The Garden Magazine, November, t919 



139 



will mean that where it is lengthwise the house itself must run 

 north and south, but where it is crosswise the house will run 

 east and west, bringing the trellis north and south. 



Its Shape and the Frame 



T"HE type of frame general to-day is the curved eave, 

 whether the structure is an even span, a three-quarter 

 span or a lean-to. And it hardly seems possible that any 

 improvement on this frame will ever be made, since it is 

 sensible (giving a maximum of light and especially in winter 

 in shedding snow and ice) of simple construction, and meets 

 every requirement both within and without. As to the 

 form of the house there is no question about the superiority of 

 the even span; and there is seldom any good reason for build- 

 ing anything else. The lean-to may of course be the only 

 thing that will fit in certain restricted places, but if it can 

 possibly be avoided it should be. Even when the greenhouse 

 is to be attached to the garage or wing of some existing build- 

 ing, it may perfectly well be even span and stand end on 



POSSIBILITIES OF THE UNHEATED GREENHOUSE 



Prickiy spinach sown now will germinate and carry through the winter. 



Half grown lettuce from the garden will mature if brought in. 



Cauliflowers not yet headed will mature inside. 



Dandelions may be grown for winter greens from strong roots planted inside now. 



By January 15 sow peas, radishes, lettuce and round spinach. 



In February sow lettuce, beets and spinach. 



Plant asparagus roots under benches, cover with 3" of earth, and cut in March. 



iMushroorns may be grown also, as the natural warmth of late winter's sun suffices 



By January 25 sow Sweet Peas. Bachelor Buttons, Mignonette and Marigolds. 



February 25 start any deciduous shrubs desired, also Tulips, Hyacinths, etc. 



Bring indoors any spring flowering herbaceous plants for early bloom. 



PLANT COMBINATIONS BY TEMPERATURE 



COOL: 3S — 40' AT NIGHT 



Flowers — 



Agave Calceolaria. Campanula, Chrysan- 

 themum, Cheiranthus, Cineraria, Eri- 

 ca. Eupatorium, Genista, Iberis, 

 Mignonette, Mvosotis, Stock. Sweet 

 Pea 



Shrubs — 



Cestrum, Chorizema, Lagerstroemia, Mag- 

 nolia, Nerium, Punka, Rhododendron 



Ornamental Plants — 

 Aucuba, Bay-tree. 



Vegetables — 



Endive, Lettuce, Parsley, Radish. 



HOT (OR STOVEK 6i ° — 80° AT NIGHT 



Flowers — 



Achimenes, Aristolochia, Begonia, Ceph- 

 alotus, Eucharis, Euphorbia, Gloxi- 

 nia, Lily-of-the-valley, Poinsettia, 

 Nepenthes. 



Shrubs— 



Gardenia, Ixora, Lantana, Philodendron. 



Ornamental Plants — 



Adiantum, Alsophila, Anthurium, Areca, 

 Asplenium, Banana, Bertolonia, Bo- 

 rassus, Caladium, Calathea, Caryota, 

 Cocos, Corypha, Croton, Cyathea, 

 Cycas, Davallia, Dkksonia, Dieffen- 

 bachia, Dracaena, Ficus, Kentia, 

 Livistona, Maranta, Pandanus, Phoe- 

 nix. Platycerium, Rhapis. 



intermediate; 45 



AT NIGHT 



Gloriosa, Hoya, 



Climbers — 



Allamanda, Clitoria, 

 Thunbergia. 



Orchids — 



Calanthe, Epidendrum, Phalaenopsis. 



Vegetables — 

 Cucumber, Eggplant. 



Fruits — 



Citrus fruits, Muskmelon. 



Flowers — 



Agapanthus, Allium, Alyssum, Antirrhi- 

 num, Cactus, Canna, Epiphyllum, 

 Erythrinum, Freesia, Geranium, Glad- 

 -iolus, Hyacinth, Iris, Kalanchoe, 

 Ornithogalum, Oxalis, Pelargonium, 

 Plumbago, Primula, Stevia. 



Shrubs — 



Acacia, Hydrangea, Lilac. 



Ornamental Plants— 

 Alternanthera. 



Climbers — 



Lapageria, Passiflora, Wistaria. 



Orchids — 



Anguloa, Cypripedium, Odontoglossum. 



