1914. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
406 
Greenhouse Construction for Small Place. 
Fart I. 
In planning the construction of a 
greenhouse on a small place from new 
material, there are several features 
worthy of careful consideration, the most 
important being location, relative to as 
uninterrupted exposure to the sun as 
possible during the entire day. If pos¬ 
sible a location protected from either 
north or west winds should be chosen. 
Whether the house shall be built north 
and south, or east and west, depends 
somewhat on the use to which it is to 
be put. For cut flowers a house run¬ 
ning north of east and south of west, 
so as to receive first rays of sun in 
morning, is possibly preferable. For 
plants a house could run north and south 
and more of the space could be utilized. 
In the north-south house narrow sup¬ 
ports could be placed near roof and 
several rows of flats containing plants 
could easily be handled without interfer¬ 
ing to any great extent with the crop 
underneath, as the line of shade cast by 
the boxes would be constantly shifting. 
If benches are used in the house, many 
plants can be temporarily stored under¬ 
neath each along the walks, like old 
stock plants of geraniums, etc., and at 
some period of the day the sun will 
reach them, for a short, though welcome 
stay. 
Water is another item that must be 
considered. If the house is quite small, 
and help is more plentiful than means, 
to install a power pumping outfit, a good 
hand pump connected In such manner 
that one could’' pump and another ma¬ 
nipulate the hose, would answer, though 
you would soon look upon this as an 
arduous occupation. The better course 
would be a small gasoline engine and a 
good pump. The tank could either be 
on the pneumatic storage principle and 
placed in the basement, or an open tank 
located in attic of house or barn. The 
former would be desirable as by that 
means damage of freezing would be 
obviated and any desired pressure could 
be maintained to combat red spider, and 
you will find red spider one of the worst 
pests with which you have to contend. 
It is so small that the plants of the 
amateur may be badly infested before he 
is aware of its existence in his place. 
When eggplants, tomato, etc. plants be¬ 
gin to turn a light gray color instead of 
a dark healthy green it is time to in¬ 
spect the under side of the leaves closely. 
The chances are you will find a mass of 
exceedingly small reddish insects, that 
can only be killed by a contact applica¬ 
tion or by being dislodged by a strong 
spray of water. Ivory soap dissolved in 
hot water, five-cent size to four gallons 
water, and sprayed on the insects will do 
it, but pure water applied with force is 
best, as several applications of the soap 
weakens the constitution of the plants. 
The soap spray will help hold white 
fly in check on tomatoes, though on large 
commercial places hydrocyanic acid gas is 
used, but is of doubtful recomendation 
to the amateur on account of the extreme 
danger connected with its use. 
There may be situations where it may 
appear desirable to construct a lean-to 
house on the south side of a building al¬ 
ready constructed. A structure of this 
nature would answer fairly well for vege¬ 
table plants, though everything grown in 
it would have a tendency to draw toward 
the sun. If a house is constructed 16 
feet square or even 20 feet square, it 
could be heated with a large cylinder 
stove encased at a distance of 12 to 18 
inches with a piece of sheet iron as 
formerly explained in article on trans¬ 
forming a cold frame into a greenhouse. 
Hot water is the most desirable method 
of heating, but in a short house is ex¬ 
pensive to install on account of the many 
fittings and work of cutting pipe re¬ 
quired, as tlxis expense is no greater for 
the 100-foot house than one 20 feet long. 
There are doubtless many who have an 
exaggerated idea of the profits that may 
be made from a greenhouse. You can 
get some idea from following sugges¬ 
tions as to limitations in this respect. 
During the Winter months we put five 
and six radishes in a bunch and whole¬ 
sale at 3y 2 cents. If you can sell direct 
five cents is the price. These occupy 
bench space about six weeks and stand 
2x4*4 inches in the beds. Grand Rapids 
lettuce will occupy bench near two 
months and should net five cents each, 
planting 6x7 or 8x8, and tomatoes plant¬ 
ed in beds February 1 to March 15 
should average four to five pounds fruit 
per plant, plants being set 16xlS inches 
in beds and fruit should sell at 10 cents 
per pound and possibly a few cents more 
if well grown and sold direct. Vegetable 
plants in this section sell at 10 cents 
per dozen generally, with eggplant at 
possibly 15 and cauliflower same price 
or higher. They should have a space 
2x2 inches or better 2x3 inches; even 
this distance is too close for eggplant. 
