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August  27,  1905.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
always  be  on  a  level  with  the  ventilating  shutteivin  front) ;  if  two 
more  be  added  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  lower  shutters,  all  the 
better:  in  summer  it  is  impossible  to  give  ton  much  air. 
Ihe  front  and  ends  (except  the  doorway)  must  also  have  three- 
quarter-inch  boards  nailed  on  outside  the  posts;  one  of  them,  the 
1. -SMALL  SPAX-ROOFED  ORCHARD  HOUSK. 
a,  Iron  socket;  6,  boards  lo  iho  ground;  c,  ventilatirg  shutters; 
d,  glass  IS  inches  wide. 
tqiper  one  in  front,  to  be  on  hinges,  so  as  to  let  down  the  whole 
length  of  the  house;  this,  with  tlm  back  shutters,  when  all  are 
open  in  hot  weather,  will  ventilate  i  oroughly. 
Where  there  is  a  brick  or  other  wall  to  serve  as  a  back  wall  it 
may  be  built  against  it  with  a  great  saving  in  expense ;  but  as 
sliding  shutters  cannot  conveniently  be  let  into  such  walls  venti¬ 
lators  may  be  made  at  the  top  of  the  slope  of  the  roof  bj'  having 
every  alternate  square  fixed  in  a  Avooden  frame,  which  should  be 
run  in  a  groove  and  be  draAvn  up  and  let  down  with  a  cord,  to 
which  an  iron  Aveight  should  be  attached  to  keep  the  sliding  sash 
in  place ;  Avith  this  the  ventilators  can  be  regulated  at  pleasure. 
An  equally  or  more  convenient  inode  of  A-entilating  at  the  top  of 
the  sloping  roof  is  by  a  continuous  shutter  of  Avood  in  10-ft 
lengths,  on  hinges  opening  upwards,  raised  by  a  line  and  pulley ; 
this  should  be  1ft  AA'icle  at  least.  In  a  house  not  more  than  10ft 
Avide  this  mode  of  Amntilating  at  front  and  at  the  top  of  the  roof 
Avill  do  very  AA’ell ;  but  in  lean-to  houses  of  greater  Avidth  it  is 
necessary  to  hav’e  shutters  in  the  back  Avail  on  a  level  Avith  those 
in  front,  so  that  tAvo  currents  of  air  may  meet  and  “  stir  up  ”  all 
the  air  in  the  house. 
Span  roofed  Orchard  House. 
I  noAV  give  a  description  of  my  favourite  sort  of  orchard  house, 
the  span-roofed.  In  houses  of  this  kind  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
do  not,  perhaps,  ripen  so  early  as  in  lean-to  houses,  but  quite  as 
early  as  on  Avails.  OAving  to  their  being  detached  they  can  be 
more  thoroughly  ventilated,  and  the  fruit  from  them  is  generally 
piquant  in  flavour. 
In  the  north  of  England  and  all  cold  or  moist  districts,  of 
Avhich  England  contains  too  many,  in  the  Highlands,  and  in  the 
cold,  stormy  climates  of  the  north  of  either  Scotland  or  Ireland, 
it  Avill  perhaps  be  quite  necessary  to  introduce  hot-Avater  pipes 
into  houses  in  Avhich  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Apricots  are  to  be 
cultiA’ated,  not  to  force  them,  but  to  insure  their  ripening 
properly. 
Height  of  niy  small  span-roofed  house  at  sides.  6ft ;  height 
to  ridge,  lOft  ;  Avidth,  14ft.  The  roof  rests  on  oak  posts  oin  by 
3in,  5ft  apart ;  but  I  noAV  find  deal  posts  let  into  iron  sockets  are 
preferable  to  any  other  mode  of  building  orchard  houses  of  AAood, 
the  usual  AA'aj’  of  building  Avith  brick  foundations  and  sills  may  bo 
adopted. 
The  rafters  are  20in  apart  ;  the  roof  is  glazed  Avith  21-oz  glass, 
in  pieces  20in  by  loin.  The  tAvo  ends  are  glazed  doAvn  to  the 
lower  edges  of  the  glass  at  the  sides.  The  rafters  are  3in  by 
l)in,  and  are  tied  together  at  the  apex  of  the  roof  by  a  light,  flat 
iron  tie  screAved  to  -every  fourth  rafter. 
The  path  is  doAvn  the  centre,  and  the  rows  of  trees  may  be 
placed  on  each  border  3ft  from  stem  to  stem,  so  that  the  sun  may 
shine  on  every  leaf.  This  is  most  essential  ;  for  I  hav..  occasion¬ 
ally  had  some  of  my  Peaches  deficient  in  flavour,  ami  on 
examination  have  ahvays  found  the  trees  too-  much  croAvded,  so 
as  to  shade  each  other.  In  these  small  span-roofed  houses  the 
trees  placed  as  aboveform  a  charming  avenue,  and  are  lookiul 
doAAii  iqion  by  the  cultivator,  .so  that  every  leaf  and  fruit  is  seen. 
The  small  span-roofed  house  referred  to  Avill  be  found  an 
agreeable  and  economic  structure ;  but  large  gardens  require 
large  houses,  and  for  these  the  foUoAving  con.struction  may  b.i 
confidently  recommended: — A  cheap,  large,  span-roofed  house 
20ft  Avide  and  12ft  to  13ft  in  height  to  the  ridge  may  be  built 
after  the  folloAving  manner  : — Oak  posts  or  deal  posts  in  cast-iron 
sockets  Gin^by  4,  and  Oft  long,  should  be  placed  flatAvise,  so  as  to 
stand  5  to  Ojft  clear  out  of  the  ground  and  the  soil  Avell  rammed 
round  them,  or  concrete  poured  in  so  that  they  stand  firmly. 