Vegetables — 



Asparagus, Beans, Beets, Carrots, Cauli- 

 flower, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Onions, 

 Peas, Rhubarb, Seakale, Spinach. 



WARM; 55° — 65° AT NIGHT 



Flowers — 



Abutilon, Amaryllis, Astilbe, Begonia, 

 Bouvardia, Cactus, Calla-lily, Celosia, 

 Clivia, Cyclamen, Fuchsia, Helio- 

 trope, Hymenocallis (Ismene), Lilium, 

 Tropaeolum, Nymphaea. 



Shrubs — 



Aralia, Azalea, Camellia, Hibiscus, Rose, 

 Spiraea, Swainsona. 



Ornamental Plants — 



Ananas, Araucaria, Asparagus, Aspidistra, 

 Aspidium (Dryopteris), Coleus, Cro- 

 ton, Cyperus, Dracaena. 



Climbers — 



Bougainvillea, Cissus, Clerodendron, |as- 

 minum, Smilax, Stephanotis. 



Orchids — 



Cattleya, Coelogyne, Dendrobium, Laelia, 

 Lycaste, Oncidium, Vanda. 



Vegetables — 



Beans, Peppers, Potatoes, Tomatoes. 



Fruits — 



Grape, Peach, Strawberry, Nectarine. 



instead of being only half a house with excessive roof height 

 standing side on. Plants growing in a lean-to are bound to 

 "draw" because of the uneven distribution of light, and 

 proper ventilation is difficult. 



The three-quarter-span house has advantages on sloping 

 ground over the even-span form, but elsewhere it has none 

 and there is really no reason for building it. 



The all-iron-frame house is naturally the most expensive 

 to build, but as maintenance costs practically nothing and re- 

 pairs are nil, its first cost is soon more than compensated; 

 and thereafter it is daily a gain over the part-iron or the wood 

 — the latter now seldom used. Greenhouse glass must be 

 the pure white variety and here again, as with the material 

 of the frame, quality is economy and the "double thick" 

 glass which weighs twenty-two ounces to the square foot 

 should be used if possible. Glass that is still heavier is often 

 used in the modern houses where the framework calls for 

 large-size sheets. Ground glass has been used for exotics 

 but in general it is better to use the clear glass and depend 

 for shade when it is desired upon light fabric drawn across 

 the span. . Summer shade for the roof must be provided for, 

 and there has been nothing better than this same fabric 

 screen devised. Whitewashing is of course freely practised, 

 by commercial houses especially, but it is unsightly and does 

 not, moreover, allow for the entrance of the sun when you 

 wish it to enter. In practice the wash is put on the outside 

 in early summer and the weather removes it by late fall. 



Keeping Things Warm 



THE very heart and soul of the greenhouse is its heating 

 system. It will make no difference how perfect its ap- 

 pointments and its construction, nor how skilful its attendant, 

 nor how beautifully it is planned, if its heating system falls 

 short. It is then a dead thing — as dead as a tomb! In 

 greenhouse heating as in all other, it is desirable to provide 

 for greater capacity than the figures show will be actually 

 needed, since it is always more economical to run a fire in 

 check than under draft. Then too there may come, once in 

 a decade or so, a season of untoward severity, during which 

 only the excess heat that has been figured on will save the 

 night, if not the day. 



Unquestionably it is a wonderful idea, this greenhouse idea 

 of turning summer into winter and temperate regions into 

 tropical, and converting sunshine into flowers or luscious 

 fruits, perhaps right against the calendar. Yet it is timely 

 to remember right here and now, that this is not exactly what 

 happens in a greenhouse. As a matter of fact, gardening 

 under glass is not simply protected-from-the-weather gar- 

 dening, wherein the work is carried on with the same ma- 

 terials as are used out of doors; but rather it is gardening 

 with very special materials in most cases, as well as under 

 highly artificial conditions. In the greenhouse three of the 

 four factors of garden work are controlled, but the fourth is 

 quite beyond control. Temperature, soil, and moisture are 

 adjusted as delicately as necessity demands; but light still 

 remains outside the reach of all our cunning — and what is 

 more, light is diminished always however cleverly we may 

 build, quite apart from the fact that normally light diminishes 

 greatly in winter, just when we expect the greenhouse to be 

 most active! So that while we control the three, and in- 

 crease these howsoever we will, we diminish the fourth in 



