May n;. 1!>08 



horticulture: 



bot 



-465-0- 

 I'l.AX. 



distances from the glas?, and there 

 seems to be no appreciable difference, 

 but nature is more subtle than the 

 arts of man and to me there is such 

 a difference in the stoclc produced on 

 the center benches of wide houses tliat 

 at the Chicago Convention I could 

 readily select such cuts. On the other 

 hand, this apparent difference may be 

 due to the fact that there is still some- 

 thing to learn about their control and 

 the handling of slock in them." 

 About Ventilation. 



I s;?e that you have the self-oiling 

 style of gears, operating only fifty feet 

 of sash. Aren't these gears designed 

 to handle long runs with ease? 



"Yes, they are; but it is not a ques- 

 tion of the power of the gear, but the 

 common sense of ventilation. You see 

 temperatures vary in different parts of 

 the house; the ends are apt to run 

 cooler, or in cases where connecting 

 passages are used, as in our houses, 

 the winds seem to suck down beitween 

 the houses, strike the passages and 

 shoot up along the roof into the ven- 

 tilators. Now you see what a disad- 

 vantage long runs are in either case, 

 as it is not alone a question of opening 

 so many sash, liut one of being able 

 to ventilate where, and only where, 

 ventilation is needed." 



A Double Heating System. 



Your fore'man tells me your heatiuK 

 system is a combination of hot water 

 and steam • is it cheaper? 



"Well, yes, cheaper and more eas'ly 

 controlled. It costs mere to install, 

 but pays. I learned my lesson the fiist 

 year after buying the 18-foot h.ouses, 

 of whi-;h this range then consisted. 

 In some way the expansion tank piiJe 





SECT 



became plugged and just at sundown 

 on the edge of a cold night, out went 

 a boiler section. We managed to gath- 

 er enough oil stoves to keep the stock 

 from freezing, and the next day the 

 boiler was repaired. Ttiat night, out 

 went the boiler in another hotise. and 

 it was then we located the real trouble, 

 and I decided once for all that any 

 building I did in the future would be 

 equipped with both steam and hot 

 water, so if one system -was disabled, 

 the other could temporarily carry the 

 house. Then, again, one s>stem suiJ- 

 plements the other in such a satisfac- 

 tory way. For example, with a sudden 

 fall in the temperature, steam can be 

 generated in short order, and hold the 

 houses until the slower heat of the 

 water system is thoroughly warmed up. 

 "But quite as valuable is the use of 

 .'^ttam on the cool nights in mild 

 we.Uher when the continued radiation 

 of the hot water during several hours 

 of the day is objectional)le." 



Objections to Home-Built Houses. 



Do you believe it pavs the grower to 

 do his own erection? 



"In the lop^- run, no: and I'll tell 

 you why. Building time generally 

 comes at just a period when very im- 

 portant work is on hand which de- 

 mands the florist's careful attention, 

 and should not be slighted for other 

 things. The raising of young stock 

 for new rose houses is not one of the 

 least important. A division of time 

 means a loss either way you figure, 

 and what little may possibly be saved 

 in doing your own erecting, you not 

 only lose in decrease of produce, but 

 a .good deal more. If the work has 

 been delayed and the house not ready 

 for planting till August, just one- 

 twelfth of the Income from your house 

 is lost; if September, fully one-sixth, 

 or one-third for the two months. In 



lOX. 



addition to all this is the finish of your 

 house — the perfect way the greenhouse 

 people make their joints, such as at 

 the gables, or at passage connections. 

 If these passages are not carefully 

 handled they soon become weak spots. 

 "It is the doing right of just those 

 little things that set a house off, so 

 you can take a pride in it and show it 

 to your friends without a single apol- 

 ogy, just as you do with the stock. 

 Th.at is the kind of roses we grow and 

 the kind of houses I want to grow 

 them in. 



Sectional Iron Frame the Best. 



"What construction do 1 like best? 

 Tbe sectional iron frame, by all 

 means; it stays where it is put and has 

 all the advantages cf increased light 

 and reduced repair costs, on its side. 



"You may depend on it that we 

 went into the matter with greatest 

 care before investing in those last 

 Lord & Burnham shadeless ridge 

 houses, ;30 feet wide and -IGo feet long. 

 Throwing the ridge further to the 

 north than is usual brings the riage 

 shade on the outside walk, alw-ays 

 entirely free from the north bench. 



"While the ground on which the 

 houses are built is level, there is an 

 inside grade toward the north side, of 

 18 inches, which together with the in- 

 creased height of each bench gives 

 a total elevation of 6 inches to each 

 succeeding bench. In this way they 

 can be worked without raised walks, 

 and oTie bench shades the other less. 



"The north side is double glazed and 

 will pay for the extra cost many times 

 over in '.he coal it saves. 



"Yes. Lord & Burnham houses 

 were here when 1 bought the place, and 

 I recall coming out here with some 

 growers eighteen years ago and look- 

 ing at those wooden rafter houses with 

 angle iron purlins and we considered 

 them model houses. These last houses 

 might well be said to be the model con- 

 struction of today." 



iiiicrlii.^ i)a.^.sa;;*.'s it not (■iiielull.\ 

 haiHllcfl in tlii' framing;. iii;iki.' a 

 Wrnl; S]lnt ill tiU' llousev."" 



'I'lic u-iclul adoption of drain 

 coal shute. 



■ lavu. tbr I'atuiti-d Ii-c 

 plate, with sasli liar clasps 

 attaiUeil. is used. 



