656 



HORTICULTURE. 



May 16, 1908 



A Chat with Robert Simpson 



Concerning Widths of Rose Houses. Tlieir Ventilation and Heating. Along with Some Facts About Building 



Greenhouses. 



twu ScfUoiial Iroii Kraiuo. Sliadol ess Itidse houses wore erected in 1907. They are 465 feet long and 30 feet wide. 



It had seemed to some of us that 

 about all that could be said on various 

 widths of houses had been said, but 

 when Mr. Elliott came out so decided- 

 ly with his point of view at the rose 

 convention I became convinced that 

 there was still another side which had 

 not been thoix»ug;hlv considered. Tliere 

 was room for argument yet. What of 

 the house of- medium width, and does 

 it really pay the florist to do his own 

 erecting? 



With this end in view Mr. Simpson, 

 whose greenhouse experience, as is 

 well known, has be^n long: and varied, 

 kindly consented to give up an hour 

 or so to being "pumped," as it were. 

 I found him just coming out of his 

 sunny office, and after locating me in 



an easy chair by the window the di.s- 

 cussion was on. 



The Best Width. 



"No," said Mr. Simpsmi. "I never 

 have been in favor of the extremely 

 wide house. By extremely wide, I 

 mean from 40 feet, up. Such widths 

 ma^y be a little cheaper to erect, but SO 

 feet is as wide as I want." The aver- 

 age quantity and quality of blooim Ls 

 actually higher in a hor.se of this 

 width provided it is rightly con- 

 s^tructed." 



But, Mr. Simpson, is not the whole 

 trend of building toward wider and 

 longer houses? 



"Yes, but that doesn't actually prove 

 anything, for this is an age whon no 

 one feels he is doing anything unless 



he is outdoing what has already been 

 done. Sometimes this tendency of the 

 American people is carried too far and 

 thev lose the sense of actual relative 

 values. 



"Now don't misunderstand me, or 

 quote me as saying these large houses 

 are not splendid examples of the sec- 

 tional iron-frame construction, a.nd 

 g'reatly to the credit of the builders. 

 Btit contrary to an increasing belief to 

 the opposite, I believe roses do not 

 thrive as well when a great distance 

 from the glass, such as is the case 

 with the center beds in extreniely wide 

 houses. 



"Careful chemical experiments I 

 know have been made in the wide 

 houses, with light values at various 



Gable view of the 30 foot Slindeless Ridge houses, with the old three ijiiarter span houses beyond. 



