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ART ÜF GARDENING.
598
{*, GrLcniiouserMith two sides o f glass framework, 28 ft. high,
for oranges, magnolias, acacias, myrtles, an d the
p lan ts of New Holland, &c., p lan ted in the ground.
Greenhouse, o f th e same he ig h t, w ith ( - ' ’ -
■a
<1, e. Greenhouses, 12 ft. h ig h , with two sides o f glass framework,
for Ericas, an d o th e r dw arf p lants o f th e Cap© o f
Good Hope, an d temp era te America.
f . Hothouse, 52 ft. h ig h .
g. A, Two hothouses, 28 ft. h ig h , one o f w hieh is destined for
th e Bananas, a n d o th e r p lan ts of th e samo family.
t, k . Two hotliouses, f t higli, one o f which contains the
succulent plants of tlie tropics, an d representative specimens
of all th e different families of eq uinoctial raonocoty-
ledonous plants, which a re cultivated in th e garden.
I, m, Two hothouses, 18 ft. hig h , in which th e beds a re raised
to a considerable h e ig h t above th e level o f th e path.
n. Hothouse fo r Chineso, Japanese, a n d Nepal p lants, 23 f t
h ig h , with glass frameivork on b o th sides.
(9, n, Two greenhouses, 21 f t h ig h , for th e p lan ts o f the
so u th o f fiurope, of th e Canary Isles, an d N o rth America,
aud for th e succulent p lauts o f temperate countries.
D, r . Two hothouses, 12 f t ihgli, for dw arf eq u in o ctial plants.
Th e beds iu these houses a re raised to a considerable height
above th e level of the floor.
s, t. Two houses, 12 f t h ig h , a n d glazed on two sid e s; forming
passages o f commiinicatioD, an d co n tain in g h a lf-h a rd y
ti,^u,**Two h o u s e s serving as passages of communication
between th e prin cip al lines, destined for th e bulbous plants
o f tlie temperate c lim a te s au d as reserve houses for h a rd y
herbaceous plauts.
vx, X, Pavilions o f entrance, o r passages.
y y. E n trances in to th e two sq u a re s; both o f which are
completely su rro u n d ed by houses for p lants.
have one slope, or two different slopes; and these may be more or less oblique, according
to the size of the plants to be cultivated under them. To exclude the cold air dm-ing
winter, all the joints of the woodwork are filled up with pitch, and the larger crevices
with moss. Double sashes for hothouses are not common in St. Petersburgh, because it is
found that the diminution of light they occasion, and the difficulty with which the sun’s
rays penetrate through them, are injurious to the plauts. The foi-m of the panes, and
the quality of the glass, are both very defective in Russia: the panes are in right-lined
parallelograms, and the mode of rounding them at the lower end, in the form of tho
flat tiles of some parts of Gei-many, though preferable, has not yet been adopted. The
glass is generally badly made, and is full of inequalities, on which accoimt the leaves of
the plants arc often blistered by the concentrated rays of the sim. The inequality of the
thickness of the glass also renders it subject to crack, and break dm-ing gi-cat frosts.
