Srptembkk 12. 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



t3 



rate, the same size of house requires 

 fourteen runs. This means forty per 

 cent additional boiler plant, forty per 

 cent additional piping and forty per cent 

 additional fuel. Add to this the expense 

 of extra mains and returns, which are 

 needed for separate houses — and which 

 in some cases have to be run underground 

 or possibly outdoors — and you will realize 

 the advantages of connected over sepa- 

 rate houses. 



Snow Storms Not Troublesome. 



When we first built connected houses 

 all sorts of troubles were predicted for 

 us from the heavy snow storms which we 

 experience in our latitude, but, as a mat- 

 ter of fact, we have had practically no 

 trouble at all. Iron being a conductor of 

 heat, the snow will melt during an ordi- 

 nary snow storm nearly as fast as it falls. 

 On the other hand, after a severe storm 

 I have seen the gutters full of snow from 

 ridge to ridge. Two days afterward the 

 gutters were clear, while the north sides 

 of the separate houses were partly cov- 

 ered with snow, owing to the ice hanging 

 on the eaves and preventing the snow 

 from sliding off. Of course this applies 

 to iron construction. I would not, under 

 any circumstances, favor connected houses 

 with wood gutters in this locality, but 

 with iron gutters and a run of steam 

 pipes under each gutter, no trouble will 

 be experienced from snow. Not only is 

 the glass clear practically all winter, 

 when light means growth, but the break- 

 age of glass is practically nil, unless un- 

 der exceptional circumstances such as we 

 had to contend with last year, when it 

 was raining and freezing at the same 

 time, forming a coat of ice all over the 

 glass, which, as it thawed, slipped down 

 in chunks and broke the glass on the op- 

 posite roof. This has only happened once 

 in four years, and in consideration of the 

 advantages above named we are willing 

 to overlook this one break. 



Evenness of Temperature. 



Regarding the advantages of connected 

 over separate houses from the growers' 

 standpoint, I would not like to go on rec- 

 ord as saying that better results can be 

 obtained in block houses, but will try to 

 point out some of the advantages of large 

 blocks of houses over smaller, separate 

 houses for the cultivation of flowers and 

 plants. It is a recognized fact that a 

 better circulation of air can be obtained 

 and a more even temperature maintained 

 in a large than in a small house, for the 

 reason that in separate houses variations 

 of heat and cold are localized, mainly 

 owing to the fact that the bulk of the 

 heating pipes have to be placed near the 

 sides of the houses, which are the coldest 

 places. This is especially the case in 

 small houses, and every grower knows 

 the trouble and loss resulting from this 

 excessive heat. Not only does red spider 

 breed here, but the plants next the pipes 

 always have a dried-up appearance which 

 is not noticeable before heavy firing com- 

 mences, and disappears entirely after 

 firing ceases. On the other hand, in a 

 block of houses the heating pipes can be 

 distributed in single or double runs along 

 every path, and a more even temperature, 

 without excessive heat in any one part of 

 the house, can be maintained. 



Admission of Light. 



Advocates of separate houses claim 

 better light by the prevention of the roof 

 of one shading its neighboring house and 

 by the admission of light at the side; 

 but the modern construction of connected 



Gladiolus America. 



houses has so reduced the light-obstruct- 

 ing features of the roof as to much 

 weaken the force of this contention. An 

 iron gutter five inches wide throws very 

 little shade, and this shade is not station- 

 ary by any means. The shadow cast by 

 the gutter moves with the sun, and there 

 is absolutely no space in connected houses 

 that cannot be utilized to full advantage. 

 On the other hand, the advantage that 

 advocates of separate houses claim in the 

 increasing of the width and consequently 

 the height of separate houses is in itself 

 an argument in favor of connected 

 houses, since, as far as side light and 

 equal distribution of heat are concerned, 

 there is practically no difference bfetween 

 a single house 150 feet wide and a block 

 of connected houses 150 feet wide; but 

 the circulation of air will be much more 

 perfect in the block of houses than in the 

 said single house. 



For the wliolesale grower of cut flow- 

 ers connected houses have a great eco- 

 nomical advantage over separate houses, 

 and the produce from these blocks cer- 

 tainly cannot be excelled by the produce 

 from spparatc lionses. That fact is 



strongly in evidence at such places as the 

 Dale estate, J. H. Dunlop's, W. Gam- 

 mage's, and many smaller establishments 

 throughout the country. 



For the retail grower who grows a lit- 

 tle of everything, connected houses may 

 not be such a great advantage as to the 

 larger grower, unless two or more houses 

 of one class of plants are grown, when 

 connected houses can be built and prove 

 a success, both from a grower's and from 

 an economic point of view. 



But whatever houses you intend to 

 build, be sure to use iron gutters, or 

 eaves, as the case may be, not only for 

 their lasting qualities, but for the sake 

 of light in winter and the saving from 

 the non-breakage of glass. 



GLADIOLUS AMERICA. 



Gladiolus America, which has been 

 in a few of the wholesale markets in 

 previous seasons, at first under the name 

 of Ruben H. Warder, which is the title 

 given it by Frank Banning, of Kins- 

 man. O., is now seen in all the prin- 

 cipal markets. Since John Lewis 



