GARDENING. 



Mar. //. 



branches of P. latitrons are apt to shoot 

 up one to three feet with a round naked 

 stem before widening into a flat, fleshy 

 branch; still, restricted pot-room and 

 judicious pruning will curtail their ram- 

 pant nature. The other kinds of phyllo- 

 cactus, common with us, arc very easily 

 regulated by pruning, but most folks 

 instead of shortening the shoots prefer to 

 insert a shoi-t, stout stake by them, to 

 which their lower half is tied for support, 

 the end part being allowed to loop down. 



"T«E RflNC«E" OREENflOUSES AND flOVI I 

 BUILT TflEM. 



"The Kanche" greenhouses are situated 

 at the comer of Superior street and Lin- 

 den avenue. Oak Park, 111., and their con- 

 struction was begun on September 15, 

 189,5, on home made plans with home 

 talent. In three months from that date 

 they were practically finished , and stocked 

 with plants, and the water started down 

 •■Rocky Run" in the rockery. They are 

 intended for recreation (rom business 

 cares and lor the pleasure of plant lovers. 

 The range is 150 feet long, consisting of 

 two three-fourths (long-span-to-the- 

 southl houses each 21x35 feet with a 

 central palm house 30x30 feet. At the 

 rear end is the boiler house 20x25 feet 

 with a workshed 20x25 feet at right 

 angles thereto, also a number of 

 material sheds. .\djoining the boiler 

 house is the gardener's house 28x30 feet, 

 one story and attic high with coal shed 

 adjoining. 



The greenhouse buildings are all sup- 

 ported by white cedar posts about 4 feet 

 apart of difi'erent diameters all squared 

 above bench height, and the butts well 

 spiked to 3x12 hemlock planks, sunk in 

 four feet trenches. The butts were painted 

 with coal tar as were also the two inch 

 pine plank sheathing under the surface of 

 the ground and for several inches above. 

 Moninger's greenhouse lumber was used 

 for all gutter plates, rafters, ridges, sash 

 bars, etc., and amateur builders will do 

 well to always obtain such pieces ot a 

 specialist ready made, as the patterns are 

 the results of large experience and ingenu- 

 ity, and will save endless after trouble. 



The cypress gutter plates with spliced 

 and white leaded joints were firmly 

 spiked on the tops of the support- 

 ing posts sawed off at 5 feet from 

 sidewalk grade for the greenhouses 

 and work shed, and at 15 feet 9 

 inches for the palni house. Ridge plates 

 of the lower houses are about 15 feet 4 

 inches above grade, giving the roof a 

 desirable steep' slope to the south. Roof 

 glass is best American double thick 14x18 

 inches lapped -'s inches and bedded in pure 

 white lead putty. Ventilating sa>h are 

 continuous on both sides of ridge. Pur- 

 lins are of IV+inch gas pipe, and ridges 

 and purlins are supported by similar gas 

 pipe posts with flat stone bases. 



The palm house tias a hip roof with a 

 ten foot dome in thig center. The gutter 

 plates of the house are tied by four 

 IVi-inch gas pipes crossing the house at 

 right angles, one under each plate of the 

 dome, and are stiffened by being con- 

 nected to four iron rods hung down from 

 the plates of the dome. Although the 

 roof and dome, with the heavy ribbed 

 plate glass, cover a building thirty feet 

 square yet all is perfectly rigid by this 

 simple arrangement, and have already 

 sustained an unusually heavy fall of wet 

 snow without damage. The ribbed glass 

 is butted to heavy galvanized iron divid- 

 ing strips which are so flat that water 

 runs freely over them. These strips would 

 be good in all cases where butted glass is 



QJ CJI 



PLAN OF THE RANCHE GREENHOUSBt 



long enough to overcome the disadvan- 

 tage of increased shade. 



The palm house roof glass is about 

 24x60 leet for full sized lights, side win- 

 dows of all houses are all of best double 

 thick American glass anil ventilation sash 

 are all operated by Moninger's apparatus 

 by which an entire section can be opened 

 or closed at once. 



