196 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



August, 1913 



A Charming Little Bay Window Conservatory 



Although the side architectural dctjiils arc eome- 



wh'it heavy, the roof is excoedinsly U:?ht, allowing 



■111 abundance of siinligtot to reach the Dlante. 



plant purposes? Is it reasonable to ex- 

 pect that a man whose training- has all 

 ,been along the lines of vertical heating 

 piping, (where air locks and sluggish cir- 

 culation are by the very nature of the 

 case not a problem) to know the many 

 kinks in the horizontal piping where 

 rapid circulation is so vital and air locks 

 so exasperating? How logical it is tO' 

 put these things up to men who you 

 know, know. 



So much for a bird's eye view of the 

 situation. Now, let's get down to facts 

 instead of generalities. 



CYPRESS BEST WOOD 



Cypress, because of its great endur- 

 ance under conditions of alternate climes 

 and moisture, such as exist in 

 greenhouses, is acknowledged by all 

 builders to be the best wood for the pur- 

 pose. To secure as light a frame as pos- 

 sible and further increase the endurance, 

 steel whenever possible has been substi- 

 tuted for wood. 



The construction now most generally 

 in use, both for private greenhouses and 

 the big commercial affairs covering 

 acres, is the sectional iron frame con- 

 struction. No other meets so success- 

 fully as wide a range of requirements. 

 In this construction for private uses, the 

 walls are topped or capped by sills of cast 

 iron. To these sills are bolted the steel 

 side posts which curving at the eaves 

 continue to the roof, forming the rafters. 



Extending horizontally between these 

 rafters, at stated intervals, are connect- 

 ing tiers of angle iron, which the build- 

 ers call purlines. On these purlines, and 

 screwed to them are placed the cypress 

 roof bars upon which the glass rests on 

 a bed of putty, and is held firmly in 

 place by glazing brads driven into the 

 bars. The ends of the glass are lapped 

 ()\or each other about a quarter of an 

 inch, so the joints will keep the weather 

 cut and the heat in. 



The roof bars have little grooves or 

 gutters on each side into which the con- 

 densation g^athers from the glass and is 



larricd off, instead of dripping on the 

 plants or down one's neck. One of 

 which may be harmful — the other surely 

 most vexatious. Such a construction is 

 simplicity itself and becau.se of its ob- 

 vious practicalness, has long been the 

 standard construction in the States and is 

 fast finding favor in Canada. 



STEEL AND WOOD COMBINATION 

 Another construction which has been 

 u.sed extensively, especially in the Mon- 

 treal section, for the last ten years, has 

 a complete steel frame of steel encased 

 cypress roof bars. This combination of 

 wood and steel makes so strong a fram- 

 ing member that the usual flat steel raft- 

 ters can be eliminated. The steel por- 

 tion of the bars is galvanized and then 

 aluminum coated, making them rust- 

 proof and overcoming the necessity of 

 frequent paintin?. When first introduc- 

 ed the main distinguishing feature of 

 this construction was its curved eaves. 

 But it is now being used with success 

 on some other constructions. 



The striking advantages of the cur\ ed 

 eave are the entire freedom from any 

 shade at the eave line, making the side 

 benches in the house just as productive 

 as the centre one. Another point in its 

 favor is the roof and side being free from 

 ridge to sill, the snow slides off the roof 

 without assistance. There being noth- 

 ing for the icicles to adhere to at the 

 eave, it is always clear and free from 

 ice. These advantages are of greatest 

 importance in a country like Canada, 

 where snows are heavy and winters long. 



PAETS FITTED BEFORE SHIPPED 



The greenhouse builders have reduced 

 their manufacturing to such a science 

 that all the materials are cut to fit at 

 their factories before being shipped. 

 With the materia! on your grounds, it's 

 truly surprising the rapidity with which 

 they can be assembled and your house 

 turned over to you ready to be planted. 

 The fact that such houses cost a bit more 

 than the usual wooden ones is many 

 times compensated for in their freedom 

 from repairs, and increased returns. In 

 fact, such houses built such a way, ought 

 to last a life time. It is a significant 

 fact that such greenhouses built thirty 



years ago are still as sound as ever. 



-So much for the house itself, now a 

 word about the heating. Most gardeners 

 agree that hot water is preferable be- 

 cause of its uniformity and less intensity. 

 It costs more to install than steam but 

 somewhat less to operate. When it 

 comes to your boiler, it is better to 

 have a regular greenhouse boiler that is 

 made especially for the purpose, than a 

 residence boiler, which not being design- 

 ed for greenhouse use, requires more 

 care and invariably burns more coal. 



Although good results are often ob- 

 tained by connecting the conservatory or 

 greenhouse heating pipes with the resi- 

 dence boiler, the chances are decidedly 

 against it, because the time most heat is 

 required in a greenhouse is at night, just 

 the time when the fire in the residenc c 

 boiler is generally allowed to run low. 

 In any event, a separate boiler is an 

 economy. 



THE BENCHES 



W'hen it comes to the benches to hold 

 the .soil, you certainly would not think 

 of building a house of endurance like 

 we have been talking about and then put 

 in benches that in a few years would de- 

 cay and have to be replaced. Quite the 

 best all-round bench is undoubtedly one 

 having a galvanized steel frame, cypress 

 sides and tile bottoms. The tile besides 

 being long lived, hold the moisture 

 in a way that is very agreeable to the 

 plant roots. 



The cypress sides will last a good 

 many years, and when they do show 

 decay can easily be replaced. If you 

 want an indestructible bench in all points 

 then the one having cast iron sides and 

 bottoms and galvanized pipe legs, is the 

 one to buy. 



After all, buying a greenhouse is quite 

 like buying an automobile. You would 

 not think of going to your blacksmith's 

 for one. Neither do you expect a low- 

 powered runabout to perform like a six 

 cylinder car. You generally get what 

 you pay for. 



The point of resistence with so many 

 people is, they don't want to pay, what 

 they surely have to pay, to get the really 

 worth while things. 



An>' Interior View in The Beautiful Conservatory of Lord Strathcona, of Montreal 



This magmflc«nt conaerratory eerres a* a oonnecting passage between Lord StrathoOTia's two houses 

 iui Montreal. The iUxifltratioD t«U« Its own story of plant Barr(rajjde4 joyonsneBs B<nd comfort. 



