Forcing Houses or Pits. — 89 



plates or wall caps, and support the side gutters. This eighteen- 

 inch space, all along the sides of the building, is closed in by- 

 means of hinged sashes. The gable ends, except the one at the 

 northeast and which joins the furnace room, and is simply 

 boarded up, have vertical bars {i}i by 1^ inches) resting on the 

 gable plates and extending to the end rafter. In one of the 

 gables, facing the dwelling house, is the large door with sash 

 top. The middle gutter is supported by posts inside the house, 

 and all three gutters have a slight deviation from the horizontal 

 line in order to give rain and snow water a better chance to run off 

 If desired, a house of this kind might be roofed with hot- 

 bed sashes. I have used permanent sash bars, placing them four- 

 teen inches apart, and the regular greenhouse glass of double 

 thickness. The latter, both on the roof and at the gables, is 

 *' butted, " that is, simply placed together edge to edge, not 

 lapped. Care is taken to select panes that fit well together. 

 When the glass is once carefully laid, )'ou have a roof that is as 



Cross-Section of Greenhouse. 



perfect as any glass roof can be made. The glass lies smoothly 

 and evenly on the projection of the sash bar, and is held down 

 firmly by the cap. We use a little soft putty in which to bed the 

 glass, but none on top of the glass. Everything, of course, is 

 made snug and tight. The top ventilators, of which there are 

 four (each 14 by 16 inches) and the hinged side sashes should 

 also be well and closely fitted in, so that there will be no leaks 

 of heat during cold nights. All the ventilators are worked by iron 

 lifting rods of simple construction. 



The heater stands in a pit north of the east span, the chim- 

 ney is close to the heater and extends somewhat beyond the 

 ridges of the house. We must be sure to have good draught 

 and security from catching fire. One end of pit is partitioned 

 off for a coal-bin. The location and arrangement of benches and 

 pipes may be seen in the illustrations representing cross-section 

 and ground plan. If you have no idea of the arrangement of 

 pipes, and how to get them together, it will be advisable to 

 employ a regular plumber. I always do such work myself. 



