14 



The Rorists' Review 



April 7, 1921 



Hail Screen Used by Florist at Colorado Springs^ Colo. 



ridge of the two outside houses, then 

 only a light framework is necessary to 

 support the screen on the outside of the 

 outer houses. 



Erecting Screen. 



Where houses are built separately it 

 will generally be found that the cost of 

 supports is greater than the cost of the 

 wire screening, and the same is almost 

 true of the ridge and furrow type of 

 houses where the ventilators open at 

 the ridge, thus making it necessary to 

 erect an iron framework two or three 

 feet above the ridge. 



Perhaps the most convenient type of 

 houses to screen would be a range of 

 ridge and furrow houses, each house from 

 twenty to twenty-two feet wide and any 

 convenient length, but with the ventila- 

 tors hinged at the ridge. This would give 

 a reasonable amount of liead room for 

 repair work, when walking in the gut- 

 ters, and, further, the ridges which sup- 

 port the wire would be close enough to 

 prevent too much sag in the wire. If the 

 ridge is made from 2x6-inch beams like 

 the older type of wooden houses, so that 

 it extends a few inches above the house, 

 the screen will give a better protection 

 to the glass near the ridge on account 

 of being farther from the glass. Of 

 course the ventilators will be right 

 against the screen when open, and con- 

 sequently might be broken in a severe 

 hail storm if left open, but since vents 

 are always closed or nearly so when a 

 severe storm threatens, there is little 

 likelihood of a loss from this source. 



Determining Size of Mesb. 



The type of wire now in use by the 

 Morgan Floral Co. is %-ineh mesh woven 

 wire, made from No. 18 or No. 20 gal- 

 vanized wire. This type. of woven wire 

 is frequently called rabbit wire and is 

 made in several widths. Six-foot widths 

 are commonly used and are tied to- 

 gether every eighteen inches with a loop 

 of small wire, thus making a complete 

 net resting on the ridges above the 



glass. The only objection to this 

 method is that the mesh is so fine that it 

 catches and holds the damp, heavy 

 snow. 



One-inch mesh would probably be 

 more satisfactory and afford equally good 

 protection. The company has now 

 covered the rest of the houses with inch 

 mesh. This, at first, would seem rather 

 coarse, but since small hail does no 

 damage to the glass and since the large 

 stones will rarely come through the 

 screen without striking at least one of 

 the wires and thereby losing their force, 

 it is expected that this screen will be a 

 complete protection; also the 1-inch mesh 

 i) less expensive, lighter and less trouble- 

 some during heavy snow storms. It can 

 be obtained from any dealer in poultry 

 netting and is manufactured by several 

 ■wire companies. 



The cost of screening in this way, 

 where no expensive supports are used, is 

 surprisingly low as compared with the 

 I)rescnt cost of glass. The glass which 

 was saved by screen in this one hail 

 storm amounted to over three times the 

 original cost of the screen, and, if the 

 damage had been as great on the east 

 side of the houses as it was on the west 

 side, the saving would have been nearly 

 twice as great. A screen of this sort 

 is also sometimes liplpful in protecting 

 against flying shingles, slate, icicles from 

 overhanging roofs, or baseballs. 



Screens and Sunlight. 



When asked if this screen does not 

 shade the houses, Mr. Reid replied, "Be- 

 fore we started using this type of screen 

 we wondered if it would have a detri- 

 mental effect by obstructing the sun in 

 midwinter. We wrote to others in 

 Colorado who had used this same type 

 of screen and thej' replied that they 

 were never able to notice any difference 

 in the light or its effect where the houses 

 were screened in this way as compared 

 with unscreened houses. After several 

 years' use we can say the same. The 

 wire really obstructs little of the light 



and, being galvanized, it reflects some 

 of the light. Also by preventing hail 

 breakage we are able to keep the glass 

 tighter, and with less laps, which helps 

 overcome any little shade the wire may 

 throw. Anyhow, we have lots of sun- 

 shine in Colorado." 



There are many other methods of 

 screening. Some prefer to make frames 

 on which to tack their screen, so that 

 is can be removed each fall and replaced 

 each spring. These, however, are always 

 more or less in the way, both when on 

 the ground and when on the roof, and, 

 should a hail occur early in the spring 

 during cold weather, there is a chance 

 that the screen might not yet have been 

 replaced on the roof and thereby one 

 might not only have a hail loss, but also 

 frost damage following it. Some locali- 

 ties have experienced hail just at Easter 

 time, followed by a freeze. Also some 

 may prefer to screen practically as the 

 Morgan Floral Co. is doing, but to roll 

 the whole screen up for over winter, 

 perhaps letting it lie in a roll in one of 

 the gutters. In this way damage by 

 heavy snow is avoided, but there is the 

 extra labor to be considered each year, 

 and also there is still the possibility of 

 a storm when the screen is not over 

 the glass. 



The question whether or not to screen 

 one's glass depends on the hail fre- 

 quency of the locality. If the locality 

 has been visited frequently by hail, 

 similar occurrences may be expected in 

 the future, and surely persons living in 

 such localities should consider the ad- 

 visability of screening. 



Springfield, Mass.— The florists' group 

 of the local chamber of commerce have 

 issued a formal declaration of war upon 

 the "curbstone florist." At a recent 

 meeting of the chamber, the florists 

 joined their voices with those of other 

 trades that are bothered with these non- 

 rent-payers, in a protest that it is hoped 

 will result in their elimination. 



