CHAPTER IV 



PRACTICAL OPERATIONS IN THE GROWING 

 END OF THE BUSINESS 



GREENHOUSE HEATING 



THE heating of greenhouses is surely a most important subject, 

 and although great improvements have taken place since we 

 substituted hot water pipes for the old-time brick and tile 

 flues, it seems to take as much coal as ever. Even firing with oil 

 doesn't bring the cost down. 



The florist grower erecting a new range of houses today usually 

 leaves the system of heating to the builder. All the best firms have 

 expert men in charge of the heating end, and there is little use tak- 

 ing up time here for the discussion of the subject, as it couldn't be 

 treated so as to apply to all sections of the country, nor could one 

 go into it deeply enough. Still, for the beginner and the smaller 

 established florist it may be of interest to mention a few things 

 which, to my mind, are worth considering as they are the result of 

 my observations and experience during more than forty winters 

 spent in greenhouses. 



No matter what kind of boiler you use, what coal you burn, 

 nor how large or small your establishment, always separate the 

 greenhouses from the boiler pit. Many failures with flowering pot 

 plants in particular have been traced to gases escaping from the 

 boiler pit. For small establishments, hot water is always better 

 than steam, as it doesn't need quite so much attention, which means a 

 lot to the man who does not employ a regular fireman. Always get 

 acquainted with the grade of coal you use; the cheapest is not always 

 the best or the most economical, especially when used with a small 

 smokestack. 



If you figure on fourteen 2-in. pipes heating a certain sized house, 

 put in six extra ones. More pipes and less heat in them gives you 

 better results than to force your boiler and be obliged to keep the 

 pipes red hot in order to keep frost out or maintain a certain tem- 

 perature. 



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