176 



The Florists^ Review 



.lANUAKY 2(5. 1922 





?ss?m 



^^^ 



Does Stretching It 

 Weaken It? 



A tuiiiiy tiling iKipiH'iied yesterday. 



Was on tlie train going to Wilmington, 



Delaware, to look over that big job we just 



tinibhed for Pierre Diipont. 



Two men in the seat behind, started talking 



about greenhouse construction. 



One was strong for having the rafter and 



post spliced with gusset plates. Claimed "it 



'(Hiked stronger and was stronger." 



1 l;f iillur one (il)jected to the plates. 

 >ai(l tlu\ "looked too heavy and doubted if 

 they made as strong a ti.\ as one solid piece 

 conibinin.L; rafter and post both in one." 

 To which tht first one repliod: "That's all 

 \ery well, Imt it means bending the iron at 

 the eave. When you bend it, seems to me it 

 must stretch the hbers of the metal and 

 wc.iktn till in." 



■TU)id on." said llu second one, "you are 

 i>u]\ half right. Snr« it weakens a few, but 

 it actually strengthen- tin- metal at the point 

 where it most needs the strength. 

 Sec here, let me show you. In the first 

 iiiacc, tlie iron is heated to a white heat be- 

 t'ori- iiS bent. Now. a wliitr luat, as you 



know, is right next door to being melting 

 hot. When it's that hot, the whole mass of 

 metal just readjusts itself; it doesn't actually 

 stretch. 



"Furthermore, let's suppose there might be 

 some stretching, on the very outside portion 

 of the bend. The rest actually fulls up with 

 more metal, making it stronger at the very 

 place where added strength is needed." 



"Say," replied the other man, "I never 

 thought of that. You are dead right. Doesn't 

 it beat the deuce how a fellow every once in 

 a while, loses sight of the plain everyday 

 common sense things? Why, man alive, of 

 course that rafter and post in one solid piece 

 is the thing." 



Just then the train rolled into Wilmington and 

 I had to get out. 



Confound the luck, I'd like to have heard 

 what they had to say about other com- 

 parati\e construction points. 



We'll chat together again in a week or so. 

 In the meantime, don't forget that we go 

 anywhere for bu-iness. Or to talk busi- 

 ness. 



New York 

 101 Park Avenue 



HitcKings ^ finipariV* 



BostOD-9 

 .'94 Washington St. 



HOME OFFICE AND FACTORY, ELIZABETH, N. J. 



m 



