September, 19 14 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



43 



mortising it out carefully to fit snugly about 

 the posts. The bevel or shoulder in the sill 

 should come just even with the outside of 

 the posts, so that the latter will not be in 

 the way of the glass, which may be put in, 

 without any side bars, in a continuous 

 row. The walls may then be constructed, 

 fitting the boards snugly under the 2x6 

 inch sill, and working down toward the 

 ground. Put the ridge in place, being 

 sure that it is very secure and makes a 

 water-tight joint with the side of the house. 

 (If this cannot be secured by the use of 

 white lead, use a strip of roofer's tin.) Then 

 mark off carefully on both ridge and eave 

 the places for the sash-bars. Then start 

 with one end-bar, and nail the bars into 

 place, using finishing nails. Try every 

 third or fourth bar with a light of glass to 

 be certain that you are getting them spaced 

 exactly right. The purlin, or pipe, which 

 supports the sash bars does not have to be 

 directly on the middle. In this lean-to, 

 for instance, it comes a little to one side. 

 Ascertain carefully, however, just where 

 it is to come, and mark the bars on the 

 bottom side with a chalk-line. Then, with 

 the purlin clips, fasten the purlin into place. 

 Put the pipe post supports in place, being 

 careful to get them perpendicular and in 

 line, and set the bottoms in concrete. Do 

 not touch the posts while the concrete is 

 setting, which will take two or three days, 

 during which time the doors and gable 

 bars may be put in place. All will then be 

 ready for the glass. Put the ventilators 

 on first. In putting in the glass you will 

 notice that each light is slightly curved. 

 Put the convex side up. Put in one com- 

 plete row at a time, beginning at the eave- 

 plate, and letting the glass come down just 

 flush with the outer bevel. "Work up" 

 a generous supply of putty until it is very 

 soft and elastic. (If necessary add a little 

 linseed oil.) Put on the putty so thick that 



the glass can be firmly imbedded in it, by 

 pressing down hard along each edge of the 

 glass. The lights should be lapped slightly 

 — I to j of an inch — and held firmly in 

 place by greenhouse glazing points. There 

 are several types of these, but I like best 

 the style known as Siebert's. After a 

 complete row of glass is put in, scrape off 

 the surplus putty on the under side. Go 

 over the outside edges of the glass with 

 linseed oil and white lead, mixed to the 

 consistency of thick paint. 



One of the secrets in building a house 

 that will last is to have the painting done 

 thoroughly, and all crevices and holes 

 filled with paint or white lead, and all joints 

 white leaded. Go over the whole frame 

 carefully after it is put up, before putting 

 in any glass; and again after the glass is put 

 in. Be sure to buy a good paint. If you 

 do not know about it, write to your State Ex- 

 periment Station for information. 



In the estimate for material I have not 

 included benching. Two by four scantlings 

 and second-hand or second-grade boards 

 may be used; but as a general rule, the 

 cheaper the bench put up the sooner it will 

 have to be repaired. For a house like the 

 lean-to described, if you can't afford a tile 

 or slate bottom bench, I would recommend 

 concrete for the bottom and sides of the 

 walk, and iron pipe posts and cross-pieces 

 for the benches. Split-fittings, especially 

 designed for making bench-frames, may 

 be bought quite cheaply, and with them 

 such a frame may easily be put up. Then 

 boards are used for the bottom of the 

 bench, and may readily be replaced. 



If hot water or steam is used in the 

 dwelling house, the heating of the small 

 greenhouse is an easy matter. Where a 

 hot-air system is used for the house, a 

 small hot-water coil may be placed in the 

 top of the fire-box, and connected with the 

 heating pipes in the greenhouse. Two 



"coils" of pipe of five i-inch returns each, 

 fed by two if -inch flows, would heat a 

 lean-to, like that described, with hot water. 

 The boiler should be placed as much lower 

 than the piping as is practical — an ad- 

 vantage already at hand when the green- 

 house is heated from the house cellar. 

 For the detached small greenhouse it is 

 usually possible, if one will look around a 

 bit, to pick up a small second-hand hot- 

 water heater, and second-hand pipe, which, 

 while not as neat and trim as new material 

 would be, will give satisfaction as far as 

 supplying heat is concerned. The heating 

 system should be installed under the direc- 

 tion of some competent person. A small 

 house, especially if it is to be used only for 

 starting plants in the spring, may be heated 

 by a flue, although this method is not so 

 reliable as hot water. In case a flue is 

 used, the chimney should be built on top 

 of the furnace. The flue should then be 

 carried to the other end of the house, or 

 near it, and back to the chimney. This 

 provides a forced draft, as the air in the 

 chimney is heated as soon as the fire is 

 started, and sucks the hot air from the 

 fire-box around through the flue after it. 

 If a flue is used, care must be taken not to 

 have any woodwork come in direct contact. 

 If you must have bedding plants you 

 need a greenhouse to raise them from cut- 

 tings, or you must buy from a florist; and 

 you can't begin to get as fine plants as you 

 could raise yourself. Among this class of 

 plants are coleus, geranium, alternanthera, 

 canna, aceranthus, etc. You will be amazed 

 at the contrast between the flowers and 

 vegetables started out of doors and those 

 sown inside — you get larger flowers, larger 

 and healthier plants— which of course means 

 more flowers — and you get a much longer 

 flowering and fruiting period. Some plants 

 that don't take kindly to transplanting are, 

 of course, best sown in the open ground. 



