The ingenious manner in which the conservatory is made to front the south, and is, at the same time, connected with the house by the covered way, is worthy of notice. This covered way might be greatly increased in interest, if the roof were glazed, and moveable sashes were adapted to the spaces between the supports in front. These sashes might be taken out, and those of the roof taken off, in the summer time, and used for covering beds of cucumbers and melons. A part of the floor of this covered way, next the back wall, should then be formed into a bed for plants, and might contain a very fine assemblage of such of the Australian and Chinese or Japan shrubs as bloom during winter or in early spring, or Cape heaths. The pathway need not, in such a narrow building, be above 3 ft. broad; and it should be carried along the front of the structure, in order that the eye may look on the best side of the plants, which is always the side next the light. Against each support, in front, a creeper may be planted, and trained up it and across the rafter to the back wall.

A long, narrow, and not very high, conservatory of this kind is, doubtless, less grand and imposing than one of larger dimensions, a view down the middle of which is seen from one of the living-rooms; but it is calculated to afford much more enjoyment to the lover of plants, as well as much more variety to the general observer; because each plant is, as it were, passed before him in succession. The difference in the enjoyment produced by a long, narrow, and comparatively low, winding green-house or conservatory, like the covered way shown in the isometrical view (fig, 133.), and that produced by a rectangular one of large dimensions, such as those commonly appended to first-rate mansions, does not appear to us to be at all understood; or, at least, not to be sufficiently impressed on the minds of proprietors of villa residences. The object with such persons, when they propose to construct a green-house or conservatory, is to have one which shall be considered large; and, hence, the fear of the expense often deters them from enjoying this innocent luxury.

Now, a large conservatory, if it is architectural, forms a very handsome appendage to a house; but, if it is not architectural, it injures the effect of the house, by its resemblance to the common shed-like forcing-houses of the kitchen-garden or of a nursery. This last kind of conservatory or green-house attached to a house is, therefore, a deformity rather than a beauty; while the other, though it is a grand architectural appendage, is only adapted to first-rate mansions. On the other hand, a long narrow conservatory, such as we have described, is equally adapted to the cottage and to the mansion; and it costs much less in proportion to the space enclosed than the Urge structure; while the plants, being nearer to the light, arrive at greater perfection; and, being nearer to the eye of the spectator, are seen to greater advantage. Another advantage of a long narrow conservatory is, that it does not interfere with the windows of the house; because, being narrow, it requires but a small portion of wall for it to abut against, and may proceed from any door or living-room window that may be convenient

334. Remarks

The apparent extent of this place might be greatly increased by connecting the walk at y with that at z by a tunnel; but the practicability and expediency of this will depend very much on the dryness of the subsoil. The extent of the walks might, also, be considerably increased, by conducting one from x, over or under the approach road near the entrance, and leading it round the kitchen-garden on a glade of turf properly furnished with trees and shrubs, and so in a tunnel, under the road to the offices, to x. Of course, this arrangement would diminish the extent, and vary the position, of the kitchen-garden; and it would require such an arrangement to be made at t, k, and l, as not to have a tunnel longer than three or four yards. All this and many other arrangements of the kind, might be effected with the greatest ease, and produce a very striking result, provided the subsoil were thoroughly dry, and a little extra expense not objected to. In short, it may be held as an axiom, in laying out villa gardens of from a quarter of an acre to twenty acres and upwards, that their apparent extent to the stranger walking through them may be doubled or trebled by judicious tunneling in some places, and carrying the road or walk over bridges, through a ruin or rock-work, or under an arcade or trellis-work, in others.

Improvements of this kind cannot be shown with much effect on paper; but in reality, when judiciously executed, they have the effect of enchantment.