These  posts  .should  stand  in  tAvo  rows  20ft  apart,  6ft  apart  in  the 
roAvs.  On  them  should  be  nailed  the  plates,  to  receive  the  end 
of  the  rafters,  Avhich  may  be  nailed  on  to  them.  These  plates 
should  be  4in  by  3.  The  rafters  should  be  4jin  by  11,  and  nailed 
to  the  ridge-board  at  the  apex  of  the  roof,  Avhich  should  be  12ft 
from  the  surface.  The  ridge-board  should  be  7in.  by  11.  The 
rafters  must  be  placed  20in  a.sunder.  The  sides  and  ends'  of  the 
house  should  be  formed  of  three-quarter-inch  boards ;  for  ventila¬ 
tion  a  shutter  18in  Avide  made  into  15-ft  lengths  and  opening  on 
hinges  doAvnAA'ards,  the  loAver  edge  18in  from  the  ground,  should 
be  placed  on  each  side:  these  are  for  the  admission  of  cool  air. 
For  the  egress  of  the  heated  air  an  aperture  1ft  deep  should  bo 
made  at  each  end  just  under  the  apex  of  the  roof.  To  this  a 
shutter  on  hinges  should  be  fixed,  and  this  should  be  kept  open 
from  the  beginning  of  June  till  the  end  of  September.  The  roof 
should  be  supported,  and  kept  from  going  out  either  by  light 
“  collar-beams  ”  of  Avood  to  every  sixth  rafter,  by  iron  rods  so 
disposed  as  to  tie  the  roof  securelj’^,  or,  best  of  all/  by  tAvo  i'oaa’s 
2.— END  ELEVATION  OF  AN  ORCHARD  HOUSE  24  FEET  AVIDE. 
a,  Glazed  shutt'rs  on  hinges,  ope:iiug  downwards;  h,  sash  for  egress  of  heated 
air,  opeiing  downnarJs. 
of  iron  pillars  formed  of  2in  gas  pipes.  Avhieh  are  very  cheap,  6ft 
from  each  side;  the  loAver  ends  placed  in  the  ground,  and  let  into 
a  small  .square  of  brickAvork  and  cement,  the  upper  ends  let  into 
the  purlin.  These  pillars  should  be  about  10ft  apart. 
It  Avill  be  seen  from  tins  de.'^cription  that  a  house  built  after 
this  method  is  a  plain  but  useful  .structure,  for  its  sides,  ends, 
and  doors  (there  should  be  one  at  each  end  in  the  centre)  are  all 
of  boards,  and  its  roof  only  of  glass.  Nevertheless,  this  descrip¬ 
tion  of  orchard  house  Avill  giAm  fruit  in  as  great  abundance  and 
of  as  fine  a  flavour  as  a  house  built  ornamentally  and  at  a  great 
expense. 
In  June,  1860,  a  house  AA'as  built  here,  Avhich  for  strength, 
cheapness  and  lightness  of  construction  is  both  eligible  and  agree¬ 
able  (see  figs.  1  and  2).  It  differs  from  the  houses  formerly 
built  and  recommended  in  having  no  raised  brick  borders,  by 
Avhich  a  considerable  saving  is  effected.  No  inconvenience  Avill 
arise  from  the  trees  standing  on  the  ground  leAml,  for  it  is  only 
necessary  to  cultivate  the  trees  as  pyramids  or  half-standards  for 
the  central  border,  and  as  dAvarfs  Avith  stems  a  foot  taller  than 
usual  for  the  side  borders.  It  is  100ft  long,  24ft  Avide,  12ft  high 
in  the  centre,  and  5ft  3in  at  the  sides.  Sides  and  ends  are  glass, 
and  on  each  side  and  at  both  ends  is  a  glazed  .shutter  18in  Avide, 
the  loAver  edge  18in  from  the  ground  on  edges  opening  doAvn- 
AA'ards  for  Ioav  lateral  ventilation,  and  beloAV  that  glass  to  the 
ground.  At  each  end,  just  under  the  gable  of  the  roof,  arc 
openings  3ft  in  depth,  to  Avliich  sashes  are  fixed;  these  are  to  be 
open  all  the  summer  to  let  off  the  hot  air,  and  this  is  all  the  top 
ventilation  necessary. 
The  roof,  Avhich  is  formed  Avith  light  rafters  3lin  by  1^.  is 
supported  on  each  side  by  seven  light  pillars  l.^in  in  diameter 
fixed  to  a  bar  of  iron,  Avhich  is  let  into  the  rafters.  Each  roAv  of 
pillars  (/)  is  6ft  from  the  sides  of  the  house,  so  that  there  is  a 
border  on  each  side  6ft  Avide  and  an  area  in  the  centre  12ft  Avide. 
In  addition  to  the  ventilation  aboAm  described,  Mr.  Rivers 
adopted  Avith  great  success  a  simple  plan  he  devised  of  admitting 
air  through  underground  drain  pipes,  one  end  of  these  air  ducts 
passing  under  the  sill  to  the  outside,  the  other  rising  through  th;' 
floor  about  the  centre  of  the  house,  or  Avhere  required,  and 
covered  Avith  a  movable  lid  for  regulating  the  ingress  of  the  air. 
Mr.  Rivers  a^^^ached  great  importance  to  this  method,  as  in  cold 
