Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-02-26

/ which, Wnen Seblleu Will toAA
| (not tranpled should be fourteel
inches high, more or less, as Their
| Is a greater or less portion of man
ure used, and six inches wider OF
all sides than the frame to place
over if.
4 Hot-bed frames should be mad,
of two-inch oak plank, framed to
gether at the ends with keys, to b.
taken apart and placed in a dry
place when not in use. They may
be twenty feet or less in length, and
for convenience should not exceed
| four in width. The front, or south
side, should be eight inches high
the north from eight to twenty, ac-
cording to slope of ground on
which the bed stands, as the top OF
the frame should have a pitch OF
eight to twelve inches to receive the
heat of the sun and shed off the
rain freely.
| Cover the beds four inches deep
with mellow earth, on which set the
frames and proceed to lay the pota-
toes two inches apart, with the top
end of the potato towards the north
or upper side of the bed, and oppo-
site the middle of the adjoining po-
tato, placing the large ones at one
end of the bed and the small ones
at the other.
Cover the potatoes with three
inches of good soil that is free from
foul seed and will not bake-top
soilifrom the woods and from around
old logs would be preferable.
During the first ten days the beds
should be carefully examined by run
ming the hand down to the manure,
and if it becomes so warm as to feel
unpleasant to the hand, there is dan
ger of scalding the potatoes, and it
should be cooled by making holes
through the bed and watering, being
careful not to apply too much at a
time; sometimes the holes made are
sufficient.
Pulling the plants before all are
of proper size is the cause of thous-
ands being destroyed, and to avoid
this the bedding may be continued a
week or ten days, that the plants
may be pulled in succession.
The beds must be carefully covA
cred at night and in cold and wet
weather, and be particular to I'M
cover them every fair warm day to
tougher the plants and inure them
to the open air. Glass-covered hot
beds cause the plants to spring up
tender and weak, and such plants
do not grow when set out in the hill
like those raised in open beds.
The best covers are made of strong
oiled muslin, tackled on lath so that
they can be rolled up conveniently.
These covers will admit the light,
shed off the rain, and be cheaper in
the end than other covering, and
sufficiently warm, except in ex-
tremely cold weather, when straw
or some warm covering should be
thrown over them.
The beds should be watered in
the evening with a suitable water
ing pot, to keep the earth in good
growing condition. If spring or
well water is used, it should stand
in the sun or be warmed before
using.
After the plants are up they |
should, if the weather is warm, be
kept tolerably moist, to encourage
the growth of good strong roots,
and light warm showers would be
better than watering, but cold and
heavy rains must be guarded against
as they would soak into the beds
and ruin them. bitches should be
formed around the beds, and the
earth thrown up to keep the water
from running under and chilling
them When the plants are three
inches high and well rooted, they
are ready to pull, which is per-
formed by taking hold ofthe plants
with the thumb and forefnger of
one hand, while the potato is held
firmly in its place with the other.
Careless drawing by inexperienced
persons frequently destroys half
the profits OF their beds.
When plants are to be sent dis
lance, they should be set in shallow
boxes, with their roots in the earth
or moss; but they must not be
packed in ecet aDeather, or hare
their Leaves acet, or they will rot
Immediately.
Plants may be taken off the beds
and preserved in a cave or cellar
for a week or more, with their roots
packed in damp moss or earth, if
not packed too close.
1t is a common error to lay the
potatoes too close. A bed four by
twenty feet will hold two bushels
of medium sized potatoes. If po
tatoes are small, more, and if large,
less room is required.