That is gross income, and is greatly in¬ 
creased or decreased by the amount of 
attention and application given. Labor, 
coal, water, insecticides, manure, fertil¬ 
izers, etc., make a fairly formidable ar¬ 
ray of expense, which as a general thing 
keeps the net income from becoming bur¬ 
densome. Many will, however attain so 
much satisfaction from growing plants 
out of season, and being with this small 
area of Summer verdure while the wind 
is howling outside, that even though the 
care be constant, and the net returns not 
over burdensome, they will feel amply 
repaid, as the love of growing plants and 
flowers can scarce be gratified during 
Winter in any. other manner. 
We will describe a house about 15 to 
16 feet wide containing a bed on each 
side, two walks and a center bed five to 
six feet wide. The sides can be made 
Sash bar2z 'd<sep 
x /g-" wi de 
Vent sash /Gin. to 24 in. 
isr/de 
I"pipe 
Sectional View of Greenhouse. 
either of posts, and boarded up or con¬ 
crete. We have a house of this size in 
use that I will describe. The side walls 
are about 3*4 inches thick at top and 
six inches at bottom, about four feet 
high, made of concrete, using ashes of 
bituminous coal just as they come from 
the shaking grate under the boilers, eight 
parts, and Portland cement one part, 
no sand added. This makes a tough 
job and is possibly warmer than stone 
as the cinder allows more air spaces in 
the construction. On the top edge every 
four feet a half-inch bolt six inches long 
is embedded, enough projecting to fasten 
a cypress plate on wall four inches wide 
and 1^4 inch thick. This plate is given 
a slight slope outward so as to allow con¬ 
densation to pass out of the house. 
The sash bars are 2*4 inches deep by 
1% inch thick, and beveled so as to fit 
snugly to ridge at top and nail flat on 
plate at eaves, A, see cut. Before nailing 
on plate the end of bar is painted thor¬ 
oughly and allowed to dry and then given 
a coat of thick white lead and oil just 
previous to nailing down. 
In nailing cypress always use cut fin¬ 
ishing nails. The wire nails split the 
wood and will rust out long before the 
wood will rot out. It is best to use cut 
nails everywhere on exposed work, as 
they last much longer than the ordinary 
wire nail. We use a ridge 2x6 inches 
and a one-inch pipe under same every eight 
feet, the ridge being four feet six inches 
above the eaves, which gives a good 
pitch to the roof. There are two pur¬ 
lines in house to which bars are screwed 
with pipe straps, one-inch pipe being 
used for purlines. A brace pipe should 
run from each purline to the center up¬ 
right post, and can be fastened thereto 
by a piece of iron, bent at each end to 
conform to angle of braces and then be 
bolted to upright post with an axle slip. 
This makes a solid and substantial fas¬ 
tening. The same method could be used 
with wooden posts and siding, and by 
using posts greater height of sides could 
be obtained if desired. 
Ventilation could also be had by put¬ 
ting a row of narrow sash below eave 
plate. A row of narrow sash must be 
placed at ridge of house, and where house 
is not long, sash can be raised by hav¬ 
ing a stick hinged under each sash, and 
holes bored in at intervals of every 
few inches. In raising sash when desired 
height is obtained a corresponding hole 
is slipped over a peg fastened near ridge. 
There are machines on the market for 
this purpose. 
If the house is much higher at one end 
than the other it would be best to carry 
the flow pipes for hot water up hill to 
far end of house, and give returns same 
fall to heater, locating heater at low end 
of house. If the house is level, or nearly 
so, have high point of system over boiler 
or heater, and run down hill to far end 
of house and return same way, being 
careful to have all pipes perfectly 
straight in line. By using this method, 
and locating one air cock at highest 
point no trouble will be experienced with 
air in system, and circulation should be 
very satisfactory. 
Assuming a house 16 feet wide by 
100 feet long, two-inch pipe would be 
preferable, and 10 lines would be re¬ 
quired, four flows and six returns. If 
house is only 50 feet long 1*4 inch pipe 
would be very satisfactory, 
Lancaster Co., Pa. elmer j. weaver. 
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BeforeVou J ft 
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WIRE FENCE 
See it before you pay—if not 
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(17) 
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Iron 
chick nursery^ 
527” 135 EGG INCUBATOR 
Air c’l’d tvpo 
sz. $24.75 
CHICK BROODER 
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GEO. A. BOTTGER, Pres. 
THE UNITED FACTORIES CO. 
S17 Factories Building 
Cleveland, ohio 
Geo. A. Sottger, Pres., THE UNITED FACTORIES CO., 
517 United Factories Bldg., Cleveland, Ohio. 
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Town . County 
R.F.D . State 
