GREENHOUSE 



:o the light adapted to the plants for which it is pro- 

 vided. 



It will readily be seen that to locate and plan a range 

 }f glass to the best advantage requires skill and expe- 

 rience. In a communication recently received by the 



GREENHOUSE 



687 



A lattice-covered Plant-house. 



vriter from a superintendent of one of the most im- 

 >ortant botanic gardens in the country, it was remarked 

 hat "when the architect prevails, the gardener fails." 

 t is also true to a greater degree than in almost any 

 >ther class of buildings that the beginner or amateur 

 vho undertakes to plan and construct his own Green- 

 louse is likely to pay well for his experience, and will 

 it least sympathize with the "lawyer who pleaded his 

 >wn cause and found he had a fool for a client." This 

 s perfectly true, as many know to their cost. To plan a 

 jreenhouse satisfactorily the designer must have a 

 >ractical knowledge of the requirements. To meet this 

 ncreasing demand, specialists can be found, known as 

 horticultural architects," who devote their entire 

 ime to this branch of work. 



Grading. The floor of the Greenhouse should be a 

 ew inches above the outside grade. As most Green- 

 louses are necessarily built low to accommodate the 

 tlants, a small terrace around them adds to the eleva- 

 ion and the good appearance of the structure. It will 

 usually be best to keep the floor of a Greenhouse all on 

 me level. When the variation in the grade of the ground 

 s not too great, the floor line should be at the highest 

 oint of the grade. In the case of a long 

 iou.se, the floor line is sometimes made the 

 ame as the natural grade, but such an ar- 

 angeraent is to be avoided when possible. 

 p or locations on a hillside, the different 

 ,partments may have different floor levels, 

 nth necessary steps between 

 hem. 



All the sod and loam should be 

 emoved from the space to be 

 overed by a Greenhouse, and all 

 he filling necessary made with 

 ubsoil. The latter should be laid 

 n thin layers and each wet down 

 nd thoroughly tamped. Loam 

 sed for filling under a Green- 

 iouse is apt to become sour, and 

 'ill continue to settle for along 

 ime, causing much trouble and 

 .nnoyance. 



Foundations. Too much care 

 annot be given to the preparation 

 f good foundations. ThVse are 

 isually of brick, but may be made 

 f stone or concrete. The brick 

 vails take up less room in the 

 louse than stone, and are usually 



ess expensive. The foundation walls should be extended 

 lown to a point below the frost line, generally 3 or 4 feet 

 leep, and are usually raised about 2 feet above the grade. 



44 



An inexpensive wall of rubble stone work or of concrete 

 is all that is needed in the ground. The part of the wall 

 showing above grade may be of plain brick or faced with 

 stone, to correspond with the construction of other 

 surrounding buildings. A good substitute for these 

 masonry walls is found in the use of cast-iron 

 posts in connection with double boarding. A 

 removable base at the ground line, which can 

 readily be renewed, adds very much to the 

 value of this construction, making it durable 

 and satisfactory. It has been quite exten- 

 sively adopted by florists in houses for 

 commercial purposes and for small and inex- 

 pensive Greenhouses. It is recommended for 

 such houses. 



Framework. The construction best 

 adapted for conservatories, park houses and 

 Greenhouses, and for private places where 

 the improvements are desired to be permanent 

 in character and attractive in appearance, is 

 the combination of iron and wood. In this 

 system, the main frame which supports the 

 weight and strain is of iron or steel, wood 

 being used in the frames for the setting of 

 the glass, and to form a non-conductor, of 

 great advantage in the heating of the house. 

 The iron work in this style of construction 

 usually consists of cast-iron sills capping 

 the foundation walls, wrought-iron rafters 

 setting on the sills, about 8 feet apart and 

 running from sill to ridge, forming the side post and 

 rafter in one piece, cast-iron gutters, and angle-iron 

 purlins between the rafters, all secm-ely bracketed and 

 bolted together, forming a complete framework of 

 metal, light, strong and durable. The wood used con- 

 sists of light sash bars for the setting of the glass, 

 sashes for ventilation, and doors. This woodwork being 

 entirely supported by the metal frame, and not being 

 used where it will be continually wet, will be found as 

 durable as any other material, and for many reasons 

 better adapted for the requirements of a Greenhouse 

 roof. This combination system of metal and wood con- 

 struction has been extensively adopted by florists and 

 large growers of cut-flowers, though generally with the 

 cast-iron post style of foundation. The first cost is 

 somewhat increased over an all wood construction, but 

 in view of its greater durability and saving in repairs, 

 it will be found in the end 

 the better investment. In 

 cases in which the roof 

 water is not needed for 

 watering the houses, an 



990. Even-span curvilinear Greenhouse. 



With cast-iron piping. 



angle-iron plate is substituted for the gutter, so framed 

 as to allow the snow and ice to slide over it, keeping 

 the roof entirely clear from such accumulations, which 



