37G 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 14, 1858. 
think of converting into a forcing house, is clothed with a fine 
Peach tree, and, as I may, in the months of November and 
December, place plants, such as Camellias, in the house, for ! 
early blooming in heat, do you think I can, by nailing mats ! 
over my tree, or by any other means, prevent its coming pre- ; 
maturely into bloom.”— Horticulturist. 
but, with all due deference to that great authority, I 
consider the “ forcing of orchard houses ” just so much 
of a misnomer, and liable to lead to a confusion of 
terms and ideas. It has generally been considered 
that the title “orchard house” should be a house 
that should receive no more assistance from heat than 
the sun gives, in connection with a covering of glass. 
Break through that idea, and yoq merely change 
names and terms, without any definite reason or signi- 
! ficance, except to those who think there is a vast deal 
in a name. When we speak of Peach-houses, vineries, 
figeries, &c., we associate the idea of early and late 
houses with each, just to admit of forcing or not, as 
we please. What shall we gain, by calling any or all 
of these orchard houses, but a complete confusion in 
our nomenclature,—such as an unfired orchard vinery, 
a slightly fired orchard vinery, a regular forced orchard 
vinery, &c. Par better stick to the original idea, and, 
when fire heat is applied, drop the title of orchard 
house, and at once call it a forcing house. 
I would not quarrel with the term, where, as in a 
vinery that had received no artificial heat, an Arnott’s 
stove, or something of that kind, was used, to keep up 
or preserve the Grapes after they were ripened ; but 
this is different to using fire heat to ripen them. 
When fire heat is given for accelerating, there is 
nothing in the appearance, or the mode of constructing 
such houses, so novel as to warrant giving them a fresh 
appellation. Perhaps some friend may say, the mere 
fact of growing different sorts of fruit in one house is 
sufficient warrant in such cases for the new term of 
“orchard;” but, if so, the term might as well have 
been used ages ago as now, for what experienced 
gardener has not been obliged to get many kinds of 
fruit out of one house P Mere growing in pots of fruit 
trees, is no reason for adopting the new term, as that 
was done largely and successfully before the orchard 
house was heard about; and even now, as I think, with 
great prudence and practical knowledge, some of the 
best orchard houses in the kingdom have been kept 
free, comparatively, from the pot system. A fruit 
] muse, unheated artificially by any mode, is the one 
alone worthy of the title of “ orchard house.” 
I am glad to find that our correspondent succeeds 
so admirably with his plants in pots. I have no doubt 
they will answer well, where labour and time can be 
given for attending to them. Where these are at all 
scarce commodities, I prefer planting the trees out, 
even in an orchard house, and regulating the size of 
the top by due attention to the roots. For amateurs, 
the pot system has many advantages. They can at 
once more clearly see the effect of different systems 
of culture, and, in a small space, have a much 
greater variety ; and, if the fruit should not always be 
so fine, I can well enter into the pleasure and delight 
with which they can place on the table what has been 
the result of their own watchful attention. The 
system, as a whole, has, therefore, given a great im- ! 
pulse to horticultural pursuits, and opened up a large i 
j new branch of trade, and, therefore, as conferring a 
great amount of pleasure to cultivators, and of profit 
to providers, should not be sneered at, even by those 
who prefer planting out to growing in pots. 
In a previous volume will be found an account of a 
long low. house at Mr. Lane’s nursery, heated by a 
large brick stove, placed at one end, with a short 
funnel from it going through the back wall. I don’t 
think that even that stove was used for anything like 
early forcing. Besides that, the stove was peculiarly 
well placed for doing a large amount of work efficiently. 
Few men understand the Polmaise principle of heating 
so well as Mr. Lane. 
This house is built on an incline, with a bed, on each 
side of a deep pathway, near the middle. The stove is 
placed at the lowest point; the heated air rises and 
traverses to the extreme end, over the beds, and the 
cold air rushes down the pathway, to pass over the 
stove, and be carried again to the farther end when 
heated. You may be able to apply a little of that 
principle without exactly the same advantages; but, 
unless your house were small, or your stove a very 
large one, I would advise you, with such a stove, to 
confine yourself to accelerating your fruit, by a month 
or so, instead of attempting to force more. That is to 
say, supposing your trees were Peaches, give the 
trees all the air possible in winter in-doors, or out of 
doors, with the roots protected, and in severe weather 
a slight protection to the tops. When the blossoms 
begin to expand, protect from frost on very sharp 
nights, by putting a fire in your stove ; but do little 
more in the way of heating until the beginning or 
middle of March. A slight fire then of an evening, a 
larger one of course if cold and frosty, and a small fire 
in the morning, of a cold, dull day, will enable you to 
gather fruit a month or so earlier than you would 
have done without fire at all, and giving abundance of 
air. This month or so earlier will, most likely, be 
reduced to a fortnight, if you have no one to depend 
upon, from nine in the morning until five in the evening, 
to regulate air, &c., because, to ensure the safety and 
the health of your trees, you must neutralise, to a 
certain extent, the benefits you would obtain from 
extra heat. The difficulties will just be increased in 
proportion as you commence to fire earlier,—say, in 
January or February. 
For instance, supposing that your fruit is set, and 
that you wish to have an average temperature of from 
50° to 55° at night, and from 60° to 65° during the day 
in dull weather, and from 70° to 75°, or even 80°, at 
midday in bright sunshine, you will have no difficulty 
in securing your night temperature, because you will 
be at home. On a nice bright morning, you would 
want little more artificial heat,—your chief care would 
be to prevent the temperature getting too high, by air 
giving. But when the morning is cold and cloudy, 
and you have a fire put on, if there is no one in your 
absence to attend and give air if the sun comes out at 
all brisk, and the sun does come out for several hours 
unexpectedly, the fire will have raised the house above 
60°. The fire heat and the sun heat meet, the ther¬ 
mometer mounts up to 70°, 80°, 90°, and more ; no air 
is given, no shading is applied; and a few days after¬ 
wards you find the floor strewed with your promising 
young fruit, and colonies of red spider taking possession 
of the fine green foliage. 
In your circumstances, there is but one remedy for 
such disasters,—a remedy, however, which must be 
obtained, by just so much loss of heating power, and 
the caring but little about an equality of temperature 
during the day. This equality is rarely found in 
nature in these lands, and is not absolutely required 
in forcing. Just proceed, as mentioned above, as 
respects using your stove ; but, whatever the weather 
is, give air yourself early, if you do not keep a little on 
all night. Of course, you will soon be able to regulate 
the amount of air in some proportion to the weather. 
But the chief thing is to give it early say, before 
half-past eight in March, and an hour earlier in April. 
This air I mean to stay on until your return, and, 
therefore, it should not be given in excess. In cold 
days, with a little heat, the house will not be unduly 
