Decembek 23, 1897. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



iti 



However, "a volume might be written on 

 this one subject. Experience is the best 

 teacher, and exercise of good common 

 horse sense leads to success. H. \. li. 



BUILDING AND HEATING. 



At this .season of the year, many florists 

 are planning for the enlargement of their 

 greenhouse ranges, and some are making 

 preparations for leaving the service of 

 others and branching out into a business 

 for themselves, and it is to such that I 

 would address a few words of caution and 

 suggestion. 



How often, in our travels, do we see 

 nice appearing ranges of glass, which, 

 when we look into their arrangement rel- 

 ative to convenience, general adapta- 

 bility, and labor-saving possibilities, are 

 found to be sadly deficient in these im- 

 portant requirements; or, perhaps we 

 visit ranges which may boast of some of 

 these advantages, yet in their general de- 

 tails of construction are so defective as to 

 be injurious to the buildings themselves, 

 or to the plants to be grown therein. 

 These conditions sliovdd not, and need 

 not be;' the cause liebi" ili.- ..i\ iiig of too 



Illustration No. 4. Finished for boxing up, 



Illustration No. 5. System of upright packing, ready for " closing in," 



little thought and consideration to vital 

 points at the finst starting out. 



You are going into business to grow for 

 the market a certain class of plants or 

 blooms, and we will assume that you are 

 thoroughly conversant with and experi- 

 enced in their requirements in regard to 

 light, heat, etc., but it is very doubtful if 

 you are thoroughly competent to decide 

 as to the most perfect and economical 

 means of securing these conditions; then 

 again, you may have in mind a plan of an 

 arrangement of houses which you think 

 will please you, but are you sufficiently 

 experienced in the details of planning, 

 building, heating and general equipment 

 of such structures as to be sure that you 

 are not going to come in contact with 

 some unlocked for complications which 

 will add materially to the cost of the 

 work, or detract greatly from some one or 

 more of the advantages which you were 

 aiming for. For instance, in the matter 

 of clothing, you know exactl)' what you 

 want and how you want it to fit, but you 

 would make a sorry looking suit if j'ou 

 attempted to cut out and make it your- 

 self ; or if you want to build a dwelling, 

 you go to an experienced architect and 

 talk over 3'our requirements with him, 

 but you leave the detail planning to him, 

 or in other words, you live up to the old 

 saying " every man to his trade, " and so 

 you should do when about to enlarge or 



develop a range of greenhouses. If you 

 will steer clear of pitfalls and reap the 

 benefit of the numberless economies 

 which .^re present in a perfectly designed 

 and constructed range of glass, you must 

 unfold your ideas and washes to some 

 competent greenhouse architect, and with 

 his help and suggestion, reap benefits 

 which 3'ou would in all probability other- 

 wise lose. 



In planning for a new range, consider 

 well the accessibility to markets, and with 

 this assured, a suitable building site. In 

 considering a site, we should look for one 

 having perfect drainage, and ample sun- 

 light, and if possible a windbreak either 

 of trees or hill on the northw-est; also see 

 that you can secure a never failing supply 

 of water. The ideal location is one 

 having a fall towards the south of from 

 one to five inches in a foot; this insures 

 good drainage, ample sunlight, a saving 

 of ground space by allowing the houses 

 to be built closer together without one 

 shading the other, and many other ad- 

 vantages which will be discussed at some 

 future time. 



After having secured a suitable site, we 

 must consider the general plan and de- 

 sign, but these will necessarily vary ac- 

 cording to the class of stock you intend 

 to grow, and cannot therefore be con- 

 sidered at this time, but it will be my 

 pleasure to give these matters consider- 



