142 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 
the heat through the same. This may be done by board- 
ing up the space between the side of a bench and the 
floor, or heavy burlap or canvas may be used to advan- 
tage. These will root in the course of a month and will 
be ready for placing in small pots. 
"If vegetables are desired, lettuce, radishes and cauli- 
flower, you can start from seed any time during the 
Winter, while parsley may be provided by transplant- 
ing clumps from the garden to the greenhouse. 
"Of course, you will want some chrysanthemums, but 
September is too late for starting them. They are 
usually propagated from cuttings some time between 
February and July." 
"Well, I can't see where there would be room for so 
many things in this house," said Mrs. Brown. "It 
seems as though we would need that extra compart- 
ment at once." 
"I was just about to tell you of the value of frames 
in connection with the greenhouse. No greenhouse is 
quite complete without frames any more than your 
home would be without a kitchen, for they are very 
inexpensive and the space taken by them is worth quite 
as much for semi-dormant plants as the greenhouse; 
and should be used as a place for storing plants pre- 
vious to forcing them. Of course, the frames ought to 
be arranged convenient to the greenhouse. The ideal 
way is to have them run parallel to the house as shown 
in cut No. 2 and not closer than 4 ft. to avoid snow 
sliding from the greenhouse roof on to the frames. 
When they are placed near the greenhouse, it is usually 
a simple matter to have a coil of 2" pipe placed around 
the side walls of the frames and connected to the green- 
house heating plant. This heat supply will serve to 
keep out the frost without the usual amount of exces- 
sive covering of mats and shutters. 
"There are two distinct types of frames, one built 
on masonry foundation 3 ft. below the ground and 
about 10 inches above in front ; and 16 inches above 
at back. The walls in this case are capped with iron 
sills similar to those used in greenhouse construction, 
excepting that they are narrower. The iron rafters - 
are spaced every 3 ft. in the length of the frames, 
having each end fastened to the sills. These rafters are 
used to hold the sash in place. Owing to the depth of 
this frame running from 3' 6'' to 4' 0", most of the dor- 
mant plants of considerable size such as are desired for 
greenhouse forcing, can be stored here until wanted — 
such as azalias, hydrangias, rambler roses and Genes- 
tias. 
"The other type of frame is made of cypress, the 
front being 9 inches high and the back 16 inches. 
These are placed on the surface of the ground and 
banked up with soil or manure to keep out the cold. 
"Of course, there is very little height in this type 
and they can only be used for low-growing plants, such 
as lettuce, violets and dormant bulbs." 
"Isn't that just fine! Why, it seems to me now that I 
understand something of the proper rotation for green- 
house plants and that the house would not be complete 
without frames which would serve so well to store 
dormant plants till they are needed for forcing." 
"Getting back to the greenhouse again, if roses are 
desired, they should be grown separately. And I would 
suggest that you do not attempt these until you build a 
second compartment, as they require a temperature of 
58 to 60 degrees at night. Very few plants do well with 
the rose as this Queen among Flowers is fussy about 
the atmospheric conditions as well as the temperature. 
But if a second compartment is available and you de- 
cide to leave out the rose, you could grow in a temper- 
ature of 60 degrees, gardenias, dormant bulbs, lilies 
of the valley ; and if vegetables are desired you can 
have tomatoes, cucumbers, muskmelons and string 
beans. Yes, and even strawberries grown in pots." 
"Well, I suppose I will never be able to remember 
all this," Mrs. Brown finally remarked. "If I could only 
have it in writing just as you have told us, it would be 
such a help." 
So you see, the Browns are really responsible for my 
writing this. I thought if what we talked over was 
interesting to them, it might be equally so to you. 
Yesterday, I accidentally ran into Mr. Brown as he 
was hustling through the Grand Central Station. In our 
few minutes' chat, it was abundantly evident that "the 
Browns" are getting a goodly measure of genuine 
pleasure from their garden under glass. The rose in 
his buttonhole told me what they were growing in that 
second compartment we added six months after the 
first was completed. 
P. S. — Both Mr. and Mrs. Brown gladly gaz-e me 
their permission to zvrite these rather personal things. 
They seem to want all their friends to have green- 
houses, and if their enthusiasm was as catching a germ 
as the grippe this Winter, I am sure the garages of this 
country would all have greenhouse attachments. 
A 
WHEN TO PRUNE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS. 
LITTLE early care given to the pruning of orna- 
mental trees and shrubs during the early part of 
March will do much to control their growing and flower- 
ing habits and enable the home owner to have well- 
formed plants and well-trained hedges or boundary plant- 
ings. The pruning of ornamental trees and shrubs is, 
in fact, one of the first duties that may profitably be 
performed in the home garden. The amateur, how- 
ever, should not make a ruthless assault with shears or 
pruning knife upon everything in his garden. Flower- 
ing trees and shrubs that bloom in the spring or early 
summer should not receive radical pruning at this time, 
according to the United States Department of Agri- 
culture. Of course, if on these plants there are dead 
or weak branches, these should be taken out, and 
any crossing limbs that are rubbing and seriously inter- 
fering with the growth of the bush should be removed. 
The tips of the limbs, however, should not be cut off nor 
should any young wood that does not interfere with the 
growth of the bush be removed. It must be borne in mind 
that the blossom buds for this year's flowering were 
formed last vear, and everv shoot removed takes off that 
much of the prospective blossoms. 
Trees and shrubs that bear their flowers in midsummer 
and which were not pruned in the fall may be pruned at 
this time. 
Climbing roses should not be pruned at this time except 
for the removal of surplus or interfering branches. Every 
bit of wood removed now reduces the amount of bloom 
the plant will bear during the coming season. Roses used 
in border planting should be treated in exactly the same 
way as other shrubs, except that many of these species 
will be improved by having all their old wood cut away 
once in everv five or six years. This would mean cutting 
all the old canes off within three or four inches of the 
ground and forcing the bush to throw up entirely new 
wood. 
Roses used for cut flowers, like the hybrid perpetuals, 
the hybrid teas, and teas, should be severely pruned. The 
hybrid perpetuals may be cut as soon as freezing weather 
is past. Pruning of the hybrid teas and teas, however, 
should be left until the young growth has started. In 
both cases the plant should be cut to within six inches or 
one foot of the ground. Four or six eyes to a stern is 
about the proper amount of wood to leave. 
