August 31, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



305 



MODERN GREENHOUSE CON- 

 STRUCTION. 



(A paper read before tha Cauadlan Horti- 

 cultural AsEociatioa at London, Out-, 

 by F. K. Pierson. 



The question as to the best style oE 

 greenhouse construction is a most im- 

 portant one. As our business has 

 ■widened and developed the same neces- 

 sity for increased facilities has taken 

 place as in other mercantile lines. The 

 ocean steamer of twenty years ago 

 bears about the same relation to the 

 leviathans that are now being built, 

 as the small greenhouses o£ twenty 

 years ago bear to the large structures 

 that are now being erected, any one 

 of which is as large and covers as 

 much ground as was covered formerly 

 by an entire establishment comprised 

 ot eight, ten or more houses. In the 

 earlier days of our business a number 

 of houses was not only desirable but 

 necessary, but in our business as in 

 other branches of trade, we are fast 

 becoming specialitts growing one Icind 

 of flowers or plants and these ih im- 

 mense quantities So as conditions 

 have changed — the size of the build- 

 ings has naturally increased. Twenty 

 years ago 11 ft. houses were in the 

 majority, then came the 3-4 span 18 

 to 20 ft. in width; in fact, fifteen year.s 

 ago when we built a new range of four 

 iron houtes, 20 ft. in width and 300 

 ft. in length, it was considered a model 

 range and 'vas much in advance of 

 anything that had been built up to 

 that time. Visitors came from every- 

 where to inspect it. But times change 

 and change rapidly and it has been 

 duplicated to such an extent in the 

 meantime that it has long ago become 

 coE'.monplaco. At that time, however, 

 these light houses were much in ad- 

 vance of the houses in general use, but 

 with the increase and growth of the 

 business and as the necessity for 

 larger houses became apparent, came 

 what has come to be known as the 

 "ridge and furrow" open construction. 



For econcmy in construction and re- 

 tiirns on the investment these are un- 

 doubtedly more economical and profit- 

 able than the 20 it. spparate east and 

 west construction. This style has re- 

 cently been greatly improved in details 

 by the use of light iion gutters, in- 

 creased height of the gutter line and 

 the use of larger glass requiring less 

 sash bars, the use of light trusses or 

 pests increasing the width of the 

 houses, making an admirable strocturo 

 and capable of indefinite extension 

 only limited by the quantity to be 

 grov.n of one product. This style has 

 many chamiiious and fine examples of 

 it can he seen in the immense estab- 

 lishment at Biompton and in other 

 Canadian cities — Toronto, Ottawa, etc., 



and it has been adapted very largely 

 in the vicinity of Chicago where im- 

 mense ranges have been and are being 

 built. But I believe that the old idea 

 of single separate houses tunning east 

 and west and greatly enlarged in width 

 is pieferable to this type of house; of 

 course, I am speaking from the stand- 

 point of the cut flower grower to whom 

 sunlight in the short mid-winter 

 months of December, January and 

 February is at a premium. For plant- 

 growing, of course, especially palms 

 and foliage plants, the ridge and fur- 

 row open construction is ideal, but for 

 cut flower growing, I consider the wide 

 separate east and west house im- 

 mensely superior, as these houses cer- 

 tainly set much more sunlight especi- 

 ally in the short mid-winter days. In 

 fact this is wherein their superiority 

 exists, and as this is the season of the 

 year when flowers command the high- 

 est prices it is of the most importance 

 to the grower that he gets every bit 

 of sunlight that can possibly be 

 secured. Such a season as we have 

 jusc experienced makes this doubly ap- 

 parent. 



The argument in favor of the con- 

 struction of the ridge and furrow open 

 construction has been that it costs less 

 to build and for the money expended 

 the results obtained were in its favor, 

 but by increasing the width of the 

 east and west single house this ad- 

 vantage disappears. In contemplating 

 a large addition to our establishment 

 last year. I went into the comparative 

 cost or' the t\so styles and obtained 

 estimates for exactly the same area 

 and vrhile the single east and west 

 house was the very best style of flat 

 rafter steel construction and the ridge 

 and furrow was of the semi-iron con- 

 struction only, I found there was only 

 G per cent, difference on the total in- 

 \estment in favor of the ridge and 

 furrow construction — a difference so 

 small that the variance in one week's 

 crop at the Holid.iys might offset the 

 entire extra cost With the question 

 of cost settled, I think the advantages 

 in favor of the single wide east and 

 west house unquestionable; not only 

 is much more sunlight obtained in the 

 short dark mid-winter days when the 

 sun is at its lowest meridian, but much 

 more ventilation can be given; in fact, 

 I have been surprised to see how 

 much is necessary in the coldest mid- 

 winter weather v hen other houses 

 could be given little if any, of course, 

 this adding to the general health of 

 the plants, giving stronger stems an<I 

 increasing the quantity of flowers. 

