SMALL GREENHOUSES 205 



one who cares for flowers. I have received many let- 

 ters during the past year from women who would like 

 to start out in a small way in flower growing as a 

 means of earning something, in which the writers say 

 that they have a small sum of money which they 

 might use in putting up a small house, and asking 

 if I think it would pay them to do so. I have to tell 

 them that I do not think it would. A house smaller 

 than sixteen by twenty would not enable them to grow 

 as many plants as they would be obliged to in order 

 to make anything from them, and it would be impos- 

 sible to build a house of that size in this section for 

 less than two hundred dollars, let the builder economize 

 to the greatest possible extent. In trying to put up 

 a house for any smaller amount — ^that is, a house 

 which would answer the purposes of such persons — 

 it would be throwing money away. But when a person 

 writes that he has two or three hundred dollars to 

 invest in this enterprise, I can conscientiously advise 

 him to go ahead, for I know from my own experience 

 that a good house can be built for that ; a house large 

 enough to accommodate as many plants as most ama- 

 teurs would care to grow, and which will, if properly 

 built, afford ample protection against the rigors of our 

 severest winters. 



It is often advised that the walls of a greenhouse 

 should be constructed by setting posts in the ground 

 and boarding up on each side of them. If this is 

 done, the cost will be greatly lessened, but I would 

 not advise doing it, because the posts will rot in a 

 few years, and then you will be obliged to rebuild, 

 therefore in the end nothing is saved by building in 

 this manner. I would advise having the greenhouse 

 built just as substantially as the dwelling to which it 

 is attached, for such a house will be good for years. 

 The cheaper way is very questionable economy. 



