436 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



AN INEXPENSIVE GREENHOUSE. 



jHE illustration (Figure 717) shows the plan for a greenhouse 

 which is cheap and gives a different temperature in the various 

 parts of the house, yet is heated with only one fire. It really 

 consists of two small greenhouses joined together as shown. 

 The front part is ten feet wide and twenty-two feet long. I 

 have used this greenhouse for two winters and it works admir- 

 ably. I grow palms and hothouse plants in one section, and 

 primroses, cinerarias and cool greenhouse plants in the other, 

 and all thrive satisfactorily. To build the house I dug in the 

 ground two and a half feet, then set in oak posts eight feet long, 

 sinking them three feet in the ground. This left the walls five feet high, except 

 the south wall, which is only four feet high. This wall being low lets in plenty 

 of sunshine. The framework is oak scantling two by three inches, and the 

 walls are made of oak boards one inch thick. Then earth is banked up to the 

 top of the wall and sodded. The rafters on the south side are seven feet long ; 

 all the other rafters are four and one-half feet long. 



The letter a indicates the position of the stove, which is an old-fashioned 

 wood heating stove, for which I paid $1.50. The legs are left off and it is set 

 on bricks so as to place it low down, and over it is built the cutting bench, the 

 bottom of the bench being two feet from 

 the top of the stove. A large pot of 

 water is kept on the stove to maintain diu- 

 moisture in the air. A large piece of 

 sheet-iron is placed between the stove 

 and the wall ; another piece is arranged 

 so as to be easily moved in and out be 

 tween the top of the stove and the bot- 

 tom of the cutting bench. The dotted 

 lines show where the flue passes from the 

 stove. The flue is made of six inch tile, except one joint of stovepipe next 

 the stove. This tile is supported by strong galvanized wire fastened to the wall 

 at one end, and to the rail on the flower bench at the other end. The joints of 

 tile are luted together with wet clay, which makes it easy to take them down for 

 cleaning out the soot, which must be done about once a month in winter. The 

 bench indicated by b and € is built high enough to allow two and one-half feet 

 space under it, which gives room to get under to put wood in the stove ; h is 

 a bed of heliotrope, which is always in bloom, and c is where the carnations are 

 grown for winter blooming. 



The fire is allowed to burn its full force only in zero weather, when it must 

 be looked after every four hours. In moderately cold weather it may be left all 



Fig. 717. 



