372 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March. 13, 1860. 
afternoon sun, we would have recommended a span-roofed 
house ; hut as we suspect these walls are high, and form part of 
the building, then we think you will have to be content with a 
lean-to sloping roof, as involving, on the whole, less expense, as 
by it you will only have a front gutter, instead of the two side 
ones—though in either case you will want a strip of lead along 
each side to prevent the water getting in when lashed against 
the walls. Supposing, then, that you settle the front of your 
house to be G or 7 feet in height, the height at the hack ought, 
at least, to he 3 feet or 3£ feet more, which will make the length 
of your roof about 14 feet. If the bounding-walls were not ex¬ 
cessively high, we would prefer a span-roof. Height of glass 
at sides 5£ feet; height of centre ridge-hoard 8 feet; walk in 
centre, and stage on each side, roof all fixed, and no sashes, and 
a couple of ventilators next the dwelling-house, one on each side, 
made to swing as described last week. Ventilation will be even 
more necessary if you have a lean-to roof, as in summer the 
parlour will get excessively hot if you open the window. Two 
sashes on Sir Joseph Paxton’s plan would suit you, and so 
would sashes made in the usual way, two to be fixtures, 11 feet 
or 12 feet long, and two short ones above, made to slide. Either 
of these would be best, if you wanted to move the house at any 
time. Were the roof to be a fixture, we would have nine sash- 
bars from top to bottom, the two side ones each 3£ inches by 
2§ inches, and the other seven each 3£ inches by 2 inches. The 
simplest mode of ventilating would he to glaze within a foot or 
nine inches of the top, place a bearer of wood across there half 
an inch above the bars, and let that be the rest tor two wooden 
ventilators a yard long, to open and shut with a rod or a line 
and pulley. 
We have not seen either the model or the houses referred to 
as yet. We have no doubt they will answer for all sorts of 
houses, as well as orchard-houses, as they can be raised off the 
ground as well as set on it. So far as we understand the matter, 
the chief object was to have houses that a tenant could legally 
move from place to place without having any bother with his 
landlord, and which could be easily taken down and put up with 
very little trouble. For this object we have little doubt that the 
system will suit. We would rather not enter on the subject of 
the patent. Air has been given between sashes often enough, 
but we question if ventilators were regularly and systematically 
fixed in such positions before. But why bother about a patent ? 
A good idea should bo encouraged, patent or no patent. If you 
will insist on our opinion, however, we must say that so far as 
we can judge, without a personal observation, we do not think, 
leaving the above specified object out of the question, that the 
system is any improvement either as respects general utility or 
economy. 
We find on looking over this, that we have omitted two re- 
marks. First. If your roof is to be fixed with stout sash-bars 
and no rafters, it would be as well to take an iron rod across, 
from wall to wall, about the centre, and screwed to each of the 
sash-bars. The second is, we perceive that the space below the 
conservatory you propose fronting also with glass. We do 
not know what you intend with this place, but many things 
might be kept there when out of bloom, as Fuchsias, Scarlet 
Geraniums, Dahlias, &c.; hut we allude to it particularly in 
order to advise you to fix a small boiler there, and thence take 
some pipes to heat your conservatory above, and then you will 
have no need to confine yourself to the hardiest flowers ; but 
may have it nice and gay the most of the year.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
To Correspondents.— Many answers are obliged to be postponed until 
next week. 
Sowing Lobelia spf.ciosa ( Jack-of-all-trades ).— It may be sown in 
pans, and placed in a Cucumber-bed any time in March ; but the seedlings 
must be removed to a cooler place the moment they are up. The name of 
the succulent cannot be made out from a mere leaf. You ought to have 
stated the kind of plant, or to have sent a bloom of it. 
Wall-Trees Injured by a Ditcii (A Friend: in Trouble ).—The ditch 
cut on the north side of your wall ought not to injure your trees to the 
extent you describe. Mulch thickly over the surface of the border and 
keep it well supplied with water during the summer. 
Motion of Sail —Flchies wishes to ascertain “ the name of a plant, an 
American he thinks, not long since imported, in which the moving sap is 
seen through the microscope.” Can any of our readers give the wished-for 
information. 
Piilomis t.eonurus. — Mr. Fish is much obliged by the liberality of 
“Rose,” and still more gratified by the accounts of her efforts and great 
success. He fears that such success at times would rather shame many 
would-be instructors and professionals. He thinks the Cape seeds 
under the circumstances will be worth her attention, and would advise 
trying some of each in the Chrysanthemum-house. 
Plant-stage for a Span-roofed House (A Constant Reader). —If your 
ridge-board is not above 9 or 10 feet from the floor, we would have a level 
stage in the centre. A walk on each side, 3 feet wide, and a shelf on each 
side from 18 to 21 inches wide, which wmuld leave G feet, or 5 feet, for the 
width of the centre table. If the front shelves were 2 feet 9 inches or so 
from the floor, we would make the central table 5 feet. Such an arrange¬ 
ment would be good for showing off' the plants to advantage, as little 
would be seen of the pots except the front rows. But if the ridge were 
much higher than we have supposed, or the object not so much to show 
off, but to grow as great a number of short, bushy plants in the space as 
possible, then we would prefer a centre shelf, and two at least,, on each 
side. The first mode is so superior for showing off, that we would prefer 
it in every case, if we could make sure of some portable shelves, or pots, 
on which to raise plants, if we require them to be raised. Having plenty 
of lights there will be no drawing on the flat stage. 
Dianthus Hf.ddewigii Culture (A. S. C.). —In our No. 574, p. 391, you 
will find full directions. 
