" If iron frame is used instead of wood there is greater durability, and the structure being more slender, will admit more light, but the cost will be increased.”

" It makes very little difference in cost what shape of house is to be erected.  The cost per lineal foot for an even span is practically the same as for a lean-to of the same length and width.  In the lean-to, in order to get the sufficient bench and walk space inside, it is necessary to carry the roof to a point much higher than in the even span.  The extra framework and material for the roof cost a good deal, yet add practically nothing to the efficiency of the house.”

“Heating of greenhouses is best done by hot water, and in a small house the pipes may well be connected with the heating system used for the dwelling, if the greenhouse and the home are within any sort of reasonable distance from each other.  For large houses, or ranges of several houses together, the independent heating plant is necessary.  Steam is used for heating by commercial florists, but it is economical only on a large scale.”

“As a uniform temperature must be maintained in the house, the fires, where steam is used, need watching continuously during cold weather, for the moment the water ceases to boil, the pipes cool off and a considerable time is consumed in starting the heat running again.  With hot water there is much more latitude in attention, for though the fires dwindle’ the water which fills the pipes will carry heat for a long time, and it will circulate until the last degree is radiated.  But a hot-water system costs in the installation about one fourth more than steam.  Very small houses may be successfully heated by kerosene stoves, which may be placed inside the house.  A much better way would be to use oil heaters for an inside water circulation, carrying off all products of combustion by means of a flue.  Coal stoves should never be installed inside the house.  It has been done successfully by some amateurs, but the danger of coal gas being driven back into the house by a down draft in the chimney is too great a risk.  Coal gas and illuminating gas are two virulent poisons to plants.”

It is obvious that the amateur must proceed with great caution in undertaking intensive cultivation under glass.  Build at first the simplest and least expensive kind of hotbeds or greenhouses.  It takes three to five seasons to train even an experienced farmer along these special lines.  Separate crops require special treatment.  Do not experiment, but follow well-tried procedure.  It is comparatively easy to farm an acre under glass, but it should be worked up to, each step being taken only after a solid foundation is ready to build on.  Learn by your mistakes.  Don’t get discouraged by failure.  By not making the same mistake twice, you will soon learn by experience just what is essential to production.  The more you learn about the way nature does things, the more likely you will be to succeed when you seek to imitate her.