190 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 87, 1859. 
14-feet-wide houses heated with hot water, filled with Peach trees 
in pots. Forcing was commfflced in January, and the Peaches 
ripened in June and July. They were remarkably fine, and the 
trees without spot or blemish, yet the only ventilators were the 
shutters 1 foot wide on each side of the house. I have, therefore, 
ceased to think roof-ventilation necessary in houses of a moderate 
size appropriated to fruit culture either heated or not. 
The great saving effected in doing away with roof-ventilation 
by the usual sliding sashes will be apparent, if an estimate for 
building an orchard-house 14 feet wide is procured from any of 
the regular hothouse builders. I have seen one which was at the 
rate of £4 10s. per lineal foot, making a house 100 feet long and 
14 feet wide cost £450; while one built as I have described can 
be well finished for something considerably under £ 100 . I say 
this advisedly, for I have built one—with my own skill and 
labourers—of the above dimensions, for £50. 
This cheapness of construction is entirely owing to the simple 
way in which ventilation is provided for. The “ houses for the 
million,” invented by Sir J. Paxton, but not yet brought out, are, 
as described to me, sharply inclined from the ground (without 
side-walls), like the cheap vineries described in the Gardeners' 
Chronicle last year, invented and recommended by Mr. R. Warner. 
They are, it seems, ventilated in the roof, and will thus be made 
more expensive than the house I have above described 5 besides 
this, they will not do for orchard-houses, if without sides, but 
should be called vineries. 
I do not think the rationale of the culture of orchard-house 
trees in pots has yet been given, or, perhaps, thought of. I am, 
therefore, tempted to break into the subject; and I hope to show 
Mr. Errington that this description of culture, although at first 
much ridiculed by heavy-headed gardeners, is quite in accordance 
with garden physiology, 
A fruit tree four or five years old planted in—say November, 
1859, will, in November, 1860, be found in most cases full of 
blossom-buds, and its roots a mass of spongioles or feeders. In 
November, 1861, if undisturbed, it will have fewer blossom-buds, 
more young shoots, and a great portion of the fibrous roots or 
spongioles around the root-stem, which last year were so abundant, 
will be found to have died. The rootlets, or small roots, will be 
found making their way from the stem of the tree, each rootlet 
having its fringe of spongioles taking up food farther from home 
only because they have exhausted the mass of earth round the 
stem of the newly-planted tree. And so, year after year, it sends 
out from the extremities of its roots fresh feeders. If the tree is 
delicate in its habit, like many of our osteemed kinds of fruit 
trees, the feeders soon get beyond the influence of the sun, take 
up cold watery sap, and it becomes diseased and unfruitful. 
Let me now give another side of this true picture, promising 
that all I write is from experience, gathered from “year to year,” 
and however dull, still necessary to illustrate my orchard-house 
culture. 
Let us, therefore, again plant a tree four or five years old in 
November, 1859; and, instead of allowing it to remain undisturbed, 
take it up with all its fibres in November, 1860, and replant it 
with a small quantity of fresh compost. In November, 1861, 
let us again take it up. As far as my experience has yet gone, a 
portion of the spongioles produced in 1860 will be found decayed, 
but a fresh crop induced by the removal, and the fresh compost, 
will have sprung forth 5 so that the roots of the tree are still a 
mass of fibres or spongioles, and its branches with short, annual 
shoots full of blossom-buds, and so from “year to year,” if the 
tree be removed annually, the roots will always be young, near 
home, and easily fed. 
The fruit garden may be thus completely under control. If 
small fruit trees are wanted, remove them annually. If larger, 
but still very fruitful trees are required, remove them biennially. 
If large trees are wished for, to be kept within bounds by the 
pruning-knife only, remove not at all, neither root-prune, but 
allow your trees to grow vigorously ; and if in a highly favourable 
soil and climate they will, in the course of years, bear large quan¬ 
tities of fruit. 
We now come to trees in pots. I have just examined one of 
my trees in a 13-inch pot, in which it has been without shifting 
seven years. It was top dressed (as it has been annually) in 
October, 1858, by taking out the earth about half way down the 
pot from the surface, and replacing it with fresh compost, ram¬ 
ming it down with great firmness. The compost just removed 
seems to be quite exhausted, for every part of it is permeated 
with small fibrous roots, the greater portion of which seem to be 
dead or dying; so I now take it out with its mass of spongioles 
which have done their work, and replace it with some fresh 
compost, leaving a circular mass of rootlets all round the root- 
stem* of the tree untouched. These rootlets (if the tree is top 
dressed in October) will immediately commence to put forth 
feeders 5 so that in October, 1860, the compost will be again 
found to be thoroughly exhausted. It will thus, I trust, be seen 
that the spongioles or principal feeders near the root-stems are 
but temporary in trees planted in the open ground; but may be 
made annual, to a certain extent, by the annual removal of the 
tree. 
