August, 1915. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



193 



i his means permit of his adopting it. 

 ' Any of the greenhouse firms who ad- 

 ( vertise in The Canadian Horticulturist 

 will furnish estimates of the cost of 

 constructing such a house, willingly, 

 upon application. 



Nothing has been said about the im- 

 portance of selecting a convenient and 

 suitable site. This should be the first 

 point considered. If the greenhouse 

 is to be constructed near a house or 

 garage, a different form of structure 

 may be required, owing to the shade 

 from the buildings, or other similar 

 considerations, than would be where 

 it is to be erected in the open. Ifone 

 is living in a large centre, where it is 

 possible to visit a number of conserva- 

 tories or greenhouses, much benefit 

 can be derived by so doing. 



The Cost of a Greenhouse 



What does it cost to erect a greenhouse or 

 smaU conservatory? — H. L., London, Ont. 



A small greenhouse need not cost 

 much to erect beyond the price of the 

 necessary lumber and glass. To make 

 it reasonably permanent a yery_ little 

 iron work is required. With it the 

 necessary plans for erection are sup- 

 plied. The worst feature to overcome, 

 both as regards expense and trouble, 

 is the heating system. Any person has 

 got to have more than an ordinary love 

 for flowers, who will get up in the 

 middle of a cold winter's night to take 

 note of the temperature in their green- 

 house and make up fires to suit. Ne- 

 glect to do this, however, on even one 

 occasion may mean the total loss of 

 the growing plants, or a disastrous 

 chill, with consequent sick plants to 

 nurse through to health. 



A well kept conservatory is a lux- 



ury mainly for the wealthy who can 

 afford the expense that goes with it. 

 Xotwithstanding this, there are some 

 who keep a small greenhouse or con- 

 servatory without pajdng for help, but 

 they have to be enthusiasts of a special 

 kind, which it is hard to find. Again 

 there are those who, having no chil- 

 dren to raise, are prepared to adopt 

 the next best thing and adorn their 

 homes with buds of another kind, and 

 for which, to nurse up to maturity, a 

 conservatory is required. 



For those desiring a rough estimate 

 as to cost of a small greenhouse we 

 give the following example : 



The material for a greenhouse out- 

 lined and proportioned as shown below, 

 fourteen feet wide, can be supplied for 

 about three dollars and twenty-five 

 cents a lineal foot of house. The ends 

 extra are twenty dollars each. This 

 allows for light curved iron eaves, sup- 

 ported on iron posts, to be cemented 

 in the ground, and iron cross tied to- 

 gether, so making the house reason- 

 ably permanent. It has also continu- 

 ous ventilation the whole length of the 

 ridge, operated by a hand wheel. The 

 cresting at the ridge is not included in 

 this price. The superstructure may be 

 set on a brick or stone foundation, but 

 the price includes the usual house sid- 

 ing and sheething from wall plate to 

 the ground. 



Should the greenhouse be in connec- 

 tion with a dwelling or building hav- 

 ing a pit or basement, the heating 

 boiler may be located therein, or the 

 greenhouse may be served from the 

 house boiler if of sufficient size. Should 

 the greenhouse be separate from any 

 other building, a very efficient and 

 simple arrangement is shown in the 

 illustration. 



A few feet, sufficient for a work shop 



or potting room, may be partitioned 

 off from the main structure, and a 

 leanto extended on a line with the 

 roof, as shown, to cover a boiler pit 

 and coal bin.- — Answered by R. W. 

 King, Toronto, Ont. 



A Canadian Banana Tree 



The illustration of a banana tree 

 on page 192 shows a most remarkable 

 growth in an ordinary living room. 

 The picture was taken about six 

 months ago. The tree is much larger 

 now, with a shoot or sprout about two 

 and one half feet high, which takes the 

 place of the old tree. 



The banana tree only yields one bunch 

 of fruit. It is then cut down, the shoot 

 forming a new tree for the next sea- 

 son. The leaves are three and one half 

 feet long, and about two feet wide. 

 The growth of the tree shown in the 

 ilhistration seems healthy and vigorous. 

 The variety is the dwarf Cavendish. It 

 attains a height of only six to eight 

 feet. There is no sign of fruit yet. 

 The tree is growing in the office of Mr. 

 Walter T. Ross, Secretary of the Picton 

 Horticultural Society, Pieton, Ont. 



Saving Tomato Seed 



John Gall, Inglewood 



If you wish to save your own tomato 

 seed from a few large fruits for an- 

 other season, break up the fruit into 

 a dish of cold water. In a day or so 

 the seeds will sink to the bottom and 

 may be transferred to the seed packet 

 as soon as dry. 



When the first frost threatens, cover 

 a part of the vines with straw or paper. 

 I'uU up others by the roots and hang 

 them in a cool place in the cellar. The 

 green fruit will thus continue to ripen, 

 a few at a time. 



Note the freudurn of obstruction to light in tliis type of house. Tlie cost of its construction is outlined on this page. 