The methods employed for covering the sashes during the nights in cold seasons, ai-e
equally imperfect. Preference is gcneraliy given to shutters made of light wood, either
in one piece, wiflch is raised up dm-ing the day, or in several pieces, wlflch,_ by means of
hinges, fold one over another ; and, when not wanted, are retained against the walk
When these shutters ai-e in use, care must be taken to have them rest upon the wood,
between the panes of the sashes (which should, for that purpose, be made to project
considerably), in order to prevent the snow, which gets in between the shutters-and the
glass, from freezing the glass to the shutters, and, consequently, breaking the former
when the latter ai-e removed. Air is given by opening the sashes, as in other countries,
during summer ; and, in winter, the air is changed by the stoves which bm-n in the
inside of the hothouses, by the doors communicating with the sheds or corridors, and
by openings in the ceilings. In order to increase the light in the houses, and to prevent
the plants from bending towai-ds the windows, wiflch gives. them a very ungTaceful
appearance, the upper pait of the back wall is: curved over the glass, as shown in the
sections in fig . 598., in such a manner as to concentrate the sun’s rays, and to reflect
them into the interior. To execute tliis curve, half arches of wood are fixed to the
wall, and in sand pits, which rest upon posts in the middle of the houses : on these half
arches is nailed a double row of tlfln boards, separated by a thick, stuffing of hay, or
cotton wadding, for the purpose of entirely excluding the external air. Between the cmwe
and the top a roof is constructed, very close and solid. In order that the light may be
better reflected, the boai-ds which constitute the cuiwe, and cover the walla, ought to be
very smooth, and weU whitened. The effect which this arrangement produces^ on
vegetation is astonishing. In order to get rid of the heated air which rises, and might
prove injurious to the plants, small outlets are made, in the form of chimneys, at regular
distances at the top of the curve : these outlets ought to be very narrow, and should be
made to shut exactly, by little trap-doors, or flaps, which maybe raised or lowered from
the interior of the house, by means of cords.
2070. The R u ssian manner o f heating dwelling-houses is adopted in these hothouses;
that is, instead of keeping up a fire all the time that heat is required, a biisk fire is made
at first, and the combustibles are burnt rapidly, in order to preserve the embers produced
as long as possible, and to have a magazine of heat accumulated in a body which is a
bad conductor, in order that it may be communicated slowly and by degrees to the
suiTounding air. To obtain this result, a great current of air must be established for
the rapid combustion of the wood ; and when the wood is entirely reduced to embers,
this cun-cnt must be stopped by closely shutting up all the openings. The stoves of
dwelling-houses that ai-e well constructed are rai-ely heated more than once a day, unless
in the case of a very severe cold ; as a house once heated to a temperature of from 14°
to 16° Reaum. (64° to 68° Fahr.) retains the heat for twenty-foui- houi-s. Hothouses,
on account of the great extent of the glazing which they contain, cannot retain this
temperature so long ; aud it is necessary, generally, to heat them every twelve hours,
especially when the stoves are not very large, which they cannot be without danger to the
plants. The hothouse stoves with their flues are constructed in the following manner : —
Upon a sufficiently solid foundation, flags are placed horizontally over all the space which
tho breadtli of the flues (which can either be single or double) is intended to occupy.
Bricks are then placed at certain distances, to foi-m feet for the flues to rest upon ; and
these flues ought to be surrounded on every side with a chamber of air, communicating
directly or by means of vent holes, with that of the hothouse. Upon these feet is
placed a second range of flags, which flags form the immediate base for the flues ; and
on these is put another range of bricks flatwise. The lateral walls of the flues are
also constructed of bricks placed flatwise, which gives them a thickness of 5 | in. or
54 in (English), and makes the interior aperture of the flue 10^ in. wide and 14 m. deep.
The interior surface is slightly coated with loam, and it is covered on the top by bricks
placed flatwise ; the flues are afterwards covered with an additional layer of bncks or
flags so as to form a larger mass of non-conducting material, for the retention of heat.
The ’flues, when thus arranged, serve as paths in the hothouses, and will also form a
very suitable place for forcing vegetables. In the old hothouses, the bncks were laid
in loam or clay ; but lately calcareous cement has been introduced, which is found to
make the flues last much longer. The stove itself is not placed upon brick feet ; but is
separated from the ash-pit by a grating of iron bars. The upper sm-face of this grating
ought to be at least 7 in. lower than the bottom of the flue. The fireplace widens
towards the interior, where it ought not to be less than 26 in. in breadth ; and K is
desirable to have cast-ii'on pipes commimicating between the interior of the fuel
chamber and the external afr, in order, when necessaiy, to augment the activity ot the
fire by admitting an additional cun-ent of air. The lateral walls are 8 or 9 inches
thick, and the top of the fireplace is vaulted, and is at least 5 in. thick ; it ought to bo
made of firebricks, ivhich it would be always advantageous to use m the construction ot
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