122 
TITE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 19. 
cure of all the more choice species, following them up to 
the present time with all the best new ones as they 
come into the market; and it is worthy of remark, that 
of all the Pine family, insignis turned out the fastest 
i grower. This will be the pride of the Grove some day. 
It was only planted in January, 1849, and is now full 
twenty feet high, a picture of health and symmetry. 
Cryptomeria japonica vies with Taxodium sempervirens 
here in growth, and one of the Cryptomerias —a seed¬ 
ling, no doubt—grows just with the same free, loose 
habit as the Taxodium itself. Not a leaf of the Crypto- 
merias was hurt here by the last frosts, but plants of 
Taxodium sempervirens. twenty feet high, had had many 
of the leaves scorched, but none of the buds, or young 
wood. A beautiful specimen of the Funebral Cypress 
(Cupressus funebris), from the “ Yale of Tombs,” in 
China, about a yard high, had about an inch of two top 
shoots killed, but other young tops close to them escaped 
altogether. Of the following plants that were planted 
out only in J 852, round the new American garden, I 
made a particular examination as to their hardiness: 
they are planted singly, and at good distances apart, on 
the grass, and without any particular shade or shelter. 
The Hood, last winter, rose to within a few inches of 
most of them ; so that, between the recent planting, 
bad winter and spring, with a low situation, they had as 
much trial as one could wish. Saxgothea conspic.ua , the 
leaves browned considerably, but not a bud killed, and 
they are just breaking. Libocedrus Chilensis, which 
produces the far-famed Alerse wood of Chili, I am 
now perfectly satisfied in my own mind is as hardy 
as the Scotch Fir. It was planted out last year in 
the middle of an open space on the grass, without any 
shelter whatever, and it never ceased growing since last 
September—the winds and frosts did not even brown a 
leaf of it. It is twenty-one inches high, and the lower 
branches assume the natural habit of the old tree 
already, showing that all the drawings that have been 
made at home from the dry specimens give quite a false 
character to this beautiful tree. Every branch comes 
out at right angles from the main stem, then drops down 
considerably, after the manner of the American Arbor 
vita, and rises again at the point perpendicularly. Both 
sides of the leaf have a white furrow, or mark; so that 
when the branches wave about in the wind, the shades 
will be more distinct than in any other Conifer. 
This is the last tree 1 helped to plant before T threw 
the spade over the garden-wall, and the one which Ilis 
Royal Highness Prince Albert planted at Shrubland 
Park, to commemorate his first visit to that beautiful 
place; hence my delight at finding it to be quite hardy. 
I Biota pendula, alias Cupressus pendula and Jiliformis, 
j two feet high, with the branches hanging down, a native 
| of China and Japan, has the leaves a little browned, 
that is all. Abies Jesoensis, a large fir from Japan, nine 
inches high, has some of the top leaves a little browned, 
j Abies, or rather Picea nordmaniana, from the Crimea, 
unscathed. Abies nobilis, from the Columbia River, 
i quite hardy, of course, but mentioned for being a fast 
grower, or promising to be so. Pin us ayacatruite, a 
| lofty tree from Mexico, of doubtful hardiness, has only 
a few of the leaves slightly affected. The Mount Atlas 
Cedar the same. All the new Hollies, from latifolia to 
myrtifolia, have stood uninjured. Two immense large 
bushes of the Tree Pccony were covered, but most of 
i the flower-buds were destroyed, more or less. Three 
large plants of Rhododendron Broughtonii, one of the 
i very best of the early Arboreum crosses, once supposed 
to be quite tender, stood unharmed these three years, and 
; flower as much as the large Camellia. The new Ame- 
i rican garden is planted with the best Bagshot crosses, 
| a whole bed being allowed for each strain. The Roses, for 
' which this place was celebrated for years, will stand over, 
with other things, till they come to bloom.—D. Beaton. 
CONTEMPLATED SPAN-ROOFED GREEN¬ 
HOUSE AND VINERY. 
A considerable amount of space and attention has ' 
already been devoted to this subject, but either the 
directions and criticisms given have not been definite 
enough, or our subscribers have not troubled themselves 
much with generalising, imagining, no doubt, that their 
own circumstances were peculiarly different from any j 
others referred to. When a number of enquiries on j 
such a subject reach us from one source, we are under j 
the necessity of giving merely a “ yes” or “ no” answer in ; 
the correspondents column, which could not, therefore, j 
be generally interesting, or to give the subject the pro¬ 
minence of a general article. As this is now an ex¬ 
cellent time for building, the matter, we trust, will be 
generally interesting. 
Our correspondent, (M. L., of Beaminstcr,) who de- I 
sires our criticisms and answers to various queries, I 
which will be understood by the replies given, states 
that the house for the purpose specified above, is to be 
10ft. by 14ft. in the clear—that the gable ends are to 
stand north and south—that the height of these gables 
is to be 8ft. 3in.—height of walls all round, before the 
rise in the gable, 5ft.—to be brick on the north end, 
but on the south end, and east and west sides, to be 
2Tft. of brick, and 2.1 ft. of glass—that the roof, there¬ 
fore, will be at an angle of from 30° to 35°, but it is 
feared it will be too flat—that a partition, of the width 
of one light, will be shut off on the north side, in which 
the fire-place for the flue will be placed, and hopes are 
entertained, that in this small division, plants requiring 
more heat may be grown. Ventilators are to be placed 
in the brick walls, and in the glass gable end. There 
is to be a shelf on the east and west sides, level with the 
brick-work, 1ft. din. wide; path, 2ft. 9in.; and platform 
in the centre, with the exception of a space at the north 
end, left as a border for climbers. The floor of the 
house to be dug out to the depth of three feet, tilled 
with stone, rubble, &c., and then paved, &c. 
lstly.—On this we would observe that the house will be 
a very useful and convenient one for greenhouse plants, 
provided no person of tall stature is expected to peram¬ 
bulate through it. To enjoy climbers and vines in it, 
a person would require to have the height that Mrs. 
Stowe assigns to the gentle, warm-hearted, yet resolute, 
Mrs. Bird, somewhere over four feet. Allowing the 
height of the sides 5ft., height of centre 8ft. 3in., 
and granting that the height at the sides is increased 
six inches by the plate on which the roof-rafters are 
placed, the height above the path will not be much 
more than seven feet. Now, allowing the vine leaves 
to be, at least, one foot from the glass, and shoots and 
points of bunches reaching about a foot more down¬ 
wards, there would be little more than five feet standing- 
up-right space. For vines or climbers, then, I re¬ 
commend the side walls, and the centre ridge, to be, 
respectively, one foot higher. Of course, the same object 
would be gained by lowering the floor inside, by stepping 
down into the house from the ground level, having one 
or two steps at the doorway ; but this, though it w ould 
husband warmth, always lessens the dignity of the house, 
and the ease and convenience of ingress and egress. 
We have nothing to say against the size of the house; 
that, no doubt, must be regulated by circumstances; but 
a few feet additional in length would give it a more 
handsome appearance. Many houses of this kind have 
an opaque north end, by being placed against a wall 
already existing, and, in that case, less heating power 
is required; but the house in question seems isolated, 
and, therefore, I see no valid reason why the north end 
should have five feet of brick-work, and all the rest of 
the house only 2^ feet. It would look better to be 
uniform all round, more light would thus he secured, 
