CONSTRUCTION AND HEATING OF GLASS HUOSES. 55, 



MEETING FOR LECTURE AND DISCUSSION. 



Saturday, February 9, 1895. 



A Meeting for Lecture and Discussion was holdeu today at 

 eleven o'clock, the President, Nathaniel T. Kidder, iu the chair. 

 The following paper was read by the author : 



Glass Houses, their Construction and Heating. 



By He;nby W. Gibbons, New York. 



I have the honor of being permitted to present to your attention 

 this morning a paper entitled "Glass Houses, their Construction 

 and Heating." Under this heading come not only such structures 

 as are used for the purpose of raising plants or bloom for profit, 

 but also greenhouses designed both for useful and decorative 

 purposes on private estates ; from the small amateur greenhouse 

 for beginners in the art of floriculture, to the imposing ranges of 

 palm and other houses on the estates of men of large wealth. 



The owners of greenhouses for either of the above purposes 

 have in the past been continuall}' asking for structures more 

 permanent and economical, more effective for the purposes 

 intended, and more decorative and artistic in design than has 

 heretofore been obtainable. It is today the aim of the leading 

 horticultural architects and builders to satisfy these demands, and 

 I feel gratified in saying that the art of greenhouse design and 

 construction — for it is truly an art — has reached that point 

 which enables us today to construct a house that is as near 

 perfection as we can approach. Of course, in this perfection 

 there are many grades, the grade being decided by the objects for 

 which the houses are intended, the value of the land upon which 

 they are to be built, the amount of money to be invested, and 

 many other considerations. 



I shall divide this essay into two parts. In the first, I will call 

 your attention to houses constructed for the use of the commercial 

 grower, and in the second to those designed for private use. 



Commercial Greenhouses. 



As the primary object of such structures is profit, a great 

 deal of careful thought and consideration is necessary iu their 

 design, location, and erection. Competition in floriculture is 



