SMALL GREENHOUSES 209 



dry and intense in character. With the hot water sys- 

 tem a slight fire can be kept, but as long as you 

 have any fire at all the water will circulate in the 

 pipes, while with steam you must keep the fire brisk 

 enough to bring and keep the water to that degree 

 in which it will give off steam to fill the pipes. It will 

 be readily understood from this that the temperature 

 can be regulated much more satisfactorily in a small 

 house where hot water is used as a means of heating 

 than it would be possible to do with steam. 



The pipes by which the greenhouse is warmed 

 run around the building on the sides and one end. 

 There are four of them, all four inches in size. They 

 are arranged with valves in such a manner that two 

 pipes, one flow and one return, can be used for ordi- 

 nary weather, while in colder weather the two others 

 can be added. The principle of circulation may not 

 be understood by the reader who has not looked into 

 the matter, but if he cares to "post" himself, he can 

 very easily do so by sending to the manufacturers of 

 heating apparatus and asking for their catalogs, in 

 which the system is fully explained. He can get 

 estimates from them of the cost of fitting out his 

 greenhouse with heating outfit. 



In arranging the interior of a small greenhouse 

 economy of space must be taken into consideration, 

 and at the same time due regard must be given to an 

 arrangement which will admit of showing off the 

 plants most effectively. I would advise running a row 

 of benches around two sides and the end, about three 

 feet wide. In the center I would have a table or stand, 

 with shelves arranged in such a manner that when 

 filled with plants it would look like a pyramid of 

 foliage and flowers. It would be a sort of plant stand 

 rising from each side and both ends, to a central 

 shelf which would be high enough to lift the plants 



