SOME HINTS ON CONSTRUCTION 17 



ances in a cold greenhouse there are none greater than drip. 

 The evil is not so urgent in summer, though even then there 

 are bulbs put aside to ripen, or succulent plants on no account 

 to be over-watered, which the drip is sure to visit in prefer- 

 ence to the moisture-loving plant a foot or two distant ; but 

 in winter, when heavy rain is often speedily followed by hard 

 frost, to have pot plants soaked with water and then frozen 

 is simple ruin, and means many a heart-break. It is by no 

 means a very easy matter to avoid this trouble, and carpenters 

 inexperienced in horticultural building have sometimes to be 

 employed, especially in the country, and they are apt to make 

 mistakes. It is probably safer to put all such work into the 

 hands of some well-known and established firm, but it is a 

 very general practice in these days to obtain woodwork and 

 glass all ready to put together and to do the fitting on the 

 spot with such assistance as is at hand. When this is done 

 care should be taken to insist on well-seasoned wood, the 

 lack of which is a fruitful source of mischief. Forewarned is 

 forearmed, and a few hints to those who have to overlook an 

 inexpert workman or to do the fitting themselves may be 

 helpful. The slope of the roof, the quality and lap of the 

 glass, and the shooting to carry off the surplus rainfall, are all 

 matters of moment which cannot be provided for at haphazard 

 with impunity. It is an axiom well understood by gardeners, 

 but not so well by amateurs, that a plant-house should be no 

 higher than is actually necessary for the plants grown in it, 

 allowing, of course, comfortable head-room for the cultivator. 

 In other words, the plants should be as near the light 

 as possible, a lofty house in most cases being positively 

 detrimental to them. On the other hand, a low-pitched 

 house will, as gardeners say, " keep the moisture down," 

 which means a damp-laden atmosphere. Now this is just 

 what is wanted in some cases e.g., in a Cucumber pit 

 where strong heat and heavy moisture are essential factors in 



