glass, the cloche? But 
let us see if there be any other faults in the glasses of 
the day, of which we may justly complain. I take it for 
granted, that the following might be considered maxims 
in the construction of a good glass:— 
1st. That it be clear. 
2nd. That ventilation, or air-giving, be provided for,in 
accordance with the needs of vegetation. 
3rd. That the ventilation be performed with great 
facility, without moving the glass, and that it be capable 
of graduation. 
4th. That the glass be not heavy. 
Now, if these be points by which to test the glasses 
at present in use, I much fear few will stand before them. 
The present glasses, in the main, as before observed, 
give air, or, rather, admit chilling winds at a most 
inconvenient point for the needs of many things; for, 
whether it be Cauliflowers, Cucumbers, or a batch of 
cuttings, which have hitherto been kept closed, the 
problem surely is, how to let heat or vapour out, 
without letting wind in; as to propping up with 
brickbats, nothing can be more barbarous. I wonder 
what sum of money would be required to pay the 
breakages of past times in this way alone? 
But to pass by the other tests, which our readers will 
readily apply for themselves, we should remember that 
a new race of gardeners has sprung into existence 
during the last twenty years ; or if not originated, have 
increased to a vast extent;—I mean our lady-gardeners 
and amateurs. 
Now, who could view, without a just indignation, a 
delicate and handsome young lady, seizing brickbats 
to prevent her pets from scorching? and who would 
not lament to see the change come over her interesting 
countenance, on beholding her half-struck cuttings, 
in the evening, appearing as though they had been 
subjected to an African harmattan? Surely, it must 
be in the power of our British manufacturers to produce 
a glass perfect as to ventilating principles; and yet the 
latter so easily accomplished, as, that not only a young 
lady, but a mere child may, by a single touch, “ give 
air,” as gardeners term it. And as for the moveable 
lids of our metallic glasses, although by far less ob¬ 
jectionable than the brickbat glasses, yet how ponderous, 
in general, for the class of gardeners just adverted to; 
besides,-as before observed, it is not at this point we 
should prefer giving air during an intense March sun¬ 
shine and wind. 
It has been the custom, generally, for English glasses 
to be composed of many panes; but why should this be 
the case in these times ? Why not a glass in one piec<^ 
like the French cloches? or if, indeed, it be really de¬ 
sirable to have plenty of panes, why not have fifty 
instead of a score ? The fact is, much of the present 
hand-glass making, as to the mode of construction, &c., 
probably arose out of a desire to work up scraps and 
cuttings of glass ; but, surely, now glass is so cheap, as 
compared with former days, it is perfectly unreasonable 
to suffer mere scraps to dictate the character of the glass, 
or in any way to bias the affair. 
I hope the foregoing remarks may lead to a considera¬ 
tion of the subject; our readers may rest assured that 
invention is not at an end with regard to this question ; 
and that it will not be long before we have a glass far 
better adapted to the wants of the amateur, at least. I 
have long been considering this subject, and, if all be 
well, I shall not cease until I produce a glass worthy 
the notice of the public. 1 will say more on these 
matters shortly. R, Errtngton. 
ROSES 
I have been reading the Bose Amateur's Guide, by 
Mr. Rivers, the last, or fifth edition, of an excellent and 
well-known work. The first reason I have for saying 
anything about this book is in my own favour; for if 
Mr. Rivers had not put his name to it, half the world 
would think I had written it myself, on purpose to save 
so many Rose-questions from The Cottage Gardener, 
and to push on my own well-known partiality for cross¬ 
breeding in disguise, also to back my notions about the 
value of colours. I know very well, that some of my 
best friends think, at times, that I go faster on some 
paths than my portrait in The Cottage Gardener 
would warrant to those who know me not; but my own 
opinion is, and always has been, that I never go fast 
enough in anything; and it seems to me, that Mr. 
Rivers has written this edition of his “ Rose Amateur’s 
Guide,” on purpose to prove that an author can run the 
faster, the older he gets; at all events, he is far ahead of 
me in this edition. He fully recognizes the value of 
summer-pruning certain kinds of Roses, a practice which 
was first recommended by The Cottage Gardener. 
He allows that Roses on their own roots may do better 
on light soils than worked ones,—another step on a safe 
read; and in a free conversational style, he answers 
several questions about Roses which I asked in this 
work three or four years since. I allude to the best 
kinds of Roses, in each class, to get seeds from, and 
to use as cross-breeders. This is a subject on which I 
was, indeed, much in the dark with respect to Roses. 
As to the two best colours, or shades, in Roses, for 
producing a given flower by crossing, any body may be 
supposed to know as much about them as Mr. Rivers or 
D. Beaton ; at least, most people givo their opinions on 
the point freely enough. Sir W. Middleton has the best 
eye for pointing out the right parents for a cross of any 
one I know; hut, like me, he did not know the best 
kinds of Roses which produced seeds freely enough to 
! warrant a cross; else it is very likely I should havo 
