TRAPS TO CATCH WINTER SUNBEAMS. 



591 



This is better than clapboarding, because it fits tightly to 

 the sheathing, and makes a snugger joint. Constructed 

 in this way the walls are very substantial, and h ive an 

 air-space between them which serves as a non-conductor 

 of heat. 



These walls should be three feet high. The sides of 

 the greenhouse being five feet high, there will be two 

 feet of glass on each side. The entire southern end, 

 with the exception of three feet of wooden wall, cor- 

 responding to that on the sides, should be of glass. The 

 side-sashes should be hung with hinges at the top, and 

 made to swing outward for summer ventilation. By all 

 means have a door in the end to open into your yard or 

 garden. 



The roof of my greenhouse is an even span, slop- 

 ing east and west. The center is 11 feet high. This 

 may give a greater slant than some would advise, 

 but I wanted room for tall plants in the center of 

 the house, and could secure it only by having a pretty 

 steep roof. On each side of the roof there should 

 be a good-sized section of sash hung by hinges at the 

 ridge, so that it may be lifted for ventilation. My 

 house is fitted with ventilating apparatus, so that the 

 ventilators in the roof and the side-sashes can be 

 raised or lowered by turning a crank. 



The roof is made of 12x20 double-thick glass on cy- 

 press sash-bars, with zinc joints between each light. 

 The use of these joints enables me to have a roof with- 

 out laps. It is consequently tighter, and there is no 

 glass broken by frost, as there always is in lapped roofs. 

 The glass is bedded in "rubber cement," used in con- 

 structing aquariums, and fastened strongly by large gla- 

 ziers' "points." After putting it in place, white lead and 

 putty, thinned to the consistency of cream, is applied by 

 a ' ' putty-bulb " to the space between glass and sash-bars, 

 and fine, dry sand is sifted in. This forms a cement 

 that, when dry, lasts for years, I do not understand 

 why the zinc joints spoken of have not come into more 

 extensive use. They are cheap, easily put in place, and 

 form so close and snug a roof that they more than pay 



Fig. I.— Ground Plan of Amateur Greenhouse. 

 for themselves in one season by a saving of fuel. I have 

 tried them alongside a roof in which the glass was 

 lapped, and fully satisfied myself of their merit. 



When this greenhouse was first built, I used a Hitch- 

 ings base-burning heater to warm it. The diagram, fig. 

 1, shows pipes running from the heater. There was one 

 4-inch flow-pipe on each side, with two return pipes the 

 same size. This amount of piping gave all the warmth 



needed ; indeed, more, for it was generally necessary to 

 keep the fire checked There are several cheap and effi- 

 cient heaters in the market, and all are easily put in. As 

 this part of the job must be done by a steam or hot- 

 water fitter or plumber, it is not necessary to go into de- 

 tail here. Tell him wh.it you want done, and he will 

 see to it satisfactorily. The pipes should run the length 



Fig. 2.— Cross-section of Amateur Greenhouse. 



of the house and across each portion of the end to the 

 door, and return under the benches ; no pipes will be 

 needed in the center. To the 16x20 house I have re- 

 cently added 20 feet, and this 40-foot house is now heated 

 from a large Gurney heater, which warms the entire 

 dwelling, as well as the greenhouse. Where the dwelling 

 is not heated by hot water, the small heaters will be 

 found very effective and satisfactory. They require but 

 little attention, and are entirely safe. Fig, 2 gives a 

 sectional view of my house, showing the arrangement of 

 benches, etc. 



I cannot give satisfactory estimates of cost, because 

 the prices for material and labor vary greatly in different 

 localities. An intelligent carpenter can easily estimate 

 the amount of material, glass, etc., required, give cost of 

 sash for sides and ends, and estimate of total costs. 



Fig. 2 also shows the arrangement of benches in the 

 house. The center bench or stand, having no pipes 

 under it, affords a place for the storage of pots, etc. If 

 this bench is dispensed with, one has ample space in 

 which to group large plants. I like this plan best, but 

 for the first year or two one may not have large plants, 

 and in this case a central bench admits of an effective dis- 

 play of small plants. Plants can also be trained to the raft- 

 ers and along the ridge. — Eben E. Rexford, Wisconsin . 



A PORTABLE GRE-ENHGUSE. 



The illustration, fig. 3, on the next page, gives a sectional 

 view of our portable greenhouse, erected about a year 

 ago. This house is 15 or 20 feet, and extends north and 

 south. Its height at the ridge is 8 feet, and the roof is a 

 double span. The location is level, so that excavation 

 was not required except for the heater. The side and 

 end walls are of wood ; 4 posts neatly squared are set 5 



