592 



TRAPS TO CATCH WINTER SUNBEAMS. 



feet apart and extending 5 feet above the ground on each 

 side ; at the south end are set 3 posts extending 3 feet 

 above the ground, or to the level of the benches. The 

 north end has a door in the center of each span. To the 

 posts two thicknesses of boards are nailed all around, 

 excepting at the north end, which is boarded tight to the 

 top of the ridge. Two ridge-pieces in the center of each 



Fig. 3.— Cross-section of Portable Greenhouse. 



span are required to support the sash at the top. These 

 are of pine, 2x4 inches, and are supported in the center 

 by posts made of iX-'nch gas-pipe. 



In the center, where the two roof sections meet, the 

 sash rests on a plate 8 inches wide, in the form of a gut- 

 ter, to catch and carry off the water. This is also firmly 

 supported by posts made of gas-pipe. The side plates 

 are 2x4 inches, and are nailed on the top of the side posts 

 to support the sash at the eaves of the house. A pair of 

 rafters at each of the four gables complete the frame- 

 work. 



Portable sashes are used to enclose the house, namely ; 

 20 hotbed sash oJ the usual size, 3x6, cover the roof ; 

 6 2x5 side-sash (these are better known as cellar-sash); 

 4 5x5 sash for the south end, cut bias at the top to fit the 

 slope of the roof (see fig. 4). These sash, excepting those 

 used for ventilation, are all screwed tightly to the frame 

 of the house ; the latter are hinged to the cap on the 

 top of the roof, as shown in fig. 5. Two sashes on a side 

 will be sufficient for the purpose of airing the house 

 The joints where the sashes come together are made 

 tight by the use of 2-inch batten screwed tightly to the 

 sashes. 



The interior arrangements are practical and simple. 

 The center bed is 8x15 feet, made solid from the ground, 

 and filled with rich soil to the top. 

 The side tables are 4x15 feet. 

 Under these the heating-pipes, run- 

 ning around the entire house ex- 

 cepting the north end, are placed. 

 In the south end, where the pipes 

 pass through the center bed, there 

 is a boxing around them, forming 

 an air-space. This admits of a free 

 circulation of the warm air, which would otherwise be 

 confined to the soil. The heating apparatus is a No. 22 

 Hitchings base-burning water-heater, designed expressly 

 for heating conservatories and small amateur greenhouses. 



Bit of the Roof. 



The heater is placed in a pit or fire-room situated on 

 the side of the house near the north end. Two 2-inch 

 pipes rising from it extend through the side wall and 

 connect with the 4- 

 inch heating-pipes, 

 which pass around the 

 house, terminating in 

 an expansion- tank. 

 This style of heater 

 requires very little at- 

 tention, is managed as 

 easily and with as little care as an ordinary base-burning 

 stove, and consumes about the same amount of coal as a 

 stove of the same size. The boiler and pipes are filled 

 with water at the expansion-tank to a height of three or 

 four inches above the pipes, and the loss of water from 

 evaporation is replaced at intervals of several days. 



The water should not be drawn off after the apparatus 

 has been in use unless there is danger of freezing. The 

 chimney is not shown in the illustration (fig. 6) ; it may 

 be built beside the boiler, and preferably should be of 

 brick. To secure a good draft it must extend two or 

 three feet above the highest part of the house. Earth- 

 ern pipes are sometimes used for this purpose with entire 

 satisfaction. 



The number of plants that could be grown in a struc- 

 ture of this kind would depend altogether on the manage- 

 ment. Plant-raising is my business, and there'iore I have 

 had considerable experi- 

 ence in that line. Per- 

 haps a simple statement 

 of what I grew in this 

 small house the past year 



may give others an idea of what can be done if one 

 is willing to try. The house was used in the fall for 

 blooming chrysanthemums, and several hundred fine 

 flowers were taken from the plants. About November 