The ridge sashes over-lap each other, 

 thus preventing leakage and drafts of air 

 and also preventing the freezing down of 

 the sash to a large extent. The houses 

 were first sheathed with fencing flooring, 

 which was then covered with waterproof 

 building paper and asbestos paper and 

 finally with patent siding. The plant 

 benches were intended to have been sup- 

 ported by gas pipe floor beams and posts 

 but on account of lateness of the season 

 pine 2x4 was substituted, the posts being 

 well tarred at the bottom. Two inch 

 bottom boards, sawed to set across the 

 bench, were laid loosely to enable easy 

 replacing in case of decaj' or other cause. 

 All were painted with Portland cement 

 and laths laid over the joints to prevent 

 the soil from being washed through. All 

 special greenhouse lumber was primed 

 with pure white lead (pure while lead 

 must be procured specially, painters 

 seldom use it on contract work), and all 

 work inside and out has received two 

 good coats. 



The natural clay floors were covered 

 over with about six inchesof clean, sharp 

 sand coming up to within about fifteen 

 inches of outside grade. Over this sand 

 are neat maple slat floors in short 

 removable sections permitting frequent 

 cleanings underneath. In the palm house 

 crushed stone is used on account of its 

 more harmonious effect. The rockery has 

 two curvtd benches on the south side and 

 a three inch pine plank bench on each of 

 the others. 



All the houses will be. lighted at night 

 with 16 candle incandescent electric 

 lamps Long glass insulators and best 

 out of door wire will be used on account 

 of danger from dampness. 



The houses are heated by about 2,000 

 feet of 4-inch out flow pipes with butter- 

 fly valves, down grade system, and with 

 5 inch return pipes caulked with oakum, 

 red lead and I'ortland cement. A nine 

 foot boiler is now being used, a small 

 boiler having been found, like a small mule, 

 willing but lacking in size. This new 

 boiler is a beauty and has the advantage 

 of heating water all around the soot 

 chamber, thus saving a great deal of fuel. 

 Ignorance of its existence cost the under- 

 signed three hundred dollars in cash and 

 untold injurv to his plants. The boiler 



pit is about fourfeet deep and has a coal 

 pit attached. The brick chimney is IS 

 inches square inside and tile lined. A 

 fresh air duct furnishes air for combus- 

 tion. This is important for good results. 

 Lehigh small egg coal and Indiana block 

 coal are used according to circumstances 

 and pea coal is used for banking up in 

 mild weather. The writer will not con- 

 fess what these improvements cost but 

 advises all amateurs to have plans ard 

 estimates in advance even for a house as 

 small as an ordinary bay window. 

 Every part of these houses is consistent 

 with absolute cleanliness and the h'ose 

 every Saturday afternoon leaves every- 

 thing as bright as a silver dollar, includ- 

 ing too frequently the office desk. 



The houses are well arranged for con- 

 venience and it is designed to have a 

 place for everything and everything in its 

 place. The work shed embraces pottiujj 

 and propagating benches, a large open 

 square floor space for unpacking plants 

 on their receipt anr* the office. In the 

 boiler room are a plunge bath for plants, 

 washing, and draining benches and a 

 carpenters and steam fitter's bench. 

 Under the benches of both rooms are 

 capacious bins for a general assortment 

 of pots and general necessaries. Small 

 low sheds close by acc< mmodate manure, 

 leaf mold, sand, soil. etc. 



An artesian well 175 feet deep furnishes 

 pi nty of soft water pumped by a gaso- 

 line engine. 



It is expected that the east house will 

 be used principally for roses, carnations 

 and annuals. The west house is for 

 exhibition plants and bulbs and has got 

 raised shelves in the center and rear. The 

 rockery is the main feature of the palm 

 house and is constructed of Niagara lime 

 stone which crops out at the surface at 

 Western avenue and Erie street, Chicago. 

 It is peculiarly adapted to the purpose 

 being almost black with white spots and 

 well honey-combed. At the rear the 

 rockery is about eight feet high and it 

 falls irregularly down towards the curved 

 front. A mountain rill starts at the 

 highest corner and meanders around ob- 

 structions and over minature bowlders 

 and under a rock bridg- until it finally 

 finds rest in a little pond which is now in 

 serious need of water hyacinths and pop- 

 pies. The rock work is now well 

 covered with palms, rubber trees, ferns 

 and many other plants. Forfuture effect 

 greatest stress is placed on the silk oak. 

 The plants of the rockery would require 

 a special article, they are now so many. 

 Among the finest are Mr. J. T. .Vnthony's 

 prize Areca lutescens and Mrs. Sprague's 

 unsurpassed variegated pine ai)ple plant. 



