460 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



earliest attempts at forcing flowers. It was the centre of wealth for the 

 land, consequently of all the refinements which wealth legitimately brings. 

 Attracted by this, the gardeners coming from the old world settled there 

 and brought with them their beauties. The Philadelphia climate was 

 not so rigorous as that of New York city and of Boston. Boston followed 

 Philadelphia's lead as methods of heating became more complete; ranking 

 next came New York city, developing more slowly, but progressing further. 



The marked period of growth began about 1825 and has led to the 

 establishments of to day, so that at one and the same time we are able to 

 hnd ranges of greenhouses varying in size from a "lean-to" on a New 

 England farmhouse (reminding one of certain Nottinghamshire houses 

 long since made famous), to houses containing many hundred thousand 

 square feet of glass. Some Rose-growing establishments produce cut 

 flowers for the wholesale market, while others, and not among the smaller, 

 grow nothing but plants for the retail trade. Using the Parcel Post as their 



Pig. 129. — The First Greenhouse erected ix Amekica. 



carrier, some of the latter sell plants for a few cents each, all they are 

 worth, but making it possible for many to have Roses in abundance, who 

 could not, were they dependent on those firms who supply only such plants 

 as must be scut by goods train. 



The first greenhouses in America were high-walled hotbeds, with a 

 great number of windows for side light, or these might be dispensed with. 

 Through the courtesy of the Department of Agriculture of the United 

 States 1 am able to reproduce from the " Year-book " for 1899 a drawing 

 of the first greenhouse in America. (Fig. 129.) 



Small glass, single thickness, was used ; this was butted in glazing after 

 the edges had been dipped in copal varnish, and laid in putty to make a 

 tight joint. The next step was the lean-to house, with the roof very 

 lanting, thus giving more light and more roof area. All kinds of plants 

 were grown in these houses at the same time. In place of the benching 

 as now used, there was a staging reaching from the walk in the front of the 

 house up to the roof ; on the different steps were placed the plants, all in 

 pots, and usually a ' Lamarque ' Rose was planted at the back of the house 



