Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-04-14
Many Truck Gardeners Have i.
Simplest Kind Of Hotbeds
FOR STARTING EARLY PLANTS
A Hotbed Should be Placed 4, 4
South Side Of a Fence or Build.
ing Farm Notes.

house, he need not on that anns,,. saing
without early plants, for lmr ans 50
house or an easily constructed - tie
will answer the purpose yer. sat;a e.ped
rily. Indeed many truck gardena slac,o-
raise considerable VARIETY Of EARN VINO
etables never have ANYTHING move WI
than the simplest kind OF h9tbedss o' N.Y.
early starting of plants in this wa, me
supposes that it was thought of ana ple-
vided for before winter sefjn II Nv PRO,
not be easy in most cases to ohta;s "ouid
proper kind OF soil or compost =. ne
season of the year, and if M ~, ~ tnis
ton has been made, the plant mps p'i q
lad ASIDE, unless some one else mo g
provident can supply the necessary y';'
A good, hight, sandy loam--the rieba I'M.
and lighter the better-makes '' s',sa
enough soil. Before using i shomld S0p =
run through sieve, SO as to remova ~ ~
stones, humps and rubbish 4 toh ~
spoonful OF superphosphate to each Iii
bushel OF soil may be added TO advaa ah
age, and five or six quarts of neat ,n N.Y..
or sphagnum, such as nursery men wss
for packing, thoroughly dried and a;,. ~
to the half bushel OF soil make ~ s aaS7,
lent material for starting seeds. II ~.
thought too much labor to make bothoa,us
boxes about thirty inches long tweirs
inches wide and three inches deem 'm maSs
of half-inch stuff, may be used n ' ~
house. These may be placed on a fo, ,ne
stand or on the window sill. wbara ,rsl
should be SO secure that thew will nj y
knocked Oft. Where large number II
plants is not required, these boxes ara
all that are necessary, and thev are !
source of pleasure and instruction a.
well as OF mere utility, especially il there
are children in the family old enonob 4
observe and assist. A hotbed sho,ld II
possible, be placed ON the south side u
fence or building, where it will be- pro.
tected from the severe winds and AT Tho
same time receive the full benefit az Tho
suns rays. There are two WAYS Of NAL
ing it. One is to place fermenting ma
nure on the surface of the ground, TAX
ing care to build it up in an even, solid
mass, with the long and short manure
equally distributed, until it is from two
feet to thirty inches high. 1t should he
about two feet longer and wider than the
frame of the hotbed, as the center will
be hotter than the outside OF the mass
Another method is to dig pit two feet
longer and wider than the frame. FIJI Il
with the manure and tread it down
evenly and solidly. A convenient size
for the sash is 3x6 feet. The frames
should be made of two-inch plank, the
back twelve and the front eight inches
wide, which allows sufficient slope to
carry off water from the sash. The sides
should, of course, be planed down to fit
the two ends, and the back and front
pieces beveled off, SO that the sash will
tit closely at the ends and sides. A sin
gle brace across the middle OF the frame,
the short way, is enough to make it firm
if two-inch lumber is used. The soil
may be put into the frame as soon as it
is in place. Six or eight inches OF soil is
better than shallower bed, as when
once heated through it will retain the
heat longer, and the plants will be less
likely to burn than If in closer contact
with the hot manure. Seeds should not
be sown for at least week after the beds
begin to heat. Meantime the weeds and
grass will sprout, and may be re-
moved before the seed is put in. A good
deal OF care and experience. is required
to regulate hotbed. 1t must be guarded
against both heat and cold and overhead
ing-the former by covering with boards
or mats at night, the latter by proper
ventilation when the sun shines brightly,
But it will repay all the trouble it costs
if successfully managed.
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
Try nigh feeding with old Brindle.
There have been some remarkable
yields by very common cows.
A good horse can no more stand on
bad feet than a good house can stand on
bad foundation.
Perhaps your old Brindle has never
had full ration in her life. Not that
she has not been experimental with to
find out how much she could eat.
If you have COW that always excels
the others in yield breed her to a pure
bred dairy bull, and il size has helter
calf treat that calf better than you ever
treated calf before.
In feeding COW we must go about II
cautiously; not stuff her with all she
can eat the first week, but train her ap-
petite and digestion by gradually IN
creasing the amount fed.
1t is difficult matter to doctor SICK
animals. 1t is comparatively easy %
keep them we'll by giving good 1000,
pure water and clean quarters. lhese
matters should have attention.
Pound for pound chicken can o o,
grown cheaper than pork, and VINO Wii
say the boiled chicken is not more gralel,
jul and healthy than the salt pork anu
corned beef everlastingly found on iar-
mers' tables?
There are some very prepotent goou
cows among the scrubs; they TRANSMIT
their good qualities to their calves III
spite of the scrub bull by which they a ",
served. These cows should be tested "
high feeding.
Farmers desiring to improve the dails
qualities of their cows without aeeieas
ing size SO much as the use OF Jelses
bulls would should try the Guernseysai
The bulls of this breed often eNeeou
1000 pounds in weight.
Grain may be thrown into iltIer ~
clean straw or hay for the lowe "a
scratch for it, but no food, hard or i sois
should be put where the ground OF h.t w.
is dirty. 1t is not wholesome ior INV
hens, and may prove detrimental 70 ,h nar
man beings who may partake oil ''ien
flesh.
Kansas has always prided herseh ,a "a
being a great wheat State, but II Is ,, sa,e
that her poultry product sells 10, ,h niOas
than all her wheat. If, however, u Zinc
go on much longer as at present M ath;pS
all self-respecting hens-to say . n1s'o
of other bipeds-will leave the olate'