By cultivating the tree in a pot you force them to be annual; 
and the tree thus being supplied annually with fresh feeders and 
fresh food becomes healthy, fruitful, and vigorous. It has not to 
ramble for its food, and, therefore, may be likened in its comfort¬ 
able state to a plump Devon ox ; while a fruit tree uncared for 
is something like a wild buffalo in a barren country. 
The vignerons in some parts of the south of Europe seem to 
have for a long time known that the fibrous roots of the Yine 
are annual, for they take away the earth from their Yine stocks 
in winter, with all the exhausted spongioles of the preceding 
season, let it lie in a ridge between the rows till spring, and then 
replace it with some manure. The root-stem promptly puts 
forth its feeders, and the Grapes are thus brought to high per¬ 
fection. I remember perfectly well seeing the operation of taking 
away the soil from the Yines, and, not knowing the “ reason 
why,” feeling much surprise at what appeared to me so bar¬ 
barous a custom. 
To return to orchard-house trees. There is nothing in gardening 
to be compared to their culture when the rationale of it is fully 
understood. Not only is there an annual crop of feeding-roots from 
above, but from below also. I have before me a stout tree seven 
years old taken from its pot, and find three or four large roots 
coiled round the bottom part of the ball of earth and fibrous 
roots. From these annually are put forth numerous spongioles, 
which make their way through the holes at the bottom of the pot. 
If left undisturbed some of these become roots of considerable size, 
and by making their way too deeply into the border draw up too 
much food, giving such vigorous growth as to make the tree un¬ 
fruitful. I now, therefore, have the trees lifted twice in J une, 
and twice in July, the first and the last week in each month. 
This prevents the roots going deeply into the border, and in¬ 
duces a host of spongioles to push forth, spreading themselves 
under the pot, and on the surface of the border. If orchard- 
house trees are planted in the borders instead of being kept in 
pots, the annual removal and giving fresh compost to the roots 
then necessary, are what will be at once apparent—equivalent 
to the annual top dressing given to potted trees. 
I fear this article will be thought too long and tedious ; but I 
cannot help adding that with orchard-houses, either lean-to 01 * 
span-roofed, properly ventilated at the sides, ventilation freely 
given, and regular syringing, no failure can take place. All kinds 
of fruits can be cultivated in them ; and when one sees, as I often 
have, the fine crops of Pears, Plums, Peaches, &c., grown on 
well-fed little trees, no surprise will be felt at the enormous 
extent this kind of culture has now arrived at. One of my first 
orchard-house trees, a Pitmasfon Orange Nectarine, is now 
twelve years old ; it has always remained in the same 13-inch 
pot without being shifted, and is sturdy, healthy, and more full 
of blossom-buds than ever. 
Although this article is, I fear, too long, it may not be amiss 
to give a short summary of facts gathered from my experience. 
1. That fruit trees of all kinds can be cultivated in structures 
of glass, either in or out of pots, by annually feeding then- roots. 
2 . That fixed roofs, either lean-to or span-roofed, for orchard- 
houses or vineries, are far cheaper than sliding sashes. That the 
most economical distance for the rafters in such roofs is 20 
inches apart; the glass 20 inches by 20 inches.f That rafters 
for lean-to vineries and houses for Peach-trellises, 16 feet wide, 
and for span-roofed houses, 20 feet wide, may be 4) inches by 
li inch. That those for the former, 12 feet to 14 feet wide, 
and for the latter, 14 feet to T 6 feet wide, may be 3 inches by 
1$ inch. That these economical houses with fixed roofs are 
quite os eligible for fruit growing, or even for plant growing, as 
those more expensively built. 
3. That ventilation can be made perfect without being given in 
the roof by expensive sliding sashes and heavy principal rafters. 
That the only method of complete ventilation is from below, the 
* Root-stem, that part of the tree whence the roots proceed. 
+ There is no breakage from frost with these large pieces of glass. They 
are so elastic as to give way when the water freezes in the laps. 
