The Amateur's Hotne Greenhouse 



P.SE.^Buck, B.S.A., Experimental Farm, Ottawa 



TO many the small greenhouse at- 

 tached to a private home appeals 

 as a luxury which requires a great- 

 er share of their time and money than 

 they care to give. To others, and es- 

 pecially to those who like to indulge in 



without the cellar, was only about half 

 that sum. The glass used is twenty- 

 four by twenty-four inches for the sides 

 and sixteen by twenty-four for the roof. 

 Part of the floor is of cement and part is 

 floored with wood in order that it might 



The Simple Greenhouse in which Mr. R. B. Whyte, of Ottawa, Spend* Many Happy Hours 



See accompanlng article. 



be used as a sewing room. The green- 



one of the finest hobbies in the world, 

 the small, modest, "home greenhouse" 

 is not looked upon in the light either of 

 a luxury or a burden, far from it. To the 

 latter class of people such an addition 

 to the home is an investment, an invest- 

 ment bringing in a constant revenue of 

 enjoyment and satisfaction. 



The "amateur's greenhouse" of these 

 notes is quite a modest little structure 

 and a stranger jierhaps might be par- 

 doned if he questioned the owner as to 

 the returns on the sums spent in its con- 

 struction and upkeep. Those who know 

 Mr. R. B. Whyte, of Ottawa, however, 

 as a shrewd and successful business man, 

 as well as a noted amateur horticultur- 

 ist; know full well that he would not 

 speak in such unmeasured terms of sat- 

 isfaction in regard to the pleasures as 

 well as the rewards derivable from such 

 structures if he did not base his remarks 

 on the experience of many years. 



SIZE AND COST 



Mr. Whyte's greenhouse is built on 

 the east side of the house, and under it 

 at the time of construction a cellar was 

 also built in which the Dutch bulbs and 

 similar flowers might be stored as soon 

 as they are potted in the autumn. The 

 greenhouse itself is ten feet wide, twen- 

 ty-seven feet long and averages eight 

 feet in height. The initial cost of the 

 house, together with the cellar, was some 

 six hundred dollars. Mr. Whyte thinks 

 that perhaps the actual cost of the house, 



house is heated by pipes connected to 

 the house furnace as this plan entails 

 less work. A door connects the green- 

 house to the living room and since this 

 is often left open the former may be 

 considered as really one of the rooms 

 of the house. 



To obtain proper soil for his plants, 

 Mr. Whyte adopts a very simple plan. 

 He orders a load of greenhouse soil from 

 a local florist. This costs him only a 



small sum, lasts him two years and save^; 

 him a great deal of time and trouble. 



Proper understanding of the watering 

 problem means success with plants 

 where some people have failure. ' Mr. 

 Whyte has found from experience that 

 in his greenhouse he must water about 

 every other day in the surrimer and twice 

 a week in the winter. Plants should be 

 watered when they need water and gen- 

 erally at some regular period. No other 

 correct rule for watering can be given. 

 Just when they need water will depend 

 upon the conditions under which they 

 are growing. 



Closely allied to the problem of "wat- 

 ering" is that of "ventilation.", In a 

 srnall greenhouse a good ventilation sys- 

 tem and a proper attention to the at- 

 mospheric conditions are fully as neces- 

 sary as in a large greenhouse. During 

 the very hot days of summer it is always 

 necessary to provide some shade for 

 those plants which are left in the green- 

 house. Mr. Whyte has tried several 

 systems but states that he finds white- 

 washing the glass, a practice followed 

 by commercial greenhouse men, is the 

 best and cheapest method of providing 

 shade. 



Plants grown under glass are just as 

 liable to be troubled with insect p>ests 

 and fungous diseases as are those grown 

 outside. Perhaps the worst enemy of 

 indoor grown plants is that known as 

 aphids or "plant lice." As a remedy 

 against these Mr. Whyte has found the 

 following simple procedure perfectly ef- 

 fectual. To one pint of water placed in 

 a flat dish he adds two teaspoonfuls of 

 Nicotine (tobacco extract) and then plac- 

 es in the dish a hot smoothing iron. The 

 heat from the iron evaporates the mix- 



Comer of a Conservatory Ibat is also a Living Roon.— Residence of Kr. T.A. TiiiLcInr, IVCcnlKel 



