1J6 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



to put on a crack of air by 9 or 10 

 o'clock. The ventilators, if on the 

 west side, would be frozen and could 

 he lifted only with great trouble, while 

 the sun has thawed the ice on the east 

 side. We do not think that ventilation 

 on both sides is necessary if ample is 

 given on the east side. 



The dimensions for ventilators on a 

 20 or 22-foot house should be 2 fit. 6 in. 

 deep from ridge to bottom of ventila- 

 tor, and continuous the whole way 

 along the roof. It is plain to everyone 

 that a 3-inch opening the whole way is 

 far better than a 6-inch opening for the 

 length of four feet and then a space 

 of five or six feet with no opening. We 

 have seen some very clearly denned 

 cases of failure of late that were un- 

 mistakably traceable to very inade- 

 quate ventilation. It costs no more in 

 glass and little more for the machines 

 that operate the sash. 



In rose houses the best method is 

 doubtless that where the ventilator 

 opens at the ridge, and with plants of 

 a tropical nature, like our palms, dra- 

 caenas, orchids, ferns, etc., it must 

 also be the best system. For carnations 

 and the more cold blooded plants, such 

 as azaleas, lilies, and our geraniums, 

 the ventilators hinged at the ridge will 

 do, but if all the ventilators open at 

 the ridge for every house you won't 

 be far wrong. 



I cannot see any use in cutting off 

 the bars where the headers go in for 

 the ventilators to be hinged on, or it 

 may be close, on. Let all the bars run 

 up to the ridge; you will get as much 

 ventilation, the bars will be stronger, 

 you will have a straighter roof, and 

 the labor is only a trifle more, if any. 



Usually these plant houses lead 

 out 'from a continuous shed, which is 

 of course on the north end of them, so 

 that there is not a square foot of bench 

 room that has not the full light; more 

 particularly is this true of the 22-ft. 

 houses, where the benches are removed 

 from the walls. 



Where several of these houses are 

 built parallel and attached, only the 

 two outside ones can spread, and this 

 brings us to the question of 



Posts. 



Some men with sufficient capital can 

 afford to build brick walls on stone 

 foundations, and when the stone work 

 is 2 ft. 6 in. or 3 ft. in the ground and 

 dry work to near the surface of the 

 ground it makes an excellent drain, 

 keeping the surface of the house dry, 

 which is an excellent state of affairs. I 

 doubt whether an 8-inch brick wall 

 is much warmer than two thicknesses 

 of boards, and a 12-inch wall is quite 

 expensive. However, with those that 

 can afford it it is certainly to be com- 

 mended. Wooden posts will for a long 

 time be used, and if of the right mate- 

 rial outlast any other portion of the 

 house. 



Locust is the nearest to cast iron of 

 any wood we know of, but good locust 

 posts are difficult to obtain and very 

 hard to work. Red cedar is most dur- 

 able, light to handle and easy and 

 pleasant to work. Next in quality 



comes cypress, which, when of good 

 quality will last in the ground many 

 years, and the only other wood I know 

 of suitable for posts is what is gen- 

 erally known as white or yellow cedar, 

 which for the purpose is far inferior 

 to the red cedar, although one-half the 

 cost of the latter. 



A post that is dressed 5x5 or 6x4 is 

 large enough for ordinary houses. It 

 is well to have all parts set firmly in 

 the ground, especially the outside ones, 

 although the posts must not be trust- 

 ed to keep the walls plumb, however 

 well set. If the post hole is dug a few 

 inches on all sides larger than the post 

 and when the posts are set perfectly 

 true and straight by the aid of two 

 lines, one near the top and one near 

 the bottom, and the excavation filled 

 in with concrete, gravel and cement, 

 which should be carried above the sur- 

 face as high as possible, you have 

 fastened the posts as firmly as it is 

 possible to do. 



The tops of the posts should be cut 

 off square. Now, how do you get this 

 line so that the plate shall be a per- 

 fect line? Not with a swinging line, 

 surely, for you can never get a perfect 

 line by any cord, however taut. With 

 a 10-ft. straight-edge and level you 

 first get a level on the two end posts, 

 the two extreme ends, then if you wish 

 to drop two or three inches to the 

 shed,. or the same from the shed, you 

 measure down the number of inches 

 on the end that you wish to drop, tack 

 on a strip of wood a few inches broad 

 with a straight top edge, and when it 

 is nailed on the post temporarily let it 

 project a foot or so outside the line of 

 posts and perfectly level. Nail a simi- 

 lar piece on the post at the other end 

 and the height you have decided on, 

 dab a little black paint on one of the 

 strips and on the other some white 

 paint. 



Then a man (two men are better) 

 with a 2-ft. spirit level held to the side 

 of all the intermediate posts will give 

 you an exact line. One man should 

 hold the spirit level, level and raise 

 or lower by order of the boss, who is 

 sighting over one of the end strips. 

 When the top of the level is exactly 

 even or in a line with the tops of the 

 strips make a pencil mark on the post 

 and move to another. You will have 

 a line when your posts are cut off 

 that is not pretty near a line, but cor- 

 rect to a hair. Why the strips of wood 

 should be white and black is to help 

 you sight, and it would be difficult to 

 sight truly if it were just the ordinary 

 planed pine. 



I have described this operation 

 seemingly at some length, but twenty 

 posts are marked quicker than I have 

 described it. It is the only way to get 

 a true line, and when established it is 

 a guide for your pipes and benches, 

 or you can level across to another run 

 of posts if need be, although your cor- 

 ner posts once correct this sighted line 

 is much truer than any straight edge. 



The top of post should be cut off 

 square and on it spiked the plate, 

 which should be broad enough to pro- 



ject an inch over the post on the in- 

 side and four inches outside of the 

 posts, then when the matched board- 

 ing and novelty siding is nailed on 

 there is still a projection of two inches. 



The plate should be beveled both 

 ways and the heel of the bar being cut 

 to the bevel it affords good solid nail- 

 ing. The outside bevel should be the 

 same as that of the slope of your roof. 

 Posts that support a gutter should 

 never be more than four feet from 

 center to center. For outside posts wa 

 have got along very well with posts 

 eight feet apart. There is no great 

 weight on the outside plate and the 

 two thicknesses of siding help sup- 

 port it. 



The posts for partitions, or that will 

 support the gutter, should be sawed 

 at the same level as the corresponding 

 posts outside, and the gutter plate 

 project equally on either side. If the 

 center posts are of red cedar 6x3 is 

 just as good as square. 



Gutters. 



Many a good dollar has been thrown 

 away in the days gone by in the won- 

 derful construction of the gutter. Good 

 pine boards nailed in all sorts of com- 

 plicated ways and then covered with 

 zinc, tin or galvanized iron, only put 

 up to rot. The gutter now is a sim- 

 ple affair and promises to last as long 

 as the ridge. It is simply a plank of 

 the clearest and soundest cypress and 

 1% inches thick when dressed, and 

 either eight inches or twelve inches 

 wide. If eight inches then the gutter 

 pieces which the bars butt against and 

 are nailed, are screwed on the side of 

 the gutter plate, thus: 



8 INCHES 



Or if a foot wide then the pieces are 

 nailed on top of the gutter, as below: 



12 INCHES 



