HOUSES. 47 



All things considered, our preference is for 

 even span houses running north and south. The 

 violet does not thrive well under glaring sunlight. 

 It needs light, but this should be softened and 

 diffused in order to insure the best results in the 

 growth and the size and color of the flowers. 

 The three-quarter span house facing south is apt 

 to be too bright, and if heavy shading is resorted 

 to it is effective in bright weather but makes it 

 too dark when cloudy. Economy in space and 

 economy in building, furthermore, can be attained 

 by adopting the even span north and south style of 

 house. In our work we have made it a point 

 to keep a careful record of not only the flowers 

 from each kind of house, but from each bed in a 

 house. These records, kept from year to year, 

 furnish interesting information and enable one 

 who is looking to every detail to make changes 

 that will result to his advantage. The three- 

 quarter span house facing south in our case never 

 gave as many flowers per square foot of bed space 

 by twenty to twenty-five per cent as the even 

 span houses running north and south. 



When capital and space are limited we know 

 of no better style of house than a narrow, plain, 

 even span, built on the ridge and furrow plan, and 

 running north and south. The length may be 

 from seventy-five to one hundred and fifty feet. 



Our preference is for houses one hundred feet 

 long, twelve feet wide, seven feet to the ridge 



