48 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



SIZE AS A FACTOR IN CONSTRUCTION 



Early American houses were low at the ridge, narrow 

 and short. It was considered impracticable to heat 

 large areas under glass, and it was also considered 

 essential that plants be near the glass. Gradually these 

 ideas have given way to a preference for the wide, long 

 house which is high at the ridge (Fig. 5). The rea- 

 sons for this change of opinion are : 



43. Comparative cost of construction. It has been 

 proved that it costs less to build one large house than it 

 does to cover an equal ground area with several small 

 houses. There is less cutting of pipe in erecting the frame- 

 work, sash-bars may be more quickly laid and glass more 

 cheaply put in place. 



44. Economy in heating. It was the early opinion of 

 growers that large houses could not be economically heated, 

 but it has been demonstrated that there are fewer changes 

 of air during a given period in the large house than in 

 the small one. The heating pipes are farther from the 

 plants, therefore there is less intense heat directly about 

 them, and the heat is modified to meet better the require- 

 ments of plant growth. When the volume of air is once 

 heated in large houses, a sudden drop of temperature in 

 the pipes does not affect the heated air as rapidly as it 

 would in the smaller house. 



45. Economy in labor. Plants in one large house can 

 be cared for with less labor than when they are in several 

 small houses. 



46. Improved light and atmospheric conditions. Per- 

 haps, however, the greatest advantage of the large house 

 lies in improved atmospheric conditions. Plants are 



rther from the ventilators and are therefore not subjected 



