Fig. 7.—Perspective View.
NEW YORK: GEO. E. WOODWARD & CO., 31 BROAD STREET, and ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 245 BROADWAY.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by GEO. E. & F. W. WOODWARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York.
In Figure 7 is given a perspective view of a propagating house of an ornamental character. It is intended for forcing early vegetables, strawberries, grapes in pots, and such general propagation of plants as are needed on a country place of moderate extent. The curvilinear roof gives beauty to the design as well as affording more head room inside than the ordinary straight rafter.
Fig. 7.—Perspective View.
The pitch of the roof is quite flat, a straight line between the ends of the rafter forming an angle of only 28 degrees with the horizon. It was desirable to have the roof as low as was consistent with sufficient head room, that the plants might be as near the glass as possible, without the necessity of high stag[Pg 58]ing in the centre. The house has the ends to the east and west. At the west end is an ante-room, not shown in perspective view, containing the boiler, seed drawers, desk, &c. On the north side of house are beds for propagating plants, and the south side is used for early vegetables, strawberries, &c. In the centre is a large bed of earth used for grapes in pots, vegetables and plants. A portion of the roof on the south side can be raised when it is desirable to[Pg 59] harden off the plants in spring. The foundation is of wood, locust posts being used, with boards nailed upon both sides and coated with coal tar. The house is forty one feet long and sixteen feet wide, and is heated by a tank constructed as follows: brick piers are built three feet apart on which are laid common blue flag stones six feet long and two feet wide. The sides and[Pg 60] divisions of the tanks are built of brick, and cemented inside. One of Hitchings & Co.'s boilers furnishes the heat, and is connected with the tank by two inch iron pipe. Above the tanks are the propagating beds as shown in figure 8. The tank, with the exception of that part across the end of the house is covered with beds and no provision is made for other heat than that radiated from the sides, and that portion left uncovered at the end. In the practical working of the house, this has been found insufficient, and pipes have been introduced for atmospheric heat, the tanks being still retained for bottom heat.[Pg 61]
Fig. 8.—Section.
Fig. 9.—Ground Plan.
Fig. 10.—Perspective View.