258 GREENHOUSES 



surface covered (bench space) it is common 

 to estimate costs in terms of square feet of 

 surface covered. In an investigation among 

 a large number of growers (all types of 

 houses) the author found that the first cost 

 averaged not far from 45 cents per square 

 foot of surface under glass. This included 



cost of heating system, but did not include 

 cost of service buildings. 



The cheapest plant on which data was se- 

 cured was a range of four all wood frame 

 houses, 16 x 50 feet, which had been in serv- 

 ice for nine years and which was built at a 

 cost of $525, or about 22 cents per square 

 foot. In this case a second-hand boiler was 

 used. Several larger ranges heated by steam 

 from a central heating plant have been built 

 at a cost of between 30 and 40 cents per 

 square foot, though at a time when material 

 was low in price. Data on modern semi- 

 iron construction, when the labor was per- 

 formed for the most part by the owner and 

 his help, show a cost of between 50 and 60 

 cents per square foot, and all iron construc- 

 tion between 60 and 75 cents per square foot. 

 All these, of course, were standard commer- 

 cial houses. Private and public conserva- 



