86 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



the larger range, even if it necessitates a larger expense 

 at first. 



Usually in planning a range, the boiler capacity is suffi- 

 cient for several additional houses. If this is not practical, 

 the boiler room should be large enough to accommodate 

 other boilers. They may be added in batteries. That is, 

 they may be so arranged by valves, that during mild 

 weather but one boiler may be run. During colder 

 weather, the full capacity of the boilers may be utilized. 

 Often it is wise for the young grower to begin with a 

 limited area of glass, but there are a few fundamentals, 

 such as boiler houses and other service buildings, which 

 should be large enough in the beginning to accommodate a 

 larger area of glass, for it is expensive adding to them 

 after they are once built. 



68. Cost of construction. The cost of construction 

 varies with the method selected. There are some methods 

 of building greenhouses which are so expensive as to make 

 them out of the question in commercial ranges. There 

 are so many varying factors in building a range that it is 

 exceedingly difficult to estimate the approximate cost. 

 Two ranges are seldom built alike, and the varying cost 

 of grading different areas, variations which are brought 

 about because of different sized houses, and differences in 

 minor details of construction, make the problem of the 

 determination of cost a complex one. 



The all-wood house is usually considered to be the 

 cheapest. When large ranges are built, however, it is 

 doubtful if an all-wood house can be built very much 

 cheaper than a pipe frame or semi-iron type. Cheap 

 houses can, of course, be built, but they are seldom satis- 

 factory. 



An all-wood house may probably be built at as low a 



