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Jdlt 1, 1920 



The Florists' Review 



15 



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STANDARDIZED HOUSES 



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MADE BY NILE, SOLD BY FOOT. 



New Ooiutruction Methods. 



Daring the period of the emergency 

 the whole trade had to meet the vary- 

 ing conditions and adjust their business 

 to new demands, with the result that to- 

 day there is a unity of purpose all 

 through the trade that has never been 

 known before. 



Old methods of production and mer- 

 chandising have been changed. Closer 

 business relations between the growers 

 and the retail men have been estab- 

 lished through collective advertising, 

 etc., and a broader field is opening up. 

 The whole scope of the business is be- 

 ing extended to meet the new condi- 

 tions. 



From amidst all this chaos, there 

 have come better methods, better man- 

 agement and a greater volume of busi- 

 ness. And among the more important 

 of the reorganization problems is the 

 construction of the greenhouse range. 



An Important Consideration. 



Construction is, and was always, a 

 most important cohsideration, but espe- 

 cially so at this time, when fuel and 

 labor are such vital factors. Construc- 

 tion that will endure, glass that will 

 stay tight, heating systems that are 

 economical and arrangements that ad- 

 mit of minimum labor are some of the 

 important matters that reorganization 

 has brought out. 



The scarcity and the high prices of 

 building material have presented con- 

 ditions that the greenhouse builders 

 have found hard to meet. Some of them 

 have met it by standardization and pro- 

 duction. 



The addreis of H. E. Bates, of the Lord 

 A BDmham Co., oil "Present Business Reor- 

 ganization and Its Effects on Greenhouse Con- 

 struction," before the Pittsburgh Florists' and 

 Gardeners' Club. 



The growers are fast coming to the 

 realization that they are not builders, 

 but growers, and they see the extrava- 

 gance, waste and shortsightedness of de- 

 signing and building their own houses. 

 By standardization and by putting 

 gp-eenhouse material on a production 

 basis, it is easy to see that economy in 

 material and labor vrill start where it 

 should — at the factory. 



Certain greenhouse construction ma- 

 terial has been made for some time in 

 standard sections, sizes and patterns 

 and in stocked quantities, but it has 

 been hard to standardize a complete 

 type of house and stock, owing to the 

 grower's custom of incorporating into 

 his building certain ideas and theories 

 of his own. 



Result of Years' Study. 



The standardized-production house is 

 the result of years of building and 

 study of greenhouse engineering. It is 

 one of a certain type, either iron-frame 

 or semi-iron, commercial or private, in 

 widths of fixed dimensions and made to 

 erect in multiples of eight feet four 

 inches, eight feet four and one-half 

 inches and twelve feet six inches in 

 length. These houses htive all been 

 worked out and detailed in the drafting 

 room, lists made, specifications drawn, 

 etc., and then put in the shop as one 

 big order. 



These houses are manufactured on a 

 production basis, you might say by the 

 mile, and sold by the foot. The first ap- 

 peal to the customer is the cost, for 

 they will run from ten per cent to twen- 

 ty per c^t lower in price than special 

 houses, but on careful study of detail 

 and specifications, one will realize the 

 superiority of this type over a special 

 construction, as the house is standard- 

 ized with all the best and most up-to- 

 date features of construction included 

 and put through the factory in that 

 way. All parts are interchangeable, 



therefore mechanically correct, with 

 uniform finish and accurate - workman- 

 ship. Jigs, fixtures and other labor- 

 saving devices are employed that are 

 safeguards against blunders, poor 

 workmanship and waste of mate- 

 rial. Another advantage to the grow- 

 er is that shipment of this class of 

 house can be made promptly and with 

 less liability of shortages, etc. 



Formerly, when each greenhouse job 

 was put through the factory separately, 

 when its construction and details were 

 the combined ideas of grower, salesman 

 and manufacturer, the result was not 

 always satisfactory. There, was not the 

 uniformity of construction, performance, 

 first cost and upkeep that the growers 

 might expect. Delays in getting the 

 work through the factory and in ship- 

 ping were constantly a source of anx- 

 iety to the manufacturer. 



No Season For Waste. 



There was an extravagant waste of 

 time and material in this method of 

 building and the customer paid for it. 

 But why should he? If, by employing 

 methods that have proved so satisfac- 

 tory in other lines of manufacturing, 

 the production could be made better, 

 cheaper and more satisfactory to the 

 consumer, why not standardize and give 

 to the grower a product that is the last 

 word in completeness and economy? 



By comparison with the automobile 

 business, it can be shown how produc- 

 tion has made it what it is today. When 

 automobiles were first sold you were 

 charged extra for windshield, top, 

 lamps, etc. Now they are a part of the 

 regular equipment. Self-starters, elec- 

 tric devices, demountable rims and 

 vacuum gas feed are now considered a 

 matter of standard equipment on prac- 

 tically all cars. 



What has made these changes possi- 

 ble? The only answer is standardiza- 

 tion and production. 



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Ready-Made Greenhouses Have Lowered BuHding Costs without Lowering Strength or DutaWHty. 



