w 



o 



M 



neighbor.. .then another.. .the busi- 

 ness grew. Last year, he sold green- 

 house frames to 200 customers from 

 Alabama to Colebrook and west to 

 Ohio. 



The process has become standard- 

 ized. Three different diameters of 

 pipe in three gauges are used. Tem- 

 plates made of 90-degTee angle iron, 

 with markings for length, angle, and 

 distance between bolt holes, have 

 been set up. 



Drilling the holes is a two-person 

 job — one person walks the pipe, the 

 other uses the drill. It's important 

 that the bolt holes are on the same 

 plane: however, round pipe self-cen- 

 ters in a 90-degree trough; the drill 

 will go through the exact center. The 

 template design includes holes 

 drilled at appropriate intervals at 

 the apex of the angle iron; after the 

 first hole is drilled in the pipe, the 

 pipe is slid down the template until 

 the hole is directly above the first 

 hole in the angle iron. A bolt is slid 

 through both holes and the next bolt 

 hole is accurately placed. 



After the holes are drilled, the pipe 

 is taken to a bender, on which the 

 curves are made. The bender is a 

 hydraulic press operated by an elec- 

 tric motor and a piston. Curves are 

 made by moving the pipe through the 

 bender and pressing on the pipe at 

 designated points. Each pressing is 

 done with a single stroke. The arc of 

 the bender is set; the degree of the 

 curve on the pipe is controlled by the 

 number and closeness of pressings. 

 It's the last part of a smooth and 

 logical operation — it takes 20 man- 

 hours to complete a 28x96 frame. 



Ed — often with his wife Sally— deli v- 

 ers 75% of the finished frames. The 

 first 25 miles are free; after that, 

 it's a dollar a loaded mile. Along with 

 delivery comes advice and informa- 

 tion. This type of greenhouse is often 

 sold to smaller growers — often people 

 just starting out — and, for Ed, the 

 personal service is important. 



Just as each of the four miniature 

 "houses" used for germination has 



its own temperature control and ven- 

 tilation, each greenhouse and field is 

 also a self-contained unit of a certain 

 temperature or soil type. Each is 

 used for the crops it grows best. The 

 three larger units of the Ledgewood 

 Farm operation — bedding plants, 

 vegetables, greenhouse construc- 

 tion — work well because the smaller 

 units operate smoothly. All are inter- 

 twined. Every detail — every seed- 

 ling — is important. 



For northern New Hampshire, 

 where farmland is often marginal 

 and markets more limited, Ledge- 

 wood Farm seems to be an example 

 of how to use resources with ingenu- 

 ity, while retainingan understanding 

 of the community and respect for the 

 land. rS.P.J '* 



For further information, contact Ed 

 Person at Ledgewood Farm, RFD 1; 

 Box 375, Moultonboro, NH 03254; 

 the telephone is (603) 476-8829. 



SPIDER WEB 

 GARDENS 



Established in 1938 



Route 109 A 

 CenterTuftonboro,NH 03816 



Quality-Grown Annuals, 

 Perennials and Nursery Stock 



A few of our specialties include: 



Lilacs, Canadian Hemlock, Peonies, 



Daylilies, Hosta, Forced Bulbs, 



and Partridge Berry Wreaths 



Open Year-round 

 Daily 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. 

 (603)569-5056 



roptmg 

 you. 



A quality^ wholesale grower of shrubs, 



trees, and evergreens in Chichester, N.H. Call for 



our free catalog ||[ife iffll (603) 435-6660. 



MILLICAN 



NURSERIES, INC 



April/May 1991 23 



