Woodward's Graperies and Horticultural Buildings

by George E. Woodward; F. W. Woodward

Our next example is a Cold Grapery, erected at South Manchester, Connecticut.

Fig. 29 is the perspective view of the house, and Fig. 30 is a section. The house is twenty feet wide and sixty feet long. In Fig. 30, a is a stone wall, with a drain under it. b is a hollow brick wall. d, d, is the ground level of the house on the inside; the line below b is the level on the outside, but the earth is embanked against the brick wall to within an inch of the sill. A small house is shown at the north end which is used for tools, potting, &c. The border is about three feet deep, and occupies the whole interior of the house. There is no outside border. On the bottom is placed about one foot of "tussocks" from a neighboring bog, which may in time decay. The border is made up pretty freely of muck, with the addition of sand, loam, charcoal dust, bone dust, etc. There is a row of vines, two feet and a half apart, at each side of the house, at d, d. There are two other rows at e, e. There are also a few vines at c, and at the ends of the house. The rows at d, d, form fruiting canes half way up the rafters; those at e, e, go to the roof with a naked trunk, and furnish fruiting canes for the other half of the rafters. The fruiting canes are thus very short, and easily managed. The house was planted in the month of April, with such grapes as Black Hamburgh, Victoria Hamburgh, Wilmot's Hamburgh, Golden Hamburgh, Muscat Hamburgh, Chasselas Fontainebleau, Frontignans, Muscat of Alexandria, Syrian, Esperione, Tokay, and some others. The plants were very small, and the wire worm injured some of them so as to make it necessary to replant; but the growth of those not injured was very good. A fine crop of Melons, Tomatoes, Strawberries, etc., was taken from the house the first year. The second year a few bunches of grapes were gathered, and every thing went on finely.

Fig. 31.—Ground Plan.

This is the third year in which the house has been in operation. Our last visit was in the early part of August, 1863, when we counted 734 bunches of grapes, weighing from one to seven pounds each, the Syrian being the grape which reached the last figure. Almost as many bunches were thinned out. In some cases too many are left, but they look very fine. The Muscats are extremely well set, and some of the bunches will weigh fully three pounds. The Black Hamburghs look quite as well; but the finest show of fruit is on the Esperione. The large number of bunches is owing to the manner of planting; so many could hardly be taken the third season from a house planted in the ordinary way. The canes, it will be borne in mind, are now only fruited about half their length.

The exposure of this house is a very bleak one, and the climate cold and fickle. In order to provide against a late spring frost, a coil of one inch pipe was inclosed in brick work, with a fire chamber under it. From this coil a single one inch pipe was carried around the house next the side sashes. It is found to answer the purpose, having on one occasion kept the frost out of the house, when the crop in the house of a neighbor was destroyed. In many places, some resource of this kind is necessary, and a small boiler with a single pipe will in most cases prove sufficient.

DESIGN No. 11.

The following illustration is of a Plant House attached to a dwelling, and is quite different in its plan from those before given. It was designed and erected for J. C. Johnston, Esq., of Scarborough, N. Y.

It is built on the south side of the dwelling, and is entered from the parlor as well as from the pleasure grounds. Fig. 32 is a perspective view, which gives the reader a good idea of its general appearance, though we can not help saying that in this case, at least, the picture does not flatter; the house looks finer on the ground than in the picture. The circular house on the southeast corner is strictly an ornamental feature, and a very pretty one.