 Take a dull dark winter such as we 

 have just passed through and the im- 

 portance of this is better appreciated, 

 for it is a well settled fact that the 

 more air than can be given the better 

 for the plants. !t is then that the 

 advantages of this type of house is 

 seen at its best. We get better ven- 

 tilation in these houses in the summer 

 also Ks the side '\ entilation is a great 

 advantage, making the houses airy and 

 cool. 



Some have thoug'at that these high 

 houses wo ilrt lie lifficult to heat. On 

 the contrary, they are much easier 

 heated than the smaller and lower 

 houses. It is not the volume of air 



that costs to heat, it is rather the 

 amount of glass exposed to the out- 

 side air and there is little if any more 

 exposure in these houses than in the 

 connected ridge and furrow ones, in 

 fact, the larger volume of air in these 

 larger ho ises cools slower and is sub- 

 ject to much less fluctuations. This 

 large volune of air is also a reason 

 why niore air can be given in these 

 houses in zero weather than can be 

 given in the smaller and lower ones. 



Sc' far as cost of operation is con- 

 cerned, I see no advantage in cither. 

 The sing}e Jarge house can be built 

 as large as one needs, as large as there 

 is any advantage in. We are building 

 now dG ft. in width but there is no 

 reason why that cannot be greatly in- 

 creased if one wishes to — say 75 or 

 even 100 ft. in width, but, of course, 

 the great(r the width the higher the 

 ridge would necessarily have to be. In 

 commencing a new range several years 

 ago we started 56 ft. in width and will 

 continue that for the present at least 

 for the sal<e of uniformity, but there is 

 no other reason for not increasing it, 

 yet little would be gained, I'or we now 

 get about all the economy in operation 

 possible, the only advantage being a 

 [lossible very slight decrease in cost of 

 construction. 



We liave all been interested in the 

 monster house erected this year at 

 North Wales, Pa.— 154 ft. in width I 

 believe — and admire the faith and en- 

 terprise 01 its projectors, but I fail to 

 see any special advantage in such 

 extreme size. In this case, in order 

 to avoid an exce.ssively high ridge a 

 very flat roof has resulted which 1 

 consider very objectionable, both ou 

 account oi the liability of drip in rainy 

 weather :\nd also from the lodgement 

 iif snow in winter. The roof lieiug so 

 flat ! dou!->t if the snow would slide off 

 of it readily. So while I am advocate 

 of the single wide house there are limi- 

 tations to be reckoned with, and 

 reasons for not building to such an 

 extreme width. In advocating the 

 single wide house, I speak from ex- 

 perience, as we have several ranges of 

 the most modern and perfected type 

 of ridge and furrow connected houses 

 as well as the large wide separate 

 houses. We are now building the lat- 

 ter type and believe fully and un- 

 qualifiedly that they are the best type 

 of house, all things considered, for the 

 Ci!t flower grower. These light airy 

 steel structures with reinforced con- 

 crete sides such as we are now build- 

 ing, eliminating all wood work except 

 the sash- bars and ventilating sash, 

 offer little or no obstruction to the 

 light. It is really getting back to first 

 principles and is following out the 

 same principle that the market gar- 

 dener who is dependent on sunlight 

 only, is compelled to observe in plac- 

 ing his cold frames, so that I think 

 all will agree with me that an east and 

 west house facing .south gets much 

 mote sunlight than the connected 

 ridge and ftirrow house. There is an 

 all too prevalent idea among florists 

 thai the temperature of warmth is the 

 necessary factor but that this i.s not so 

 is shown most conclusively in the dull 

 winter days when the growth becomes 

 weak .and the plants stop blooming. 

 It is the province of the florist to aid 

 nature and the house that will admit 

 the nvst sunlight, other things being 

 equal, is the better style ot structure. 