Oil-Painting Flower-Pots — Lime Water ( Amy Flower). — We so 
paint them of a stone colour every year, and we can answer for its not 
being injurious to the plants growing in the pots. Lime water is in¬ 
jurious to Heaths, Rhododendrons, and Azaleas; hut to other potted- 
plants it may be applied without injury, to expel the worms. Half a peck 
of freshly-slaked lime may be thoroughly mixed with twenty gallons of 
water, and then allowed to settle. When clear it is fit for use. 
Nemomiilainsignis for Edging [F.K. TV.). —The best plan is to sow the 
seeds at once where the flowers are wanted, as there is only one here and 
there who can grow the plants well in heat. Although the blue Nemophila 
is among the prettiest flowers we have, it is, perhaps, the least likely of 
them all for neat edgings, and it is certainly the last plant we should 
think of to edge any one of our beds. We never miss having a bed of it 
some time in the year, and we never would edge that bed with anything 
else. The most beautiful bed of it we ever had was from a sowing on 
the second day of July. There was an early snow that season, about a 
couple of inches deep, and the myriads of flowers with the green tips of the 
leaves made such a charming picture as we shall never forget. This Nemo¬ 
phila lasts about twice as long in the autumn as it does in May and June. 
Diseased Cuttings {0. W. D.).—The cuttings have decayed from being 
kept too wet and too cold. No application of Tobacco water, &c., would 
help them. 
Fruit Trees ( Lancashire ).—For your Peach-house you may have for 
dwarfs— Royal George and Bellegardc Peaches; and for riders— 1 Violette 
Hative, and 1 Stanwick Nectarine ; and 1 Early York Peach. For the 
fiued wall, your 12 dwarfs may be—2 Peach or Moorpark, 1 Kaisha, and 
1 Pine Apple Apricots; 1 Balgowan,\ Hardwicke Seedling, and 1 New 
White, and 1 Oldenburg Nectarines ; 1 Early York, 1 Noblesse, 1 Barring¬ 
ton, 1 Walburton Admirable Peaches. The 14 riders for the fiued wall 
may consist of—1 Moorpark or Peach, 1 Large Early, 1 Kaisha, and 
1 Blenheim Apricots ; 1 Early Grosse Mignonne, 1 Early Savoy, 1 Royal 
George, 1 Barrington, and 1 Walburton Admirable Peaches; 1 Early 
Newington, 1 Downton, 1 Pitmaston Orange, 1 Violate Ilutive, and 
1 Elruge Nectarines. The sixty-six trees for yourpyramidal orchards may 
be composed of—A pples.—3 Irish Peach, 3 Kerry Pippin, 3 Cox's Orange 
Pippin, 3 Cellini, 3 Adams' Pearmain, 3 fiedd/eston Pippin, 3 Stunner 
Pippin. Pears.—2 Jargonelle, 2 Louise\Bonnc of Jersey ,2 Bcurre Supsrftn, 
2 Comte de Lamy, 2 Marie Louise, 2 Suffolk Thorn, 2 Thompson's, 
2 Knight's Monarch, 3 Josephine de Malincs, 2 Beurre de Ranee. Plums. 
—2 Rivers' Early Favorite, 2 Green Gage, 2 Purple Gage, 2 Victoria, 
2 Jefferson, 2 Reine Claude de Bavay. Cherries.—1 Belle cl'Orleans, 
1 Black Tartarian, 2 Mayduke, 2 Elton, 2 Florence, 2 Morcllo, 2 Late 
Duke. 
Campanula fragilis ( Little Hothouse).— Very many thanks for the 
kind offer of Campanula fragilis ; we have it in abundance, else we would 
have jumped at your offer. It is one of the best of the little old-fashioned 
trailing kinds for a window-sill; for the front of a rockwork, also, all the 
summer. The ladies who pronounced the lively pale blue flowers of 
Campanula fragilis to be mauve colour are sadly mistaken ; it is just as 
far from mauve as Liverpool is from Paris, where this extremely rare colour 
in flowers originated. 
Manures for a Suburban Garden [Beginner).— All those you men¬ 
tion are good, but guano and super-phosphate of lime are still better. 
Buy a canister of them as advertised under the head “ Portable Manures ” 
in our columns. 
Shrubs, &e., for Liverpool Shore [Aquarius].— When we travelled 
that part of the coast we did not see any trees or shrubs which looked 
healthy, and rather than give our own opinion as to what would be most 
likely to answer, we should prefer to hear from some of the Datives there¬ 
abouts, and more particularly from the Liverpool Botanic Garden and 
Nurseries. Our correspondent wishes for directions for making “a 
rectangular freshwater aquarium, combining cheapness and durability.” 
We shall be obliged by any one sending us the information desired, and if 
with working plans all the better. 
POULTRY AND BEE-KEEPER’S CHRONICLE. 
POULTRY SHOWS.’ 
March loth, lGth, and 17th. Cumberland and Westmoreland. lion . 
Secs., Mr. J. J. Lonsdale, and Mr. W. D. Ilastwell. 
May 23d and 24th. Beverley and East Riding of Yorkshire. Sec., 
Mr. Eras. Calvert, Surgeon, &c. Entries close May 17th. 
July 18th and 19th. Merthyr Tydvil. See., Mr. W. II. Harris, 142, 
High Street, Merthyr. 
N.B .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
MR. J. W. HORRY AND THE CRYSTAL PALACE 
POULTRY SHOW. 
When I read Mr. Ilorry’s letter in your last number I was at 
first disposed to commiserate with Iris wounded feelings in not ob- 
