56 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



today so close and sharp that the grower cannot afford the expense 

 of the continual repah'ing and rebuilding which was practised 

 under the protection of extravagant profits ; therefore we must 

 look for structures as permanent as possible, and at the same time 

 not requiring a prohibitive amount of capital for their erection. 

 The perfect quality of plants and bloom now demanded by the 

 purchasing public compels us to design houses of such shapes and 

 dimensions and so arranged as to location and furnishing in the 

 matter of light and heating and ventilating facilities, as will 

 produce the best results. Thus we see that the vital requirements 

 of a commercial greenhouse are economy and adaptability. By 

 the expression " economy" with reference to such structures, two 

 distinct impressions seem to be conveyed ; one indicating low first 

 cost, which would result in the greatest profits in a short time ; 

 the other, which is the more correct impression, indicating the 

 lowest first cost which will result in a reasonable profit for the 

 longest period. 



We will now consider the construction of greenhouses coming 

 under this first impression, which, for lack of a better name I will 

 call " Temporary Economy," as against the second impression, 

 which I will name '^' Permanent Economy." 



Temporary Economy. A grower starting in business with a 

 limited amount of capital is compelled to build under the 

 temporary economy style, and the best construction for that 

 purpose is that known as sash-bar construction. Fig. 1, gives a 

 reasonably clear general idea of this style of construction. Posts 

 may be of various woods, such as locust, cedar, cypress, or chest- 

 nut, the first being the most, and the last the least durable, and 

 the average cost would be about in the same order. My preference 

 is for cypress, as it is easily procured at a reasonable price, and is 

 of very lasting quality, whereas locust and cedar are in many 

 localities unprocurable, and chestnut is not sufficiently durable for 

 this purpose. 



It would be well here to consider the kinds of woods best suited 

 for the complete construction of such houses. I would say, with- 

 out hesitation, use cypress throughout, but be careful what kind 

 of cypress, for there are various grades of this wood, some of 

 them being of an exceedingly open and woolly nature, difficult to 

 work, and having a tendency to warp and twist, which renders 

 them unsuitable for greenhouse work. I think without doubt the 



